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Plenty of painted graffiti also litters the walls of the island, some of which is, apparently intentionally, difficult to read even with the proper perspective. Many of these objects are set aside as rewards for players who take the extra step while exploring, which makes the small task’s compelling nature a more personal judgement for the player, which is accompanied by the consideration of a slower than necessary walking speed for both the trip there and the more tedious backtracking back to the main path.


The player’s journey throughout the island features very few items with which to interact with, as all of the available buttons merely zoom in the camera to provide the player a closer look. But beyond those final twenty minutes, the narrative lacks any sort of consistent progression to accompany the player’s traversal through the island, instead offering hints and non-sequitur soliloquies about the inhabitants of the island that do little to encourage the player to continue towards the completion of its two hour runtime.įor the most part, the experience of playing Dear Esther is pretty much what one would come to expect of the genre, aside from a few minor grievances. The story is exceedingly well-written, rich with creative language and descriptive imagery which benefit the game’s explanatory nature, with themes of precaution and regret being prominent throughout. The player-character’s identity and motivations are just as mysterious, and are made even less clear during the game’s powerful and dark final chapter, which represents one of the few sections of the story that are capable of investing the player.
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With an updated version being released on consoles and PC known as the Landmark Edition, Dear Esther will once again appear in the public’s eye, as the title’s well-written but event-less plot is bolstered by an engrossing soundtrack and a handful of new features, despite unimpressive graphics for a mostly bland setting.ĭear Esther’s core story is told through the narration of letters directed towards the titular Esther by a vague narrator, who constantly switches between the personas of a dying man and the game’s central location, an uninhabited and nameless island deep with history.
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One of the earlier and more infamous examples of this genre is Dear Esther, which began its life on PC as a Half-Life mod in 2007, until it got remade into a full title five years later by The Chinese Room. Despite this alienating aspect, these types of games have still managed to form a cult following, with fans consistently singing the praises of these games to any and all who will listen. While some players are perfectly content with the peaceful and reflective gameplay and stories these titles have to offer, a vocal portion have decreed these experiences as “non-games,” due to their common lacking of any sort of objective-based gameplay beyond exploration and completion. While it was originally built off of a Half Life 2 mod, it is nice to see some upgraded visual elements for consoles.For a variety of reasons, the genre of walking simulators has been a divisive one amongst internet communities, forming a “love it or hate it” vibe for this relatively new category of games. Visually, the game compliments the audio elements with broad vistas and appropriately confined tunnel systems.
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Supporting the voice work is an orchestral score that understands how to employ subtlety at the right moments. The narration is impassioned and brings the right level or emotion to a story layered in nuance. Bringing the player into the environment through the sights and sounds, which it achieves at an incredible level. What Dear Esther wholly relies on is atmosphere building. So in that fact, I can’t offer any review feedback on the gameplay or controls, as this is as basic as it can get. The player guides the invisible protagonist through the island he inhabits, filling in the blanks of the story through snippets of letter entries to the titular Esther. Imagine Dear Esther as a living impressionist painting accompanied by the storied narration of a James Joyce or Irwin Shaw type figure. “So in that fact, I can’t offer any review feedback on the gameplay or controls, as this is as basic as it can get.”
