![]() The pieces are set in each regions or chapter of the story, but how you find them will obviously vary. As you pick up more pieces, you get a bit more of the story as to why the letter writer was on the island, who Esther is, what happened to Esther, and what happened to the letter writer. The player isn't familiar with this writer, and the player doesn't entirely know why these letters are there. As the player strolls across and through the island, they find pieces of letters meant for an Esther. I wish I could say that the story was interesting and moving, because then I might actually recommend this title. The boredom only intensified with the lack of music. The silence filling the void after a track completed in the area did bring about the sense of loneliness the game obviously wants the player to feel, but it also made me want to stop exploring and get to the next area more quickly. It fits in with the various environments of exploration perfectly, but I do wish that the tracks looped a bit. However, I already knew it would be since I bought the soundtrack three years ago and it frequents my monthly rotations of writing music. The soundtrack by Jessica Curry is also as amazing as the visual presentation. No, it didn't take too much longer, but when you're already bored, a slow saunter doesn't make you love it any more. After exploring one area, it was a bit of a beating to slowly amble back to the fork in the road. It also would have been nice to be able to walk quickly or jog. I would have been even more wowed by the environment and exploration if my character could have done simple feats such as jump or step over barbed wire. I did feel a pull to walk off the beaten path and explore a bit more, which unraveled some more snippets from letters to Esther. As I walked through the worn paths, I marveled at the wildflowers, the rocks, and even the water lapping the shore. ![]() The environment is haunting as well, and the feeling of having no idea where you are and why you are there only compounds it. ![]() It is absolutely gorgeous and the island setting is rich of photorealism. The Landmark Edition simply brings that experience to the consoles.ĭear Esther does live up to a bit of the hype surrounding it, I will say that. Unfortunately, that's all Dear Esther is. Don't dump me on a island where I walk around for an hour and half and pick up snippets of letters. I do enjoy walking simulators, but I need some actual adventure in the game. But at the same time, it's a story that only games give us the freedom to hear.So now I need to retract what I've previously said. Stripped down to its constituent parts, there's very little game here at all. It charts a course through vastly different topics you never realised you cared about before – folklore, the Bible, shepherding, travel writing, guilt and medicine – and turns them into something meaningful without speaking down to its audience.ĭear Esther provokes thought and feeling in a way few other games do. Here, something as mundane as a lonely cottage on a hillside can end up lodged deeper in your gaming memory than the dragons and spaceships of countless other games. Without puzzles, the visuals and narrative are allowed to take precedence.ĭear Esther's atmosphere is the core of the game – it's all of the game – and that's a direct result of the haunting level design. ![]() With puzzles, it would just be a slightly more depressing Myst. But the lack of puzzles is necessary: it's crucial to the experience that you're allowed to keep moving at your own pace. As a game, it will draw criticism from those uninterested in narrative for not challenging the player: for all the evocative atmosphere, it's still an hour of wandering around and listening to a man speak.
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