Dear Esther is a walking simulator/adventure game. This genre minimizes the gameplay and focuses on telling a story. It is a modern adaptation of the classic text and point-and-click adventure games from the 80s.
These games are usually shorter and much easier. They also cut out or simplify the puzzles and eliminate the one-hit deaths. Let the Rogue-likes and Rogue-lites have their game loop of learning from dying over and over!
This is my first time playing this game. I have an idea of what I’m getting into, but I don’t know much besides the basic story. Dear Esther is another game that I’ve been looking forward to, and I hope I enjoy it as much as I did with Firewatch.
TLDR: It is a Wonderful and Majestic Game that is Rather Short
Narrative
The story is rather confusing. The player might be the narrator, Esther, or some unknown inhabitant of the island. Other characters are mentioned, but who they are begins to blur as the narrator’s health deteriorates.
The game takes place on an abandoned island off the coast of Scotland. It is a very rocky, sparsely populated island with some history. It was supposedly explored by someone named Donnelly sometime before the game.
Some of the island’s history and the stories of the island’s inhabitants are given to the player. As you explore the island, it is clear that this place has been abandoned for a while. There are no people to interact with on the island. However, there is a mysterious figure that can be seen from time to time.
There is some talk of a car accident that resulted in Esther’s death. You also get a strange scene with what appears to be the scene of a car crash. However, it isn’t very clear and open to interpretation.
I read that you get different audio clips each time you play. I know that I missed much of the story during my playthrough, so this gives me some reason to come back. You’re also rewarded with more of the story as you explore more of the island.
I like the story, but I’m much more interested in what isn’t told to the player. The game is open to interpretation. I walked away from the game with several questions I know will never be answered, and I don’t think I want answers. It is fun to come to your conclusion in a game like this. You can’t be wrong about what happens in a game like this, and hearing what people think about it can be a big part of it.
Gameplay
The gameplay is the weak spot in this game. Dear Esther is a walking simulator in every aspect. You move your character around an island, point the camera at objects of interest, and can zoom in on things. Aside from this, there isn’t much to it.
There are no in-game puzzles to solve and no enemies to fight. This is quite the departure from other games that I’ve played recently. It would’ve been nice if there was more to do, but that would distract from the story, exploration, and guessing of what is happening and how your character is involved.
Dear Esther is all about exploring an island, learning about the people who live there, and wondering about the things you see. While the gameplay is minimal, I think it is a majestic experience. Something about it draws me in that I can’t put my finger on it.
Visuals
This is a stunning game! The setting looks amazing, making the game more fun to explore. Everything in the game adds to the mystery of the plot.
The island looks rundown and abandoned. It appears it has been abandoned for some time, as the paths are overgrown and the buildings look dilapidated. As you explore the different locations, a voiceover occasionally fills the player in on who lived here or what happened.
The words written on the side of cliffs and in the caves were fascinating. While I couldn’t read all of them, I thought it was a very interesting addition to the game. It made me ask a bunch of questions while I was trying to find my way out.
There were murals in several places along the way to go along with the painted words. Some of them are hidden and act as a reward for exploring. However, the meaning of some of them was lost on me. They appear to fall into one of three categories:
- Electrical Schematics
- Chemical Equations
- Maps of some kind
I could be wrong about them, but I find them incredibly interesting. They are part of the visuals that make me wonder about the game. There is more lore in this game than I was able to experience in one playthrough.
There is one part that confused me a bit at first. You fall into the water and appear on a road with two cars. Your character is still underwater, and all you have to do is walk in a straight line. It made me wonder about the connection between this scene and the island. The story fills in the gaps, but this was strange at first.
I love the graphics in this game! It hints that there is more to the game than the player is told in the story. It reminds me of the visuals in Shadow of the Colossus in many ways. The player is told a story, but the world is trying to tell you several other stories. In the end, the player can guess what everything they’ve experienced means if they want to.
8/10. Fantastic visuals and a compelling story result in a wonderful game. The gameplay is extremely limited. There are no enemies, no puzzles, and very little to do. You just sit back and wonder about the meaning of the visuals and the story.
Conclusion
I’m unsure of how I feel about the game. It is incredibly interesting, and I feel like the game has more lore than you get in your first playthrough. It is a short game, but there is a mystery to it that is very compelling.
I walked away from the game, wondering what it all meant. Who were these people? What did I miss? Finally, what does the ending mean?
I don’t think these questions are supposed to be answered. The player is supposed to make up their own mind about the game. It reminds me of What Remains of Edith Fitch in how vague and open the ending is.
There is more I want to write about concerning this game. It will end up in a different post, as I don’t feel it is appropriate for a game review. This fascinating game made me think about things beyond what is happening in the game’s narrative.