Dear Esther (PC) Review

“A Very interesting, haunting title. I think it could have been improved by a more interactive world, but the narrative is wonderful and the atmosphere is fantastic. It strongly captures the feel of being lost, dirty and alone. The use of words, sound and visuals made me able to easily imagine the sand in in my shoes, and the harsh salty ocean winds against my dry, tired skin. The ambiguous ending is also very clever, which I can interpret in at-least 3 different ways.”

-My original review from 2013

2023 Thoughts:

My memory of this game (more of a interactive visual novel as there is no win/loss condition) is kind of like a fever dream because I remember playing it after having an anxiety attack when i was spending a weekend alone in my parents house. It helped me calm down, because while it is very melancholy in tone, it's also quite beautiful and peaceful. It's very slow-paced so it's best for folks who love to take their time and explore the world around them in a game. I don't recall much of the story - what I do remember is mostly kind of vague and confusing, to be honest - but the gorgeous environments that you get to explore alone mean it gets a thumbs up from me. I played the original version on the Source engine, and it's since also been ported to the Unity game engine as "Dear Esther: Landmark Edition". I've not tried that version, but I'd like to someday because it has some extra content added in.

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