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.

Comments

Artist Spotlights - Natalia Trepenok

Natalia Trepenok is artist who makes wonderful animal art for story books. I recall seeing some painted murals in the third S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game that even reminds me of her work!

Fractal Space Demo Review (Xbox One) I recently decided to start making a list of interesting looking Xbox One game demos to try out, and I figured as long as I’m trying them out, I could review them too! It might seem strange for me to be reviewing a games demo over its full release, but I can’t always afford to be buying new games, and sometimes I want to buy a game but it has DRM or it’s from a company I don’t want to give money to so I just play the free demo instead. Speaking of such -many companies won’t even put demos out for their games anymore, (or if they do it’s a limited time only DRM affair) so as a potential customer, I want to let y'all know that getting try your game before I pay for the full version greatly increases the chance of me being interested in doing so! All that said, onto my review of this charming little game demo, Fractal Space! Fractal S...

The Stanley Parable (Steam 2015 PC) Review (Old)

This one is highly recommended! you take control of Stanley, and set out to discover what is happening at your office, with the trusty narrator at your side. Things get interesting when you realize that you can screw around in all sorts of ways, resulting in anything from a happy ending to surreal hilarity to your own tragic demise. Your narrator will do his best to help you along, but he can also only take so much of your bumbling... Pros Brilliant voice acting Hilarious, clever, brutally honest narration Well-made visuals and audio, highly immersive The Adventure Line! The demo is actually an entirely separate story of its own. that's pretty awesome. Give it a try too! Cons None that I can think of, unless you count running out of endings to discover. 2023 Additions: Since I wrote this review, the game has received updates and even been ported to Xbox One! So thankfully, you are no longer restricted to steam for playing this great little game. Someday, I want to sit d...

Krissie's Blog of things!

Search This Blog