“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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