Dear Esther: Landmark Edition

Editor's Notes

Digital PS4 version reviewed.

Introduction

'Dear Esther' was originally released as a 'Half-Life 2' mod in 2008. Its usage of an experimental narrative garnered enough attention from the mod community to convince developer The Chinese Room to start work on a fleshed-out standalone version. The commercial release of 'Dear Esther' was then released in 2012. Four years later, the developer has rebuilt the game in Unity in order to release 'Dear Esther: Landmark Edition' on PC and consoles.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

When 'Dear Esther' was commercially released in 2012, it was the center of a lot of "is this really a game?" debates. Sure, that seems really silly now, but it shows how foreign the concept of a game where the player just explored an island by walking around was just a few short years ago. No puzzles, no combat, just exploration. It was a simple experience, but also a very divisive one. 

The gaming landscape has changed a lot in the past four years, and games like 'Gone Home' and 'Firewatch' have shown that first-person narratives have a place in gaming. So, it's interesting to look back at 'Dear Esther,' since it's essentially the catalyst point of an entire subset of indie games. One thing that stands out is that The Chinese Room's game really just has one mechanic: walking.

It lacks the rooms full of objects, and light puzzle-solving elements that have become standard in this type of game, but I don't feel like it suffers from it. Instead, 'Dear Esther' feels like a much more curated, yet distinctly individual, experience since there is really only one thing to do at any point. I always knew that I had to keep walking in order to advance the story, and that sort of simplicity actually felt refreshing in an era where I often have to deal with different gameplay systems intertwining.

Just like in real life, walking around a virtual landscape can get boring. Thankfully, 'Dear Esther' takes place on a gorgeous, mysterious island that I wanted to explore every inch of. It really felt as if I was uncovering two mysteries at once, as I stumbled upon caverns and heard the nameless narrator remark upon events that occurred in the past and present. This helped the simple act of walking stay interesting for the entire game, even if it was only for 90 minutes or so.

The story is kept intentionally vague at first, and allows the player to put clues together. This comes in the form of voice-over (large or small captions are also available) from what seems to be an unreliable narrator. His quips sometimes contradict each other, and his abnormal delivery only furthers the intrigue. The only thing that is really clear from the very beginning is that the island where 'Dear Esther' takes place holds some dark secrets.

What is more interesting than the narrative, is how it's delivered. The game's story is semi-randomized for each playthrough. This means that each scripted voice-over sequence can unfold in several different ways, and that means that the story I was told will likely differ from the one that other players will experience. For example, in my playthrough the narrator described a hermit who arrived on the secluded island after sailing there on a "boat without a bottom," yet it's possible for another player to never hear about this piece of lore. I can't get into more different examples without ruining some of the story, but enough can get left out to totally change how one may interpret the events of 'Dear Esther.'

While the script changing is most noticeable, the game also randomizes different visual elements as well. This is only fitting, as a lot of the storytelling is done by physically looking at the island itself. Washed up debris is all over the place, and there are often elements that shouldn't naturally be there. This adds an extra sense of mystery to the island, as I often debated whether or not I was seeing an accurate portrayal of the events that were unfolding. This continued up until the ending, and I'm still filled with many questions regarding what exactly happened. 

Sometimes being left with more questions than answers can be frustrating and unsatisfying, but that wasn't how I felt after playing 'Dear Esther.' Instead, I wanted to discuss my playthrough with other players, and I've spent the past couple days talking to others who have played the game and seeing how our experiences differed. It's a really unique situation, and it shows just how unique storytelling in games can be. Every person who watches a film will see the same scenes, but video games allow for shockingly different paths to occur. That's awesome, and I really hope more games experiment with this type of storytelling in the future.