Things are just a little bit off: there are mathematical and scientific diagrams carved into cliff faces, pillars and trees seem a little too orderly for them to be naturally occurring and the protagonist narrates a vague backstory about some people he once knew, including the mysterious Esther. This is a game which requires multiple playthroughs and yet never tells you to do so it’s a game which invites itself into your mind and forces you to think about it, and I would wager that even people who have completed and enjoyed the game on first release might find something new in the Landmark Edition.įor those who aren’t familiar with Dear Esther, the title first saw light as a mod made from Half Life 2, featuring a lonely protagonist walking through a Hebridean island. I’d done two runs of Dear Esther on PC before and yet, when playing through again and listening to the developer commentary on Dear Esther: Landmark Edition, it became readily apparent that I have not properly played Dear Esther. It is with these assumptions that I came to Dear Esther: Landmark Edition, seeing re-release on the PS4. Related reading: Our review of the PC release of the game from back in 2012. And as perhaps the first “walking simulator”, most players will likely write off this game as a cultural footnote compared to titles which have used ideas from this game to tell much more potent stories. Perhaps the game’s brevity and linearity fooled players to thinking it is much simpler than it really is. To everyone out there, have you played Dear Esther? I would assume most of you have – the prolific surrealist piece developed by The Chinese Room is still a free download on PC’s and almost necessitates a name drop in every “Games as Art” conversation.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |