Dear Esther: Landmark Edition

100% Achievement Review: A quick review based on my experience completing all the (available) achievements. Title: Dear Esther Landmark Edition Summary: Interactive story game Personal notes: Dear Esther is a short yet fun and unique game that essentially created the "walking sim" genre. The story itself is very up to interpretation and I honestly think you should experience it first hand instead of listening to my experience with it. That being said you are stuck on this seemingly deserted island covered with mysteries and events from the past. The world and sound design are very well done especially considering this started off as a Half-life 2 mod. I also really like the inclusion of randomly generated events and audio to make each play-through slightly different from the last. This also creates different overall experiences for different players which is pretty cool. The inclusion of a directors commentary option was also a nice touch, hearing the stories of the developers while playing through the game was pretty cool on my second play-through. Achievement wise this game is pretty easy. Most are story related with a couple being a little out of the way. I listed the ones below that might be missed but if you know what you are looking for, such as hidden urns, you can finish this game in a few hours. With all that in mind, Dear Esther is a short unique adventure that I would highly recommend for the price. With that being said I would only recommend it to people who are cool with a slow burn as this game is exactly that. (Be ready to walk) Time it took to complete: 4hrs Most difficult achievement(s): - Seanchaidh (trigger all voice over points) - Tuir (Uncover 4 urns) - Mullach an Eilein (Trigger all director's commentary) Difficulty rating: ★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ 2/10 Overall rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6/10

the story is through, let's say, an epistolary dynamic, you go through certain landscapes set in a cold climate, in a town probably dedicated to fishing and maritime exploration. I'm not kidding, but it managed to convey the mental density and the noise of intrusive thoughts. Its not a game that generates anxiety but there are several trigger warnings as it formulates analogy with the dword, sword, duel and death. It has very good panoramas which I enjoy a lot in walk simulators so you can take pictures, but you can't really interact with the environment, you know, touch things, objects like urns, get close to the detail of the rock art, no, the most you can do is zoom in and zoom out, then nothing else. It reminds me a lot of this novel by Virginia Woolf “To the Lighthouse” in which, let's say, the main narrator is actually the voice-over of each of the characters that appears throughout the story. In this they differ but come on, they have a slight resemblance especially in the use of stream of consciousness that leaves you trapped in a time loop at times. It suffocates you and the fatigue becomes unbearable when you reach the “Caverns” chapter. In short, the game is a very beautiful experience that portrays through its landscapes and literary intertextuality, audiovisual and references to the Fibonacci succession as a central theme help you build a warm and reflective atmosphere putting as epicenter the figurativeness and finitude of life. I could go into detail but I don't want to go into detail, just add a phrase that I really liked: you don't realize how much you have healed until something stops hurting.

Beautiful and poetic story. The game perfectly captures the environment and weather of the outer Hebrides. This game brings me back to the countless hours I have spent wandering the hills of Harris and Uist. I like that you cannot sprint in this game; it allows you to really enjoy and absorb the environment, the ambience, the soundtrack, and listen to the story.

This is a short (about 1 hour length, more if you're exploring everything and achievement hunting) walking simulator that arguably invented the genre. It's beautiful in terms of art and music, and while I didn't quite understand all of the narrator's poetic language, I understood enough to know it's an exploration of grief and moving forward. There's a lot of thought and symbolism that went into this game, and the randomized parts make every player's experience a little different. I quite liked it.

A beautiful short (2 hours for one playthrough. 5 or so for 100%) narrative exploration game that gave birth to ''walking simulators'', which I am very very fond of! Beautiful landscapes, beautiful music and great voice acting. I got 100% and I dont regret my time with this game!

What a haunting and beautiful experience. Absolutely loved my time with it.

It's about a 7/10 for me. FYI: You will need to play the game two separate times if you want to hear both the original story narration and the director's commentary. The gorgeous environments are going to be the main draw for playing this, it's a visually pretty and mechanically simple palate cleanser. There's no puzzles or character interactions, no hidden areas, mostly linear paths, and the only moving option is to walk(gets a bit cumbersome not being able to run when I'm wanting to backtrack or just explore). I will say it has the most beautiful caves and moonlit skies I've ever seen in a game and makes it worth playing twice. The music is good, and I like that it has some breathing room to not have a soundtrack constantly playing the whole time. My main gripe with it is that the story looses its potential for emotional feeling and depth due to it's narrative vagueness added with the same repetitive drawings and difficult to read quotes plastered on the walls to the point that it distracts and breaks the flow of immersion. Because of that it's not nearly as emotionally gripping or symbolically impactful as the directors chalk it up to be in my opinion. I would have missed a lot of info about actually interesting hidden meanings in the environments and story if I hadn't listened to the director's commentary first. But leaving it up to the player's interpretation was their main intention all along when they made this, which can make games done that way both feel deep and shallow at the same time. Still, go ahead and play it when it's on sale if you're in the mood for a nice stroll on an abandoned island that will carry you alongside a poetic melancholic mystery.

It's pretty, and if you like walking simulators, you'll probably like it. But it's also very short and not really worth the price in my opinion. Try to snag it on sale if you can.

One of the most beautiful games i I've ever played - stunning with a soundtrack that is truly transcendental. It starts off slow but when you progress you get carried along - beautiful prose and scenery - I felt I was almost there. Anyone been to the Lakes or coast or North wales will love this.

Good story Nice scenery Short game Easy to 100% Buy on sale

Dear Esther... it has been a long time since last I have vised this place.... This game is just wow.. its narration its story telling the immersion this game has done it all and really makes you believe you are there and experiencing ever last bit of the story with the narrator. I will always reccomend this game as a it as a special place in my heart ... from amazing scenery to cool little easter eggs. This game is just so beautiful.

Extremely boring walking simulator. Walk a speed is so slow it made me sleep on my gaming chair. You cant sprint and there is nothing interesting to see, you cant interact with anything. I don't see the point of this game. If you want to sleep walking this is the game for you

[h1]Overall Score [/h1] [h2]★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ [/h2] [h3] Playability [/h3] [h2]★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ [/h2] [h3]Gameplay[/h3] [h2]★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ [/h2] [h3]Audio[/h3] [h2]★★★★★★★★☆☆ [/h2] [h3]Story[/h3] [h2]★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆ [/h2] [h3]Visual[/h3] [h2]★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ [/h2] If you have played the original game, i don't think there is any point in playing this. I honestly did not see or hear anything being more high fidelity compared to the original release. Sounds, and views were just as beautiful. The Commentary is the only worthwhile addition (and the only one?) and is actually much more enjoyable than the story itself. Walking sims can be done well, and while this is considered to be the first one, it doesn't change the fact that it is a boring slog with only enjoyable parts being some pretty, screenshot worthy views and beautiful ost by Jessica Curry.

Interesting story, lots of fun!

Who's the ghost? I found the commentary to be the best part.

Edgar Allan Poe would have loved this.

neat and short :-D :steamhappy:

cool half life mod

Oldie but a goldie of a walking sim.