Critical Play: Dear Esther
Dear Esther is a walking simulator game which is to say that the main mechanic of the game is walking and discovering. You wander around a deserted island and as you find certain locations, a narrator begins to tell you pieces of a story.
The basic mechanics are simple. I played on iOS so I would place my left thumb on the screen to move as if there was an invisible joystick there and I did the same with my right to control the camera movement. The graphics where stunning and the music helped set the mood for every scene. I loved how you could hear each step you took which put you into the character without ever showing you the character you were controlling.
The story is very scattered and piecemeal. While I was playing I felt a bit confused at parts and unsure about which path to take. But there was also a lot of anticipation. I wanted to figure out what was going on. Who was the narrator? Why exactly were we exploring this island? What else am I going to find? Why are they suddenly talking about kidney stones and cars?
The music helped to guide me through some of the confusion and helped me figure out what was important and what was not. For example, I thought for sure that this shipwreck was going to be important but then there was no music and no narration, so I eventually left it alone and went off to figure out where they wanted me to go instead.
The paths helped me figure out where they wanted to go. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to follow the paths or supposed to wander off of them. I eventually figured out that I made more progress when I stayed on the paths, so I also tried to find a path and follow it. Also, caves are good. Or at least they’re progress.
Overall, I really enjoyed this basic mechanic of simply wandering. The story was a bit too scattered for my liking. I was making progress and things were starting to come together, so I’m guessing it becomes clearer by the end of the game. The music and sound effects were perfect. It makes me wonder what else can be done with a walking simulator like this. Could we bring it to the real world?
Here are some of the basics to make sure everyone was on the same page.
Name of the Game: Dear Esther
Created by: The Chinese Room, Robert Briscoe
Published by: Curve Digital
Platform: iOS
