Itching For More: The Disappearance of Eileen Kestler
Every Wednesday, even when I am just a just a walking zombie, Itching For More will appear, like a load of tourists in an otherwise quiet seaside town. This week is a spooky walking sim (because it’s near halloween): The Disappearance of Eileen Kestler
Behind me, flames billow out of a house.
Ashes, masquerading as stars, glide slowly down as a voice begins to speak.
Fire in the distance, initially assumed to be another piece of ash, is attached to a pole.
Stone structures are erected, cold and silent.
Music ebbs and glitches as the voice gets more fervent.
Who are the Kestlers? What is the valley?
Torches, burning brightly, are pin pricks until I approach, leading me closer and closer to the looming forest.
And then everything breaks down.
The burning house fills my vision, forest turning red, sounds glitching in and out, barely able to walk until flames fill my screen.
The Disappearance of Eileen Kestler is a teaser for Marginalia, made by the excellent Conor Sherlock and Cameron Kunzelman. Whilst it isn’t terrifying, the sheer atmosphere created could be cut with a knife. Eileen Kestler manages to avoid saturation with a clever use of space — giving the player a distance to walk rather than an unrelenting barrage to the senses. Sherlock’s games tend to be about the journey, and the escalation within that — this plays by the same rules.
As you walk away from the house, the game begins its slow build up, a stark change into the calm coldness of the night in comparison to the shock of the beginning. Smaller flames keep the house in your mind — each one a mini reminder of the bright fire.
Yet, the main questions are left unanswered. If I were to speculate, I would guess that I am Eileen Kestler, and this is my disappearance. As she enters the forest, the house is brought back to her attention, sharp, red vectors pushing out of it, violently reaching from the fire. Each flash of violence turns the forest redder, bringing less vision and more abstract sights — massive rocks begin to appear, red lines flowing towards the sky, until, at last, you are surrounded by flame.
Eileen Kestler is a tiny experience, but plays with scale well — huge trees looming above you are counteracted by the wide open field the house is placed in, juxtaposed still by the night sky, shining down on you. The journey is cyclical — fire -> calm -> buildup -> fire. However, despite its simplicity, the execution is perfect — giving enough breathing space before launching another assault.
This type of game is something that only someone like Connor Kynzelman could manage. Sherlock brings brilliant experience of pushing at the Walking Simulator genre, whilst Kynzelman brings some brilliant writing to Sherlock’s implicit environments. Whilst this is a remaster of Marginalia, I’m looking forward to play it (having not played Marginalia previously). Seeing what Sherlock can achieve without a spoken narrative makes a spoken one all the more exciting.
Eileen Kestler is stark, beautiful and intriguing — all the things needed for a teaser. It doesn’t outstay its welcome, but is incredibly focused on what it wants to give you — questions, speculation and very little answers.
The Disappearance of Eileen Kestler is pay-what-you-want, available here.
