• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Dear Esther |OT|

C

crimsonheadGCN

Banned
What is Dear Esther?

Dear Esther is a ghost story, told using first-person gaming technologies. Rather than traditional game-play the focus here is on exploration, uncovering the mystery of the island, of who you are and why you are here. Fragments of story are randomly uncovered when exploring the various locations of the island, making every each journey a unique experience. Dear Esther features a stunning, specially commissioned soundtrack from Jessica Curry.

Forget the normal rules of play; if nothing seems real here, it’s because it may just be all a delusion. What is the significance of the aerial – What happened on the motorway – is the island real or imagined – who is Esther and why has she chosen to summon you here? The answers are out there, on the lost beach and the tunnels under the island. Or then again, they may just not be, after all...

Source: http://dear-esther.com/?page_id=2

When? Where? How Much?

The game will be released on February 14, 2012 through Steam. The price of the game will be:

US - $9.99
UK - £6.99
Europe - €7.99
Russia - 249RU
CIS - $7.99
EU Zone 2 - €6.99

Source: http://dear-esther.com/?p=562

Is the soundtrack available for purchase?

Yes, it can be purchased through Amazon and possibly Steam at release.

What are the system requirements?

Minimum:

OS:Microsoft Windows XP / Vista / Vista64
Processor:pentium 4 3.0GHz
Memory:1 GB RAM
Graphics:128 MB, Shader model 2.0 or higher
DirectX®:dx90c
Hard Drive:2 GB HD space
Sound:DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card

Recommended:

OS:Microsoft Windows XP / Vista / Vista64
Processor: Intel core 2 duo 2.4GHz or higher
Memory:1 GB RAM
Graphics:DirectX 9 compatible video card with Shader model 3.0. NVidia 7600, ATI X1600 or better
DirectX®:dx90c
Hard Drive:2 GB HD space
Sound:DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card

Are there any reviews of the game?

Yes, there are:

|-| Electronic Farmyard has given Dear Esther a 10/10.

Electronic Farmyard said:
“Dear Esther” is one of the most enjoyable authored texts in the history of videogames. “Dear Esther” is more than just a videogame, it is an ‘experience’ and one with few rivals. As with any good book or film, “Dear Esther” will linger long after it has been completed, but not because of the questions it answers, its power lies in its interpretation and experience, which will vary from gamer to gamer. Thanks to the efforts of Briscoe, Curry and Pinchbeck the argument for videogames as art, has just become, much more convincing. [10]
Click to expand...

Source: http://electronicfarmyard.com/games-and-movies/game_reviews/pc-game-review-dear-esther/

|-| Edge has given Dear Esther a 8/10 in issue 237. (Thanks for reminding me, Steve McQueen!)

Edge said:
So, what is Dear Esther? It might not be game enough for some, and while labelling it as interactive fiction would bring the debate to a happy close, text adventures seem to have claimed a monopoly on the term. There's also the unsatisfactory 'experimental mod' category, which would place it alongside Robert Yang's Radiator, and The Stanley Parable. Yet some commentators might argue that Dear Esther belongs in this pigeonhole, that its reduction of the firstperson shooter to a walking tour makes for a mechanical dumbing down of a richer and more mind-taxing medium. But one thing's for sure: thanks to this astonishing overhaul, it's now quite impossible to ignore.
Click to expand...

Source: http://www.edge-online.com/reviews/dear-esther-review

|-| A Dutch site, gamekings.tv, has a video review up for Dear Esther.

Source: http://www.gamekings.tv/videos/review-dear-esther/

|-| A Greek site, Gameover, has given Dear Esther a 10/10.

Source: http://www.gameover.gr/pc/reviews/Dear-Esther.18623.html

|-| IGN UK has given Dear Esther 8/10.

Dear Esther is that rarest of things: a truly interesting game. It left me feeling pensive, mildly saddened, and confident that games have plenty of directions left to explore. If you’re interested in what can be achieved when you abandon the conventions of games and explore the fringes of the form instead, it’s a must-play.
Click to expand...

Source: http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/121/1218568p1.html

|-| The Independent Games Festival has nominated Dear Esther in the following categories: Excellence In Visual Art, Excellence In Audio, Nuovo Award, and Seumas McNally Grand Prize.

Source: http://igf.com/2012/01/2012_independent_games_festiva_3.html

|-| Kotaku has stated that you should buy the game for the experience, even though the writer admitted that the title was not for him.

Source: http://kotaku.com/5884520/dear-esther-the-kotaku-review

|-| Videogamer has given Dear Esther a 9/10.

The beauty of Dear Esther is that it raises questions about content rather than mechanics. It strips out anything that can get between you and what it wants to say, and every problem relates to how the game presents its story, and how effective that story is. We don't have to worry about production values, or whether the whole thing will fall apart in a buggy mess. It's what The Chinese Room wants to show you, and how you take what is shown. No barriers of entry. No obstacles. No guff.
Click to expand...

Source:http://www.videogamer.com/pc/dear_esther/review.html

Are there any articles about the game?

Yes, there are a number of different articles about the game:

It's beautifully constructed, it looks breathtaking, and the atmosphere that Robert Briscoe has managed to conjure up is enough to rival anything else you could mention.

So put aside any preconceptions about what games should do, and look at Dear Esther as an example of what they can do. We should all be thankful of the mod scene for allowing this sort of bleeding-edge design to flourish.

...

The result is extraordinary: a place imbued with more character than you might dare to imagine, with countless opportunities for curious exploration - in contrast to the original's entirely linear design.

The route ahead is always clear, as a tall radio tower at the island's peak provides an omnipresent reference point for where you need to be heading. But you're rewarded for straying from the established path, either with a new snippet of the storyline or simply an astonishing vista to gawp at.

This is, without a doubt, the most beautiful looking Source Engine game to date. Briscoe's careful modelling and texture work, not to mention a few tweaks to the code, have created something that's every bit the competitor to even the flashiest current-gen tech.
Click to expand...

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-02-17-dear-esther-hands-on

Dear Esther is a first person game, set on a deserted island in the outer Hebrides. Rather than using traditional gameplay loops you might find in a first person game, like puzzles or combat, it's stripped right back to just exploration. As you move around the island, you trigger voiceovers, which build a story as you go though. An ambiguous, unsettling, story. Then also in the environment, there's a lot of visual detail that combine to create basically a story experience. I think that sums it up really, does that make it sound really dry? I'm so bad at blowing our trumpet. Players have said it's an incredibly deep and powerful emotional experience. It's really touched a nerve with a lot of gamers. It's just this incredible world that people enjoy spending time in, and trying to understand the history of the island, and what's happened on it. I guess you could call it a pure story game, that's a term that's been used a few times. A first person game that's all about exploration.
Click to expand...

Sourece: http://indiegames.com/2012/01/interview_dan_pinchbeck_rob_br.html

Dear Esther is a deep, poetic ghost story told using game technologies. You explore a deserted island, uncovering a tale of love, loss, grief and redemption, delivered through a stunning voice-over and soundtrack set against beautiful environments. Rather than traditional gameplay the focus is on exploration, uncovering the mysteries of the island and discovering who Esther is and why you’re there.
Click to expand...

Source: http://justpressstart.net/?p=6383

To be honest I’m not really concerned about whether Dear Esther is a game or not, to us it’s always been a game and we certainly didn’t set out to make anything else. I think we should really be celebrating how rich and diverse games have become these days, rather than debating what it is that constitutes the definition of a game.
Click to expand...

Source: http://justpressstart.net/?p=6383

http://www.gamernode.com/dear-esther-interview-with-creator-dan-pinchbeck/
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/02/06/igf-factor-2012-dear-esther/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnyegriffiths/2012/01/06/10-games-and-some-others-for-2012/
http://kotaku.com/5865684/dear-esther-you-look-gorgeous/gallery/1
http://www.littlelostpoly.co.uk/devblog/dear-esther/this-beta-be-good…/
http://www.nowgamer.com/news/1240348/dear_esther_dev_hopes_to_do_a_mojang_start_bigger_projects.html

Is there a trailer available?

Yes, there is a trailer available here:

http://youtu.be/D7VJ4lP-05A

Is there a demo available?

There is no demo of the commericial product out there, but you can play through the original mod here: http://www.desura.com/mods/dear-esther

Screenshots:

Y9Pky.jpg


6h0ma.jpg


wpbYk.jpg
 
Riposte

Riposte

Member
Are there any more meaningful game mechanics other than moving around in a 3D world in a human fashion?
 
T

The Friendly Monster

Member
This looks fantastic. I'm in.

Edge said:
So, what is Dear Esther? It might not be game enough for some, and while labelling it as interactive fiction would bring the debate to a happy close, text adventures seem to have claimed a monopoly on the term. There's also the unsatisfactory 'experimental mod' category, which would place it alongside Robert Yang's Radiator, and The Stanley Parable. Yet some commentators might argue that Dear Esther belongs in this pigeonhole, that its reduction of the firstperson shooter to a walking tour makes for a mechanical dumbing down of a richer and more mind-taxing medium. But one thing's for sure: thanks to this astonishing overhaul, it's now quite impossible to ignore.
Click to expand...
 
B

Blizzard

Banned
It's been ages since I played the original Dear Esther, but did it have any gameplay at all besides jumping? I seem to recall trying to climb/jump over certain hills (you might be able to glitch yourself into weird places), but I thought it was just walking everywhere and looking at things while listening to a narrator. And it had some ultra annoying loud noise near the cliffs, which has hopefully been changed.

Some might have been able to draw a story out of it, but my mind was not up to the task (and I probably walked the island out of order).
 
T

tsunami643

Member
So is there any reason to play the original mod anymore, with this coming out? I had downloaded Dear Esther and Korsakovia ages ago, but never bothered to play them.
 
F

faceless007

Member
JG07 said:
I couldn't agree more. The Steam trailer reminded me of a game not unlike Myst for some reason, but I may be way off on that.
Click to expand...

No, you're not far off. You basically walk around and explore a mysterious island and infer a story from the environment and setting, soaking up the location and sounds. It's perfect for Myst fans (like me) but fans of more...actiony games will be bored.
 
I

Inkwell

Banned
Maybe the retail release is a bit different, but in the mod there's really no gameplay. You explore this island and hear bits of a story here and there. The bits of story are randomized, so you are meant to interpret the story for yourself. I'm excited for this just so I can explore this island and take in the sights. The level designer really did quite a wonderful job. Some of the screenshots are just gorgeous.

I'm worried that a lot of people will purchase this not knowing what it is and be disappointed. Maybe they should include some TF2 items with each purchase.
 
S

sp3000

Member
Is this just a graphical update of the mod, because paying for a game that's less than an hour is not a good value.
 
B

Blizzard

Banned
faceless007 said:
No, you're not far off. You basically walk around and explore a mysterious island and infer a story from the environment and setting, soaking up the location and sounds. It's perfect for Myst fans (like me) but fans of more...actiony games will be bored.
Click to expand...
Myst had puzzles though, did it not? I don't remember any puzzles in the original Dear Esther. I'm not saying it's BAD to have a randomized story/exploration experimental game, just trying to warn people who might expect puzzles (like Myst). :)
 
L

Loam

Member
I hope this sells well enough to prompt them to give Korsakovia the same treatment. Thats a game that would really benefit from a design overhaul. Also for those wondering I would describe Dear Esther as an interactive story book with a really good soundtrack.

sp3000 said:
Is this just a graphical update of the mod, because paying for a game that's less than an hour is not a good value.
Click to expand...

Voice work and soundtrack has also been redone, and they added more dialog to the story. The game world has been updated (obviously) though I don't know if its been expanded with new areas or not.
 
B

Berto

Member
I loved the original mod, even with the terrible art and graphics. The atmosphere was incredible, the soundtrack beautifull and the narrator was a god. It's short, but i'm paying for the unique experience it gives.

I should try Korsakovia, the trailer scared the shit out of me.
 
S

SparkTR

Member
The review embargo ends Monday. I'm very interested what the wider gaming press feels about this game, it seems like it'll be hard to review.
 
I

Ithil

Member
Blizzard said:
It's been ages since I played the original Dear Esther, but did it have any gameplay at all besides jumping? I seem to recall trying to climb/jump over certain hills (you might be able to glitch yourself into weird places), but I thought it was just walking everywhere and looking at things while listening to a narrator. And it had some ultra annoying loud noise near the cliffs, which has hopefully been changed.

Some might have been able to draw a story out of it, but my mind was not up to the task (and I probably walked the island out of order).
Click to expand...

The artist who remade all the levels was saying while showing changes he made from the original layout that the original island design was overly vague and players often saw it out of order or couldn't tell what parts they could and couldn't go to. Following that he's designed to island to be more intuitive and guiding to the player so they can see the story in order. Simple stuff like an open space having some hill area that acts like a ramp to the next piece of story instead of just wandering around an empty space til you stumble across it in the corner or something, for example.
 
S

sam27368

Banned
It was mentioned in an article a while back (can't seem to find it) that the games length is around 2hrs long, 4x that of the mod. Also that the game world is 10x the size of the original.

Quotes from articles (good idea to add to first post)

Dear Esther is a first person game, set on a deserted island in the outer Hebrides. Rather than using traditional gameplay loops you might find in a first person game, like puzzles or combat, it's stripped right back to just exploration. As you move around the island, you trigger voiceovers, which build a story as you go though. An ambiguous, unsettling, story. Then also in the environment, there's a lot of visual detail that combine to create basically a story experience. I think that sums it up really, does that make it sound really dry? I'm so bad at blowing our trumpet. Players have said it's an incredibly deep and powerful emotional experience. It's really touched a nerve with a lot of gamers. It's just this incredible world that people enjoy spending time in, and trying to understand the history of the island, and what's happened on it. I guess you could call it a pure story game, that's a term that's been used a few times. A first person game that's all about exploration.
Click to expand...

Dear Esther is a deep, poetic ghost story told using game technologies. You explore a deserted island, uncovering a tale of love, loss, grief and redemption, delivered through a stunning voice-over and soundtrack set against beautiful environments. Rather than traditional gameplay the focus is on exploration, uncovering the mysteries of the island and discovering who Esther is and why you’re there.
Click to expand...

To be honest I’m not really concerned about whether Dear Esther is a game or not, to us it’s always been a game and we certainly didn’t set out to make anything else. I think we should really be celebrating how rich and diverse games have become these days, rather than debating what it is that constitutes the definition of a game.
Click to expand...

A collection of interviews/articles -

http://www.gamernode.com/dear-esther-interview-with-creator-dan-pinchbeck/
http://indiegames.com/2012/01/interview_dan_pinchbeck_rob_br.html
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/02/06/igf-factor-2012-dear-esther/
http://justpressstart.net/?p=6383
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnyegriffiths/2012/01/06/10-games-and-some-others-for-2012/
http://kotaku.com/5865684/dear-esther-you-look-gorgeous/gallery/1
http://www.littlelostpoly.co.uk/devblog/dear-esther/this-beta-be-good…/
 
S

sam27368

Banned
Another review score 10/10

“Dear Esther” is one of the most enjoyable authored texts in the history of videogames. “Dear Esther” is more than just a videogame, it is an ‘experience’ and one with few rivals. As with any good book or film, “Dear Esther” will linger long after it has been completed, but not because of the questions it answers, its power lies in its interpretation and experience, which will vary from gamer to gamer. Thanks to the efforts of Briscoe, Curry and Pinchbeck the argument for videogames as art, has just become, much more convincing. [10]
Click to expand...
http://electronicfarmyard.com/games-and-movies/game_reviews/pc-game-review-dear-esther/
 
D

DaBuddaDa

Member
Philosophical question: for a game like this that you don't really "play" and just move through the environments listening/reading text, would watching a Let's Play in HD on YouTube constitute piracy? You'd get essentially the same experience for free. I mean piracy in the spirit of it, not legally.
 
S

sam27368

Banned
DaBuddaDa said:
Philosophical question: for a game like this that you don't really "play" and just move through the environments listening/reading text, would watching a Let's Play in HD on YouTube constitute piracy? You'd get essentially the same experience for free. I mean piracy in the spirit of it, not legally.
Click to expand...

Allowing someone else to play it pulls away the immersion and engaging nature of exploring an environment and unfolding the story for yourself. Same could be said for any game.
 
G

gabbo

Member
DaBuddaDa said:
Philosophical question: for a game like this that you don't really "play" and just move through the environments listening/reading text, would watching a Let's Play in HD on YouTube constitute piracy? You'd get essentially the same experience for free. I mean piracy in the spirit of it, not legally.
Click to expand...

You might have some moral quandaries about doing so, but no it's not piracy. I don't think the experience Dear Esther is going for will be as meaningful if you have it passively.
 
C

crimsonheadGCN

Banned
sam27368 said:
There are quite a lot of interviews out there about it - Here's a recent one
http://www.gamernode.com/dear-esther-interview-with-creator-dan-pinchbeck/
Click to expand...

sam27368 said:
It was mentioned in an article a while back (can't seem to find it) that the games length is around 2hrs long, 4x that of the mod. Also that the game world is 10x the size of the original.

Quotes from articles (good idea to add to first post)







A collection of interviews/articles -

http://www.gamernode.com/dear-esther-interview-with-creator-dan-pinchbeck/
http://indiegames.com/2012/01/interview_dan_pinchbeck_rob_br.html
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/02/06/igf-factor-2012-dear-esther/
http://justpressstart.net/?p=6383
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnyegriffiths/2012/01/06/10-games-and-some-others-for-2012/
http://kotaku.com/5865684/dear-esther-you-look-gorgeous/gallery/1
http://www.littlelostpoly.co.uk/devblog/dear-esther/this-beta-be-good…/
Click to expand...

sam27368 said:
Another review score 10/10


http://electronicfarmyard.com/games-and-movies/game_reviews/pc-game-review-dear-esther/
Click to expand...

Added. Thanks!
 
S

Sliver

Member
Who will actually pay for this? Played the original, thought it was OK. Was going to get this until they made it commercial. Impressive visuals though, best use of the Source Engine so far.
 
S

StuBurns

Banned
DaBuddaDa said:
Philosophical question: for a game like this that you don't really "play" and just move through the environments listening/reading text, would watching a Let's Play in HD on YouTube constitute piracy? You'd get essentially the same experience for free. I mean piracy in the spirit of it, not legally.
Click to expand...
No, it would be such a compromised version of the experience that I don't think it'd count. The game's focus is on the passive movement around an environment, but being able to take it at the pace you want is an important part of it, being able to look at the art in the rocks and things. It'd be more like taking one of those virtual tours of a museum or something.
 
S

sam27368

Banned
I'm most intrigued by the underwater motorway concept art, if you look in the trailer you can see the ingame scene for a split second
 
K

Krilekk

Banned
Sliver said:
Who will actually pay for this? Played the original, thought it was OK. Was going to get this until they made it commercial. Impressive visuals though, best use of the Source Engine so far.
Click to expand...

Will buy during the summer sale for 75 % off.
 
G

gabbo

Member
Sliver said:
Who will actually pay for this? Played the original, thought it was OK. Was going to get this until they made it commercial. Impressive visuals though, best use of the Source Engine so far.
Click to expand...

I'm considering it. Loved the original mod, (though I wished the default walk a bit faster).
See no problems paying a $10 for it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island | Review Thread
Analysis Review
6
1K
Shadowstar39 replied
Palworld |OT + Review Thread | Pokémon Gun
|OT| Community 3 4 5 6 7
341
21K
nikolino840 replied
The Riven Remake Arrives This Year
News Trailer
2
391
Magic Carpet replied
Outcast: A New Beginning | Review Thread + |OT|
|OT| Analysis Review 2
51
3K
Gordon Freeman replied
Highwater for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC launches March 14
News
0
422
Thick Thighs Save Lives replied
Top Bottom