Have you ever seen an art film or independent film where you're pretty sure no one actually likes it, they just pretend to in order to sound smart? Honestly that's the only reason I can think of to explain the host of glowing reviews that Dear Esther has received since being released on Steam back in February. While I would not say that Dear Esther is bad, or that I regret my experience playing it, I definitely would not shower it with praise like many reviewers seem to have.
One of the biggest topics of debate sparked by Dear Esther is the question "Is it a game?" I now understand that debate. There is no challenge in this; it is pretty much a walking simulator with a story. There are no puzzles, no enemies, no inventory, no interaction with the world whatsoever. Hell, you can't even jump. All that you can do is walk on a linear path over and through the island, looking around while the narrator gives snippets of dialogue (addressed to the titular Esther) hinting at a backstory. The narrator speaks in ridiculously flowery and metaphor-laden prose that fans of the game feel leaves the story open to interpretation. While I suppose the specifics can be argued, the basic plot is pretty blatant and simple; Esther died in a car crash, and the narrator went mad with grief.
The one credit that I will absolutely give Dear Esther is that its visuals are amazing. The island has an incredible amount of character to itself, and the caves beneath it are spellbinding. The makers have definitely managed to draw a lot out of the Source engine here, giving us a visual atmosphere that absolutely blew me away. The design of the various locales manage to express emotion in ways that the dialogue just cannot pull off. Clever lighting effects make stone caves come to life, while stony cliffs and wild fields dotted with abandoned huts give an eerie sense of bleakness and despair. The night sea will fill you with a haunted longing that is hard to shake. Regardless of my opinion of the rest of the game, the visuals were top notch.
If this seems like a brief review, it's because there's really not much
else that can be said about Dear Esther without attempting a detailed
analysis of the plot. Even then, there's only so much analyzing you can
do with such a simple story. The game can be "beaten" in about an
hour, unless you really stop for sightseeing, so it really did not leave
much of an impact on me in that regard.
As with most art, Dear Esther is definitely subjective to taste, as
proven by the many great reviews it received. As for me, I like art. I
like artsy games and movies. I like games that push the boundaries of
how we perceive video games as a medium. Sadly I just did not like
Dear Esther, based on its own merit. The visuals, no matter how
fantastic they were, could not save this from being an incredibly boring
and depressing experience. The game offers no highs, only deep
melancholy lows in the form of stuffy, maudlin dialogue and slow walking
speeds. I think that as a video game, Dear Esther falls short of
success, but as a sleep aid
it is nothing short of miraculous. I literally nodded off while playing
at certain points.
It sure is pretty, though....
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