Dear Esther

With Dear Esther being part of Humble Bundle 8 and my friend SimoensS already owning a digital copy, I was gifted this game and was keen to find out what it is all about. Never having heard anything about Dear Esther before, I went in blind when starting it up for the first time. My first impression was just a what the fuck, what the hell is going on, what am I supposed to do feeling. I quit the game because it just didn't feel like the right time to play something like... well, like Dear Esther.

The second time starting the game, I had to restart all over again because I abruptly quit my playthrough the first time without saving. I wasn't even aware you could save but since the total duration isn't that long, saving doesn't need to be promoted. The game, I feel, needs to be played in one time to keep the story coherent and the experience in one piece. There are four chapters you could play one at a time, but if you would do so, I feel you'd miss out on the experience the game was designed to be. 

It shouldn't take too long for the player to find out this isn't a game the average gamer is used to. From the get-go, there is an atmosphere set in place by the unique combination of amazing graphics, incredible sounds and a near-perfectly chosen narrator that no other game that I know comes near to. This atmosphere is only strengthened by the fact you can only look and move around. There is no jumping, no running, no picking things up, no nothing you are used to in a game that can be played as a game. There is only walking, looking and listening, and believe me, you will need to get used to these limitations.

The confined setting you'll find yourself in, is both annoying in the beginning and more and more enjoyable as the game progresses. I found myself frustrated with the slow pace the game presented when I started the first time, making me unknowingly skip sections in the path the game lays out for you just to avoid going to some dead end and having to return. I found out this was the wrong approach thanks to me not saving. A mistake that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Without having made this mistake, I wouldn't have known there is a story to be told in Dear Esther that consists of you passing multiple points, and that these points can be skipped without you even realizing it. You skipping these story triggers will result in a weird story getting even weirder and narration suffering from non sequential playback, making for a chopped up feeling that makes the story much less enjoyable.

The most gratifying part of Dear Esther are the surroundings. They are simply stunning. The amount of time that will have gone into designing this 3D world must amount to multiple months, maybe even years. Something that, in hindsight of the 77 minutes I spent in the game both the first and the second time combined, seems somewhat out of place. The game needs these surroundings to shine as it does, but for my taste, it's too short compared to its incredible look and feel! The current Steam price of 7.99 € isn't way up there considering the time spent developing, but with a playthrough time of 55 minutes, I find it just to high. 

Overall Dear Esther is a game that isn't really a game. You will like or dislike it and it is up to you to decide if you're willing to pay the price. With Dear Esther currently being part of the Humble Bundle 8, I would probably pay for it, but on Steam, it just seems a bit overpriced. Then again, since I got this one as gift my value for money meter is going in function-overload so i'm more than happy.