Finished another one tonight...
11. Dear Esther: Landmark Edition | PC | Adventure | 2017 | 3hrs | 9/10Dear Esther was originally a Half-Life 2 mod released in 2008, and later redeveloped as a commercial release in 2012. Five years later, Dear Esther was retooled again, this time as "Dear Esther: Landmark Edition". Differences include having been ported to the Unity engine, with a full audio remaster, and the addition of a brand-new Directors' Commentary mode. Some cite Dear Esther as the beginning of the "walking simulator" genre, a label this reviewer thinks makes as much sense as reducing Super Mario Bros. to a "jumping simulator". There's just no getting around it, Dear Esther is not a game for everyone.

Does the idea of walking slowly around a deserted island, while listening to a man read excerpts of letters to his dead wife, sound like a fun time? Probably not. But "fun" is not the point of Dear Esther. Exploring, discovering, and thinking is. (Though unraveling this mystery which surprises you for every assumption you dare make is very entertaining in its own right.) Thankfully the island which you wander is quite beautifully rendered in convincing detail, and the cavern area contains some of most stupendous graphical design I've ever seen in a video game. Your eyes will be well fed, while your mind ponders, and your soul begins to stir. Or maybe you'll just be bored silly, it's very possible.

This gamer however, was totally enraptured by the experience. From the achingly beautiful immersive atmosphere, to the tiny subtle secrets hidden all over the island. I found Dear Esther to be a wonderfully subversive "video game", but also understand fully why so many have challenged its authenticity as such. Now I won't claim Dear Esther is perfect; I ran into a nasty clipping bug in the caverns, and not being able to save your game at any time is annoying. Also taking control away from the player for the ending, that could have been handled a little more interactively. But those are tiny gripes in the grand scheme of what Dear Esther accomplishes.

This game is art. Yep, I went there. Art as I define it anyway. I believe proper art asks questions, but doesn't tell the answers. And Dear Esther met that criteria with gusto. Is Dear Esther just a pompous exhibition masquerading as a video game? Is this a milestone of the medium, pushing the envelope of what a video game can be? Only future gaming historians know for certain. But this player was absolutely astounded by the experience, and moved deeply by a phenomenally brave ending. It's not often a video game can make me cry, let alone hug my wife a little tighter.
https://www.gog.com/game/dear_esther_landmark_edition