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It's in this state that the story is unfolded through fragments of letters, addressed to the late and titular Esther, from her heartbroken and increasingly more wistful husband. This abstracted form of storytelling allows Dear Esther to capture a rich and atmospheric sense of place and story, as the stark but believable visuals combined with the ever-present coastal wind battering at the player adds to the sense of disconnection. The use of first person perspective in a conflict-free, exploration-based game was somewhat revolutionary and helped give rise to the modern genre that has somewhat derisively become known as "walking simulators".
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The game was an early creation of games development studio TheChineseRoom at The University of Portsmouth.Įschewing the usual design concepts of video games, points scoring, objectives and the like, Dear Esther instead used the form of a video game to create a form of artistic installation, transporting the player onto a bleak and barren Hebridean Island where they could traverse a wide but ultimately linear and curated path through, under and over the space, all the while being subjected to Jessica Curry's sombre and haunting score and fragments of narrative written by Dan Pinchbeck. This is in part due to the nature of the semi-somnolent and dreamlike nature of Dear Esther, the video game that acts as the basis for this multimedia stage experience.Īt this point, a little background is probably useful to help parse the concept of Dear Esther, which at first seems a counter-intuitive and unusual creation. The idea of a relaxed sitting in a warm theatre sits at odds with the notion of the bright and frenetic interactivity normally associated with the idea of playing a console or computer in the comfort of one's sitting room.īut, as Music Beyond Mainstream is eager to show, that isn't necessarily the case. We strongly recommend playing the game with sound on, it's great with headphones.In terms of types of entertainment, there are few that would be seen as more opposite than a theatrical performance and a video game. It also won praise for its visuals and music, with The Daily Telegraph saying Dear Esther's visuals are majestic, and Jessica Currys soundtrack receiving awards and nominations from BAFTA among others.ĭear Esther includes subtitles in French, German, Spanish and Russian.
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PC Gamer said it provokes thought and feeling in a way few other games do. Since the original release, Dear Esther has sold over one million units and is seen as a benchmark in interactive and emotional storytelling.
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Generally recognised as kick-starting the walking simulator subgenre, Dear Esther features dynamic narration that means the story changes each time you return to the island.
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Were invited to explore the windswept island, descending into an eerie, otherworldly story where reality fragments and falls apart.
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and so begins a dreamlike, complex tale of love, loss and redemption. As he takes his first step forward, he starts to speak: Dear Esther. The Chinese Rooms cult classic Dear Esther arrives on iOS for the first time, in this faithful interpretation of the internationally renowned game.Ī man stands on a desolate Hebridean shore.
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