Developer: Robert Briscoe
Publisher: thechineseroom
Released: 14.02.2012
Price: £6.99 (Steam)
Website: http://store.steampowered.com/app/203810/
Summary:
Dear Esther is an interesting piece. I say "piece" because the lack of gameplay elements really makes it more of an artistic experience than a game. In that respect, it does rather well; with a good story and narration taking you though the ~90 of gameplay there are. From a gaming standpoint, it's quite hard to categorise. It's kind of a 'rail-adventure' (to invent something). While the artistic merits of the story are one thing, this is a *game* review! Unfortunately, the few gameplay elements that are included in the game, are not done to perfection, and because there isn't a whole lot of game elements, the flaws really stand out.
Overall, I found it to be an interesting and enjoyable experience, despite the flaws standing out. It is only ~90 minutes long, so you don't get a lot of bang for your buck, but if you can pick it up on a sale, Dear Esther offers an experience that is largely unique to gaming.
Story:
The story and narration are really the main focus of the game, and to it's credit, this is really engaging and well done. The ending is subject to a degree of artistic interpretation, but up till then, the narration does well to introduce you to the fictional setting and bring out it's history. The plot gradually turns into a massive twist, but it's done very subtly and gradually and starts wracking your brain around the midpoint, which gets you even more engaged with story.
Overall, the narration, graphics and environment come together to provide an interesting and enjoyable experience - although it's more of an artistic experience than it is a gaming experience!
Mechanics Issues:
The first issue that I came across during my playthrough, was that there are problems with the few gameplay mechanics that form the game. The first issue (and the biggest), is movement. It is a "rail-adventure", so you are basically confined to one path. Unfortunately, if your adventurous instincts kick in, and you go off path to investigate a house or some such, you will find yourself with a task and a half to get back onto to the path. While your character can climb 40 degree inclines with ease - so long as it's on the path - you will find your character furiously unable to climb up the smallest off-path ledge - even if that is the only way back on path! This is further compounded by a lack of jump key or any kind of climb function.
The second thing I came across is the fact your character seems to be the embodiment of Jesus, in that you can walk on water! What is, presumably, a mechanic to allow the player to exit a body of water, it doesn't make a distinction where in the water you are: you can rise above and walk across the water! These two little issues with the mechanics really do break the immersion, when they happen.
Lack of Gameplay:
Despite being marketed on gaming platforms, the first thing you notice is that the game is very very short. At around 90 minutes long (and that is with my well known ability to faff about), there really isn't much to the game. Also, given the fact that the controls are exclusively "Left, Right, Forward, Back & Pause", that gives you an idea of just how few gameplay elements are actually in the game! Having said that, the experience is entirely delivered through the environment and narration, but I must say that I was originally expecting more of an exploration focus to the game, ahead of starting my playthrough.
2D Graphics:
Actually the very first thing I noticed in the game was the fact that despite appearing visually very nice, it was still running at a steady 300 (yes, 3 hundred) FPS. It was later on that I discovered the reason for this: most of the textures are 2D. This actually wouldn't have been so obvious, if the game didn't tempt you to look down at certain features in the map. After that, I was always aware of the 2D graphics, and the problems that come with them: such as the textures rotating when you move so they face you at all times.
The game could have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for those pesky landmarks! In my mind, a FPS of 300 is meaningless if you have issues like that: I would much rather see a much lower FPS with proper 3D mapped objects than have 2D visuals - particularly since graphics are one of the few tools used by the game to convey the story!