Dear Esther

5uspect

So it's less than a month to the release of Dear Esther, the remake of the haunting experimental HL2 mod with excellent narration. It's more of an interactive story that a game but worth a look.

It's a stunningly beautiful piece of work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7VJ4lP-05A

http://dear-esther.com/

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

seems like a load of pretentious hippy nonsense to me

degrassinoel

he sure do have a purty mouth though boy!

5uspect

backs away slowly...

damnit, no guns in this game!

chin_grin

So it's a game of 3d wallpapers with some "deep" narration? I'm not sold.

johnny_ultimate

chin_grin wrote: »

So it's a game of 3d wallpapers with some "deep" narration? I'm not sold.

As far as I can tell it's more of an interactive story than anything, with a rich 3D world to explore. Meant to be a commentary on the nature of gaming interactivity or lack thereof. Interview with the creators in this month's Edge about how they purposefully avoided the strong temptation of traditionally 'gamey' elements like goals or puzzles because they just didn't fit with what they wanted to say.

Trying something different and intelligent should be welcomed rather than instantly dismissed as pretentious. It may or not be a success, but it seems like a brave attempt at trying something new. Disappointed there's no Mac port on launch, but would love to give it a go.

5uspect

Try out the existing mod then, it's pretty short if you rush through it but you can take your time and enjoy the experience.

It's basically all about atmosphere, the narration is somewhat random and depends on how you work your way across the landscape. The story is slowly pieced together along the way.

Kiith

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Trying something different and intelligent should be welcomed rather than instantly dismissed as pretentious.

This, absolutely. Nothing worse than seeing a different take on games being instantly dismissed by the majority of people. It might not be your kind of thing, fair enough. But to call it 'pretentious hippy nonsense' is totally unjust.

chin_grin

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

As far as I can tell it's more of an interactive story than anything, with a rich 3D world to explore. Meant to be a commentary on the nature of gaming interactivity or lack thereof. Interview with the creators in this month's Edge about how they purposefully avoided the strong temptation of traditionally 'gamey' elements like goals or puzzles because they just didn't fit with what they wanted to say.

Trying something different and intelligent should be welcomed rather than instantly dismissed as pretentious. It may or not be a success, but it seems like a brave attempt at trying something new. Disappointed there's no Mac port on launch, but would love to give it a go.

Granted. But it doesn't really have a niche seeing that nowadays the kids just want the "michael bay" aspect of gaming with their (and probably my) short attention spans. I agree it's a nice change to the usual puzzler/shooter game (trying to avoid the "breath of fresh air" analogy), but will it hold the attention of the current-gen gamers?

The only other game that this immediately reminded me of is Myst!

johnny_ultimate

chin_grin wrote: »

Granted. But it doesn't really have a niche seeing that nowadays the kids just want the "michael bay" aspect of gaming with their (and probably my) short attention spans. I agree it's a nice change to the usual puzzler/shooter game (trying to avoid the "breath of fresh air" analogy), but will it hold the attention of the current-gen gamers?

Does arthouse cinema hold the attention of the kids today? Nope. Does it offer a gloriously rich, vibrant and exciting selection of cinema with a huge and enthusiastic audience? You betcha!

There is a large subset of gamers out there who want intelligent, thought-provoking, offbeat gaming (I'm one of 'em!). The only reason we're aren't vocal is that we don't have enough games that offer us what we want. But there is a rich indie community out there trying new stuff outside of the mainstream. I think there's more than enough people to justify a release of this sort. We're not going to get anywhere as an ahem artform if we stick to guns, breasts and zombies. Not all success is determined purely on astronomical sales figures or what Little Joe on Xbox Live thinks of the game

5uspect

It's been on my radar for sometime, I loved the original mod because it's so different. Minimal but totally engaging. I'll still get my kicks in BF3 blowing **** up but games like this show a maturing side to gaming that I'm all in favour of.

It's also worth pointing out that this is running on the Portal 2 version of Source. If they manage to get it running smoothly and bug free that's a hell of an achievement.

chin_grin

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Does arthouse cinema hold the attention of the kids today? Nope. Does it offer a gloriously rich, vibrant and exciting selection of cinema with a huge and enthusiastic audience? You betcha!

There is a large subset of gamers out there who want intelligent, thought-provoking, offbeat gaming (I'm one of 'em!). The only reason we're aren't vocal is that we don't have enough games that offer us what we want. But there is a rich indie community out there trying new stuff outside of the mainstream. I think there's more than enough people to justify a release of this sort. We're not going to get anywhere as an ahem artform if we stick to guns, breasts and zombies. Not all success is determined purely on astronomical sales figures or what Little Joe on Xbox Live thinks of the game

Ouch. Veiled dig received. Et tu Johnny_Ultimate. :pac:

I miss point-and-clickies. Aw.

johnny_ultimate

chin_grin wrote: »

Ouch. Veiled dig received. Et tu Johnny_Ultimate. :pac:

No dig intended, apologies if it came across that way! Just saying there's only so much exploding barrels one can take before the urge for something with a bit more thought or ambition kicks in

I'm all for dumb fun in gaming. But that's pretty much all we get these days. It'd be nice to have more games like Flower or Braid on a regular basis - games that have something to say alongside the 'gamier' side of things!

Myrddin

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I'm all for dumb fun in gaming. But that's pretty much all we get these days

What do you mean? Modern Shooter 7: All Non Yanks Must Die was a triumph of video gaming brilliance!

pixelburp

Gaming isn't an either / or scenario - any studio or developer that pushes the boundaries of what constitutes a 'game' should be heralded and supported 100%, especially by those of us who insist gaming is a serious, adult medium. We can argue 'til we're blue in the face that gaming be taken seriously as a story-driven entity, but that won't happen if all we ever get is Ruskie-Shooter 5, and other similar, derivative work that glorifies violence.

Now there's nothing wrong with those kind of games in small doses, but to see something that genuinely moves the goalposts of interactive storytellling? I'll buy 5 copies if it means people keep taking risks like that.

That said, going by the trailer, the writing does seem a little forced & too eager to seem worthy, but no question I'll throw my money their way when it comes out.

What I find most amazing about this 'game' though is that - wow - that's the Source engine. Admittedly it looks like the bulk of the work is in some qualiity photorealistic texture work & static meshes but still: credit where credit is due.

Sarky

This has me intrigued. I think I'll get my hands on it.

mahamageehad

Been researching this and just about finished with my blog post on it now. When googling it for research stumbled across this boards thread. I'm really disappointed that theres going to be no mac version (yet anyway) so i hope you guys will keep me informed on if it's actually as awesome as it looks!

SeantheMan

what is the expected RRP ?
Will it be on STEAM or COG ?

mahamageehad

STEAM for €7.99. It will be released on valentines day.

Canis Lupus

All for new ideas but using fancy words doesn't make a narrative interesting. Don't really see anything interesting in that trailer but each to their own I suppose.

RobertFoster

It's out now for those interested. Is it likely to be widely reviewed since some are claiming it's not a game game?

5uspect

There are plenty of mixed reviews up already, it seems to be a love hate thing. The main complaint seems to be that all you can do is walk around (slowly) and therefore press it's just W to win. Of course if you only play games to win it isn't for you.

I'm up to my eyeballs with work, hopefully I'll get to try it out tomorrow night.

Chairman Meow

I only got the chance to play the opening area but its a lovely experience. Its not a game as such, you dont do anything but walk and look and listen,but it looks gorgeous, good writing (if bordering on being a tad pretentious at times), and its something a bit left field. For the price of a small lunch its worth it, if youre after something a bit different.

5uspect

Same here. Fortunately it wasn't a huge download so I got to try it out before I went to bed last night. It's absolutely gorgeous. So far it's pretty similar to the original mod, so I'm quite happy that it retains the same atmosphere.

The original mod is here BTW.
http://www.moddb.com/mods/dear-esther

BenK

Gave this a go this evening. I thought it was interesting enough. It felt pretty unique and fresh and was very atmospheric in parts. In terms of gameplay mechanics it's limited but it seems a little unfair to criticise it for that as that's obviously not the angle it's going for. It was worth the €7.99 in my view anyway.

5uspect

I finished my first walk-through tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I can't explain how beautiful this game is so here are some screenshots.

Maximilian

Enjoyable and very pretty. Not worth 8 euro though I think. Definitely one worth picking up in a steam sale though.

Chairman Meow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEhGdnW3YuU

made a little video for it
Really enjoyed the game overall, and the graphics whore in me bloody loved it.

Nollog

Yeah, I watched the trailer when it was on sale too, and after added it to my wish list.
Epic trailer.

SeantheMan

Just completed it.....and ehhh...well it's not worth the money first of all.

Secondly, I couldn't really categorise it as a "game" , because all you do is press W and the story moves forward.

And on that note, can anyone put up what they got from the story, their interpretation ...as I'm sure it differs to others. Maybe I missed something.

Dacelonid

/\/ollog wrote: »

Yeah, I watched the trailer when it was on sale too, and after added it to my wish list.
Epic trailer.

Same here, but I'll wait till a Steam sale before I pick it up, given the mixed reviews and all that.

SeantheMan

Dacelonid wrote: »

Same here, but I'll wait till a Steam sale before I pick it up, given the mixed reviews and all that.

The trailer is exactly like the game.
It's that guy narrating, while you walk around an island by holding W.

Ciaran500

Didn't like this at all, the story hints at something interesting but never does anything interesting. You just wander the island getting random bits of a story that has no peak or resolution.

It was pretty but there isn't much more to it than the screenshots.

johnny_ultimate

Just played through this and I loved it. An hour and a half of haunting atmosphere, ambiguous storytelling (about loss, grief and guilt, amongst other things) and stunning sights. While it's all strictly linear and pre-designed, I think there's more beauty in the sights of Dear Esther than anything in Skyrim or the like. Doesn't mean it's a better 'game' in the traditional sense, but there's an artistry on show you don't get from many developers. The chapter in the cave system is simply astonishing. There's a sense of discovery too, as you're eager to wander down that other path, or the simple expectation as you turn a corner or leap into a pool of water.

As an experience, I thought it was moving and involving throughout (after five or ten minutes adjusting to the game's design and pacing). Journey is the obvious comparison (not least the focus on progressing towards a towering landmark), although with the interactivity scaled back yet another notch. Doesn't really matter - it's a well-judged experience and the perfect length as it doesn't overstay its welcome.

I think there's more than enough room for experiments like this and more traditional 'gamey' games. It won't be for everyone, but it's a simple, brief and intelligent wander around a mysterious island. On those terms it succeeds fantastically. I'm not going to over-exaggerate its import - despite everything positive I've said, its scope is still limited, and the level of interactivity is a bare minimum. But taken on its own term, Dear Esther is a joy, and the hard-to-define emotional response is still lingering fifteen minutes later.

Plus, this is amazing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y74SDuejOoE

SeantheMan

There's always one, glad you enjoyed.
For me it was one of the most boring "games" ever, well...it's not a game is it...it's an interactive tour if anything.

Sarky

I decided to try out Dear Esther after an hour of frustration trying to get onto a Day Z server.

It's a very interesting experience. Absolutely stunning visuals. Great music. Good pacing. Very odd indeed, and probably something you'll either hate or really get into, but worth the few euros because there's very little else at all like it.

johnny_ultimate

SeantheMan wrote: »

There's always one, glad you enjoyed.
For me it was one of the most boring "games" ever, well...it's not a game is it...it's an interactive tour if anything.

I think it's very easy to get caught up in the semantics of what Dear Esther is, but to kind of provide a cop-out answer it simply is what it is. The inputs and (limited) interactivity put it closer to a game than anything else, so I'm not uncomfortable calling it that.

The Destructoid review is interesting, as the writer feels it would make a better short film than a game. I completely disagree. The semi-random soundbites, the sense of discovery & exploration, the player-controlled pace, the 'choices' you have to make (I can't be the only one who lingered before jumping down the waterfall :pac:): these are crucial to the experience, and would be lost if it took any other form or medium. While you don't win or lose in the same way you do in other games, and there's certainly no skill involved, the creators still have a wonderful knowledge of the tropes and design of games, and subvert that throughout.

SeantheMan

I didn't take anything away from it though, there was no coherent story, or are you to assume or infer certain things. Is it the ramblings of a madman, was it all a dream ?
I didn't feel I got my moneys worth really at all from it.
Considering you complete it in 1-2 hours

johnny_ultimate

It's not as easy as 'it was all a dream'. There's basically three stories going on at once - of Paul & Esther and a car crash, of the goat herder Jakobsen, and the diary of the island hermit (?) Donnelly. It's not really meant to make perfect sense: the snippets of prose help inform what happened to the various characters, but it's up to the player to interpret what exactly it all means. Indeed, at the very end all three perspectives collide into one increasingly unstable voice. It's may not 'mean' anything, but leaves many interpretations open. Indeed, the fact that the prose is semi-random means that the experience will differ slightly from player-to-player.

But while they might be the more obvious 'stories', to me the exploration of the island is the real meat here. Luminous paintings on the wall. A shipwreck. The pre-lit candles. The distant silhouette of a figure standing on a cliff-top. It's a mysterious place, and the game doesn't always provide answers. It doesn't need to. I was happy just to accept it as a ghost story of sorts: a surreal and beautiful walk around an island full of secrets and history. The emotional response I had - a mix of wonder, confusion and sadness - was what made it really special for me. If you found it boring, fair enough. But I thought the atmosphere was infectious and haunting throughout.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

I said above when i first sdaw the video it looked like pretentious hippy twoddle, and I still kinda think that from the videos ive seen but it is pretty great that something like this gets made and sells. While i've next to no interest in dear esther if more people start doing stuff like this there will doubtless be a.. interactive movie? movie-game?..whatever that I enjoy and even makes me stop to take a breath and let what I just saw/experienced sink in like after a great movie.

i kinda view fez in the same way as dear esther.. that wasn't so much a "game" in the traditional.. challenge/puzzle sense (outside the secrets and stuff) it was more a journey through the world and a lovely relaxing fun experience.

Sarky

SeantheMan wrote: »

I didn't take anything away from it though, there was no coherent story, or are you to assume or infer certain things. Is it the ramblings of a madman, was it all a dream ?
I didn't feel I got my moneys worth really at all from it.
Considering you complete it in 1-2 hours

You're still thinking about it after all this time, which isn't bad for a short story. I'd say you got your money's worth.

Grimebox

I played this when it was released as I was really excited at the concept of such a game. While I won't sing its praises as much as johnny_ultimate, I definitely found it a worthwhile experience. I think I like the idea of this game more so than the game itself as I did get a bit confused by the plot. I feel it is truly an example of a game as a form of art. I will without a doubt try and support more games like this in the future.

johnny_ultimate

I don't know, I just find myself finding much more in these brief experimental games these days. I'd say Journey is probably a more rewarding experience all-in-all, but it's just a refreshing feeling to find more games that provide an emotional response that isn't just straight 'entertainment' or adrenaline. I also have more and more time (heh) for games that are brave enough to be an hour or two long. I don't want the epic game to disappear, but the vast majority of games that are traditional lengths run out of both story and gameplay ideas early, or just repeat the same ideas over and over.

What's most exciting is seeing this new style of storytelling emerge. I can't deny I'd love to see a game with this level of atmosphere or narrative confidence with more interactivity, but these are the sort of games pushing interactive storytelling in the right direction.

There are times when I get frustrated hearing people complaining about the lack of originality in gaming, crap console ports and all that other nonsense. But games like Journey, Dear Esther, Fez, To The Moon, Passage and upcoming ones like Spy Party or The Witness are there waiting to be discovered. Dismiss them as pretentious or simplistic if you will. But alternate and experimental voices need to be encouraged (even if its only by a small but significant minority), and hopefully if they enjoy enough success then bigger projects will emerge with similar levels of ambition. We can only hope that the ideas being explored in Dear Esther and its ilk will have a positive impact on both arthouse and mainstream gaming going forward.

5uspect

I would agree pretty much with all of that. For me Dear Esther wasn't really a game. It's an experience built using video game technology. It was a wonderful experience and something I find my self going back to again and again.

What great to hear is that the Devs made a profit on release and they are working on new projects.

promethius42

Im looking forward to what the devs do next.

5uspect

A new Amnesia game called A Machine for Pigs, apparently:
http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/02/23/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs-due-later-this-year/

johnny_ultimate

Brief but amusing parody of Dear Esther called Dear Esteban here: http://bmo.****thisjam.com/submissions/89-dear-esteban

^^^ You'll have to replace the stars in the URL with the f-word. Darn swear filters!

pablomakaveli

I finally got round to trying this recently after picking it up in the summer sale on Steam.

I hadnt really read much about it before playing it so didnt know what to expect. I did really enjoy it though. There's kind of haunting beauty to the island which really adds to the experience. I would have liked to have known what the chemical formula drawings and schematics were all about though. I dont think any mention was made of them in the narrative. I really liked the ending as well though. It was strange but in a nice way.

While it is very short it is an enjoyable experience. Worth getting if you can find it cheap enough.

Grimebox

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Brief but amusing parody of Dear Esther called Dear Esteban here: http://bmo.****thisjam.com/submissions/89-dear-esteban

^^^ You'll have to replace the stars in the URL with the f-word. Darn swear filters!

"Where's the damn cat?! The motorcycles are gone." I laughed

RobertFoster

pablomakaveli wrote: »

While it is very short it is an enjoyable experience. Worth getting if you can find it cheap enough.

I liked it too. Not much gameplay, but a nice short story.

It's €2 on Steam for the next 6 hours or so.