Dear Esther - A game without gameplay

I heard about this game I think about an year ago. Someone had a LP of the game and I scanned through the description and then didn't bother watching it. After seeing the remake come out I decided to give it a try. What is this game to be exact? Well, its not really a game. Its an experiment. They were trying to use video games as a form of art. While the game is beautiful to look at, the narration amazing, and the music hauntingly melancholic, it was lacking. Perhaps what it was lacking was length. The story is so short that you can barely feel an attachment to it.

The game itself would last about an hour if you go where you are supposed to. You might be able to drag it out by exploring a lot and at most you'd spend maybe two hours. Such a short game for 10 bucks? Is it worth it? No. Would I recommend it to anyone? No. If it was cheaper perhaps. However if you want to see new "art games" come out then the 10 bucks would go to a good cause. Good graphics and good narration alone cannot possibly make up for the 10 dollar price. Most of the complaints about this game is the pricing. Even though they earned back whatever they spent on it in a little over 6 hours by selling 16000 copies, many had buyer's remorse and felt cheated. Its why I never buy games without playing a demo or "trying it out" first.

I cannot possibly go into the game without spoiling things. You are basically a nameless narrator on a uninhabited island. You may wander anywhere but there is always visual clues on where to go. Such as paint on the walls, a blinking aerial in the distance, or the moon lighting a path. Its impossible to get lost really, but if you do go off the main path you can hear more about the story. Every time you reach a certain point, the narrator will start talking giving a little about the story. Its never in chronological order and its purposely vague and ambiguous. Some points will have random prose that differs every play through. As you get closer to the end you see the paint on the wall become more erratic and common, the narrator's voice becomes more agitated and the prose become more confusing. Until you reach the climax and the ending where everything makes sense, or it doesn't.

The story is well written and I really enjoyed it. It fits perfectly with the background and the music. Will more of these games come out? I don't know. Do I want to see more? Why not. If no one experiments then we'll never get anything new. Its a nice idea, but its a little flawed. I wouldn't call it a good game because that would imply that there is some form of game play. However I cannot say that its completely bad because that would imply the game pissed me off or was annoying as fuck. Its sorta stuck there not really wowing anyone nor is it disappointing anyone. Its like stuck in perpetual limbo. Perhaps one day this will be the game that creates a revolution but don't count on it. Its probably just going to be forgotten under the weight of Call of Duty, Final Fantasies, and other copy paste games.