Dear Esther: Landmark Edition Review

Playing Catch Up:

Dear Esther Landmark Edition is in a curious predicament in that it’s following its successors. But does this important title from 2008 still carry as much weight as it did when it was first released?

Story:

Dear Esther is a short game, clocking in at an hour or two for most playthroughs, so to say too much about what it tries to do in that short runtime would be doing a disservice. Anyone who’s played these types of games before knows what you’re likely in for though. A haunting setting, an intense feeling of isolation and the slow, drawn out exposition leading to one overarching plot.

Some have said the game’s narrative is a bit pretentious, but I quite like the tale drawn out through the mysterious island you’ll be exploring. It’s ambiguous enough for people to draw their own conclusions, and depending on how you achieve that you’ll likely have a totally different experience than I did, but for my money the softly delivered narrative is one of the best bits of the game, and one of the few elements that still stand up today.

Gameplay:

It’s an unenviable state, being compared to games you inspired. Dear Esther arguably kickstarted the ‘walking simulator’ genre of games; atmospheric, exploratory and not altogether fully explained titles that offered an experience rather than a ‘game’ in its truest sense. Since Dear Esther started this movement back in 2008, titles like Gone Home, Firewatch and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture have refined that formula.

Despite its new bells and whistles – Developer’s Commentary track and improved visuals – Dear Esther comes up short when compared to its contemporaries. This is ultimately what’s going to damn it with no recourse. This edition, despite being labelled as an anniversary edition of sorts, does little to change the core package, and as such Landmark Edition is nothing but a way for console players to enjoy what PC players explored nearly eight years ago for the first time.

It’s with this truth in mind – that Landmark Edition is simply a port for first time players, rather than returning ones – that Dear Esther struggles to remain relevant or even worthwhile. There are better games of this calibre out there – see above – and unless you’ve really not had your fill of atmospheric walkers then I would struggle to recommend this once incredibly important little gem. Those players that do return might feel their experience is buoyed with a helping hope of nostalgia, but newcomers have better options out there vying for their hard earned cash.

Presentation:

Esther looks dated, those aforementioned ‘visual upgrades’ not nearly enough of an upgrade to undo eight years of movement in the industry and sit comfortably on current gen tech.

In the sound department, however, we have some genuinely fantastic work. There’s great narration to keep you company on your lonely walk, but even more impressive is the beautiful and emotive score underpinning some of the game’s best moments (or forcibly making them moments with music you may not have been expecting)

Conclusion:

Dear Esther Landmark Edition is a hard sell. I wouldn’t say players who’ve already explored the island need to return – though, if you’re anything like me you may feel compelled to anyway. That’s part of Dear Esther’s haunting power, there’s an inexplicable draw here. Eight years of technological upgrades and – let’s be honest – better games in the genre means that this is going to be an unnecessary venture for all but the most diehard newcomers.