Dear Esther – A Gorgeous Story-Driven Game That Makes You Think

It goes without saying that independent developers are important to the gaming industry, with one of the biggest reasons being “innovation”. Indie developers aren’t quite so worried about trying something new, something odd, or something that might not even feel like a game. Take Dear Esther, for example, a “ghost story” game that’s not touting cutting-edge gameplay, but rather a storyline to remember.

Released first as a Source engine mod but now being remade into a commercial product, Dear Esther is not like most games. You don’t run around picking up various objects or kill anything. Much like Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, it looks as though there will be a large island to explore, with your main goal reaching new areas that will cue voice-overs reading letters addressed to a woman named Esther.

Dear Esther is a game that forces you to fill in the blanks, and it might be that even once the game is over, you’ll still not be completely clear on all the details. At various times during the game, you’ll be given a voice over that might not exactly match the voice over another player at the same time will hear, making the gameplay rather unique and forcing you to put some effort into piecing things back together.

That all being said, typically Dear Esther would be a game I’d have little interest in, but somehow, watching the trailer captivated me. The graphics look to be top-notch, and very atmospheric, and as a result, the island looks like it would be cool to explore. The game isn’t meant to be fun-filled, but rather relaxing. It’s a game where the story isn’t something that can be skipped over, because it is the game.

Anyone else planning on picking this one up at launch? Currently, the pricing doesn’t seem to have been made public, but on par with other popular indie titles, I’d expect it to be priced at around the $15 USD mark.

Edit: The game will be priced at $10 USD.