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Dear Esther PC
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Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.5 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 214 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: Dear Esther is a first-person ghost story. Rather than traditional game-play the focus here is on exploration, uncovering the mystery of a lonely island, of who you are and why you are here. Fragments of story are randomly uncovered when exploring the various locations of the island, making every each journey a unique experience.… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 36
  3. Negative: 2 out of 36
  1. Gaming Nexus
    Mar 9, 2012
    100
    Dear Esther is an auditory and visual experience that interweaves a consuming narrative and array of emotions. The game's actual value must not be solely based upon its gameplay length, but rather on the random elements and new secrets discovered through multiple playthroughs. Those that brave the journey into the narrative and world of Dear Esther will discover an experience that few games have been available to accomplish in years. Highly recommended.
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Feb 29, 2012
    60
    A few poignant moments make this worth checking out, but what you'll truly feel is the emptiness of unfulfilled potential. [March 2012, p.48]
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  3. Destructoid
    Feb 13, 2012
    45
    The ironic thing is that the most pedestrian of stories can be convincing when coupled with intelligently applied interaction -- something Dear Esther stubbornly stands against. It's as if it wants to be a part of this wonderful medium of ours without asking itself why, which is exactly why you should seek it out and learn from its failures as a game enthusiast, critic, or developer.

See all 36 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 60 out of 99
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 99
  3. Negative: 33 out of 99
  1. jthayer09
    10
    To call this a game would be almost entirely inaccurate. This piece is better described as an interactive fiction narrative. The only game play mechanic in this work is to guide your character through the story. However, what makes this piece of work interesting and outstanding is the atmosphere that is created through the narrator's speech, the beautiful graphics, perfect music score, and amazing ambient sound. This is an experience that no one should pass up, my first play-through took up a little over 2 hours of my time; for $10 this is a fantastic deal.… Expand
    • 25 of 35 users said yes
  2. Mafurios
    6
    I liked it but it just didn't make me feel like a part of the story, it felt more like walking a guided tour. I like games with a good story but this is more like an interactive picture book. Exploration is hardly awarded with extra depth in the story and it takes far to long to walk back to the right path however there are some very nice places to see. One more minor thing that annoyed me were the plants, because once you notice they keep staring at you it can't be unseen. Because they are 2d and thus have no sides it makes sense that they did it this way but it still feels a bit awkward. In conclusion I'd say that this is a pretty good story but I don't think it should be placed in the game category. If it wasn't marked as a game I would definitely have rated it with an 8 or more. But if I had to recommend a storytelling game that actually feels like your part of the story I would pick either Amnesia, Penumbra or Bastion these are all completely different game as well from each other as from Dear Esther but the thing they all have in common is that they are all heavily based on their story however my examples are far more interactive.… Expand
    • 9 of 15 users said yes
  3. thrash4ever
    0
    Where is the game here? Interactivity ends and begins with movement and observation. This is not the problem in itself; what is: the sum of all possibilities effected by this mode of "interaction" amount to no more than a monologue being regurgitated piecemeal. There's no problem with this not being a game - just that it is marketed (and priced) as one. Wandering around an environment with a couple of audio tracks does not constitute a game. End.… Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes

See all 99 User Reviews