You know those games, movies or books that you experience that have you feeling light-headed from how pure they are? In other words, the form of entertainment you’re dealing with has such a phenomenal way of gripping you that you are at a loss for words? I got that feeling when I played “Dear Esther,” and the reasons why are significant examples of how to effectively tell a story in a video game.

But is “Dear Esther” a video game? Some people like me are torn on the issue. Others sway heavily one way or another, either certain that it can’t be called a game or else positive that it has to be.

The debate comes from what “Dear Esther” brings to the table: a simple, two to three hour story that only has the player holding the “w” key to move forward. When described like that, it doesn’t sound like much of a game. But after playing through “Dear Esther,” I was so invested in the story and visuals that I had no problem with how little input control I had.

“Dear Esther” tells a story that you’re likely to not understand in just one round through the four chapters. I’ve beaten the game four times and still don’t completely get some angles. I feel like a large part of the story is for the player to link together themselves.

The whole island you’re trapped on has an enormous amount of mystery within its rocks and shores, and it does a great job of making you feel as awestruck and uninformed as your slow-moving character probably does.

Put simply, the island is meant to have the aura of an afterlife, or at least that’s how I felt about it. I came to that understanding because of what I took away from the story. As you traverse the island’s hilly cliffs and cavernous trenches, an English-accented voice gives you the background story of an incident that directly involves multiple characters that keep being referenced, such as a man named Donnelly or Esther herself.

Imagination is key to experiencing “Dear Esther.” While a lot of the story is explained via the voice, the island doesn’t directly reflect what’s being told to you. If the spoken story were to be omitted, someone who didn’t explore the island to its fullest would have no idea that the mentioned incident the story revolves around ever even happened.

This separation between the story and the environment would hurt most games, but it brings something special to “Dear Esther.” Certain parts of the monologue only trigger when particular parts of the island are walked through, and these change within each play-through. On my first time playing, I heard different parts of the story than I did on my fourth time. This, too, lends to the notion that it’s up to the player to make story links and conclusions as they progress.

My favorite part of “Dear Esther” is its visual presentation. I know in the past that I’ve hailed many games for being some of the best visual experiences I’ve ever seen, but none come close to how I felt when I played “Dear Esther.”

The game is based off of Valve’s Source engine and is one of the very few titles I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing on the platform. Let me tell you, if the next version of Source is any better than what “Dear Esther” looks like, it’ll probably look better than real life itself.

The graphics of the game are astoundingly detailed without requiring a lot of computer hardware to render them. My gaming PC is dated and had no problem maxing out “Dear Esther”’s visuals, which included superb foliage and water effects/detail.

Caves literally glow with different colored light; waterfalls sound like you’re right there and moonlight reflections on a shipwrecked shore feel so real that I sometimes didn’t realize the narrator was talking. It’s about as immersive as you could ask for, and the complete lack of a user interface on screen helped that feeling.

The sound design is also fantastic. In addition to the aforementioned waterfall and ambient noises, the songs that play while you explore give such a creepy, yet angelic feel to the game. The soundtrack came with the game when I bought it, and I highly recommend looking into it if you enjoy instrumentals combined with a woman who possesses an outstandingly beautiful voice that’s full of atmospheric emotion. 

My jaw still drops every time I walk through the island that “Dear Esther” is set upon. I still don’t completely understand the story, and holding “w” for three hours can get bothersome, if just for my sore middle finger (luckily, it supports a 360 gamepad, so control schemes can be remedied and you’ll get carpal tunnel a little slower than using the keyboard).

But the enormous amount of positivity I came away from “Dear Esther” with easily trumps the few odd things about it. I got the game when it was $2, and it was so worth it. Because there’s a good chance it’s not the game for you, I’d wait for it to go on sale in Steam, which it does frequently.

“Dear Esther” is an unusual adventure. It’s quirky but brilliant storytelling, bar-raising visuals and overwhelming sense of mystery catapulted it into an instant classic for my game library. In my mind, it deserves every award it got.

4.5/5