Game: Dear Esther
Developer: The Chinese Room
Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer Blizzard Entertainment. These are my rambling notes to myself as I play the game. I respect and appreciate the hard work of all game developers.
Notes:
I don’t mind the slow walking speed when first progressing through an area, checking out the environment and paying attention to the dialog. But sometimes when having to backtrack or unable to find the exit from an area the slow speed is frustrating.
I don’t feel like I’m making any choices here. I’m just walking around until I find the correct way forward. This is all I need to do to advance the game. Doesn’t feel meaningful.
Some pieces of dialog feel very disjointed and out of place. I’m not understanding what’s going on. Who am I, what am I doing here, who is the narrator and what is their relationship to me.
The music and ambient weather effects (especially the wind) were great at creating atmosphere and mood.
The environments were gorgeous, and I loved the inside of the cavern area.
I just don’t get the game though. At the end I’m still extremely confused about what happened and what story it was telling.
