To address my problems with the Amnesia demo, does this game have any frustrating mechanics like with having to constantly watch out for lamp oil (which in turn led to lots of wandering around in the dark aimlessly) or goofy jumping puzzles like with the piranha area? My impression from what I've seen so far (which admittedly is limited due to not wanting to be spoiled) is that this game is more of a first person adventure game that is mostly story-driven. If that's the case, I think I'd like this a lot more than what I've played of Amnesia.
To address my problems with the Amnesia demo, does this game have any frustrating mechanics like with having to constantly watch out for lamp oil (which in turn led to lots of wandering around in the dark aimlessly) or goofy jumping puzzles like with the piranha area? My impression from what I've seen so far (which admittedly is limited due to not wanting to be spoiled) is that this game is more of a first person adventure game that is mostly story-driven. If that's the case, I think I'd like this a lot more than what I've played of Amnesia.
There's no jump, no crouch, no run and no interaction button. There's only exploration with WASD keys, control of the camera with the mouse, and zoom with the left button of the mouse.
One of the themes of Dear Esther is surely the need of those suffering extreme grief to find meaning in what has caused them such pain?
The line you mention is particularly key I believe, less oblique and to the point than most in the title.
I believe in the context of Dear Esther the number 21 is actually meaningless - a series of coincidental pieces of data surrounding a death that the narrator is desperately trying to ascribe meaning to. 21 minutes. 21 steps. 21 times.
A random event robbed him of someone forever, and now he finds patterns and uses them to find some meaning where there is in truth none.
In broader context we all try and find meaning through patterns, seeking to ignore the cold uncaring randomness of the Universe with patterns on meaning only we can see - and the piece captures this very well I thought.
I just completed it a second time, this playthrough in one hour instead of two. It's even more wonderful the second time. It's truly like having this lonely island all to yourself. You can stand on the beach and just let your mind wander with the wind, or stare up a spiraling cave ceiling, or (my favorite) watch the aerial wink in the distance from the candle-lit mouth of a cove at night... It's therapeutic, carthartic, all these things.
And I may be mistaken, but despite my thorough and deliberate exploration of each corner of the island the first time, this second time I think I heard some different dialogue... And certainly all the old dialogue took on new meaning now that I knew where the story was heading. Something that was definitely different, though, was the underwater sequence:
the first time, there were two crashed cars in the submerged highway; the second time, there were no cars, but an operating gurney
. Wow... Also, be sure to look at the corner of the fenced-in area of the aerial, before you trigger the cutscene that ends the game. It's your best look at the figure you saw in the distance... *shudders*
A truly beautiful, haunting ghost story. I'd be totally down for more games like these. As far as I'm concerned, it's a whole new medium, neither game nor movie but equally valid and exploding with possibilities.
I got your second item for the first play through .
The "come back" when you drown or jump off a high cliff is really nice in this game and its been a real pleasure playing it .
I wonder if theres some really big secrets to be found.
I just watched my brother do a playthrough of this, which is the third playthrough I've seen overall (I played through twice myself). LOTS of new stuff. The dialogue is making the story increasingly clearer, particularly the notion that
the player character is a man of reason trying to make sense, in almost scientific fashion, of a car crash that took his loved one
. But the true nature of the story's deeper meaning still eludes me; I suppose it's subjective, but I feel there's something distinct the author is trying to say. This game creates so many feelings in you, like a painting you can explore endlessly and keep finding new angles to the subject matter. I even started a fourth playthrough and right off the bat the player character was saying something new. How much dialogue is in this game exactly??
Also, be sure to look at the corner of the fenced-in area of the aerial, before you trigger the cutscene that ends the game. It's your best look at the figure you saw in the distance... *shudders*
I just watched my brother do a playthrough of this, which is the third playthrough I've seen overall (I played through twice myself). LOTS of new stuff. The dialogue is making the story increasingly clearer, particularly the notion that
the player character is a man of reason trying to make sense, in almost scientific fashion, of a car crash that took his loved one
. But the true nature of the story's deeper meaning still eludes me; I suppose it's subjective, but I feel there's something distinct the author is trying to say. This game creates so many feelings in you, like a painting you can explore endlessly and keep finding new angles to the subject matter. I even started a fourth playthrough and right off the bat the player character was saying something new. How much dialogue is in this game exactly??
The number 21 seems to be a recurring theme in the messages.
"It took 21 minutes for them to arrive"
"Paul was lifeless for 21 minutes"
"I have now driven the stretch of the M5 between Exeter and Bristol over 21 times"
"I have scoured this motorway 21 times attempting to recreate his trajectory"
"They charted their course and I followed them for 21 minutes until they turned off near Sandford and were lost"
and there are 21 paper boats littered together in the level 'The Beacon' at the point where you begin to walk up the mountain. (the same point that the camera flies to after you finish the game)
Not sure what it all means but still, I thought it was interesting.
Just finished my first playthrough of this. The game was beautiful, down to the music, the visuals, and the plot. However, I'm still having trouble piecing it all together.
Who exactly was the man that he was the main characters was talking about? (Can't remember his name, but it started with a D). I also don't really understand this car crash thing you guys are talking about.
Some random interpretations:
When the main character jumped off the ladder and killed himself, but the camera shifted so that he never hit the bottom, I took that to mean that his aspirations and passion for living for Esther (I think?) will never die, and his presence will forever be ingrained in that island. The paint everywhere is a more obvious incarnation of this.
I guess the chemistry references in the paint are supposed to be his obsession with trying to methodically understand things.
Those probably weren't very adequate explanations of my thoughts, but still, interesting game.
Edit: Also,
when the screen goes black, is that really it? Was I just supposed to hit start and end the game?
I hesitate to call this a game, it's more of an art piece. That said, it is compelling. The art direction and sound direction are really good. I was majorly frustrated whenever I hit an invisible wall; the only mechanic in this "game" is exploration, and where you could explore felt so limited. I wanted to climb into the wrecked ships, leaf through pages of the books left behind, pick up and examine objects. I loved the flashlight use, but I wish I could have toggled it myself. I just wished for more interaction overall.
That being said there were a few very breathtaking moments, which I can appreciate. Just the lack of interactivity wasn't engaging. I did try to understand the story, and caught onto a few hints. But anyone could pretty much coast through the game without understanding or knowing anything, and I guess that's where it's more like a movie or a book.
I'll let it sink in and play again in a week or so.
I love this, having played through the game multiple times... having read through the script even more times i can't make up my mind which is which story wise. But here are some of my impressions
The way he describes the process of deciding between burial and cremation for his wife brilliantly melancholy:
"Of fire and soil, I chose fire. It seemed the more contemporary of the options, the more sanitary. I could not bear the thought of the reassembly of such a ruins. Stitching arm to shoulder and femur to hip, charting a line of thread like traffic stilled on a motorway. Making it all acceptable for tearful aunts and traumatised uncles flown in specially for the occasion."
I've tried to wrap my head around the historical, and otherwise, inconsistency of the narrative and the only reasonable answer i can come up with is dementia brought on by the long term effects of syphilis contracted after the death of his wife. He seems to be confusing the text of a book he has read with that of his own musings. Perhaps a book he had actually stolen from a library as he points out. So the dates in the book entirely conflict with his own. And the presence of a character with the exact surname as the driver of the opposing car in the accident helps blur the lines further. The island is likely described in the book.
The narrator seems to be quite accepting of his mulligrubs and has seemingly refused both treatment, beyond painkillers, and advice from family and the religious "hermits" (i assume these are people sent to him by the local clergy or church) regarding both his depression and his apparent illness picked up after the death of his wife.
He seems to have tried to reconcile things with the driver of the other car over time. He's even gone and visited him much to the dismay of the opposing driver. The mug (brake system failure) could signify another excuse/reason that might have been bandied about during their encounter.
Is the island real? Does it have to be? Is it just a convenient coincidence that it mirrors his own conscience so well? Perhaps he visited it once. Perhaps he only ever read about it in the book he stole.
The significance of 21? His dementia seems to try to use it to rationalise things yet they make no logical sense and there is ultimately no real significance in it. One cannot be resuscitated after 21 mins after all. He is therefore desperately seeking meaning where there is none
He has been trying to rationalise what happened all those years ago and still cannot come to terms with it. He's basically lived the life of an island since then seeking some sort of solace yet finding none. In the end he basically gives up on everything including life. Does he commit suicide or does the suicide merely representing himself finally letting loose his last grasp on life. I don't know.
This is all based on the assumption that Donnelly is the narrator himself of course especially since he can so clearly and intimately describe Donnelly's disposition. It is as if he is speaking as Donnelly and about Donnelly in different passages. The ones in which he speaks as Donnelly are far more desperate and despairing. Perhaps the narrator is a coping mechanism Donnelly created. Perhaps he is schizophrenic
I would love to hear/read the writers own interpretation of their work/script
Finished it this morning... amazingly beautiful, yet amazingly weird and I still don't really get it... I haven't read anything about it or don't know a thing about it what-so-ever before I purchased it this morning since I've been Skyrim only since it came out so I'm totally out of the loop and it was $10 on Steam so I jumped on and was wtf'ing the whole way through.
what just happened? was it some guys journey through the moments of his death during a car accident or some shit?
Finished it this morning... amazingly beautiful, yet amazingly weird and I still don't really get it... I haven't read anything about it or don't know a thing about it what-so-ever before I purchased it this morning since I've been Skyrim only since it came out so I'm totally out of the loop and it was $10 on Steam so I jumped on and was wtf'ing the whole way through.
what just happened? was it some guys journey through the moments of his death during a car accident or some shit?
Did you play through a few times? The Narrator's dialogue is somewhat random. There's multiple lines for each location the dialogue is triggered. Since everyone typically hears a random combination of different lines, everyone's interpretation may be different. Some people have already posted their thoughts in the thread, but I would suggest playing it 1 or 2 more times at least. Coming up with your own interpretation is kind of what the game is about.
Just played it, in some ways it's a remarkable improvement over the original, but I really don't like the new ending.
Visually I think it looks stunning, the art is wonderful. I love how they bake lines into the rock textures that run along the wire frames. Typically in a game, I'll see a rock, and think it looks crap because you can see them trying to hide how low poly it is, but in this it makes me stop and wonder what it's meant to mean, if it implies something about how the rocks have corroded. Very smart design.
The new 'scene' they've added was pretty surprising and a very nice addition. I love how absurdly English it all is too, I wonder if people from anywhere else could really get the same impact.
So yeah, other than the bullshit new ending, phenomenal game.
Incredible music, visuals, and atmosphere. loved the chemical formula for ethanol (among many others) plastered throughout the game along with the neurons, electical diagrams (brakes?), etc. spent a ton of time looking at these and thinking about what they meant as I walked through the beautiful island. one of the most fully realized game worlds ever. I could practically feel the grass and flowers scratch at my legs as I walked through them.
I didn't like the writing so much. very clumsy. they did their best, but their best was not good enough. I kept thinking how amazing this game would be if it was an adaptation of a good short story or poem...
I did like that the clips were somewhat random. I killed myself intentionally and then reloaded to an earlier save and got a different sound clip the second time.
I said these EXACT words to a friend just after I'd finished.
That aside, what an amazing... game? So much potential here, such an incredibly atmospheric and lifelike landscape with a relatively old engine. The music, the writing, the sound.
I spent the first two parts mildly impressed but bemoaning the fact that there was zero interactivity. Then I got to the caves.
Finished in two rounds. After the first, I told my roommate that I'd just played the most boring game I'd ever encountered but I found myself thinking about the narrative incessantly while at work.
On the second play through now. I really don't know what to say except I'm moved.
I'm very impressed with how engaging they were able to make such a barely interactive experience. Some of the best looking environments I've seen in recent memory helped, I guess.
Just played this. Quite happy with it. Great atmosphere, soundtrack and the story is clear enough to let anyone understand the basis behind it but vague enough so that anyone will have their own interpretation when it comes to the details. Very good!
Finally got around to buying and playing this. 'Finished' it in one sitting. I had very briefly tried out the original mod, but went in with the wrong frame of mind, and knowing that the remake was coming decided to hold off.
I have some conflicted feelings. But, as a whole, Dear Esther is one of the most incredibly beautiful and enthralling interactive works I've experienced. Of all 'video games' I've played, this is one of the very few times I've felt the medium splintered, and the term 'video game' no longer applicable in an absolute. There is literally no game here of any kind, nor does it attempt to be one. It does not attempt to bridge interactive gaming philosophies with art or 'experience'. It is no more a game than a book is a game.
Instead it is digital poetry. It is words, voice, music and imagery combined within the bounds of a human paced and controlled environment to forge an experience unlike anything else. It does not need more interactivity, and what minimal interactivity is essential for delivering the experience. It is poetry, digitalised, interactive, and as a single piece of work an absolute unlike anything else.
So on a purely artistic and creative level, I'm immensely impressed with what has been crafted, and I think it will stay with me for some time.
Pulling back the sheets, on a technical level it has the best use of Source ever. Though I guess this is what happens when you create a small, compartmentalised work and have an experienced artist meticulously craft every asset and detail towards a unique purpose. It forgoes conventions of standard game asset development and presentation, and I don't think this kind of attention to art is possible without making games this small scale, but there you have it. Intensely gorgeous.
The story is where I'm a bit mixed. I do think that maybe it was a bit obtuse for it's own good. I knew there wouldn't be the 'big reveal' and for that I was happy, but there's a lot of vague threads sewn into the story that are given almost no resolution. From an interactive poetry angle I do think this style of writing is important, demanding the players stitch together their own interpretation of events, but some elements seemed unnecessarily more undefined than others. The
car element
, for example, is pretty grounded. But the
chemistry and schematic
stuff was not. Theories, of course, but your kind of left with these big questions with no real answers, and though I think mystery is important, there's a danger of creating mystery for the sake of mystery with no real weight to story. Mystery alone should not be a defining factor of any kind.
Otherwise, on a purely presentational level, the only complaint I have is the climax.
I liked the idea, but scripting the tower climb was very silly. There was no reason the player shouldn't have had to climb the tower themselves, and doing so would have created a similar experience to the ladder climb in MGS3. Up until that point the 'game' was doing an exceptional job of making interactivity and player driven pacing essential to deliver atmosphere, and it was a this point they threw it all away in favour of rigid scripting. I guess they needed the jump at the end, which given choice a player may not do, but if they must script something they could script just that. The entire climb should have been interactive, the final monologue paced over the course of the ascent.
Definitely. It was quite a shame. I prodded the mouse, going is "is this it?". Funny thing is Mirror's Edge was a similar affair, but the slight of hand worked and I felt like I was in control.
I would've explored WAY FUCKING MORE if he walked faster.
Really enjoyed it, but I didn't know what the hell was going on until I did some digging, then it started to make sense. Maybe too obtuse for it's own good.
Picked this up via the Steam Sale last night and I really enjoyed it. It's... different than anything I've played before and, for me, that by itself almost makes it worth recommending.
into the console and press q whenever the game resets the speed.
As for my opinion on the game?
I played the original mod. It looked nice, but I found the narrative to be confusing, pretentious, and poorly written. There were parts where the narrator was really hamming it up, too.
I just played the retail game. The game looks AMAZING. Best argument I've ever seen for continuing to update the Source engine. The music was good, the audio was good. But I found the narrative to be confusing, pretentious, and poorly written. There were parts where the narrator was really hamming it up, too.
This game is 100% style, 0% substance. I say that not to flame or troll, but because I see potential in Dear Esther for a product that could have been much more than what it turned out to be. It's a tech demo for Source, a portfolio piece for the artists. And there's nothing wrong with that. But in its current state, I have a hard time seeing it as anything else.
If you want to play a mod that was inspired by Dear Esther, but has infinitely better writing (and narration), you should check out The Stanley Parable.
edit: i have never hated a game so much so instantly
edit: i quit after a loadpoint assuming it was a save point since this game doesnt fucking tell me anything. it wasnt a save point. i have to clop all the fucking way back up this shitty fucking boring peice of shit hill. fuck this fucking game
edit: i give up, time for youtube, worst 2.49 ive ever spent. no lie.
