My Humble Attempt at Supporting Art.....Buy "Dear Esther"!

...or not.  I mean, you don't have to do anything you don't want to.  But, really, you should support this amazing project.  Please, do read on...

I just booted up my Steam client to find that Dear Esther, originally a Half-Life 2 mod, is now finally to be released this valentine's day - tomorrow.  I'll be honest, I didn't play all the way through the mod solely because I knew a superior treatment was being developed.  In my short time with the mod, however, I was extremely impressed with the lone man's voice-overs and thought the music complemented the eerie setting and morose, but touching dialogue.  Without question, I knew the "official" version would be worth the wait.  And here it is.

For all you gamers out there, Dear Esther is basically an interactive walk through a mysterious island.  By interactive, I basically mean you are able to walk around, and look around...and, well, I suppose that's about it.  The exciting thing about this project isn't the gameplay, though.  Come to Dear Esther looking for this: a dark, ambiguous narrative expertly told, and total immersion thanks to great graphics and a soundtrack that will have you weeping like mom during her "stories".  Come to Dear Esther looking for this, and you won't be disappointed.  Shadow of the Colossus, Flower and others have bore the "games as art" title proudly before - but Dear Esther is undoubtedly the closest I've seen to being more art than game, and this is just fine with me.

Just a note - all of my opinions are based on time with the mod and recent trailers and reviews I've read for Dear Esther.  I haven't played it yet, so this isn't really a review.  But, I think it's safe to say I know what's in store for me when I finally boot it up.  If not, hey, I'll post a complete review and let you all know that I, Ye Old Game Rambler, was wrong.

Here are some links so you can judge for yourself, and perhaps you'll find it in your heart to support brave developers like this by purchasing a copy.

Developer website: Dear Esther
Game Informer review: Dear Esther Review