Dear Esther: Landmark Edition Reviews

I don’t think I’d ever write a review for a game—but Dear Esther demands it. It’s shocking how many people haven’t finished it because this is one of the most immersive experiences I’ve ever had in a game. I understand the unconventional playstyle—not everyone will appreciate a game without traditional mechanics—but Dear Esther is clearly a walking sim, and a great one at that. It embraces exploration and wandering, not as a means to an end but as the experience itself. There’s no real goal or objective, just movement through a world that feels heavy with emotion, as if the landscape itself is grieving. The way the environment and narration work together is nothing short of brilliant. The island isn’t just a backdrop; it feels like a character, shifting with the tone of the story. And then there’s the writing. The fragmented narration is poetic, abstract, and deeply personal. It doesn’t hand you answers but instead leaves you piecing together meaning, making every playthrough feel slightly different. It’s rare for a game to create such a profound emotional response, but Dear Esther does just that.I am left weeping in awe of both beauty and sadness.

a short, powerful experience with an equally beautiful soundtrack

Ethereal, atmospheric, eerie. You're alone on an island, walking, walking, walking .... Listening to the ocean, the wind, the narrator ... who reads the letters.

"Consigo ver daqui a minha armada. Todas as cartas que te quis mandar, se tivesse conseguido chegar ao continente, e que permaneciam no fundo da minha mochila, espalhei-as pela praia perdida. Depois, peguei em cada uma delas e dobrei-as em barcos de papel. Dobrei-te nos vincos e depois, quando o sol se punha, lancei a frota ao mar. Desfeita em vinte e um pedaços, confiei-te ao Atlântico, e aqui me sentei a ver cada pedaço de ti afundar."

This game is vibes man, this game is vibes. I played this almost a decade ago i believe on my friend's laptop, and even back then I felt the calm and chill vibes. And even after almost a decade, this game still has those calm and chill vibes. Especially the art design of the environments. This game should be studied in terms of great looking visual design. It was pretty then and it is still really, really, pretty now. Like, in my opinion and reccomendation, play this game on a nice saturday morning (around 6 AM or so) when cold winds are assaulting your house and body, and there is this calmness and stillness to your feelings. Bonus point if you live near seaside and all. But yeah, calm game that is not very long, and I did not regret my time with it.

Relaxing and reflective experience. Totally recommend - definitely in the great classics hall of fame.

Love the atmosphere. I wish I got the story a little more, but overall really great to see its still enjoyable this many years later.

I really enjoyed this game. The scenery is beautiful, the story is very interesting, and my favourite part of the game was probably the music, elegant and ethereal. More on the topic of music, I liked that you didn't have music playing the entire time, but just in certain parts on the map. Really gives you the time to think and explore the Island. And when the music was playing, it wasn't too loud and it fit perfectly with the part of the Island that you were in at that time. I also enjoyed doing my second play-through with the directors' commentary, I definitely learned many new things about the game after listening to Dan, Jess and Rob talk about it in more detail. The only negative thing that I can say about the game is that in Chapter 3 when you have to go under the water, I did fall through the map twice in a row for some reason which was slightly frustrating, but it didn't take long to restart and get back to that part again. Another thing, and I don't think this is something every player will feel, but some parts of the Island felt unsettling. Not unsettling to the point where it's scary, but just a slight uncanny feeling, especially because there is no one else on the Island except you, but you can still see remnants of people who once lived there. I don't usually enjoy so called "walking simulators", but this one was different, I will definitely be playing it again at some point.

it is a nice story but it is slow lol

The only way this "game" could be more pretentious, boring and lazy is if Willem Dafoe appeared as the Lighthouse Keeper. The beautiful scenary could have been better used to make an excellent Skyrim-type game, but instead the creators decided to make a snobby suicide sim.....with devs celebrating their lack of genius in recorded notes you must listen to; so as to unlock an achievement. As an Achievement Hunter, I feel dirty finishing this game. What have I become?