I Go for Walk (Dear Esther: Lamdmark Edition)

Game: Dear Esther: Landmark Edition

Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, OS X, Windows

Played On: Xbox One 

Price: £7.99

Available on Xbox Game Pass: No

Well then, this games been on my Xbox for around 3/4 years at this point, just sitting there, waiting for me to play it, and in my new purge of games that have been on my console too long, this week we have the 2012 offering from The Chinese Room and Curve Digital. I had heard very good things about this game but I went in cautious, ‘walking simulators’, as they’re now popularly called, can be a bit hit or miss for me. I am a fan of the genre and have played some very good ones and some truly dull games.

Now to start with I’m aware how this game is the innovator, this is the game that kick started the whole genre. I do find the attraction of open worlds with a story hidden within to normally be engrossing, games like ‘What Remains of Edith Finch’ and ‘Gone Home’ do this very well, rewarding exploration with little bits of plot.

So let’s look a bit deeper into this one, shall we? We’re dropped immediately on a pier, on the edge of an abandoned Hebridean Island. First things first, we have a stunning game here, despite using classically dreary colours; greys, dark greens, browns, it sets its atmosphere perfectly on the adventure we’re about to set on.

As we explore the island, we unlock little snippets of letter that your character has written to his deceased wife. There are 4 areas to playthrough and each one unlocks snippets relating to different characters; a man named Donnelly, a man named Paul, who seems to be responsible for the accident that killed your wife, an 18th century shepherd named Jakobson and of course Esther herself. The game offers different routes to certain places so if you’re going in blind, a few playthroughs might be needed.

The gameplays is very standard, you have the left stick, that’s all you need, you can zoom in with right trigger but these are the only actions, there’s no sprint, no conflict and the only hazards are the sheer drops of cliffs. As I said it’s a walking simulator and that’s exactly what you do, walk. Sadly you are stuck at a pace that’s equivalent to any infuriating follow or escort mission we all know and loathe in many other games. This is deliberate and almost works if it weren’t for the numerous member of playthroughs needed, making it tedious. There is of course guides to follow but this might spoil you exploration and discovery of the game.

If you’re playing this game for the achievements you will have to do a playthrough listening to a ‘directors commentary’. You might think this as quite novel but in fact, and rather sadly, 2 of the 3 creators are more interested in blowing smoke up themselves than talk about the game, which sadly draws back the curtain maybe a bit more than I’d like. I don’t know maybe I’m being overly critical of these people who are clearly proud of their work, who’s knows, I am a miserable being.

I will give them points for its third level which is set in some caves, it’s stunning, simply stunning and deserves all the plaudits available, even if I disagree with the creator who says ‘it’s changed the way caves were made in games forever’. 

To recap we have a solid game, I think if I’d played this game I would have been blown away by its visuals as well as it’s piecing together of story. But sadly, and it’s my fault I know, I’ve come to the party very late and have played games that have been done a lot better and lead to a far more satisfying conclusion. Not to spoil it too much but the vagueness of this game and its conclusion left me feeling rather unsatisfied and was quite glad to get it done by the time I’d unlocked its final achievement.

So yes it’s decent. If you’re still wanting to play this game I’d say maybe wait for it to be on sale as £8 seems a touch steep for a game where you walk and will be done in a few hours. So yes this game was groundbreaking, but sadly the genre ceiling’s beens smashed since.

5/10

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