Heard a lot of hype about this - here's what I think!

[Samurai_Gerbil]

Had been intrigued with this "game" for some time. Having played and liked Gone Home, I thought it might be a similar kind of atmospheric game. But read some reviews where people called it boring and pointless. I'm into this kind of artsy stuff but to a certain limit only! At the point when art starts to become self-indulgent I get put off, be it films, books or games. So basically, was on the fence about buying it and finally couldn't resist picking it up for very cheap as part of a Humble Bundle.

Dear Esther had been sitting in my library for a while now. I had a few hours to kill today so finally decided to check it out. First 10-15 mins, I was like "Uhh...this is going to be a little boring. Where do I have to go? There are so many paths and routes. Is there any marker or any maps to show me the way? Do I just stare at the vast ocean and the foliage throughout the game? This is confusing!" I have to admit that initially I was beginning to see what all those bad reviews by gamers meant about it being just a walking simulator.

Even so, an hour later I found myself still playing and completely in awe of the game's atmosphere especially the gorgeous cave section. And the music...oh god, the music is mindblowing! I think its the music that really sets the mood for this game. In fact, its not really a game in my opinion...its a journey...a piece of interactive art. If you go in expecting to play a game...you will hate it! But if you let yourself be taken in by the environment its trying to create for you...you will have a mesmerising experience.


And I cant get that hauntingly beautiful soundtrack out of my head. And the part where you fall into the water and see images of a motorway and a couple of cars...that part blew my mind! Its just done so well. The detailing, the character building, the lighting, the environments...its pure art!

Bottomline, I know many people thought of it as pointless and a waste of time - but I really enjoyed it. I would like to try out some similar stuff and am open to recommendations. The Stanley Parable is next on my list...that demo I played was just fantastic!

[illgib]

Here it's explained why so many call it "walking simulator" i bet noone of them have never goes past the first level.
It's one of my favorite games ever, beaten only by his "big brother" A Machine for Pigs. I fell in love with The Chinese Room and Jessica Curry music.

[iSurvivedRKelly]

I own dear esther and loved it, but honestly i refer to it as a walking simulator. It is the best way to classify it. Don't take it so personally. Peoples opinions on games will always vary according to our nature. It's what makes us all different :)

I love Fps, strategy games, survival/rogue games, Rpg's, open world games and walking simulators.

Pride.

[Samurai_Gerbil]

I know what you mean. And I didn't take it personally either. Its not that being a walking simulator is a bad thing...its just the undertone which was negative when people call it that. However, like I said...I enjoyed it. I'm very open to trying out new things and new genres. Playing antichamber these days and loving every bit of it. These indie studios are going crazy! In a good way of course :D

Ursprungligen skrivet av Wolf:

I own dear esther and loved it, but honestly i refer to it as a walking simulator. It is the best way to classify it. Don't take it so personally. Peoples opinions on games will always vary according to our nature. It's what makes us all different :)

I love Fps, strategy games, survival/rogue games, Rpg's, open world games and walking simulators.

Pride.

[Johndoe101]

I got this game recently and i love it . This games fit into a genre of it own and classification. As a resault people will come in with diffferant expecation and judge it by their experiences and personality. Once you get past the genre and find good games in this feild like Stanely Parable, this game is fun play as long you do not have much expectation , a cup of coffee/tea to drink , comforatable place to sit down and time on your hand. I found the purpose of this game is to tell a story/walk alot and not to entertain everyone else that play the rest of 99% of the genras out there. I hope that in the future walking simulator like Stanley Parable and Dear Esther story line become better in the future.

[Bethbirb]

Definitely play The Stanley Parable if you haven't already, that game is fantastic, and I personally find it much more engaging than Dear Esther. A similar arty type game I'd recommend, but has short gameplay, is The Plan. Some other great ones are Botanicula, Limbo, and Serena, and have a little more gameplay in them than Dear Esther and The Plan.

[Samurai_Gerbil]

Thanks for the recommendations. I got Stanley Parable in the on-going sale. I'm currently in the middle of Shadow Warrior and Stanley Parable is next on my list. Have Limbo and Botanicula also. Haven't tried Botanicula yet but played Limbo once and somehow didn't understand the appeal. Does it even have a storyline or is there any kind of underlying metaphor I'm just not getting? Will check out The Plan and Serena.

Ursprungligen skrivet av Beebs:

Definitely play The Stanley Parable if you haven't already, that game is fantastic, and I personally find it much more engaging than Dear Esther. A similar arty type game I'd recommend, but has short gameplay, is The Plan. Some other great ones are Botanicula, Limbo, and Serena, and have a little more gameplay in them than Dear Esther and The Plan.

[ivlmag]

For more "walking simulator" experience I personally would recommend The Path and Thirty Flights of Loving. If you (like me) is not so fond of abstract and metaphorical interactive art, you can try more plot-oriented games, the best of which in my opinion are To The Moon (also walking simulator) and Ether One (more like an adventure game). Also as I can see you have Fez in your library, which you should totally play!

[Samurai_Gerbil]

I've been putting off playing FEZ for a while now. Have a huge backlog already so I'm getting done with the ones I'm really excited about first. Got it in a bundle…not sure if I'll like it or not. Btw, really wanted to get To The Moon during the summer sale but didn't for some reason. My games library is just spilling over with unplayed games and now its starting to overwhelm me rather than excite me.

Ursprungligen skrivet av ivlmag:

For more "walking simulator" experience I personally would recommend The Path and Thirty Flights of Loving. If you (like me) is not so fond of abstract and metaphorical interactive art, you can try more plot-oriented games, the best of which in my opinion are To The Moon (also walking simulator) and Ether One (more like an adventure game). Also as I can see you have Fez in your library, which you should totally play!

[Samurai_Gerbil]

Oh and I just finished The Stanley Parable…it was fun and all, sure…but I expected more. The demo actually set the expectations pretty high up. Back to AAA gaming for now…currently paying Mirror's Edge in an attempt to charge through my backlog.

[RedditJesus]

Dude, don't play The Plan, waste of 5 minutes.

[Samurai_Gerbil]

Thanks for the tip!

Ursprungligen skrivet av <DP2K14>DomiNiggah:

Dude, don't play The Plan, waste of 5 minutes.

[RedditJesus]

Ursprungligen skrivet av scorflame:

Thanks for the tip!

Ursprungligen skrivet av <DP2K14>DomiNiggah:

Dude, don't play The Plan, waste of 5 minutes.

No problem :)