Unfortunately though, regular low-resolution textures on rocks, buildings and the sky detract from the overall visual experience. There’s some beautiful weather effects, such as foliage and sand blowing in the gusts of wind, and textures often look incredibly-well detailed. Apart from the excellent sound design, the first thing that hits you when entering the world of Dear Esther is its visuals. Now let’s move onto the more interesting aspect of this review - my deeply conflicted view of the game as a whole. Further accessibility is a wonderful thing for a remaster to focus on. In addition, it’s great to see larger subtitles and more subtitle languages implemented in the Landmark Edition. Hearing from the group of people that went from Source Engine modders to a full-blown release is bound to be interesting. The new developer commentary serves as a fascinating insight into the game’s design, and is ought not to be missed if you’re interested in either Dear Esther, or game design in general. Hearing the wind whistle past your ears, for instance, is a large part of how Dear Esther’s world is established. While I’m not able to comment on how the remastered audio has improved over the original release due to not playing the older version, the sound effects are instantly immersive, bringing life to the game’s surroundings. In addition, there are some new, important accessibility options, such as larger subtitles, as well as menus and subtitles in additional languages (English, French, German, Spanish and Russian). So what actually is new to the Landmark Edition? To start with, the audio has been remastered, and there’s a completely new developer commentary from the great people over at The Chinese Room. If you own Dear Esther already on PC, you’ll get the added features in a free update. The game has now been remastered and released for the PS4 and Xbox One on 20th September 2016. Redeveloped completely for a 2012 PC release, Dear Esther then set on its own path, separating from its Half-Life 2 modding background. First, it was released as a free to play Source Engine game in 2008. In Dear Esther’s case, it’s fair to say that the game is ‘less than the sum of its parts’.Īs I said, this is a review of Dear Esther Landmark Edition, so let’s take a look back at the game’s history. You’ve all heard something described as ‘greater than the sum of its parts’. The excellent design and ambition deserves a better final product, I believe. The visuals and audio are often superb, for instance - it’s that the various elements just don’t gel that well together, and that’s a real shame. This is a game with plenty of fantastic individual elements at play. At others, it's bland and leaves you wishing for more. What I found was an experience that is sometimes cinematic, involving and creepy. That said, I am basing this review on the Landmark Edition, which I’ll get into a little later on.ĭespite hearing plenty about Dear Esther, I actually went in relatively blind. Because this is my first time playing Dear Esther, this review will be more about the game on the whole, as opposed to the remaster itself. Naturally, I was pleased to hear that The Chinese Room’s Dear Esther was headed for PS4 and Xbox One, as I’d finally be able to give the game a shot. The game paved the way for some incredible releases such as Gone Home, which explored deeply human topics. It’s one of the earlier games I can remember hearing of that were focused entirely on the emotional experience. Gifty highlights in her book that although the storms may rise, it’s important to keep pressing and focusing on ones’ dreams and aspirations.// Reviews // 29th Sep 2016 - 6 years ago // By James Robert Clements Dear Esther Landmark Edition Reviewĭear Esther is a game that I’ve heard a lot about. My Journey with Twin Angels, Gifty takes us along her complex and highly challenging journey of mothering her autistic twin girls and how she nearly loses her identity. For a deeper insight into the book, read what it’s about: Special needs is a sensitive topic and as a community, we want to encourage, bring awareness and educate you on how we can be more mindful and supportive in a mother’s journey of looking after children with special needs. We have a great line up of speakers, performers, special guests and a wide range of panellists alongside Atinuke Awe who will be discussing all things motherhood, special needs, autism, confidence-building and more importantly, hope for the future. Authentic Worth’s first face-to-face book launch of the year where we’ll be celebrating our latest author Gifty Addison-Kwaku on her book My Journey with Twin Angels - An inspirational story of hope for mothers with special needs children and their loved ones.
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