Youâre going to hear a lot about Dear Esther early next year. You may have heard about it already, if youâd caught wind of the original 2008 PC mod that presented a ghost story in lightly-interactive first-person.
Youâll hear of it again in late January or early February, when the dramatically improved version is released for PC.
You might hear about in early March, around the time of the Independent Games Festival, since judges for that early 2012 competition are currently considering it for anything up to and including the grand prize.
You will probably hear about it as the object of scrutiny in a renewed debate about what makes something a video game rather than simply a piece of interactive art.
I suspect youâll also hear about it from people who simply say, âThis is the most beautiful thing Iâve run on my computer in a long time.â
The new Dear Esther is currently in beta, and the shots here, taken from that beta, show just how wonderful it looks.
But what is Dear Esther? Itâs one of those things people recommend you experience yourself, but hereâs how Dan Pinchbeck, the person making the new one describes it: âDear Esther is a poetic ghost story told using game technologies. You explore a deserted island,uncovering a tale of love,loss,grief and redemption,delivered through stunning voice-over and soundtrack and set against one of the most beautiful environments yet created in a game. -Howâs that sound?â
I am sure weâll have more on Dear Esther as we get into 2012. Study up
This Beta be good⊠[Dear Esther development blog]
