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Dear Esther Review

Posted: 16 months ago, last updated 4 weeks ago.

Author: @GeekDadGamer and @JonahMonaghan.

Overview

In Dear Esther you explore an uninhabited Hebridean island while an old man reads a series of letters to his eponymous deceased wife. Themes of love, loss, guilt and redemption intertwine with the bleak geography and orchestral music. As you explore the derelict remains of buildings, shipwrecks and caves, you find a story that must be interpreted to make sense.

Game Details

Rating:

Release Date: 14/02/2012

Platforms: Mac, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

Genres: Adventure, Narrative and Open World

Developer: @ChineseRoom

Tips

View our choice of games like Dear Esther. This game is good if you want to:

Commitment

Duration: This game will take between 1 and a half hours and 3 hours to complete.

Players: This is a single player game.

Costs

Does not offer in-game purchases, 'loot boxes' or 'battle/season passes'.

Age Ratings

Rated PEGI 12 with infrequent mild swearing. Examiner expands on the rating: The director’s commentary features the phrase ‘holy *!@?*!’ The narrator makes several references to taking large amounts of painkillers, with phrases like ‘I swallow fistfuls of diazepam and paracetamol to stay conscious’.

ESRB rated this TEEN with Drug Reference and Language.

Accessibility

Accessibility for this game is as follows:

Difficulty

How you can adjust the challenge of play, and assistance the game offers when you fail or get stuck.

Cognitive Pressure

Reaction-time Not Critical: Individual game actions don’t need quick reactions.

Low Pressure: Game tasks aren’t time-limited or with a high emphasis on performance. Or there is a low pressure play-mode available.

Save Anytime: The game automatically saves progress or you can save any time, and not lose progress.

System Settings

Windows has extensive accessibility features. Some, like colour correction, work with games. Lots of accessibility software can be used with PC games, from voice recognition to input device emulators. PlayStation 4 has a range of accessibility settings. Some are system only, some work in games (invert colours and button mapping). Xbox One has a system features, the excellent co-pilot share controls mode and adaptive controller support for all games... read more about system accessibility settings.

Supported by PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors: @GeekDadGamer

Games Like Dear Esther

Our experts have hand-picked the following similar games for you. These offer a similar way to play to Dear Esther or are games with a similar theme or topic. These are good alternative games to Dear Esther, or are a younger rated alternative for players not ready for PEGI 12+ or ESRB TEEN games.

Sunset

Tree

Everything

The Stillness of the Wind

A Dark Room

Fractured Minds

Myst

N.E.R.O.: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure

The Unfinished Swan

Virginia

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture

Firewatch

Gone Home

What Remains of Edith Finch

Thank you for using our resource, supported by AskAboutGames, ParentZone and PlayAbility Initiative. We are editorially independent, written by parents for parents, but welcome sponsorship, partnership and suggestions. Email our editor for details on these opportunities.

The information on this database is designed to support and complement the in-depth discussion and advice about video game "addiction", violence, spending and online safety in the Taming Gaming book. If you have any concerns or questions in these areas, email our editor who is quick to respond or can arrange for a one-to-one conversation.