Dear Esther Review

Posted: 22 months ago, last updated 2 weeks ago.

Author: @GeekDadGamer, @JonahMonaghan and Jo Robertson.

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

Content Rating: PEGI 12

Release Date: 14/02/2012

Platforms: Mac, PC, PS4 and Xbox One

Genres: Adventure, Narrative and Open World

Accessibility: 3 features

Developer: Chinese Room (@ChineseRoom)

Lists

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

Dear Esther usually costs £7.99.

Dear Esther: Landmark Edition

	Xbox One	£7.99	–	–
	PS4	£7.99	–	–

Dear Esther

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Free

EA Play

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

Age Ratings

Content Rating

Rated PEGI 12 with infrequent mild swearing. 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’.

Accessibility

Our Dear Esther Accessibility Report documents 3 accessibility features:

3 Difficulty accessibility features

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.

Image of the cover of the hardback edition of the Taming Gaming book by Andy Robertson

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