Dear Esther used to be known as a mod of the FPS game Half-Life 2. It was then developed into an indie adventure game on PS4 and Xbox One thanks to its appeal. Now, you will have the opportunity to explore the beautiful deserted Hebridean island right on your PC through the completely free version Dear Esther: Landmark Edition.
Link to download Dear Esther: Landmark Edition for free on Steam.
You will play as a man stranded on a deserted Hebridean island. At the beginning of the game, a man stands on the shore looking out at the distant sea. As he took his first steps forward, he whispered “Dear Esther…” and began a dreamy, intricate tale of love, loss and regret.
At first, you act as the narrator and the story follows the player’s exploration of the deserted island step by step. However, after that, a series of strange stories appear and you will be drawn into the dark, haunting world of the game.
Dear Esther is a game with quite strange gameplay and approaches gamers in a “unique” way. In the game, you have no enemies, no action, no humor. Players mainly walk around, observe, explore every nook and cranny, do some errands, listen to the story and find out the secrets in the bleak atmosphere.
Mixed with horror elements is the puzzle part. However, the questions are not too difficult and the player just needs to follow the instructions and sooner or later can find the answer.
You will be exploring the windy island, entering a strange story in another world, everything is hazy with illusions that obscure the player’s perception. In fact, you have no idea what’s going on with you and how to get out of this hellish place. All in all, Dear Esther is more of an exploration experience than a game.
As expected, the free gifting event Dear Esther: Landmark Edition will end on February 16. Hurry up to own this game permanently in your collection.