Serious Game Classification

Dear Esther (Chère Esther) The Chineseroom, Robert Briscoe (United Kingdom), The Chineseroom (United Kingdom), 2012 Download it Now !

Informations Analyses Discussion
 

Classification

SERIOUS GAME

Purpose

Besides play, this title features the following intents:
  • Storytelling

Market

This title is used by the following domains:
  • Culture & Art

Audience

This title targets the following audience:
Age : 17-25 / 25-35 / 35-60 / 60+
General Public

Gameplay

The gameplay of this title is Game-based
(designed with stated goals)



Dear Dear Esther is an adventure game / art game.

Dear Esther is the commercial remake of a Half-Life 2 modification of the same name first released in 2007. This version was redesigned entirely for the Source engine. The game is set on a remote, desolate island somewhere in the outer Hebrides. It is entirely story-driven and has no action sequences. It is possible to swim in certain section, but the player's character is immediately called back when he dies. The player walks the protagonist around, exploring the island, while a narrator gradually releases information about the meaning, hinting at a motorway accident. While he moves towards an aerial through four chapters with a linear design, the significance of accident and the link to the island become apparent. Through its slow pace and the classical-driven music, the focus is more on the ambiance and the experience, than on actual gameplay, even though there are hardly any scripted parts.

Distribution : Internet - Commercial
Platform(s) : Macintosh - PC (Windows) - Playstation 4 (PS4) - Xbox One

Links