If there is a defining characteristic of this generation of IP, it's the innovation made within the realm of storytelling. Coherant, meaningful and mature narrative structures and engaging storylines aren't exactly new additions to the gaming world, but they have certainly progressed in leaps and bounds these past few years. The likes of Bioshock, Mass Effect and Rockstar's oeuvre have tried to beat Hollywood at it's own game by spinning grand tales of adventure and dark sagas of moral complexity, bolstered by an accomplished sense of style, story is becoming just as important as gameplay and technology is finally catching up with the creative ambition the industry has always had. Dear Esther, a source mod from 2008 developed by Robert Briscoe and thechineseroom has recently been upgraded with shiny visuals and new audio and it's an intoxicating experience that every gamer worth there salt should experience. It isn't a game in the strictest sense, rather it is a representation of the aforementioned innovations, a story in which you control the main protagonist, ushering him through his tale, a strange hybrid of novel and game.
Available on Steam for £6.99, it takes place on an uninhabited island in the Hebrides in which a lone man wanders the fields, caves and abandoned houses searching for answers to some long forgotten riddle. Events are 'narrated' by a man (it is never clear if the narrator and the player are one and the same) who recites letters he has written for a loved one named Esther. And that's it really.You don't exactly do anything in Dear Esther, aside from walk around the island, slowly working your way towards an ominous radio tower in the distance, but it's all about the experience of the journey. Different areas trigger snippets of the abstract narration, and the bizarre and unsettling 'clues' scattered around the island (painted symbols and maps, shrines of used medical supplies) are well worth seeking out, although those that choose the linear path will still be rewarded with one of the most unique story driven experiences gaming has yet produced. The island is a character in itself and shows us once again just how beautiful the Source engine can be. Ominous, windswept beaches give way to verdant countryside, which in turn lead to ethereal cave systems, the environmental design is astounding.
The aforementioned clues, left either by previous lost souls or the main protagonist (nothing is ever made clear) never lead to any sort of satisfying conclusion, but Dear Esther's flagrant disregard for narrative coherence is it's strongest asset. By the end of your journey, you wont have a clue what has transpired, you'll just know that it was worth it.
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