Dear Esther is an unusual experience that may not be easy to appreciate
The 'story' of Dear Esther is narrated by your character, who is unseen as the game uses the first-person perspective all round. As you walk, the narrator will talk to himself about past events, and hearing different fragments of the story (which are not told in succession), it may be difficult to piece the story together and may feel like pointless ranting by the narrator.
Perhaps why most gamers will forsake Dear Esther as not a videogame is because of the lack of gameplay it offers. The sole purpose of Dear Esther is exploration; there are no puzzles, no enemies, no people to interact with…just exploring the lonely island. Whether this is the biggest drawback or the biggest strength, it will entirely depend on you. The walking is slow paced, and you will be doing nothing but walking, unskillfully holding the W button to keep walking forward. With how the island is, there will be times that you will go round in circles, until you wonder back to find a new path. The sole purpose of the 'game' is to explore and keep walking forward, and appreciate its atmosphere and setting. This isn't the kind of game you play for beating, it's about feeling and experiencing rather than what you usually do in other videogames. It's also a very short game.
For what is it, Dear Esther is very good looking. The island feels realistic and appropriately desolate, and particularly the deep cave area looks stunning. I had been begging for that area to keep going. Candle and mushrooms shine light quite impressively. And the atmosphere at night is as good, the moon beautifully shining in the darkened sky and lighting the stunning looking beach. Then there is the sound; the wind outside near the beach, the dripping sound of water in the cave, and the occasional moody and fitting soundtrack do well to integrate with the already great atmosphere. The narrator uses a British accent, and sometimes his passive way of speaking just doesn't fit the current atmosphere.
It may not be worth its full price, but with a Steam sale, it is an easy buy. It is an experience that divides the gamers that play a game for its excitement and the gamers that play for the experience. Truth be told, you will either love or hate Dear Esther, even in the few minutes you watch or play it. I have mixed feelings about the game; the story is confusing and too scattered in the occasional narration, and walking activity gets dull even for the short length the 'game' has. Nonetheless, I love its atmosphere, and atmosphere was what I was expecting from this 'game', which at least made it worth picking up during a sale even though it isn't wholly fulfilling or satisfying.