Dear Esther: Landmark Edition Is Currently Free on Steam

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Image: The Chinese Room

Dear Esther: Landmark Edition, a first-person exploration and adventure game developed by The Chinese Room, is free for a limited time on Steam.

Published by Secret Mode, Steam users have until February 16 at 10:00 a.m. (ET) to claim Dear Esther: Landmark Edition, an indie title that has received generally favorable reviews since its 2017 release despite being more of a narrative experience than a game. The Landmark Edition is an updated version of the original that switches out Source for the Unity engine. It also includes a full audio remaster and new Directors’ Commentary mode.

Dear Esther: Landmark Edition normally costs $9.99.

Dear Esther: Landmark Edition (Steam)

‘A deserted island… a lost man… memories of a fatal crash… a book written by a dying explorer.’

Dear Esther immerses you in a stunningly realised world, a remote and desolate island somewhere in the outer Hebrides. As you step forwards, a voice begins to read fragments of a letter: ‘Dear Esther…’ – and so begins a journey through one of the most original first-person games of recent years.

Abandoning traditional gameplay for a pure story-driven experience, Dear Esther fuses its beautiful environments with a breathtaking soundtrack to tell a powerful story of love, loss, guilt and redemption.

Key features:

  • Every play-through a unique experience, with randomly generated audio, visuals and events.
  • Explore incredible environments that fully immerse you in the haunting island and its mysterious past.
  • A poetic, semi-randomised story like you’ve never experienced in a game before.
  • Stunning soundtrack composed by Jessica Curry, featuring world-class musicians.
  • An uncompromisingly inventive game delivered to the highest AAA standards.

Dear Esther: Landmark Edition has been remade with the Unity engine, featuring a full audio remaster, and the addition of a brand-new Directors’ Commentary mode, allowing players to explore the island and learn what inspired the game and how it was crafted by The Chinese Room and Rob Briscoe.

Tsing Mui
News poster at The FPS Review.

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