It’s been a long time coming, but Dear Esther, the critically acclaimed mystery title from The Chinese Room, is hitting iOS this year.
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Since its PC (2012) and console (2016) release, Dear Esther has sold over one million units, with Jessica Curry’s mesmeric soundtrack receiving its share of awards and nominations.
Players are immediately placed on an island with a windswept coastline. The unnamed narrator has a letter addressed “Dear Esther,” and gamers must gradually solve the mystery behind the letter as well as figure out the main character’s part in the storyline.
“Without Dear Esther, The Chinese Room perhaps wouldn’t exist, so to know that people will continue to explore the island in search of answers is incredibly fulfilling,” said Dan Pinchbeck co-founder and Creative Director, The Chinese Room “iOS devices will offer an experience perhaps even more intimate and personal than when the game is played on a PC or a console, so I look forward to hearing how the game affects a new generation of players.”
Truth to tell, I actually played a couple of hours of Dear Esther and while the environment is immersive on a visual and soundscape level, I really wasn’t in a meditative and introspective state to fully enjoy the experience. Having gradually come back to gaming (I recently completed Child of Light and wasn’t disappointed), Dear Esther definitely needs a console revisit (or maybe I’ll give it a shot on iOS).
“It’s wonderful that The Chinese Room is bringing Dear Esther to iOS for the first time. It holds a special place in many people’s hearts, so it’s fitting that it’s the studio’s first game on iOS,” added Gary Dunn, Managing Director of Sumo Digital “Dear Esther is an amazing exploration and narrative-driven experience and I’m excited that it paves the way for Little Orpheus which, although very different in terms of game-play, will continue The Chinese Room’s well-earned reputation as masters of story-telling when it launches on Apple Arcade next year.”
Here’s the PC/Mac release trailer from a couple of years back, just to give you a feel of Dear Esther’s eye catching visuals.
Have you played Dear Esther and are you looking forward to its iOS release? Feel free to comment below!!