The deserted island walking simulator game from Chinese Room called Dear Esther is now getting a play adaptation according to Barbican.
The premise of the game is fairly simple but mesmerizing. The players starts on a beach, with the only things in view being cliffs and a small lighthouse. The game is narrated by the BAFTA-nominated narrator Oliver Dimsdale who takes the player throughout the game from the Hebridean island, to "a crisis of faith of a guilty heart, the lost shores of a dreamed shoreline and a final ascent through the waters of madness to the release of flight."
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7VJ4lP-05A]
Apart from Dimsdale's narration, his voice is accompanied by the live performance of BAFTA-winning composer Jessica Curry's score.
The game came out on PC in 2012 and quickly gained critical acclaim for its atmosphere-oriented gameplay, rich storytelling, and extraordinary art. The Telegraph called the game "A beautiful and thought-provoking piece of work. It is oil painting, poetry, eulogy and video game all at once. And it’s never less than fascinating." The company Curve Digital will be releasing enhanced and remastered PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Dear Esther this autumn to at the same time as this new live event.
The console remaster of Dear Esther, called the Landmark Edition, is said to be available for free for PC owners of the 2012 original standalone version when it arrives in the coming months.
The play will be taking place at the Milton Court Concert Hall in London on the 14th of October at 7:30 PM. The cost of attendance will be £22.50 plus a booking fee. There will be a £3 booking fee per online transaction and £4 by phone. No fee will be applied to purchased tickets that are booked in person.
If you're in the London area this October, I highly encourage you to go see the play because if it's anything like the game, it will be amazing.
