Without being aware from external sources, you might not realise that a lot of the game is actually randomised, drawing upon different possible monologues and filling the world with different props and variations on things to see. They naturally discuss how the game created the walking simulator, but also provide other key insights. There’s some fascinating insights into the development of the game, how it transformed from a mod into a full release to the thinking behind the game’s form and structure, and how they tried to push new boundaries in storytelling. Little paper cut out speech bubbles populate the world now, waiting for you to walk up to them and trigger them. What makes the Landmark Edition stand out, almost it’s raison d’être, is the inclusion of a developer commentary featuring Jessica Curry, Dan Pinchbeck and Rob Briscoe. A gorgeous moment that is so strong visually, as you walk up hill towards a small building, the dim glow of the sun behind the clouds, the mist rolling across the grass, and it’s accompanied by a simply beautiful piece of music that breaks the mould of what’s gone before and contrasts with most of what comes after. It’s sparse and lonely when it needs to be, emphasising the isolation that you feel on this island, but as the story builds and you get closer to your goal, her compositions flow and adapt to where you are and the emotions of the scene. Jessica Curry’s soundtrack is quite simply a vital part of the experience. It creates a story that’s so open to interpretation because of this, with each player potentially seeing, hearing and taking different interpretations from the story. The Chinese Room proposal invites us to tour an abandoned island accompanied by a voiceover. It’s so impassioned at times, as his character deals with truly traumatic events in his life, but it’s also randomised to a certain degree. Nigel Carrington’s voice acting is fantastic, meandering from fairly direct and literal to cryptically talking about a man named Paul and a shepherd named Jakobson. The narration breaks through this, reading a series of letters to the eponymous Esther. Your only respite is the soft crunch of footsteps upon the island’s grass-covered paths and walkways. It’s a deeply contemplative, almost to the point of meditation, I find, a slow game that can just wash over you and be absorbed. The wind assaults your auditory senses as you march onward, as the naturally harsh weather continuously batters the island.
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