When comparing Gone Home vs Dear Esther, the Slant community recommends Gone Home for most people. In the question“What are the best Walking Simulator games on Steam?” Gone Home is ranked 9th while Dear Esther is ranked 10th. The most important reason people chose Gone Home is:
Through interacting with objects in the environment of the game (a house) one is able to learn piecemeal the story that the game is set out to tell.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Deep environmental storytelling
Through interacting with objects in the environment of the game (a house) one is able to learn piecemeal the story that the game is set out to tell.
Pro Interesting side stories
Besides the main story there are several side stories in the game that center around the rest of the people who live in the house. Through interacting with objects in the house one learns of the surrounding circumstances of those that live there.
Pro Narrative driven experience
There are no waypoint markers, no quests, in fact nobody else in this world except the player and the narrator. Hike through the world and discover the inner workings of this person’s mind.
Pro Pervasive sense of isolation, loneliness, and mystery
The game takes place on an abandoned island, so in a practical sense the player is alone. Add to that that this is a bit of a ghost story and mystery becomes enwrapped within the isolation of the island making for what is as much of an experience as it is a game that makes for a feeling and sense of loneliness and despair that often is only found in real life.
Pro Can be relaxing
Just sit back, relax, and spend some time with Dear Esther. The experience isn’t long and there’s no pressure to go past the pace you want to go. While it does have a sense of loneliness and isolation the graphics are beautiful and the music is soothing which also lends a hand in the relaxedness of the title.
Pro Gorgeous, intricately detailed environments
There is no arguing that the scenery and graphics in Dear Esther is jaw dropping gorgeous. Due to how nothing can be interacted with the environment can be rendered in a much more beautiful way as not much needs to change while walking around.
Pro Outstanding soundtrack
The soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful which suits the games visual atmosphere quite well.
Cons
Con Details are sometimes off
The objects and dialog aren't consistent for things such as the mom's place of employment.
Con Weak voice acting
While most of the voice acting is adequate there are many moments that stick out as poorly done and lessens the experience of the game.
Con Main story feels badly written
Con Short gameplay
Only about 90 minutes to two hours long which is pretty short for a game and can easily be finished in a single sitting.