When comparing Mountain vs Dear Esther, the Slant community recommends Dear Esther for most people. In the question“What are the best Exploration games on Steam?” Dear Esther is ranked 15th while Mountain is ranked 25th. The most important reason people chose Dear Esther is:
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.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Art in the shape of a game
Once the player answers random questions and the mountain is formed all that is left to do is observe the mountain and what happens on it. More an art piece than a game this makes for an ambient experience that can be relaxing.
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 No controls
Which basically means this is more a screen saver than a game. There is nothing to control, no interaction at all other than tones one keyboard will play when keys are pressed.
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.