<s>
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
is	O
a	O
first-person	O
exploration	O
and	O
adventure	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
The	O
Chinese	O
Room	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
X	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
released	O
in	O
2008	O
as	O
a	O
free-to-play	O
modification	O
for	O
the	O
Source	B-Application
game	I-Application
engine	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
entirely	O
redeveloped	O
for	O
a	O
commercial	O
release	O
in	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Chinese	O
Room	O
released	O
a	O
spiritual	O
successor	O
to	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
,	O
titled	O
Everybody	B-Application
's	I-Application
Gone	I-Application
to	I-Application
the	I-Application
Rapture	I-Application
,	O
in	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
an	O
updated	O
version	O
,	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
:	I-Application
Landmark	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
was	O
released	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Unity	B-Application
engine	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
in	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
is	O
minimal	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
only	O
task	O
being	O
to	O
explore	O
an	O
uninhabited	O
Hebridean	O
island	O
,	O
listening	O
to	O
an	O
anonymous	O
man	O
read	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
letter	O
fragments	O
to	O
his	O
deceased	O
wife	O
,	O
Esther	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
rendition	O
of	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
several	O
Source	B-Application
Engine	I-Application
mods	O
developed	O
by	O
The	O
Chinese	O
Room	O
while	O
the	O
studio	O
was	O
still	O
a	O
research	O
project	O
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Portsmouth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Independent	O
games	O
artist	O
Robert	O
Briscoe	O
began	O
work	O
on	O
completely	O
redeveloping	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
in	O
2009	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
full	O
support	O
of	O
Pinchbeck	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
studio	O
had	O
needed	O
the	O
University	O
to	O
pay	O
for	O
the	O
Source	B-Application
Engine	I-Application
license	O
needed	O
for	O
a	O
commercial	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
University	O
's	O
legal	O
department	O
was	O
dissatisfied	O
with	O
the	O
license	O
agreement	O
and	O
refused	O
to	O
sign	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
six	O
hours	O
of	O
the	O
remastered	O
release	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
over	O
16,000	O
units	O
had	O
been	O
sold	O
,	O
allowing	O
the	O
developers	O
to	O
pay	O
back	O
the	O
full	O
Indie	O
Fund	O
investment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
voice	O
of	O
Dear	B-Application
Esthers	I-Application
narrator	O
was	O
performed	O
by	O
Nigel	O
Carrington	O
,	O
whose	O
script	O
was	O
extended	O
for	O
the	O
remake	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
music	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
free	O
on	O
8	O
July	O
2008	O
,	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
mod	O
itself	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
remastered	O
soundtrack	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
14	O
February	O
2012	O
,	O
via	O
Amazon.com,	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Bandcamp	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
free-to-play	O
release	O
of	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
was	O
selected	O
for	O
the	O
Animation	O
Exhibition	O
at	O
the	O
2008	O
Prix	O
Ars	O
Electronica	O
and	O
made	O
Mod	O
DB	O
's	O
top	O
100	O
mods	O
of	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
commendations	O
for	O
its	O
premise	O
and	O
story	O
,	O
the	O
original	O
mod	O
release	O
received	O
complaints	O
of	O
poor	O
level	O
design	O
and	O
numerous	O
glitches	B-Error_Name
or	O
bugs	O
in	O
moving	O
about	O
the	O
terrain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2012	O
remastered	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
has	O
garnered	O
mainly	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
receiving	O
an	O
average	O
score	O
of	O
75/100	O
based	O
on	O
37	O
reviews	O
on	O
review	O
aggregator	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
critics	O
were	O
divided	O
by	O
the	O
suitability	O
of	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
medium	O
for	O
conveying	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maxwell	O
McGee	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
claimed	O
that	O
"[the]	O
story	O
in	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
works	O
well	O
in	O
video	O
game	O
form	O
—	O
possibly	O
more	O
than	O
as	O
a	O
book	O
or	O
movie.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewing	O
for	O
Destructoid	O
,	O
Allistair	O
Pinsof	O
claimed	O
the	O
opposite	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
would	O
be	O
better	O
as	O
a	O
short	O
film	O
"	O
,	O
although	O
doubted	O
whether	O
"	O
if	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
were	O
a	O
short	O
film	O
,	O
if	O
its	O
vague	O
plot	O
and	O
predictable	O
conclusion	O
would	O
be	O
effective.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
limited	O
interactivity	O
between	O
the	O
player	O
and	O
the	O
narrative	O
in	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
also	O
divided	O
reviewers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Destructoid	O
Pinsof	O
stated	O
that	O
"[the]	O
ironic	O
thing	O
is	O
that	O
the	O
most	O
pedestrian	O
of	O
stories	O
can	O
be	O
convincing	O
when	O
coupled	O
with	O
intelligently	O
applied	O
interaction	O
—	O
something	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
stubbornly	O
stands	O
against.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
level	O
of	O
detail	O
in	O
Dear	B-Application
Esthers	I-Application
environment	O
was	O
given	O
broad	O
praise	O
by	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewing	O
for	O
bit-tech	O
,	O
Joe	O
Martin	O
called	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
a	O
graphical	O
masterpiece	O
"	O
,	O
commenting	O
that	O
"	O
what	O
gives	O
Dear	B-Application
Esthers	I-Application
visuals	O
such	O
a	O
poignant	O
edge	O
is	O
how	O
masterfully	O
it	O
extends	O
the	O
sense	O
of	O
loneliness	O
and	O
isolation	O
that	O
's	O
conveyed	O
in	O
the	O
script	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
for	O
The	O
Daily	O
Telegraph	O
,	O
Tom	O
Hoggins	O
noted	O
the	O
effect	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
more	O
minor	O
details	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"[the]	O
broad	O
strokes	O
of	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
's	O
visuals	O
are	O
majestic	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
finer	O
details	O
on	O
the	O
landscape	O
are	O
the	O
most	O
revealing.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
2012	O
Independent	O
Games	O
Festival	O
,	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
received	O
the	O
prize	O
for	O
"	O
Excellence	O
in	O
Visual	O
Arts	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
2012	O
Awards	O
,	O
Develop	O
awarded	O
Dear	B-Application
Esther	I-Application
the	O
prize	O
for	O
"	O
Best	O
use	O
of	O
narrative	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
