Tools and tricks: free camera, custom FOV, 2160p rendering, antialiasing (injected SMAA).

Looking at this cave through the exact POV of your ethereal presence in Dear Esther is in no way the same as standing in this cave in Dear Esther itself. Ditto any hilltop, switchback or ruin on its Hebridean isle, where attempts at civilization have become one with the land. Forget touchscreens and Wii Remotes: here, in ways vastly more significant, is one of the most tactile experiences in gaming. Tool and tricks: free camera, custom FOV, 2160p rendering, antialiasing (injected SMAA).

This game introduces a ‘Detail Vegetation’ option to the usual Source feature set. The whys and wherefores speak for themselves. Tools and tricks: free camera, custom FOV, 2160p rendering, antialiasing (injected SMAA).

The remake of Dear Esther is both the essence and antithesis of Dead End Thrills. On the one hand, it’s gorgeous; newly illustrated by Mirror’s Edge artist Rob Briscoe, this meditative ghost story and study in minimalist adventuring now has power to rival STALKER and Metro 2033. But, on the other hand, there’s little for me to explore beyond the game’s critical path. So what’s the point? What need is there for images like these when the game is so economical, so clean in its interface between player and world, that it gives its all in just a single playthrough? The point, I guess, is that it’s not out until February 14 and totally deserves the publicity. Tools and tricks: free camera, custom FOV, 2160p rendering, antialiasing (injected SMAA).