5Dear Esther

Dear Esther is often said to be the first ‘walking simulator’; any similar game that has come after it is often considered to be inspired by it. True or not, Dear Esther is still an important game in the genre, and one that set a very high bar in terms of visual and production value.

Dear Esther tasks you with exploring a quiet and mysterious island from a first-person perspective. You have no idea who you are, or why you’re there. The only story that plays out is told by a narrator, whose voice kicks in as you pass certain points in the environment. It’s a story shrouded in mystery, and right up until the end, it’s never quite clear what’s going on. A beautiful environment to wander around certainly helps this short experience to be one of the best walking simulator games on PS4.

Read our review of Dear Esther

Kim's been into video games since playing Dizzy on her brother's Commodore 64 as a wee nipper. She'll give just about anything a go, but she's got a soft spot for story-driven adventures and open world escapades. If she's not gaming, she's probably cooing over pictures of baby animals or watching re-runs of Friends for the 137th time.