![]() ![]() 'Both games presented very different learning experiences.' Working without these limitations allows for infinite exploration and often results in finding hidden gems of mechanics, gameplay and tech that bleeds over into larger projects"ĭespite appearing to be graphically superior to Ursa's 2D musical typing game Typing Karaoke, Chen says the development time for Dear Esteban was actually shorter. They can also be total crap and that's okay. Jam games don't have to meet a budget, be profitable or appeal to a target demographic. "They are such a great opportunity to stretch your game dev chops and design without limitations. "We pretty much try to participate in the majority of game jams," he says. The result is a platform to design an experimental game without being constricted by the worries of commercial viability. Ursa regularly participates in game jams as a way of flexing their development muscles, says Chen. Understanding what doesn't work in game design is as important as understanding what does." I suppose it's easier to work in a genre that has more misses than hits because it's easier to understand what doesn't work. All genres have opportunities for amazing experiences and even the worst have their diamonds in the rough. "I might say, 'I hate sports games' but I love Virtua Tennis, NBA Street, Bara Bari Ball, GIRP and on and on. "It's really hard for me to truly hate a genre," Chen said. Only this time the player triggers over-the-top voice-overs made up of half-baked prose, and explores an island where orcas roam the skies. ![]() The resulting storyline remains open to interpretation, with many players arguing over whether it has artistic merit or is simply a work of pretension.ĭear Esteban follows in line by offering the player a similarly uninhabited island. The narrative features a number of recurring themes that touch on kidney stones, Paul the Apostle, neurons and the narrator's leg. In the original title, developed by studio thechineseroom, the player progresses through an uninhabited island while triggering voice-overs narrating letter fragments to a woman named Esther. What is a game, what is art, what's the meaning to life, the universe and everything? The answer is 42 obviously," joked Chen. "I think the main thing we're saying 'Fuck This' to is the endless flame wars that the game sparks. Since its official release in 2011, Dear Esther has been the source of numerous player discussions and interpretations due to its ambiguous narrative. 'It's almost laughably confusing but before you know it, you're totally absorbed by the beauty of the world.'Īccording to Chen, the inspiration behind Dear Esteban was less to do with the game itself and more to do with the ongoing discussions it caused. It's the kind of game that at first, it's almost laughably confusing but before you know it, you're totally absorbed by the beauty of the world and the underlying narrative." "I actually love Dear Esther," Chen recently told Polygon. The team, which is made up of Typing Karaoke duo Travis Chen and Nolan Fabricius, created the title over the course of one week for the November games jam which asked designers to confront "something you either don't fully understand or that you dislike enough to want to change it." But they were still inspired to submit their odd-ball parody Dear Esteban to Fuck This Jam, a game jam that challenges designers to create titles within a genre they despise. Indie developer Ursa loved convoluted first-person narrative Dear Esther indie. ![]()
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