Soundtrack Saturday: Dear Esther

In this weekly feature, I recommend game soundtracks. I share a few of my favorite tracks, talk about why everyone should listen to the soundtrack, and a little bit about the composer. This week's choice is Dear Esther by The Chinese Room.

THE STATS

Name: Dear Esther
Developer: The Chinese Room
Publisher: Secret Mode
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Genres: Adventure, Casual, Indie
Composer: Jessica Curry

MY FAVORITE TRACKS

(The full list of tracks are linked by playlist below... and I highly recommend some good headphones to best enjoy all of the subtle elements of the music!) 

Due to being similar in instrumental sound, I will simply list the ones I enjoyed most: 

• Moon in My Palm (my absolute favorite of the bunch!)
• Always (Sanford Mix)
• The Bones of Jakobson
• This Godforsaken Aerial
• I Have Begun My Ascent

You can listen to the full soundtrack here:

Dear Esther OST

WHY DO I RECOMMEND IT?

Despite Jessica Curry saying her score was "shoehorned" into the game, it's masterfully done and delightful to listen to -- heavy on the piano, cello, violin... and odd distortions to add to the mystery of the letter you're piecing together. Despite many of the tracks starting with the same piano theme, there's a diversity in the content of each to help give a backdrop to the story. While some of the creepier vocal distortions I could do without, by and large most of the music is great to listen to in the background. 

THE COMPOSER

Who better to score your experimental game than your wife? Jessica is the wife of Dan Pinchbeck, the creative designer of The Chinese Room game studios. She was nominated for a BAFTA for her score of Dear Esther, and won a BAFTA for her score of its spiritual successor, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. You can take note of her other projects and achievements on her Wikipedia page linked at the top.

(I promise I did not plan to cover Esther on the day before Easter, or that I'd end up talking about any kind of rapture in the content of this entry. In any case, Happy Easter weekend to those who celebrate it!)

If you enjoy my Soundtrack selections, consider joining me on Patreon!
You can join for as little as $2!