Every now and then, a video game pops up that is so breathtaking, not just in its graphical design or in its execution, but in its most basic idea, that it affects us as people, not just players or customers. Dear Esther is one of those games, and instead of an idea, it has a message. A message conveyed through non-linear interactive story-telling. Long ago, in mid-2009, master level designer Robert Briscoe took it upon himself to create a Dear Esther remake.

Fast forward to early 2011, when this re-imagining had become so beloved, and so impressive in graphics and production value, that it was decided to turn it into an independent Source game. Since then, using the current Source codebase (the Portal 2 engine), Robert and co. have done even more amazing things with Dear Esther. In December, they announced that the game would be released on Valentine’s Day 2012. But that doesn’t mean they’re cutting us off from new media! Not at all, as they have just released an incredible new launch trailer!