While I do enjoy fast paced games from time to time I always find myself drawn more towards the slower, cerebral, and more storydriven games. With Essence this is the latter. After an unsuccessful campaign last year Onevision has just returned to Kickstarter with a second attempt to make this dream a reality and this time they brought with them a demo to try out. The demo is for backers only, but even a single buck will give you access if you’re so inclined to check it out.
The main draw of Essence for me is that unlike most games out there this one is planned to evoke emotion both during and long after you finish the game. If you ever wanted to make an argument that “games are art” you can easily point to this one as an example. Just the screenshots provided look beautiful and while one can argue that this is a walking simulator it seems so much more than that. My first reaction when I first saw this was that it reminded me a lot like the Myst series but without the brainbashing puzzles those games are known for.
Some games are all about killing things or getting from point A to point B to advance the plot but it’s those that let you go out and explore the environments and interact with them that really resonate with me. It allows a leisurely stroll through a garden, for instance, without some strange beast trying to take your life. I play enough twitchy games and when I just want to sit back and take in the atmosphere I’ll load up a game like Essence. Which is why I didn’t hesitate to back it the first time and I didn’t hesitate to back it a second time.
Track the progress of the Essence Kickstarter in our Campaign Calendar.
