I've wanted to play Dear Esther for so long. I have NO idea what it's about other than you're alone in an island with no soundtrack or guns, etc. Just you and the open field. Love the idea!
If you like the idea of Dear Esther, you will probably enjoy yourself, as I think it achieves its goal quite well.
As a critical piece in the "Games as Art" movement/feud/war, Dear Esther is certainly polarizing, but I am of the opinion that it should be experienced with a certain amount of Shoshin because enjoying it might require a bit of unlearning.
It's a lovely experience (I wouldn't use the word game).
We had a wander over the weekend, it was surprisingly good as a joint adventure and I'd definitely recommend going through it with at least one like-minded person.
Hey (long time no see, btw) there. I played it recently. You've definitely got to go into it expecting what it is to enjoy it. Exactly nothing happens in the game. You don't really interact with anything, you just walk around a beautiful set of landscapes on the island and listen to the story. The game is just short enough that it doesn't become too boring to play in my experience, and it's an excellent experience to relax to.