Dear Esther?

It's basically a visual novel that you walk through.... slowly.

It is on sale/cheap often.

Its a short game.

it doesn't have any gameplay despite people calling it a game. steer clear imo

I thought it was entertaining. It's not really a 'game', as in there's nothing that you really do besides walk. But you go through some amazingly beautiful scenery with great audio (music + ambiance), and every so often the narrator tells you a piece of a story, and the farther you walk the more of the story you hear. It's not very long, but I enjoyed it. The story was interesting and the visual/audio they used added another layer of engagement. Probably not for everyone though. If you've played To The Moon, it's a similar type of thing (although done in a totally different way): not any real gameplay, but heavy story focus.

Try it here. There are differences when compared to the commercial version, but the mod is free, so that makes it better. :P

Even though it's not a game per se, and I knew what I was getting into, I did not enjoy it. I think it had view bob I couldn't disable, in addition to moving too slowly. Plus, I got a rather stupid death, and it sent me pretty far back, and that was the last time I played it.

You definetly should sacrifice two hours from your time, because it takes no longer than that.

It's this type of "game" that you'd want to watch instead of actually playing it.

I love it, but it's not a videogame. There are no systems, no challenges, and the only goal would be walking towards the next chapter point. You've got to accept that before you go into this, but what it is is excellent.

Because it's about this person trapped on a seemingly abandoned island, with narration to a deceased lover. The text is excellently written, almost in the tone of Poe, and the narrator is superb. The music is so good that I bought it. The island you traverse grows increasingly interesting, and the middle gave me goose bumps. The story unfolds masterfully. No wonder Frictional bought this company.

It's not a game, but whatever it is, it's great at it.

If you like games which are food for thought, terribly beautiful to look at, and a cinematic experience get it. When on sale it's around 1.5€ IIRC, so it might be worth getting on Steam especially if you have card money left.

Disregard the whole "it's a game / it's not a game" argument as it's pretty close to splitting the hair and has no practical relevance. Either you like it or not, exactly like every other game, regardless of the labels some internet people get all upset about.

From what I heard, it would be more fun to watch the 'game' on Youtube instead of playing it yourself.

This is one of those games that isn't really a game... More of an interactive experience. I'd highly recommend it though. Play it at night with some headphones for better immersion and it's a good time. I loved it.