Alice And Pip: What Is (And Isn t) A Walking Simulator?

Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2023
Dear Esther Game Banner
Genre: Adventure, Casual, Indie
Developer: The Chinese Room
Release Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2023


Alice and Pip have been off wandering their way through digital worlds from Proteus to Sacramento and are now hobbling towards a shared definition of a walking simulator. Find out what conclusions they’ve reached and why their definition categorically does not include Dear Esther!


Pip: Alice, when I asked you to recommend me your favourite walking simulators so I could go on some digital expeditions what would you say were your criteria?


Alice: That they surfaced readily in this trash heap of a memory? Which meant they struck me for some reason. I think I picked walking simulators with a spread of form and tone, all quite different but all games where you can mostly just walk around. Some fun! Some colourful! Some spooky! Some so linear they’re literally on rails.


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