Dear Esther is a ghost story, told using first-person gaming technologies. Rather than traditional gameplay, the focus here is on exploration, uncovering the mystery of a Hebridean island, of who you are and why you are there.

Fragments of story are randomly uncovered when exploring the various locations of the island, making every each journey a unique experience.

The game asks players to explore a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides, assuming the role of a troubled man piecing together the chain of events which lead to his wife’s death. Fragments of letters appear throughout the island, weaving a complex narrative of both the recent and distant past. As the island’s secrets are gradually revealed, players will piece together a tale which will remain with them long after the screen has faded to black.

The Chinese Room and publishers Secret Mode are pleased to announce they will celebrate the tenth anniversary of Dear Esther by making the 2012 narrative exploration game free to download from Dear Esther on 14 and 15 February.

Dear Esther’s tenth anniversary arrives just two weeks ahead of The Chinese Room’s latest tale, Little Orpheus, which arrives on PC and consoles on 1 March.

On 14 February 2012, Dear Esther immersed players in its stunningly-realised world – a remote and desolate island somewhere in the Outer Hebrides. Abandoning traditional gameplay for a pure story-driven experience, Dear Esther combined beautiful environments with a breath-taking soundtrack to tell a powerful story of love, loss, guilt and redemption.

“It was a joy working on Dear Esther with such a creative, talented and inspiring group of developers, and we’ve been delighted and humbled by the warmth of the gaming community over the last ten years,” said Dan Pinchbeck of The Chinese Room. “We are thrilled to offer Dear Esther to a new generation of players for its tenth anniversary, and I’m personally looking forward to hearing from those players who are able to explore Dear Esther’s island today for the very first time.”

Dear Estheris usually £7.99 on Steam but is available to download for free from 14 to 15 February.

Dear Esther is available for PS4, Xbox One and PC (Steam).