Dear Esther release date and price announced

I'm not exactly sure what to call Dear Esther .

. Is it a game? Is it an "interactive narrative experience"? Is it something else entirely? Your guess is as good as mine, but I do know one thing: It's pretty damn great. Originally a Half-Life 2 mod, the absolutely chilling exploration-focused adventure is being remade as a standalone game. Better still, Mirror's Edge level designer Robert Briscoe has taken a running leap onto the project, which ought to give the game's hauntingly beautiful island even more personality.

According to the maybe-not-a-game's official blog, it's releasing on, er, Valentine's Day 2012. Because nothing says smooches and other insipidly cute couple-y things like complete physical and mental isolation . So that's fun. You'll be able to pick it up for the piggy-bank-friendly price of $9.99 as well, so it's pretty much a no-brainer - if only to experience a game that's totally unlike anything else you've ever played. If you're interested, definitely check out Dear Esther's official website.