The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

+ The graphics are really sweet, and they create a great atmosphere along with the music + The game mostly allows you to roam freely and decide in which order you want to solve the various puzzles, even the very first ones. No path gets blocked unless you already did everything you could. + Minimal handholding + The structure of the map is really well made, with all areas being organically connected - Autosaves only, and few checkpoints too - Too many, albeit small, dead ends. One of them is really aggravating. - Most puzzles are way too simple, with one truly great exception - The plot wavers and stumbles in certain points, and the ending is just immensely disappointing - Game mechanics could be tighter Notes: = The "action" label caused me to mistakenly postpone a puzzle, which caused some annoying backtracking towards the end. There is no action whatsoever. = All puzzles are 100% self-contained. The order you solve them is irrelevant, and you'll never carry items from one puzzle to another. = It's a short game. I would say the length is appropriate in the context of the story, but it is short. Conclusion: I'm happy that somebody else is taking adventure games seriously again. It's a pleasant game, but it definitely needs some polishing, especially in the plot department. I would have loved to give a heartfelt recommendation for this game, because I can see the team making something truly great with a bit more effort, but my honest reaction to this game was lukewarm. The "portal" puzzle in the abandoned house was really engaging, most of everything else was a bit too simple and required little deduction.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a really nice looking and sounding game that takes around 5 hours to finish. Its surreal story is reasonably original and will keep the player interested for the duration of the game. This type of game requires good immersion to be successful and fortunately it delivers in this regard. Its atmosphere is one of semi-constant uneasiness which will keep you on your toes as you explore its ominous locales . The main mechanism to advance the story is basically to stumble upon a mystery as you make your way across the setting and solve a few basic puzzles in order to figure out what happened. Said mysteries can be solved in any order. Some cons of the game are it's checkpoint save system, some stuttering issues and a minor one being that it doesn't really look like it's localised in Wisconsin, specially due to the architecture of the few constructions that are featured in the game, which looks European rather than American. All in all, the game is atmospheric and aesthetically pleasing but with some shortcomings, especially its short duration. Give it a go if you like narrative-driven games.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a great demo for a new kind of storytelling. The Game is not very difficult and a little bit short. I like to see more games like this. Maybe also in a different setting. The Gameplay is rich in variety but simple. Only the crime scene investigation is the same everytime. You have to discover the places and put the scenes in the right order. The Graphics are very nice. The photogrametry technique makes an almost photorealistic look. But it is not very dynamic. And there are some little hickups in the framerate. I liked the soundtrack very much. Even now I have some samples in my ears. I can clearly recommend it!

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is all about immersion. If you are fast player, driven to achieve the final goal as fast as possible, this game is not for you. If you are a detective, like to look around, search for clues, solve puzzles, gather the story pieces and slowly achieve its conclusion, you should be satisfied with The Astronauts creation. It is an interesting tale, served in fatalistic, slowed paced manner. With astonishing graphics and wonderful music. And perfect deeply enfolding atmosphere, form beginning to the end.