The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

I've never seen anything that so seamlessly merged the various aspects of a game into a single whole. The end result has more in common with experiencing a work of art than playing a game. If you enjoy a good story and can spare a few hours it's well worth your time and money.

The game sets the story well and tells you who you are and why you are out in the wilderness. Beyond that though it is up to the player to figure out what to do. It took me a very long time to understand that there are these "memory" instances and that if you do not complete them as expected then you have to go back and complete them. As such -1 star because this is not a common mechanic in many games and some of these instances are not always noticiable. Some will argue that you should look through every offshoot of every path and I can agree with that, you should in a game like this, however, without knowing that these instances exist, what is the purpose until you find something indicating that you missed something such as a needed key, map, etc. Otherwise, fabulous storytelling and great controls! I sincerely enjoyed this game and its story.

I own the game on another platform and tried it for 2 hours. I didn't like it, so for me a 1 star review. Maybe it's the genre but I liked layers of fear and that's a bit the same. I completely agree with the review of M3n747. I just ran passed everything untill I could not do anything anymore. Then I looked up a guide on youtube. And for me even with a guide the puzzle with the first vehicle just did not work. Oh and after 2 hours I quit and tried to go back again to try another time. The game did not save because I did not solve something. And it can't be saved manually. So all my progress was lost. After that I gave up. Maybe I'll watch a playtrough or something for the story but I won't be playing it myself. I respect the people that like this, it has great graphics and maybe a good story but as a game I want something else. Not just pressing button for walking and looking at things. Then I'd rather go walking in the local forest.

Pretty straightforward and linear adventure with some supernatural elements, good storytelling and specific mechanics. Short and bittersweet.

Excelent game.