The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Epitome of modern hand-holding console movie, which strip player of any agency. In it's core it is strictly observation-exploration game with slight busywork puzzles and walking simulation. As a product game looks rather competent, at first, on level with 2006 PC games, but it chugs GF970 SLI whole, even without SSAA, and bring it down to 30-50fps. Most AA are ugly cinematic filters which pour soap all over the picture with single exception of SMAA 1x. But there is one game-breaking bug which makes it unfinishable. As a game there is not much "game " to be found. Sparse mechanics are on par with games and toys for preschoolers. Player is stripped of all agency and can't die or do anything what's not in the script; everything is full of invisible walls; player cannot interact with world at all, even can't take any shortcuts on the road. All what is allowed is to watch a movie, cut into pieces and scattered about location. And authors themselves don't trust player with thinking or not sure in their ability to make 3D models — they are prescripting everything that player is supposed to think and don't let player to think for themselves or investigate anything with interaction (unlike l.a.noir or even gone home). Computer game narrative just doesn't exist here, not a single piece is narrated trough interaction, only passive observation, which belongs to the movies, not interactive media. And on top of all that the story itself is just awful. It can be spoiled and be proven most awful just with one trope. Product -11 (game-breaking bug) Game -11 (mechanics are for preschoolers while blood is 16+ or something) Gesamtkunstwerk -11 (zero computer game narration, only passive observation of movies and texts)

The game is almost entirely red herring. The setup is a fiction, the narrative is about 80% unrelated to the denouement, and the denouement itself left me feeling like I was being jerked around. As it is, the story it's actually telling is threadbare because the game's entire setup demands that it doesn't delve too deeply into the characters or to the reality of what's going on, lest it give away the twist too early. And the twist itself makes the entire preceding story and its ultimate tragedy feel treacly and manipulative. Yeah yeah, the kid has an imagination; so what? Who is this kid outside of being imaginitive and ***SPOILERS SKIP THE GIBBERISH IF YOU HATE BEING SPOILED***sheydhshagdkfdeadjsudhaxbtjappdjrnfjsk jqkj fujshdjdiw. If they'd comitted to just telling the story in a more straightforward manner and exploring the characters more, it probably would've turned out better. As-is, it's mopey and bad YA fiction.

Amazing Polish game. The Space Switch waz really outstanding, and following astronaut scary. Good for those who put story over action.Amazing Polish game. The Space Switch waz really outstanding, and following astronaut scary. Good for those who put story over action.

The only thing I can say is that I want more.

great