The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

 PC
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 854 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 596 out of 854
  2. Mixed: 188 out of 854
  3. Negative: 70 out of 854

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  1. czerro
    Sep 29, 2014
    7
    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

    7/10 It's a must purchase at the price, and everyone should experience it. There are going to be a lot of spoilers ahead. First, Let's just get this out of the way: The game is gorgeous. I mean, it's astounding. Now, this comes with a lot of caveats, and as much as the game suggests you try and do whatever you would like and investigate this    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

    7/10

    It's a must purchase at the price, and everyone should experience it. There are going to be a lot of spoilers ahead.

    First, Let's just get this out of the way: The game is gorgeous. I mean, it's astounding. Now, this comes with a lot of caveats, and as much as the game suggests you try and do whatever you would like and investigate this reality...it's not really possible. Such an expansive and intricately detailed world of course, has lots of boundaries to it. You are essentially on a rail. I DID try and go off the beaten path at the beginning and stumbled into a 'trap'. Not knowing what to do with this element I decided to follow the rails. After railing the first segment, I once again decided to investigate the woods and came across the palm-pillar. I quickly figured out the sequence (it's a trial and error puzzle and takes about 10 seconds) and was wtf'ed and amazed at what happened next. This was the real pinnacle of the game for me.

    Now let's get to the bad. You will quickly discern that the narrator is unreliable and that we are groaning through some Alan Wake style narrative of a child. Let's face facts: The story in Alan Wake was beyond stupid, the gameplay and structure was topnotch. This game is trying to ride that same weak narrative without the gameplay and structure? Well...yes and no.

    Here's what 'happened' and herein my problems: Ethan Carter is a young boy. He loves his comics and pulps. He's very creative and finds an outlet in writing stories. He lives in a really forced backwater town where 'reading'/'writing' = **** See, this is a problem for me, because I'm supposed to sympathize with the fantasies of a child in the structure of a really forced and flat adult fantasy about 'ya'll some yokels.' Like, Ethan's fantastical elements exist in an even more fantastically cardboard thing. Ethan Carter does not live in a real world, which is what detracts from the story. There is literally no expansion on his family aside from they are country morons and act retardedly.

    His father is apologetic about this. His uncle and brother verbally abuse his **** His grandfather is inured and likes Ethan simply because Ethan likes him and does not remember that his grandfather accidentally killed his wife. His mother is dismissive of these problems and finds his actions frustrating. One day Ethan Carter tucks himself away in the old “Place name here” place and starts writing a story. One of many he has written previously. It's a really dark tale. It's about himself and his family. It's about the dark evil force that has overtaken them. The evil things they do to one another. It's a Prospero feature. He's written them before, and Prospero comes and gleans the happenings and trys to put to rest what he can. This is kinda where the player comes in...

    THIS is what the game was. Prospero , the player, is a force, a narrative tool, for Ethan to investigate his own issues. You get to experience this in a way, which is kinda cool, from the outside looking in. But there really isn't any investigation or depth to these characters or this maudlin tale. There is no choice, there is no expanding story. Only the illusion of choice and we're simply part of a narrative Ethan Carter was writing about a fictionalized horror story about himself. This does kinda hang a lamp on the illusion of never feeling like you can do anything at all! The reward is thus, after playing through the primary narrative and Ethan's side stories (8? pretty slight) you get to see the ending.

    Now, I know this confuses people, but it's not that confusing. Everything you've seen previously is fake. It's part of a story based on the places Ethan knows and the people he knows. His brother finds him at the end of this conception in the cellar of “place name here” house. Everyone is frustrated and commences to rant and call him a **** For some reason his mom carries a flaming lantern so carelessly that other characters are forced to note it. Flashlights do not exist. You already see where this melodrama is going while it painfully plays itself out. The place is set ablaze, Ethan retreats back to the cellar room and falls unconcious. So the fiction of the tale informs the reality of the tale. Or is it the other way around? You know what? It really doesn't matter, because it's all the same fiction to begin with. I guess that's my real problem with this reveal and why it's not quite as awesome as the producers believe it to be.

    This was not a real-time rendition of those events. It is Ethan remembering those events. We are now in darkness. Ethan has been unconcious for less than 5 minutes, while he played a Prospero tale he had just written, back in his head. There is a clock at a rail station at the beginning. One face says 7:00, the other face is not quite 7:04.

    In the darkness, Prospero talks to Ethan, who insists he believes he never created Prospero at all. Prospero has no comment, despite Ethan already revealed this information to us. He does what Prospero does, what the player that Ethan wrote does, and convinces Ethan to let go. It is a pretty nice little cap on this tale, but there are far too many issues with the narrative to make this work. The little cap on the end both sucks the magic out of the tale, both literally and mechanically, and then spins it on it's head for a little hint of some magic in the far left-field. It still feels like a poorly conceived and derivative story, but they executed the finale alright. The narrative really needed some more polish to it, and this beautiful world needed some more interaction than the 8/9 elements to it.

    Anyway, you have to purchase this game for the space-man segment and the sea-thing segment alone. Not to mention it's gorgeous to walk around this work. There are 2 fun puzzles in this game: House Portal Match can seem frustrating, but is really really good once you solve it. It IS easy, because this world, IS that good.    … Expand
  2. Budget_Security
    May 20, 2018
    7
    A puzzle walking sim with beautiful environments and a subtle dark atmosphere. The visuals are amazing - the extensive use of photogrammetry produces very realistic models and textures. In my opinion this game represents the largest advance in graphics since 2007's “Crysis”. The story is lean but well written and narrated. The puzzles are fairly simple, but use neat mechanics, and are veryA puzzle walking sim with beautiful environments and a subtle dark atmosphere. The visuals are amazing - the extensive use of photogrammetry produces very realistic models and textures. In my opinion this game represents the largest advance in graphics since 2007's “Crysis”. The story is lean but well written and narrated. The puzzles are fairly simple, but use neat mechanics, and are very well presented. A minor complaint is that there is no manual save system - only checkpoints, and they are quite far apart at times. This game runs well on old hardware, but stutters a bit.

    Overall, this is one of the best indie games of recent years.    … Expand
  3. garyc
    Oct 7, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter is one of the most interesting and unusual games I have played this year, it was a genuine surprise.
    The first thing you will notice when playing is that the graphics are amazing, some of the best I have ever seen in fact.
    The recreation of the forest and valley that the game takes place in has been made with such fine detail that it becomes easy to believe it is an actual place you are walking through. This, along with a beautifully atmospheric soundtrack gives an air of authenticity that you rarely find in a video game.

    It is driven by a story that is open to a lot of interpretation, right up to the ending and it will leave you in though for some time after the end credits.
    Gameplay takes the form of various environment-based puzzles that usually involve recreating a series of events, finding all the required components of the event and then organizing it in chronological order to reveal story but there is variety as not everything sticks to this one formula. The fun part for me was that the game leaves it up to the player to figure out that this is what you need to do - you can easily spend the first couple of hours playing the game without realizing what exactly the game mechanics are, yet it never becomes frustrating - it feels more like you are discovering something when you finally figure it out.

    On a technical level the game is of good quality, there are no performance concerns and graphical options are plentiful - including an FoV slider. 60fps was achievable easily at 1440p on a single GTX 780 and an i5 2500k without the need to lower any settings other than anti-aliasing, which gave 15+ fps dips at 4x and above.

    I do have several gameplay concerns however.
    The first of which becomes apparent very early on - there are invisible walls everywhere that funnel you in a specific direction and break the immersion of an otherwise perfectly recreated landscape. This contributes directly to the second issue, game length. You are free to explore the entire area at your leisure and it is a pleasure to do so for the entire time, however you are clearly intended to take one specific and quite short path through the game, the whole thing is over just as it starts to get going. I feel a more open environment that focused a little more on exploration would have made a huge improvement to both gameplay and game length. I would have loved to be able to search out additional information on the valley and the people who lived there, although doing so may not have been consistent with how the game ends.
    The final issue I have that contributes a lot to me not giving the game a much higher score relates to the puzzles themselves. They are simply too few in number, literally just 6 or 7 of them in the whole game - the mechanics used are solid but hugely under-utilized. After a great start, only giving you vague hints of what you need to do, some of the later puzzles are overly simple. I feel they could have expanded on this area a lot more to produce a more well rounded game.

    However, do not let the faults put you off as this is still an experienced not to be missed, if not to everybody's tastes.    … Expand
  4. crimsondoor
    Jul 14, 2016
    7
    First thing - I don't know why, but this is one of the few games that made me motion sick. I am prone to motion sickness on travel (I puke every single time on a long-distance bus), but playing FPS games seldom make me sick. This is the first game that made me dizzy within a minute and I had to stop playing it. I bet it's because of the motion blur and the lack of HUD. Anyway that's whyFirst thing - I don't know why, but this is one of the few games that made me motion sick. I am prone to motion sickness on travel (I puke every single time on a long-distance bus), but playing FPS games seldom make me sick. This is the first game that made me dizzy within a minute and I had to stop playing it. I bet it's because of the motion blur and the lack of HUD. Anyway that's why I've only watched a walkthrough and didn't play the game. No complains about the Unreal Engine 4 graphics, shame you cannot interact with the environment more. Little details like voice acting and animations need to be polished up. Still, I think we should support the indie developers. Idea of the game is quite interesting and I'd like to more games like this.… Expand
  5. HSuke
    Sep 30, 2019
    7
    TVoEC is more of a wallpaper simulator than a game.

    I wouldn't rate TVoEC very high on gameplay. The puzzles are quite simplistic and too few. This game doesn't hand-hold you, so you'll probably get lost many times ... not that it's a bad thing. After all, it's an incredibly gorgeous and atmospheric game. Screenshots posted online simply do not do it enough justice. The visuals alone    TVoEC is more of a wallpaper simulator than a game.

    I wouldn't rate TVoEC very high on gameplay. The puzzles are quite simplistic and too few. This game doesn't hand-hold you, so you'll probably get lost many times ... not that it's a bad thing.

    After all, it's an incredibly gorgeous and atmospheric game. Screenshots posted online simply do not do it enough justice. The visuals alone were worth purchasing the game.

    Honestly, I spent over 50% of my time wandering around playing photographer and taking screenshots via FRAPs. (Turn off subtitles for the best results)

    I'd definitely like to see these devs produce a similar game in the future with more focus on better puzzles & gameplay.    … Expand
  6. TheMetacritiqer
    Jul 5, 2016
    7
    One of the most disappointing endings ever. And yes, in my opinion worse than Mass Effect 3's (Which wasn't that bad). Expect to get stuck for hours if you can't figure out the mechanic of finding out where certain objects are. When you see the same word many times keep moving until they all come together. Knowing that would have saved me hours. Definitely not worth 20$ as if you know whatOne of the most disappointing endings ever. And yes, in my opinion worse than Mass Effect 3's (Which wasn't that bad). Expect to get stuck for hours if you can't figure out the mechanic of finding out where certain objects are. When you see the same word many times keep moving until they all come together. Knowing that would have saved me hours. Definitely not worth 20$ as if you know what your doing it could be completed in a hour. But pretty much everything besides that is great. Things are really mysterious and surprising. The first minute is very scary. And it's cool that some of the people behind one of the most underrated game of all time, Bulletstorm, made this. Next time, just don't screw up the ending. It makes everything you've done seem like a waste of time.… Expand
  7. DrZomboid
    Oct 29, 2014
    7
    Environment looks amazing, water and rocks on some places photo realistic, but humans are really bad.
    This kind of puzzles puzzles are not for my taste, I prefer Resident Evil style. Story is so-so. Too bad there is no single animal in this nature. Atmosphere is big plus.
  8. markodon
    Oct 12, 2014
    7
    Going into this game, I didn't know much about it, except that it was a mystery/exploration type game with stunning graphics. As most other people, I was pretty much blown away by the visual presentation, which is one of the best (if not the best) I've ever experienced. The atmosphere in this game is simply amazing. As for the gameplay, I have to admit I ended up being somewhatGoing into this game, I didn't know much about it, except that it was a mystery/exploration type game with stunning graphics. As most other people, I was pretty much blown away by the visual presentation, which is one of the best (if not the best) I've ever experienced. The atmosphere in this game is simply amazing. As for the gameplay, I have to admit I ended up being somewhat disappointed. Although some of the mystery-solving mechanics are pretty well thought out, the feeling of spontaneity is soon gone and you realise that the puzzles are actually quite contrived. Instead of having to explore this large world and slowly unravel the mystery at your own pace, you basically walk from one scene to the next and solve incredibly simple crime scenes with your supernatural powers. The game is short (took me about 4-5 hours), and almost half of the total length is walking, which isn't bad in itself, but given that the environment is completely empty in between the "scenes", I couldn't help to think this stunning map could have been better used. The story is mature and interesting, although confusing at times, and while the ending left me baffled at first, it is though-provoking and satisfying. Overall, I enjoyed the game, but I do feel it could have been even better given its potential.… Expand
  9. Jetpil0t
    Oct 16, 2014
    7
    The most compelling component is the games story, which is interesting, builds well and ends nicely, but don't expect a lengthy or complex plot. The visuals are excellent and the game runs great with no bugs or performance problems.

    However the puzzle and encounter designs never really develop in complexity or mechanics beyond the first set piece and the quality of the gameplay and    The most compelling component is the games story, which is interesting, builds well and ends nicely, but don't expect a lengthy or complex plot. The visuals are excellent and the game runs great with no bugs or performance problems.

    However the puzzle and encounter designs never really develop in complexity or mechanics beyond the first set piece and the quality of the gameplay and puzzles even seems to taper off as you progress towards the end of the game.

    Overall the game is somewhat light on content and perhaps a little to light to really be engaging for its admittedly brief run time. However the game is an interesting mix of detective mechanics with walk around story exposition that would make for a more compelling game if it only it were filled with more puzzles, more complex puzzles and more story to explore.

    Looking forward to this teams next endeavor.    … Expand
  10. secretsw
    Jun 9, 2016
    7
    Stunning graphics, but not much more. Long and boring dialogues with poor character animations, rare and simple puzzles. No special meaning or message in the plot, though I expected to find some (or should I look better?). This game couldn't hold me for a complete walkthrough. Much worth seeing, but probably not really worth walking through.
  11. Renovatia
    Dec 16, 2015
    7
    Nice, nice nice. My third adventure game in a row I'm reviewing here (and it's my third review in total). It's a full fledged adventure game, full of nice puzzles like you'd want adventures to be. I don't think the puzzles were particularly difficult. It's a walking simulator though. You walk quite a bit as places to be are distant. Also, it's easy to miss some places. Luckily at the mostNice, nice nice. My third adventure game in a row I'm reviewing here (and it's my third review in total). It's a full fledged adventure game, full of nice puzzles like you'd want adventures to be. I don't think the puzzles were particularly difficult. It's a walking simulator though. You walk quite a bit as places to be are distant. Also, it's easy to miss some places. Luckily at the most important spot you'll get magical help to pin-point the places you have missed. It's user-friendly implemented.

    This is a game where the story (in the end) is more important perhaps. I think the puzzles have been deliberately kept accessible. The game wants you to arrive to the point where you have a full understand of what is really going on. Although I figured it out beforehand because of the disconnect between the cases you had to solve as a paranormal detective.

    I think a score of 7/10 isn't a "mixed" score at all. It's a good score. I didn't want to give it a full 8/10 because some cases to solve were way too easy and too many individual puzzles were way too easy for me as well. After having solved 3 out of 7 cases, I wondered what the point of all this was, Then I suspected what really was going on. But the overwhelming feeling throughout was questioning whether I could keep enjoying this game.

    After having solved the fourth case, the story has unfolded completely. It depends on the order of things you do, but there it is. So when the "big reveal" happened, there were still three cases left to explore. So I went there, solved them and they were most disappointing.

    The graphics - the 3D world if you will - are really nice. It's the strongest part of this game and it will outdo most games. The main storyline is ok. Interacting with the environment is implemented nicely. No problems there.

    Would I play a similar game like this? For sure! But sometimes less is more. I.e. solving 7 cases when you know everything after having done 4 of them is too much. And again, the last three cases were kinda rubbish to be honest.

    So there it is. The game is nice but not really good.    … Expand
  12. sarahlee123
    Feb 25, 2018
    7
    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter offers a compelling story, as well as plenty of atmosphere and a stunningly beautiful world that I thoroughly enjoyed exploring, stopping multiple times just to take in the view.

    While you aren't given much in the way of backstory, the game slowly reveals clues that allow you to piece the events of its Lovecraftian mystery together. The brilliant story is    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter offers a compelling story, as well as plenty of atmosphere and a stunningly beautiful world that I thoroughly enjoyed exploring, stopping multiple times just to take in the view.

    While you aren't given much in the way of backstory, the game slowly reveals clues that allow you to piece the events of its Lovecraftian mystery together. The brilliant story is constructed from several smaller stories, and once you collect all of the clues, the game rewards you with a conclusion that is as moving as it is unexpected.

    One of the biggest reasons to play The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is its gorgeous and highly detailed world. Inspired by the Polish Karkonosze mountains, the developers have taken picturesque scenes from the real world and somehow made them look even better in game. I found myself stopping frequently to admire sweeping views of the game's scenery or examine small details like the bark on the trees or the leaf litter underfoot.

    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter warns you before the game even begins that it "does not hold your hand" and this aspect of the game may prove frustrating for some players. Unsure of where to go or what to do, I personally ended up getting lost and quickly resorting to a walkthrough for some much needed guidance. More patient players may be able to figure things out for themselves, but I needed a little more direction myself.

    The game's puzzles, too, while not particularly complicated, are another potential source of frustration, as it is often unclear at first what the object of the puzzle is. Most players probably won't have any problem solving the puzzles, but if, like me, you're not a huge puzzle fan, you might find them somewhat bothersome.

    Overall, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is worth playing if only for its beautiful environments and rich story. I personally did not enjoy the puzzles and found the lack of guidance vexing at times, but others may enjoy having the freedom to explore the game's world at their own pace and complete the puzzles in whatever order they like.

    While you may not like everything about The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, if you think you may enjoy even some aspects of the game, it's probably worth picking up, as there's nothing else quite like it.    … Expand
  13. WhiskeyStories
    Oct 16, 2018
    7
    A pleasant and atmospheric walking simulator that's beautiful to look at (at least the redux version) and which offers some inventive (though rather simple) puzzles that are mostly pretty fun to piece together and a n enjoyable little mystery plot. With a completion time around 4-5 hours it's the ideal length to immerse yourself in the beautiful scenery and cute story, without it startingA pleasant and atmospheric walking simulator that's beautiful to look at (at least the redux version) and which offers some inventive (though rather simple) puzzles that are mostly pretty fun to piece together and a n enjoyable little mystery plot. With a completion time around 4-5 hours it's the ideal length to immerse yourself in the beautiful scenery and cute story, without it starting to feel too contrived. I did not like the conclusion tthat much, but overall had a lovely time with The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. It's perfect for early October.… Expand
  14. Krzych
    Dec 27, 2016
    7
    The game is amazingly beautiful and doesn't require much power to run, definitely one of the best games in terms of graphics/performance ratio, voice acting is also great, but gameplay and story itself didn't really got me that much. It was very promising at the beginning but was falling short with time. It felt like all of this is around nothing and the game is about nothing, literally.The game is amazingly beautiful and doesn't require much power to run, definitely one of the best games in terms of graphics/performance ratio, voice acting is also great, but gameplay and story itself didn't really got me that much. It was very promising at the beginning but was falling short with time. It felt like all of this is around nothing and the game is about nothing, literally. Still very interesting game and definitely worth trying out, maybe it will get to you more than it did to me, but I have mixed feelings about it.… Expand
  15. Archound
    Oct 3, 2018
    7
    For me Ethan is a big disappointment. I didn't enjoy repetitive "chronology" puzzles and the story is quite dull. Mediocre title in it's genre.
  16. KARF4GEN
    May 10, 2018
    7
    Сложно назвать Исчезновение игрой, это скорее интерактивное кино, но не на Playstation.
    Довольно атмосферный квест с небезинтересным наполнением, весьма нелогичные задания сильно не напрягали, а отсутствие кровищи и прочего привычного нынче в индустрии шок-контента делают ее пригодной и для детей младшего школьного возраста.
    Не без минусов, но такие инди проекты просто утирают нос многим    Сложно назвать Исчезновение игрой, это скорее интерактивное кино, но не на Playstation.
    Довольно атмосферный квест с небезинтересным наполнением, весьма нелогичные задания сильно не напрягали, а отсутствие кровищи и прочего привычного нынче в индустрии шок-контента делают ее пригодной и для детей младшего школьного возраста.
    Не без минусов, но такие инди проекты просто утирают нос многим ААА-тайтлам.

    Переиздание на UE4 отвратительно оптимизировано и сделано скорее для релиза на консолях.    … Expand
  17. LetMePickThat
    Aug 7, 2018
    7
    This game is interesting to say the least. It features stunning visuals, a good enough story and a very nice soundtrack. The main weaknesses I see from TVOER is the lack of interaction with the world. Also, while I know very well that this game is advertised as a narrative experience, I find the lack of any form of help playing against the fluidity of the narration itself. I enjoyed theThis game is interesting to say the least. It features stunning visuals, a good enough story and a very nice soundtrack. The main weaknesses I see from TVOER is the lack of interaction with the world. Also, while I know very well that this game is advertised as a narrative experience, I find the lack of any form of help playing against the fluidity of the narration itself. I enjoyed the game much more on my second playthough, when I actually knew where were the points of interest and was able to follow the story in the right order.… Expand
  18. Crimert
    Aug 21, 2020
    7
    The story of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was good. The atmosphere was really cool. It made me feel like a private detective. Actually, it's more like a "paranormal" detective game. If you like these kinds of games, you must give it a try. 3hrs on record.
  19. penebullone
    Oct 14, 2020
    7
    Приятная игруха на 4-5 часов, супер графон, неплохой супер мистический сюжет, я ощутил флэшбеки по великолепному Алану Уэйку, плюс этот прекрасный лес сделан просто нереально. Музыка ну просто очень красивая.

    Из минусов – игра настолько "не ведёт тебя за руку" (с), что в двух местах нужно было смотреть прохождение, и то, поиск нужного "триггера" по скриншоту леса занял минут 20. В этот    Приятная игруха на 4-5 часов, супер графон, неплохой супер мистический сюжет, я ощутил флэшбеки по великолепному Алану Уэйку, плюс этот прекрасный лес сделан просто нереально. Музыка ну просто очень красивая.

    Из минусов – игра настолько "не ведёт тебя за руку" (с), что в двух местах нужно было смотреть прохождение, и то, поиск нужного "триггера" по скриншоту леса занял минут 20. В этот момент я почувствовал себя в симуляторе поиска закладок. Не представляю, как кто-то проходил её без руководства.    … Expand
  20. Wrathzo
    Mar 22, 2022
    7
    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a 2014 horror adventure video game developed and published by The Astronauts. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is set in an open world environment, in which the player can roam around and explore at will; in its opening the game notes that it "does not hold [the player's] hand", and as such features very little by way of explanation to the mechanics.
  21. hileger
    Oct 25, 2022
    7
    Атмосферно простенькие головоломки ,версия redux еще стало круче, спустя несколько лет можно еще поиграть
  22. FRIST_008
    Jan 2, 2022
    7
    Такой игре позарез нужна или карта, или что-то, что хотя бы говорило в какой области вы что-то не завершили, потому что я банально пропустил вторую головоломку и дошёл до самой последней и так и не понял почему у меня нет концовки, пока не вернулся хрен знает куда обратно... так делать нельзя. История меня вообще никак не зацепила, потому к игре один большой вопрос, где конечный вауТакой игре позарез нужна или карта, или что-то, что хотя бы говорило в какой области вы что-то не завершили, потому что я банально пропустил вторую головоломку и дошёл до самой последней и так и не понял почему у меня нет концовки, пока не вернулся хрен знает куда обратно... так делать нельзя. История меня вообще никак не зацепила, потому к игре один большой вопрос, где конечный вау эффект? Почему такой скучный и банальный сюжет?… Expand
  23. Richard_dias
    Aug 15, 2023
    7
    That's a gorgeous game with a nice narrative, but I came to realize that "walking simulatores" are not my thing. That being said, it seems like The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a pretty good title for the genre.
  24. rodericrinehart
    May 13, 2015
    6
    Ethan Carter was an ok game, worth a play for five bucks or less, but that goes for many games. It is a slow and somewhat boring game and I enjoyed it less than I thought I would. I liked Gone Home far more personally. But it was better than Ether One.

    It has truly fantastic graphics, solid but sparse narration, and a decent story. I can see why many people do like it, but it wasn't    Ethan Carter was an ok game, worth a play for five bucks or less, but that goes for many games. It is a slow and somewhat boring game and I enjoyed it less than I thought I would. I liked Gone Home far more personally. But it was better than Ether One.

    It has truly fantastic graphics, solid but sparse narration, and a decent story. I can see why many people do like it, but it wasn't for me, even at 75% off.    … Expand
  25. flexy123
    Oct 5, 2014
    6
    This game has as much "game play" and "depth" as a a typical graphics benchmark, such as "Heaven Benchmark". It looks pretty. It has awesome environment rendering, nice to show off your new graphics card...but I am afraid that it is as far as it goes from what I've seen in about three hours playing.

    The game world is literally dead. There are no NPCs, animals, or anything to interact    This game has as much "game play" and "depth" as a a typical graphics benchmark, such as "Heaven Benchmark". It looks pretty. It has awesome environment rendering, nice to show off your new graphics card...but I am afraid that it is as far as it goes from what I've seen in about three hours playing.

    The game world is literally dead. There are no NPCs, animals, or anything to interact with. Nothing lives in that word. But you'll get lots of trees. Wonderful trees. Beautiful trees. And water. Trees and gorgeous scenery. If that's your thing...

    And you run around for hours and literally nothing happens. In fact, nothing really "happened" in those three hours I played the game now.

    The story/plot is cringe-worthy, it seems to be a very stereotypical ghost/paranormal story. All that would be acceptable if the game would actually be motivating, if something, ANYTHING would happen. But it doesn't. Instead you wander around and encounter relatively mindless and "forced" seeming puzzles interwoven with that stereotypical ghost story. Like that door puzzle in that house.

    It may well be the case I change my opinion in case I am motivated enough to continue playing, and something would actually happen in the game. Interaction, WHATEVER "action". Who knows. Maybe this comes later. I don't know.

    So far I got incredible bored with the game and the beautiful scenery cannot change this. As said, I can have as much "game play" running Heaven Benchmark. There too I can wander around between awesome trees and water. Except that no sane person would spend hours wandering about in a graphics demo/benchmark.

    This is my honest impression so far.    … Expand
  26. ChosenOne
    Nov 29, 2014
    6
    The landscapes are the best I ever seen in games. Characters and animations - some of the worst. I loved the story presentation and mechanics.
    But when a veteran developers like the Astronauts releasing a game without proper auto-save feature - it's just stupid. I just can't get it.
  27. Crescendo
    Nov 17, 2014
    6
    On one hand, this is a very beautiful and I love the fact that you expore the world on your own without having the usual guidance/map/whatever to let you blaze through the game without noticing any details or thinking for yourself. On the other hand, it's - as many have said before - just a walking simulator with the element of exploration being limited to just finding the murderOn one hand, this is a very beautiful and I love the fact that you expore the world on your own without having the usual guidance/map/whatever to let you blaze through the game without noticing any details or thinking for yourself. On the other hand, it's - as many have said before - just a walking simulator with the element of exploration being limited to just finding the murder sceneries/story-pieces.

    In the best case, this is a stunning, immersive adventure that encourages you to think.
    In the worst case, it's an immensly blown-out-of-proportions Myst-game where the entire game consists of 6 (or 7?) easy 5-minute-puzzles and an ungodly amount of just... walking around.

    That said, 20 bucks is an okay price. I'd give it a 7 if it wasn't for the awful ending that seems to ride the ever so popular train of 'how can we explain everthing that happened while doging that we have to explain everything". Which is just not a thing that should happen in a game like this.    … Expand
  28. Enlil
    May 18, 2015
    6
    Many reviews complain that the game is a "walking simulator" and that there isn't much game there. However, I have the opposite problem. As everyone says the setting is gorgeous. I completely enjoyed the first ~10-15 minutes of the game. I walked along a train track that's hugging a lake and leads over a dam to a abandoned little settlement. But then "the game" starts. It throws tediousMany reviews complain that the game is a "walking simulator" and that there isn't much game there. However, I have the opposite problem. As everyone says the setting is gorgeous. I completely enjoyed the first ~10-15 minutes of the game. I walked along a train track that's hugging a lake and leads over a dam to a abandoned little settlement. But then "the game" starts. It throws tedious puzzles at you that just were chores. To make matters worse the game eventually leads you underground. Obviously there is no stunning landscape underground. During certain parts of puzzles the game also applies a blue filter which is supposed to make the game spooky. However, I don't care for that, I just want to see the pretty landscape. I loved Dear Esther which just had you walk through its beautiful landscape and didn't interrupt you with silly puzzles. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter would have been much better if it either had completely left out the silly puzzles or put enough effort into that part of the game to actually make it enjoyable.… Expand
  29. BLADELING
    Nov 7, 2016
    6
    Positive: graphics, voice acting, controls.
    Negative: everything else.
    This game is *really* short (3-4 hours) and the story, well... too short to talk about without spoilers: let's say the ending is a disappointment. The graphic is nice because the engine is great, there where were developers are supposed to make an effort (internal and characters) there are - immediately noticeable    Positive: graphics, voice acting, controls.
    Negative: everything else.

    This game is *really* short (3-4 hours) and the story, well... too short to talk about without spoilers: let's say the ending is a disappointment. The graphic is nice because the engine is great, there where were developers are supposed to make an effort (internal and characters) there are - immediately noticeable -deficiencies and approximations. Definitely not a 18,99€ game.    … Expand
  30. bjaz
    Oct 23, 2014
    6
    No doubt it's one of the best game in this year
    Players will enjoy the audio & visual beauty of this game,but for how long???
    Still it's a worthy game to play...
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Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Best PC Game of 2014
32
#32 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
40
#40 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 66 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 66
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 66
  3. Negative: 0 out of 66
  1. SpazioGames
    Oct 28, 2015
    85
    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter it's a lovely experience that enchants the player with its narrative, and landscapes. Even the sound is fitting in this smart game whose only real problem is the duration.
    Read full review
  2. Games Master UK
    Dec 21, 2014
    78
    A gorgeously crafted experience that's cramped by the occasionally obtuse signposting. [Christmas 2014, p.68]
  3. CD-Action
    Dec 13, 2014
    80
    Some minor disappointments did not prevent me from soaking in the atmosphere worthy of Lovecraft’s horror stories. [Dec 2014, p.46]
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