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

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Qavvik
    Sep 26, 2014
    9
    So far I don't believe I've done much of the actual storyline as I've just been exploring and admiring the views. The scenery is simply stunning. I've taken over a dozen screen shots so far in my first couple of hours of play.

    The story is very engaging and macabre and the atmosphere is immersive. I've even had the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Pros: Beautiful graphics and    So far I don't believe I've done much of the actual storyline as I've just been exploring and admiring the views. The scenery is simply stunning. I've taken over a dozen screen shots so far in my first couple of hours of play.

    The story is very engaging and macabre and the atmosphere is immersive. I've even had the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

    Pros: Beautiful graphics and scenery. Superb soundtrack. Interesting storyline.

    Cons: Some immersion breaking red/white light pixels that flash in the distant tree line. No indication as to when you've triggered the autosave (no option to save where you want to), so it's a gamble when you stop as to how much you might need to repeat. Can't invert the mouse (option is there, but it's broken). Fell over 100ft down an elevator shaft and didn't die (which I guess is a good thing).

    Final thought: All in all a great game so far and definitely one I would recommend experiencing. I'm so impressed, I gifted a copy to a friend on Steam.    … Expand
  2. roughsleeper
    Sep 25, 2014
    10
    Earphones and a dark room with a measly Core2Duo@3.2 4GB on SSD and Nvidia 570 card plays maxed with a bit of stutter if I spin quickly while cacking my pants at a creak on the stairs.

    I MUST make one suggestion, turn the subtitles off. At least try it: They break it for me. The rest is spot on. Its atmospheric, spooky, cool, interesting, visually stunning and after 2hrs solid play    Earphones and a dark room with a measly Core2Duo@3.2 4GB on SSD and Nvidia 570 card plays maxed with a bit of stutter if I spin quickly while cacking my pants at a creak on the stairs.

    I MUST make one suggestion, turn the subtitles off. At least try it: They break it for me. The rest is spot on.

    Its atmospheric, spooky, cool, interesting, visually stunning and after 2hrs solid play intriguing but too darn scary after the day I've had. It's not run around jump scary, imagine it's an entire world to match the feeling of playing either of the original two classic cakpants Thief levels back in the day.

    It draws you in through sights and sounds. Within 30 minutes you'll have had a WTF??! moment. Anyone who's played it will know. It's fantastic storytelling.

    I'm betting its 8 or 9 easily on an average after a few reviews. If not, my 15 spondoolies have paid for themselves already. Exceptional except.....

    sort out the Spiderwebs though.    … Expand
  3. Jridgen
    Sep 25, 2014
    9
    Mine downloaded from Steam in less than half an hour. Fantastic graphics at 1440p, also evidenced by it being slightly choppy in areas on my relatively strong system (4770k, GTX 770 4 GB, SSD, 16 GB Ram at 1866). Overall just unparalleled atmosphere and narration so far, a bit spooky as well. I am one to be graphics focused sometimes since I think it adds to the immersion. This oneMine downloaded from Steam in less than half an hour. Fantastic graphics at 1440p, also evidenced by it being slightly choppy in areas on my relatively strong system (4770k, GTX 770 4 GB, SSD, 16 GB Ram at 1866). Overall just unparalleled atmosphere and narration so far, a bit spooky as well. I am one to be graphics focused sometimes since I think it adds to the immersion. This one doesn't disappoint in that regard either: Namely fantastic scenery and ultra high resolution textures (which are apparently spliced together by scanning photographs, don't quote me on that look up the developer's explanation). All in all a very good game, I may end up downgrading slightly to an 8, but with many reviewing this without playing it yet, at least I have slightly more to support my opinion.… Expand
  4. Avadon
    Sep 26, 2014
    10
    Lovely story, lovely ending, amazing visuals, sound and environments. Took me about 6 hours to complete while taking my time exploring. The reconstruction of crime scenes can seem a bit weird at first until you realize the game's logic (could have been better explained), but after that it all flows nicely. As I said, the game looks phenomenal, but it is quite demanding. With everythingLovely story, lovely ending, amazing visuals, sound and environments. Took me about 6 hours to complete while taking my time exploring. The reconstruction of crime scenes can seem a bit weird at first until you realize the game's logic (could have been better explained), but after that it all flows nicely. As I said, the game looks phenomenal, but it is quite demanding. With everything maxed including 16xQCSAA, it fluctuated between 50 and 80 fps on my system (4790k, 16g ram, OC 780 Ti), with only 2 exceptions in small areas where it plummeted to below 20 fps for some reason. But at least it looks the part, so it's forgiveable, unlike many recent AAA terrible ports that chug for no visible reason. In general, it's one of the most enjoyable short, focused, reasonably priced indie games I've played. I suggest you buy this and support small studios that produce such small gems. Don't even wait for a sale, the price is fine for what you get, go for it.… Expand
  5. Sawt00th
    Oct 3, 2014
    8
    Immersion. One word describes it all. For those happy to sit down and soak it all up, it is a very rewarding game. The HD Photo realism of the graphics is brilliant and is a step in the right direction for this type of game allowing devs to focus on elements other than sculpting graphics. Puzzles are deep enough to reward and not irritating at all. There are times when you will need toImmersion. One word describes it all. For those happy to sit down and soak it all up, it is a very rewarding game. The HD Photo realism of the graphics is brilliant and is a step in the right direction for this type of game allowing devs to focus on elements other than sculpting graphics. Puzzles are deep enough to reward and not irritating at all. There are times when you will need to retrace steps as it does not guide you through the game. Even the opening intro is well done. Story is dark and the jumps are real. Stick some headphones on light-up and have a blast. Just make sure the hallway light is on before you start so when you go to the toilet you don't fear for your life. Enjoy.… Expand
  6. EmmaT
    Sep 28, 2014
    10
    This game is an unbelievable experience, a merge between Lynch's Twin Peaks and the universe of H. P. Lovecraft. I've never seen such a beautiful game, a new kind of storytelling.
  7. Alphamale1983
    Oct 2, 2014
    10
    This is probably the prettiest game I've ever played. I'm constantly stopping and simply enjoying the views around me. It's worth to get it just for the sightseeing nevermind the gameplay...
  8. fusrodah
    Oct 6, 2014
    10
    "A narrative experience that does not hold your hand". Completely lives up to the sentence mentioned in the very beginning of the game. An immersive, open world-ish adventure game that'll really fascinate players who don't mind investigating and walking around a lot. As an adventure veteran, I expected the game to be a lot more challenging than how it turned out to be, nevertheless,"A narrative experience that does not hold your hand". Completely lives up to the sentence mentioned in the very beginning of the game. An immersive, open world-ish adventure game that'll really fascinate players who don't mind investigating and walking around a lot. As an adventure veteran, I expected the game to be a lot more challenging than how it turned out to be, nevertheless, enjoyed the story and the graphics a lot.… Expand
  9. Nataraja
    Oct 18, 2014
    9
    This is, as the game announces upon launch, a NON HAND HOLDING NARRATIVE EXPERIENCE. As such, it is best categorized as an adventure game. Although short, clocking in at 6 hours to completion, it is, never the less, worth every penny.

    Graphics are incredible in this game. The scenery and sets are gorgeous and immersive. The sound is well done and creates an atmosphere that is    This is, as the game announces upon launch, a NON HAND HOLDING NARRATIVE EXPERIENCE. As such, it is best categorized as an adventure game. Although short, clocking in at 6 hours to completion, it is, never the less, worth every penny.

    Graphics are incredible in this game. The scenery and sets are gorgeous and immersive.

    The sound is well done and creates an atmosphere that is spooky in the best possible sense. Not frightening, but rather occult, curious, Gothic and even a bit intimidating.

    The soundtrack is marvelous and is a great thing to have. As a pre-order I received it for free, but it alone is worth the $9.99 asking price addition for the Collector's Edition add-on. The making of PDF is also very worthwhile.

    The story is well written and feels like old Steven King combined with David Lynch and even a bit of the Twilight Zone.

    Controls are simple and well thought out.

    The puzzles are not overly obtuse nor overly simple, and the game play that each scene creates is unique and well done.

    My only wish was that the game were longer. A more full experience is something I would have preferred. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter will appeal to people who really enjoy story. While less action oriented than Alan Wake, its narrative is of the same caliber.

    I hope that The Astronauts will again let us walk through an investigation with Paul Prospero - the detective with occult powers who was on this one last case.

    A great game.    … Expand
  10. szszsz
    Sep 29, 2014
    10
    deep, immersive story only for someone who can dive into it. comparable to lynch's movies.
    lack of narration and lack of story logic (on first glance) forces you into rethinking the whole story everytime you encounter new hints - hints that are subtle and easy to be unnoticed.
    you can rush through the game in 2 hours and understand nothing, or you can give it 4-5 hours of wandering    deep, immersive story only for someone who can dive into it. comparable to lynch's movies.
    lack of narration and lack of story logic (on first glance) forces you into rethinking the whole story everytime you encounter new hints - hints that are subtle and easy to be unnoticed.

    you can rush through the game in 2 hours and understand nothing, or you can give it 4-5 hours of wandering around and solve the main mystery. the choice is yours, but my advice is stay away from this game if youre casual CoD-like gamer :).

    p.s best played during the night, with lights off and headphones on    … Expand
  11. ijRoberts
    Nov 5, 2014
    9
    The only reason this doesn't get a 10 is because I want MORE of it. It was a superbly beautiful game (thank you Unreal Engine!) that left me wanting so much more. Great gameplay, great puzzle solving, and great exploring. I must have taken over 100 screenshots, any one of the postcard worthy.
  12. iwillkillyou
    Feb 21, 2016
    4
    I did not enjoy this very much. The story did not interest me and the beautifully rendered environment only frustrated me, because you can't interact with it in any interesting way. The only gameplay this has is a few very simple and repetitive puzzles.

    I can appreciate that they tried to do something new and it's apparent how much work must have gone into this but I really hope this is    I did not enjoy this very much. The story did not interest me and the beautifully rendered environment only frustrated me, because you can't interact with it in any interesting way. The only gameplay this has is a few very simple and repetitive puzzles.

    I can appreciate that they tried to do something new and it's apparent how much work must have gone into this but I really hope this is not the future of gameing.    … Expand
  13. caseymert
    Oct 11, 2014
    9
    Masalsı ,merak uyandırıcı hikaye ,inanılmaz görseller ve mukemmel muzıkler oyunu ıcınızde hıssetmek bu oyunda tam karsılıgını bulmus bır tanımolsa gerek.Oynarken bazen oyunu unutup manzarayı izlemeye dalabiliyorsunuz.Bulmacalarıyla ana hıkayeyı renklendıren The Vanishing of Ethan Carter oyun severlerin huzuruna 4 4lük bir şekilde sunulmuş demek doğru olur..Dear Esther oyununu bilen veMasalsı ,merak uyandırıcı hikaye ,inanılmaz görseller ve mukemmel muzıkler oyunu ıcınızde hıssetmek bu oyunda tam karsılıgını bulmus bır tanımolsa gerek.Oynarken bazen oyunu unutup manzarayı izlemeye dalabiliyorsunuz.Bulmacalarıyla ana hıkayeyı renklendıren The Vanishing of Ethan Carter oyun severlerin huzuruna 4 4lük bir şekilde sunulmuş demek doğru olur..Dear Esther oyununu bilen ve seven arkadaşlar bu oyun sizin için biçilmiş kaftan kesinlikle oynamalısnız. Ayrıca Unreal Engine 3 motorunun belkide en güzel kullanıldığı oyun olmasıda büyüleyici havanın yakalanmasındakı temel unsur.90 ve üzeri bir puanı kesinlikle hak ediyor.oynayacak arkadaşlara şimdiden iyi eğlenceler :)… Expand
  14. Cinnamoan
    Oct 9, 2014
    8
    If there's one thing that will keep you playing this game, it's the graphics. I'm the type of gamer that usually stops on certain location just to see the view. Zoom in the rocks, trees, grass, & water quality. I am really impressed on games like this providing stunning graphics while the engine is not requiring too much hardware specs. Very optimized. I really wish other game developersIf there's one thing that will keep you playing this game, it's the graphics. I'm the type of gamer that usually stops on certain location just to see the view. Zoom in the rocks, trees, grass, & water quality. I am really impressed on games like this providing stunning graphics while the engine is not requiring too much hardware specs. Very optimized. I really wish other game developers should follow this. Yes,they create good graphics, but the requirements is too much. Check crysis 3, the witcher 2, etc.

    Over all, the gameplay is good.    … Expand
  15. Noras
    Oct 18, 2014
    8
    It's a nicely put together game. Very beautiful and with an interesting story that pays off by the end.
    It really doesn't hold your hand though, so you might find it frustrating if you happen to not look at the right places and find the right puzzles along the way. Other than that the puzzle solving is quite easy compared to what you'd see in a game like Myst. I know because I usually    It's a nicely put together game. Very beautiful and with an interesting story that pays off by the end.
    It really doesn't hold your hand though, so you might find it frustrating if you happen to not look at the right places and find the right puzzles along the way. Other than that the puzzle solving is quite easy compared to what you'd see in a game like Myst. I know because I usually don't have patience or notion of logic for that sort of game, but I played this one through.    … Expand
  16. MattCobosca
    Oct 19, 2014
    10
    Great atmosphere, music and graphics. Very interesting story, unfortunately really short. Definitely worth to play, although it should be longer (it's about 5 hours of game-play).
  17. Sabapathy
    Oct 26, 2014
    10
    This is simply one of the best games I have ever played. The excellent visuals, haunting score coupled with an amazing and intimate story are enough to take you to another world. Red Creek valley is a beautiful place that you will never want to leave....... I was left longing for more. Kudos to the development team and hope they keep making amazing stuff like this.
  18. ChrisDoubleU
    Oct 29, 2014
    10
    The first PC game I played was Myst, and boy did this bring back memories. Graphically it's beautiful, the music is just fantastic, and the story was amazing. This game plops you into a world and tells you nothing else, you have to solve the mystery yourself just like in Myst. I highly recommend it.
  19. Pjanovic
    Dec 9, 2014
    9
    Wonderful game. Not very hard, but the true fans of adventure games will love it.
    Story is excellent, graphic is impressive (old U3 engine is amazing). Puzzles are well made, maybe should have been harder.
    I gave it 9/10, a very nice gaming experience !
  20. CoreGamer1408
    Apr 28, 2019
    5
    Another walking simulator with a few easy puzzles thrown in with a lot of time consuming padding going from A to B to stretch out this game. Wow I went through all that initially interesting weird drama for the crappiest of crappy trope and cliché ending.
  21. JustinForgueims
    Jun 2, 2022
    3
    A beautiful walking simulator. Graphics and landscape is the only good part of it.
    You expend most of the time just pressing W, with a few right clicks here and there. So I do not consider this a game. You're not 'playing' just passing through.
    There's no clear objectives so most of the time you don't know what you're supposed to do, where to go, what you need to find and where. So you    A beautiful walking simulator. Graphics and landscape is the only good part of it.
    You expend most of the time just pressing W, with a few right clicks here and there. So I do not consider this a game. You're not 'playing' just passing through.

    There's no clear objectives so most of the time you don't know what you're supposed to do, where to go, what you need to find and where. So you keep walking around and around, until you find something random that hopefully you can use/interact. Not because it makes any sense, just because the world is empty and you can just interact with really few things. Not a lor of options here.
    There's a difference on designing a 'game' without hand-hold and one that is not giving you any hint, so you feel lost most of the time.

    You can even skip parts of the story (I did it by mistake) as nothing is blocking you to keep walking and walking. So it's mainly a narrative story where you can skip parts of this story... great plan devs!    … Expand
  22. Galloway
    Mar 16, 2015
    9
    Emotionally it's Dear Esther, difficulty and play-style wise it's Kings Quest. There is also a level with a tribute to Amnesia in it (I noticed a mention of Frictional Games in the credits). The forensic replays are something unique to the game and stunning, probably the most enjoyable part. The story and mystery are great. Although I did enjoy the puzzles, I found they sometimes broke theEmotionally it's Dear Esther, difficulty and play-style wise it's Kings Quest. There is also a level with a tribute to Amnesia in it (I noticed a mention of Frictional Games in the credits). The forensic replays are something unique to the game and stunning, probably the most enjoyable part. The story and mystery are great. Although I did enjoy the puzzles, I found they sometimes broke the flow of the game as I wanted to continue the story and not get bogged down in them. Others may find those challenges to be the most fun part of the game, and will want to take their time and enjoy the challenge. I did go e-z mode and found some walkthroughs to continue the story line as that is what I was most interested in.… Expand
  23. DarkCowboy
    Jan 2, 2016
    4
    It's a really beautiful game.....or more like a narrative story, accompanied by an atmospheric soundtrack.
    I would love to recommend this game.....but after having completed it in less than 4 hours, I simply can't.
    It's really sad that the work of creating a truly beautiful environment and soundtrack, is diminished by a severe lack of actual game content. It's actually a quite    It's a really beautiful game.....or more like a narrative story, accompanied by an atmospheric soundtrack.
    I would love to recommend this game.....but after having completed it in less than 4 hours, I simply can't.
    It's really sad that the work of creating a truly beautiful environment and soundtrack, is diminished by a severe lack of actual game content.
    It's actually a quite captivating story, but you're kind of left with a 'Is that it?' feeling when the much too short storyline comes to end.    … Expand
  24. AaronB
    Feb 13, 2015
    10
    Great game. Love the realism of the landscape, very atmospheric and draws you into the world of Ethan Carter. This is interactive fiction on a grand scale. More please!
  25. CptAhnungslos
    Oct 20, 2014
    8
    Really great game, beautiful, relaxing and atmospheric BUT I wish the developers where brave enough to locate the story where the landscape is taken from...
    When I wander the woods, I have the feeling that these are european woods, also the buildings and all the other things.
  26. phbz
    Dec 5, 2014
    8
    What a great moment to be a gamer. When among the ruins and the fires of AAA publishers new grounds simultaneously give space to new forms of video-game expression. More so when you see smaller developers to finally be able to technically compete with the bigger ones. And on this department I must say that not only “The Vanishing of Ethan Carter” (TVoEC) is on par, but in some ways itWhat a great moment to be a gamer. When among the ruins and the fires of AAA publishers new grounds simultaneously give space to new forms of video-game expression. More so when you see smaller developers to finally be able to technically compete with the bigger ones. And on this department I must say that not only “The Vanishing of Ethan Carter” (TVoEC) is on par, but in some ways it surpasses the vast majority when it comes to visual fidelity. The world of TvoEC is staggering. But as close to perfection as the graphics look, unfortunately nothing else in the game quite reaches the same level.

    The game states right from the beginning that it won't “hold your hand” and this works both ways. On one side it gives you the ability to free roam through its jaw dropping landscapes without ever feeling like you are being played. But on the other hand it can brake the story flow if you are unlucky enough to miss something fundamental to the story progression. Also the game does “hold your hand”, sometimes in a discrete way, others in a dumb way that feels less than natural, considering what the game aims to be. This is specially obvious in the main murder story bits, where you are asked to chronologically piece the moments that led to a crime. You won't feel specially challenged, and worst, its puzzles nature are so simple, that you can just randomly connect the sequences without putting any thought to it. But nothing of this is too serious, just some growing pains from a medium that tries to explore new grounds.

    TvoEC is indeed a very good game. And does a wonderful job on delivering a story. The writing is in fact good and much helped by a great voice acting on all parts involved. It excels in creating a mood and a consistent world. Most importantly, it managed to keep me on wanting to know the whole story. It just needs some polishing of its mechanics to truly be a superb game. Lets just hope that “The Astronauts” are willing to do so on future games.    … Expand
  27. Tomle1202
    Mar 19, 2022
    6
    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter lacks the proper amount of player's agency to compensate for its beautiful but ultimately boring sandbox that demands too much for too little reward.
  28. ThePCGamer101
    Jun 24, 2015
    8
    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is an absolute beauty of a game, from its stunning environmental landscapes to the fantastic atmospheric sound effects that you hear while walking around. I feel that this game has a mix of L.A. Noire with Dear Esther and a bit of Amnesia: The Dark Descent thrown in.

    The story is very good and the ending is very good too. Although the game is pretty short,    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is an absolute beauty of a game, from its stunning environmental landscapes to the fantastic atmospheric sound effects that you hear while walking around. I feel that this game has a mix of L.A. Noire with Dear Esther and a bit of Amnesia: The Dark Descent thrown in.

    The story is very good and the ending is very good too. Although the game is pretty short, with only a 3-4 hour length in gameplay, it is still worth getting! Also, The Astronauts made a prequel comic which you can read to find out what happened before the events that take place in the game.

    The voice acting, although not the greatest I've heard, it is pretty good but don't expect to hear AAA voice actors in this game

    The environment as mentioned before is stellar and beautiful in many ways, I would recommend buying/playing this game on a computer that can actually handle it, although I was able to play it on the High settings, I did experience some sticking in areas where there is a lot of objects. And the FPS did choke down to even 10 FPS!

    Although I never saw one single loading screen, I did notice some bugs in the game, in one part I had to put a certain scene in chronological order and two of the player models were missing even though I could still arrange them how I wanted them to be, plus the game did crash once (but that was probably my PC chocking itself with the amount of stuff it had to handle)

    Even though the game is great, I wish they could of improved on some stuff. The place where you visit which is Red Creek Valley, is pretty big! I know that the developers wanted to immerse you into the game, but I wish there was a few maps placed into the environment like in the Mine (players who played this bit, you know which bit!) had. Plus some of the items you have to search you don't even realize until you almost reach the end, another thing which also annoyed me was where you are in the scene that took place, you would either have to find something or rearrange something, some of the items took me over 30 minutes to complete because I didn't know what on earth I was supposed to do! Also, the puzzles are a bit tricky until you get the hang of it!

    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a great game to play and a job well done to the developers as this was there first game by the company The Astronauts, although the game may be a bit short and it may be a bit frustrating at times, this is a great first person mystery game!    … Expand
  29. bungnoid
    Oct 19, 2014
    8
    This game does a few things fantastically well, but leaves a little to be desired in other aspects. 10 out of 10 for atmosphere, immersion and imagery. The interactivity and story are engaging but are ultimately a little thin overall. The puzzles elements were not particularly challenging, which in some way helps to keep the game moving at a decent pace. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring thisThis game does a few things fantastically well, but leaves a little to be desired in other aspects. 10 out of 10 for atmosphere, immersion and imagery. The interactivity and story are engaging but are ultimately a little thin overall. The puzzles elements were not particularly challenging, which in some way helps to keep the game moving at a decent pace. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring this richly detailed world, but the nature of this type of game provides zero re-playability which is unfortunate.… Expand
  30. urielejh
    Dec 8, 2014
    8
    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. I've been looking at and waiting for that game since it was first announced, almost two years ago. No real news spawned the net, nothing on the story but a glimpse of the very premise of the game itself: a detective with paranormal abilities receives a letter from a boy, E. C., asking for Paul's (Prospero, the detective) help. Feeling the boy's in graveThe Vanishing of Ethan Carter. I've been looking at and waiting for that game since it was first announced, almost two years ago. No real news spawned the net, nothing on the story but a glimpse of the very premise of the game itself: a detective with paranormal abilities receives a letter from a boy, E. C., asking for Paul's (Prospero, the detective) help. Feeling the boy's in grave danger, Prospero starts his journey at Red Creek Valley.

    After that introduction, I gotta say that TVoEC is one of the best FPExperience (FPE/X) ever. Gone Home is tremendous; Dear Esther is surreal.. each one in a very good way.. but TVoEC is both. The Astronauts have made what no-one else have tried and that is recreating the real-world in a game: using Photogrammetry, a recent "photosynth-technique", they applied to 3d models scanned and processed images taken from real-world places. Everything. Grass, trees, roads, rocks, facials, buildings' textures.. and the result is an organic, living world. You literally walk through the places and almost feel like being there for real. There's something so natural to everything.. the amount of details is impressive also; with all settings maxed out, you could take a screenshot and send it to someone telling it that that is a place you visited last summer.. and it will surely ask you: where's that? I'd like to go there too. All of that is built upon a ten years old engine, that is UE3, of course. Artistically, the game is unique in that no fantasy/sci-fi overused theme are exposed but an ultra-realistic, almost surreal in some segments, one.

    The audio compartment is above the standard. Not much for quality, rather for the integration with the world itself: no excessive sound effects, just as nature would sound like; the music is phenomenal, I mean, it really captures the essence of the game and gives even more ambience.

    Gameplay-wise, you have the whole place(s) to explore, without following any particular order; some sections require you to gather clues to solve murders; others are a bit more puzzling but not excessively, at all. No weapons to be used nor monsters to fight.

    If FPE/X (Gone Home, Dear Esther) are your type and you don't mind a journey/experience (also) of the mind with gorgeous visuals, captivating story with mystery and solving cases, than The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is for you.

    Overall:

    Graphic: 9
    Art: 9
    Sound: 7
    Music: 9
    Gameplay: 8
    Replay value: 7
    Uniqueness: 9

    Partial: 8.3    … Expand
prev
Page:

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]
See all critic reviews »