The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 215 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 134 out of 215
  2. Mixed: 55 out of 215
  3. Negative: 26 out of 215

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  1. dacritic82
    Aug 19, 2015
    7
    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a Mystery game in which you play as a detective with some paranormal abilities, who has decided to pay a visit to the hometown of a kid from whom he received a disturbing letter. As you explore Red Creek Valley a dark story will unravel and your task will be to put all the pieces of this puzzle together.

    The game sets a great atmosphere for a really    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a Mystery game in which you play as a detective with some paranormal abilities, who has decided to pay a visit to the hometown of a kid from whom he received a disturbing letter. As you explore Red Creek Valley a dark story will unravel and your task will be to put all the pieces of this puzzle together.

    The game sets a great atmosphere for a really compelling story, with awesome visuals and nice music. Unfortunately the game is too short (around 3 hours, even if you unlock every trophy).

    The cases you solve are way, WAY, to easy and the mechanics are as follow:

    1- Run randomly for several minutes until you reach a location that requires your attention.
    2- Once you're there, you'll get all the evidences (and the body) highlighted for you. Click on all of them.
    3- Sometimes you'll have to look for some missing evidence for which you'll get its general location and a glimpse of its surroundings. You'll just have to walk on that direction until you run into it.
    4- Some other times you have to move an evidence to its right position.
    5- Go back to the body and click on it. This will allow you to sort the sequence of events surrounding the murder an thus solving it.

    Another con I found is that, although the murders are all related to the same story, they are completely isolated and not linked between them. Nothing you learn from a case will have any impact on another. Moreover, solving a case doesn't add anything at all to the game, other than a bit of history. You could just solve the last case and be done with it.

    Though I had a great time, I consider $20 bucks a bit expensive, considering that it has absolutely no replay value and that you'll spend 95% of the time running around and you'll only have to figure out 3 or 4 things for yourself in the entire game. It takes more that good graphics and a good, though very short, story to make a great game.    … Expand
  2. Haisook86
    Feb 4, 2016
    7
    This is a first-person adventure/puzzle game with a mystery/horror elements. On the PS4, Unreal Engine 4 is utilized, with impressive results; every single grass and tree leaf moves with the wind, giving a photorealistic picture. Sound design is very good and the musical score is excellent. You will be exploring a town, which is not that big, looking for clues, reading notes, collectingThis is a first-person adventure/puzzle game with a mystery/horror elements. On the PS4, Unreal Engine 4 is utilized, with impressive results; every single grass and tree leaf moves with the wind, giving a photorealistic picture. Sound design is very good and the musical score is excellent. You will be exploring a town, which is not that big, looking for clues, reading notes, collecting key items, and solving puzzles. Now, the official description mentions that puzzles are not a major focus in the game, but although few, they can be hard, though not impossible, to solve. You might need to go check a FAQ for answers (which I did once). One of the reasons for this is that the game does not present itself in chapters or sequences; you are actually free to roam wherever you want. And consequently you will be solving puzzles in a random order and uncovering parts of the story in a random order too. This might create a sense of disconnection. But what alleviates this is that the town is fairly small and the puzzles are few, so it doesn't get very confusing and you can finish the game without the need to solve some of the minor puzzles.

    The ending of the game was spectacular, but I couldn't help but think that the game could've been much better. Some puzzles felt out of place and I wondered why there were there while others that I couldn't solve seemed important to me, yet I was able to finish the game without solving them, and this left me with unanswered questions.

    Overall, this is a very good game that I recommend for people looking for a first-person adventure game that takes advantage of the next gen systems.    … Expand
  3. drlowdon
    Jan 19, 2019
    4
    When paranormal investigator Paul Prospero recieves a letter from his fan Ethan Carter he travels to his home town of Red Creek Valley to find the boy missing and evidence of recent violence in the abandoned town.

    The set up is without doubt intriguing and right of the bat the game tells you it won’t hold your hand and tell you what to do. Usually I’m all for games that let you get on    When paranormal investigator Paul Prospero recieves a letter from his fan Ethan Carter he travels to his home town of Red Creek Valley to find the boy missing and evidence of recent violence in the abandoned town.

    The set up is without doubt intriguing and right of the bat the game tells you it won’t hold your hand and tell you what to do. Usually I’m all for games that let you get on with it but in reality much of your time with this game is spent doing little more than wandering around the, admittedly nice looking, environment until you spot something you can interact with. Once you’ve interacted with the required items and objects you’ll usually have a puzzle to solve in order to piece together just how they are linked. These puzzles are fine, and link into the story nicely, but it’s all too easy too simply miss vital clues be left wondering what to do next.

    I appreciate what The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter is trying to do but I found it a largely frustrating experience.    … Expand
  4. C_Baltimore
    Dec 27, 2015
    6
    First off, the game is visually stunning. Second, the concept is also brilliant. With that being said, I feel I spent a majority of the time I spent playing this game, Walking, and walking and walking some more. I wish there had been more to interact with on my hike because that would have made it more alive. It felt, "Lonely" in some way. I truly enjoyed the fact finding, clue huntingFirst off, the game is visually stunning. Second, the concept is also brilliant. With that being said, I feel I spent a majority of the time I spent playing this game, Walking, and walking and walking some more. I wish there had been more to interact with on my hike because that would have made it more alive. It felt, "Lonely" in some way. I truly enjoyed the fact finding, clue hunting and piecing things together, but at some points in time, it felt incredibly random. I also felt the ending was a bit anti-climactic. I had read several reviews and hate to admit, I felt a bit let down.… Expand
  5. Bumblebugbee
    Jun 30, 2016
    6
    A little exploration, a little mystery, a little puzzle, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter has it all. The goal of the game can be distinguished quite easily from the title. This is a story-driven adventure game in the likes of Dear Esther, Gone Home, and Everybody's Gone To Rapture. However, where all those games really shine all the way through The Vanishing doesn't really come togetherA little exploration, a little mystery, a little puzzle, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter has it all. The goal of the game can be distinguished quite easily from the title. This is a story-driven adventure game in the likes of Dear Esther, Gone Home, and Everybody's Gone To Rapture. However, where all those games really shine all the way through The Vanishing doesn't really come together till the very end. Its a decent game with a decent story but is that enough to make the journey worthwhile?

    You step into the shoes of Paul Prospero, a detective who finds himself at Red Creek Valley to investigate Ethan's sudden disappearance. You'll find various clues along the way that will help you get an idea of what happened to Ethan. These clues are broken is the a handful of sets for key areas across the game. Once you find all the pieces of a set you'll unlock vision of what happened at that spot. Its up to you to find the appropriate timeline of the event. After you get the events in the right order you're treated to a cut-scene that shows exactly what happened.

    The visuals in this game are quite realistic. Since you'll need to do a lot of exploring and walking around you really get to appreciate how gorgeous this game is. The pretty landscapes and scenery are quite relaxing and calming. Since the story can get pretty dark the environments make for a nice contrast to the tone of the story. Often the scenes involve individuals seeming to be going paranoid, often hurting each or trying to capture Ethan. They believe Ethan has unleashed an ancient evil upon the town that is tainting the minds of the locals and feeding off their violence.

    Most of the time all you'll need to do is just find the clues lying around. However, there are a couple light puzzle elements. In one instance you have imagines of different room options in a house and you have to figure which rooms belong to which doorways. In another instance there is a cavern with various bodies you have to find to decipher a code. After you've explored town and solved all the puzzles you finally realize what happened to Ethan. Its the emotional highlight of the game that will really stick with you and have you going back to really think about everything that lead up to that point.

    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter may have an emotional impact but as a game I believe its fairly average. That is not to say this is a bad game by any means but there just isn't much to it. Besides the ending the story is pretty much forgettable. There is little variety in the gameplay and even figuring out the order of events just involves trial and error. The exploration is probably the highlight of this experience but its hardly enough to justify some of the games other shortcomings. I'm all for narrative driven adventure games but I just think that this particular one is only slightly better than average.    … Expand
  6. JoshLuck1995
    Aug 4, 2015
    8
    This game is pretty good. the graphics is the strongest point and it is even better with the latest game patch as it locks the frame rate so no more stuttering! i finished the game last night and i was slightly sad at the length of the game but other than that i really enjoyed it so i certainly recommend it!!
  7. noahbruhh
    Feb 19, 2016
    9
    Great game with a very personal tale to tell, amazing characters and a phenomenal ending, the graphics are extremely realistic with environments that look like a beautiful picture. A short and sweet adventure into a little boys imagination and his world.
  8. TheDahaka
    Jul 15, 2015
    8
    The game is gorgeous and every bit as brilliant as it's PC big brother (See PC review for game details). Yes the game does have a variable framerate as some have stated, but it is far from a game breaker. If you don't game on PC, then definately check this out on PS4.
  9. SuperkenGaming
    Jul 17, 2015
    8
    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
    A beautiful puzzle
    The vanishing is a great looking game with a dash of challenge and mystery essential a linear openish world murder mystery game that doesn’t hold your hand Youre placed into a gorgeous world and aren’t really told what to do youll come across notes and dead bodies and have to figure out how they got there you do this by examining    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
    A beautiful puzzle
    The vanishing is a great looking game with a dash of challenge and mystery
    essential a linear openish world murder mystery game that doesn’t hold your hand
    Youre placed into a gorgeous world and aren’t really told what to do
    youll come across notes and dead bodies and have to figure out how they got there
    you do this by examining scenes and items
    using your sense will show you where an item youre missing is located visually without just handing the solution to you
    you still need to put in the work of studying your surroundings.
    After you’ve found all of your clues you can touch the dead body and attempt to place the events in chronical order to see how they all played out and get clues on where to head to next in your search for Ethan
    This is the best mystery solving ive ever seen in a game and think developers should really take note.
    This is the new standard.
    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter will take you on a great adventures and various locations.
    You’ll never feel too board, as the pacing is perfect enough and problem solving is simple enough to not have you feel frustrated or like you are dragging yourself through this 4 hour game.
    The downside though is of course that it is only 3 to 4 hours long and there is absolutely no replayability.
    Once you’ve found the few secrets and surprises the games have to offer that’s about it..
    The openish world is very linear and leaves little to no room for exploration.
    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a one time deal
    And honestly I think this one time deal is worth your time
    for what it is
    Action-Adventure/Murder Mystery: 8.5/10
    Overall: 8/10    … Expand
  10. firstkuparioch
    Jul 15, 2015
    10
    This is a first person mystery game with light puzzles and rich and atmospheric setting with engaging story. You play as a supernatural detective - Paul Prospero - who is in search of a little boy named Ethan.The graphics are phenomenal and the music is very pleasent.
    PS4 version has better save system than the PC one. It takes ~ 5h - just perfect little interactive story.
  11. grumete_2012
    Jul 21, 2015
    10
    The Vanishing of Nathan Carter turns out to be one of the best free world exploring games I've ever played. The graphics are impressively realistic and the quality of the details is amazing. The gameplay is quite entertaining, and the plot and history of the game is addictive. Once you start to solve the puzzles and experience the history, you will go on until the end of the title, whichThe Vanishing of Nathan Carter turns out to be one of the best free world exploring games I've ever played. The graphics are impressively realistic and the quality of the details is amazing. The gameplay is quite entertaining, and the plot and history of the game is addictive. Once you start to solve the puzzles and experience the history, you will go on until the end of the title, which is perfectly suitable for its duration doesn't exceed four or five hours approximately.

    I really recommend this title, a perfect smooth mistery and thriller game that maintains you focused and just necessarily frightened at some parts.    … Expand
  12. tomason
    Jul 28, 2015
    9
    It was an amazing experience, I was immersed in the world of the game from the beginning to the end. The story is interesting, leaving some space for the player to fill with their own interpretations. The graphics, the best I've seen so far in the PS4. I would have liked it to last a little longer.
  13. TaylorRevelator
    Mar 25, 2016
    9
    The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter turned out surprisingly different to how I anticipated it would be. In a good way. The environment was lush with detailed and beautiful graphics. Piecing together the stories was a pleasure and the ending was moving and satisfying. It's a short story, but it's one you can really take your time with and absorb. It depends of course on what you want out of aThe Vanishing Of Ethan Carter turned out surprisingly different to how I anticipated it would be. In a good way. The environment was lush with detailed and beautiful graphics. Piecing together the stories was a pleasure and the ending was moving and satisfying. It's a short story, but it's one you can really take your time with and absorb. It depends of course on what you want out of a game, but this was an experience I very much enjoyed.… Expand
  14. Kurgaan
    Mar 20, 2016
    8
    A great looking Cthulhu style adventure mystery in first person. This game wasn't very long but what there is I found really enjoyable. I had a few issues with controls but all round this is a good game.
  15. paddystudmuffin
    Aug 8, 2015
    4
    I would say for the price it's at at the minute it's not worth it. It's 4 hours long and once you go through it you'll never go back. Graphics are really good but everything else is bad. Very like murdered: soul suspect. To easy and way too short. Not worth £16.
  16. Zimbardo
    Aug 7, 2015
    4
    This just ended up being Dear Esther with a better engine and worse music.

    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter does a good job of showcasing the Unreal Engine 4 and that's about it (I had no frame-rate issues). The opening message of "This game will not hold your hand" makes it seem like you're in for either a game-play or puzzle challenge but in reality all you end up doing is pacing the    This just ended up being Dear Esther with a better engine and worse music.

    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter does a good job of showcasing the Unreal Engine 4 and that's about it (I had no frame-rate issues).

    The opening message of "This game will not hold your hand" makes it seem like you're in for either a game-play or puzzle challenge but in reality all you end up doing is pacing the environments until you're triggered every event.

    The promotional materials that I saw for this game made it out to be Lovecraftian or at least spooky and (without spoiling anything major) it most certainly is not.

    Wait until it's $5.    … Expand
  17. The_Fun_Too
    Aug 11, 2015
    1
    A nice soundtrack with a ridiculous history. By the way, my dogs could do the game puzzles with its tail. Good graphics doesn't mean good game. Don´t try this
  18. hadders
    Jul 14, 2015
    3
    Beautiful looking game that is horrendously spoilt by frame rate issues. Very distracting and I cannot believe that this was actually released in such condition.
  19. Artes1989
    Jul 14, 2015
    7
    WTF with FPS in Ps4 version of this game?
    If u look to the sky, FPS = 60
    If u look to the forest or other places, Where textures large, your fps wil be set down to 30.
  20. TheMetacritiqer
    Jul 5, 2016
    7
    One of the most disappointing endings ever. And yes, in my opinion worse than Mass Effect 3's (Which wasn't that bad). Expect to get stuck for hours if you can't figure out the mechanic of finding out where certain objects are. When you see the same word many times keep moving until they all come together. Knowing that would have saved me hours. Definitely not worth 20$ 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
  21. Hyper-Dash
    Mar 4, 2018
    3
    A 5 minutes long puzzle that, once you've failed, you start over. No thanks.
  22. Tellus12
    Aug 25, 2017
    8
    You are Paul Prosero, a detective sent to solve the Vanishing of Ethan Carter in an erea where it appears everyone else has vanished too!
    This is a tough one to review as its originality and story driven plot somewhat overirde the gameplay it tries to submit. The story grabs you and draws you in to very unpredictable episodes and circumstances, however, the pace of these stories can    You are Paul Prosero, a detective sent to solve the Vanishing of Ethan Carter in an erea where it appears everyone else has vanished too!
    This is a tough one to review as its originality and story driven plot somewhat overirde the gameplay it tries to submit. The story grabs you and draws you in to very unpredictable episodes and circumstances, however, the pace of these stories can differ and you can do them in any order, even missing some entirely after you complete it. It starts out a bit vague and just drops you within the broder of this town and says 'get on with it'. Then you have to walk everywhere, which takes a hell of a long time, especially if you miss something and have to go back for it.
    Controls are fine, simple enough to get to grips with and the graphics are very polished for games like this. The atmosphere is mixed between eerie, etherial, intruiging, creepy and with a few jump scares thrown in.
    Your character's chrono kinesis case solving is very effective and fun as you try to piece things together on how they occured. Trial and error can get you through most of it though.
    The ending doesn't disappoint, and neother does each chapter which in hindsight could have been written individually and clumped together into one big umbrella story, still , it is done well.

    Negatives are the emptiness of the game. No real interaction, a reocurring problem that shouldn't be happening with games these days. The relentless walking is a pain, could have coded a vehicle in there somewhere, or even warp points or something. No reply value. A bit too short, might be about 6 hours, tops.

    It has a lot of unique and memorable moments though and is worth playing through to find a few twists    … Expand
  23. RagingPoet
    Nov 3, 2017
    8
    The Vanishing of Ethan Carter has more actual gameplay that you would expect from walking simulator. And exploring environment is also a lot of fun, because of almost photorealistic graphics.
  24. PS-Online
    Nov 5, 2017
    8
    For anyone familiar with the title will know that it started life on PC and has found it's way onto the Playstation 4 in digital form only.
    How has the game transferred over to the PS4? In short, brilliantly.
    The game is beautiful. From the very start you will look at the light cascading through the branches of trees and dancing off the surface of watery lakes and rivers. Two updates    For anyone familiar with the title will know that it started life on PC and has found it's way onto the Playstation 4 in digital form only.
    How has the game transferred over to the PS4? In short, brilliantly.
    The game is beautiful. From the very start you will look at the light cascading through the branches of trees and dancing off the surface of watery lakes and rivers. Two updates have been downloaded to improve the game.

    The story is of course about Ethan Carter, that's as much as I can tell you. Saying any more will be considered a spoiler. On starting a play-through you will be dumped on a rail road track and off you go, no hints, no hand holding and at first this can be quit off putting but stay with it as before long you will be taken on a fantastic adventure solving puzzles and piecing together the story of Ethan Carter.
    One thing worth mentioning is you wont have any gun fix in this game, in fact anyone expecting you run and gun or even pick up a plank of wood will be very put out. No gun toting here, just good old fashioned adventuring.

    Be sure to look everywhere as the developer has some 'out of this world' surprises in store.
    I feel that many developers will take a stab at this kind of experience as so many shooters and First Person games are getting very stale.

    The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter is refreshing and a game that every PS4 gamer should give a go.    … Expand
  25. brushforhire
    Nov 13, 2017
    9
    This is a narrative game with an amazing story. If you are looking for a puzzle filled challenge that will rack your brain, this is not it. If you are looking for an experience that will stick with you, then this is a game for you. I really enjoyed it, and played through it in an afternoon. I liken this game to the entertainment level of a good movie.
  26. bersi84
    Dec 28, 2018
    8
    Review based on the PS4 Pro experience. First and utmost important hint: get your expectations right before buying this game then it can be phenomenal!

    The game evolves around a small and beautiful land scenery where you are investigate the vanishing of ethan carter as a paranormal investigator driving you to numerous sports where you basically look around and put pieces together, bring    Review based on the PS4 Pro experience. First and utmost important hint: get your expectations right before buying this game then it can be phenomenal!

    The game evolves around a small and beautiful land scenery where you are investigate the vanishing of ethan carter as a paranormal investigator driving you to numerous sports where you basically look around and put pieces together, bring it in the right story timeline and get a video what happened originally. By doing this you are getting routed to the whole scenery, numerous spots and gain intelligence about Ethan Carter and his surroundings.

    The plot, can be sometimes weird, sometimes paranormal, horror-ish and with dark themed elements. After all the story is well made to me but the ending is a "could be improved" to bad one. I will not spoil too much but I think there could have been more intense and more mystery infused choices but the devs made their decision and I will respect that. Its still not bad with a nice twist after all.

    The visuals and sound is outstanding. As this game is basically a walking simulator the ressources can be used for stunning visuals and the devs hit that on the spot. The sound puts a lot to the atmosphere from squeaking trees to howling caves, its truly awesome and brought the creeps to me! I did not have any lags or stutters, the game was always smooth.

    Length, depends on how you get into the game. It took me a while to get a grip on it but I finished the game including optional achievements in probably 8hrs or something like that. I think its mostly around 5 to 10hrs depending on playstyle and I had quite some backtracking to do because of own mistakes.

    Worth or not? I had no expectations I was even well aware I was buying a "stupid" walking simulator and the beginning was frustrating but the scenery and the atmosphere is so damn rewarding in this game that I would totally buy it again. You should be well aware though that this game is ONLY about walking, solving minimal puzzles and learning about the story. Finally I think the price makes the deal. I got the game for 6.99 probably 9.99 would be okay too if I would have to invest more then 10 or at max 12 I would not recommend buying it.

    With that said: please give it a try if you enjoy mystery and good atmosphere. I feel this game and the devs put some good ideas and intentions into this game that are worth supporting. Cheers!    … Expand
  27. Menni
    Apr 27, 2020
    8
    Fantastica avventura narrativa-investigativa, da capire e da giocare con molta calma. Comparti grafico e sonoro top, vero punto di forza l assenza di indicazioni esterne su cosa fare o dove andare, il giocatore è libero di gestire la partita quindi di esplorare e godere di ogni piccolo dettaglio del gioco se vuole proseguire. Unico contro la longevità
  28. Shenandoah
    Feb 27, 2021
    9
    Technically the game is absolutely perfect. The visuals are just awesome and runs at 60 fps on PS4 Pro. It is hard to believe that the game is 6 years old. The gameplay is simple and feels pretty fluid. Although the length of the game is too short and has no replay value.
  29. Mindkiller7522
    Jan 16, 2022
    1
    "This game is a narrative experience and does not hold your hand" translation-"We realized that if we added objective markers or any proper story beats the game would only be half an hour long, so have fun wandering around the forest trying to figure out what to do!"

    Granted it's still short, but very boring and by the end of it I had very little idea what was going on. Very similar to    "This game is a narrative experience and does not hold your hand" translation-"We realized that if we added objective markers or any proper story beats the game would only be half an hour long, so have fun wandering around the forest trying to figure out what to do!"

    Granted it's still short, but very boring and by the end of it I had very little idea what was going on. Very similar to Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. At least you can move a little faster. Not really a fun experience.    … Expand
  30. Rox22
    Oct 18, 2015
    4
    Far to short. Took me 3 hour to get 100%.

    Visually it is gorgeous. But that's it. Story is bare and not original and gameplay is limited. Overall: TVoEC looks and feels like it was meant to show off visuals like a tech demo. As gorgeous as it is, it is far too simple and short to even call it a game. At best it is an ultra sexy demo. But that's it. In it's current state, it far too    Far to short. Took me 3 hour to get 100%.

    Visually it is gorgeous. But that's it. Story is bare and not original and gameplay is limited.

    Overall:
    TVoEC looks and feels like it was meant to show off visuals like a tech demo. As gorgeous as it is, it is far too simple and short to even call it a game. At best it is an ultra sexy demo. But that's it. In it's current state, it far too overpriced.

    Side note:
    I do hope other developers of 1st person exploration games look at this game. If anything I hope this game is a glimpse of things to come (visually speaking of course.)    … Expand
  31. Lewis-Angelo
    Jun 1, 2021
    5
    historia entretenida y con un buen final

    técnicamente un poco flojo, la cámara marea con tanto tearing y bajón de frames
    le falta más trabajo en la banda sonora
  32. frederik1478
    Mar 8, 2022
    6
    A good little adventure game that should take you about an hour 2. You should probably play this game because it is a good and it's worth trying and it is ridiculously cheap on sale all the time.
  33. Aloof
    May 2, 2020
    6
    It is difficult for me to judge this game. On the one hand, I loved the story, the music, the voices, the setting, there are truly evocative moments and the place where the story takes place is so real. But I had serious gameplay problems and in general, getting to play it without reading anything, I didn't know HOW to play it, I had to see guides. For a good hour and a half I wanderedIt is difficult for me to judge this game. On the one hand, I loved the story, the music, the voices, the setting, there are truly evocative moments and the place where the story takes place is so real. But I had serious gameplay problems and in general, getting to play it without reading anything, I didn't know HOW to play it, I had to see guides. For a good hour and a half I wandered aimlessly, not knowing how to proceed. The defect of the game, which can also be an advantage for some, is that it is truly confusing to the player, it is not intuitive at all. In general I recommend it even if I don't agree with the votes it has taken… Expand
  34. TheCatalyst
    Dec 29, 2017
    6
    Spectacular voice work and writing. I had no expectation going into this game, I only knew that it was a walking simulator. It thrived in the writing and telling the story, graphics were pretty wonderful too, some really good set pieces. The strangeness and the intrigue of the mystery were what kept me motivated to play. The piecing together the mysteries of the story are cleverly done andSpectacular voice work and writing. I had no expectation going into this game, I only knew that it was a walking simulator. It thrived in the writing and telling the story, graphics were pretty wonderful too, some really good set pieces. The strangeness and the intrigue of the mystery were what kept me motivated to play. The piecing together the mysteries of the story are cleverly done and each section felt quite a bit different from one another. Unfortunately, the culmination of the story's ending leaves much to be desired, which is a shame since this game had such a unique direction of where it was going. A short run, but worth it for the early intrigue, just wish the build-up paid off. 65/100… Expand
  35. ThaFlu84
    May 18, 2020
    7
    The game's structure is somewhat confusing at first and it can be dull at times.
    However, it remains a very eerie, mysterious, and beautiful game with a nice ending.
  36. BipolarSmile
    Jul 16, 2022
    7
    Even though I gave this a 7, it is a good game.
    Unfortunately there were some bad design choices made, and it is riddled with bugs.
    If you like exploration games that are more narrative-based(what most people would call walking simulators) then you might like this game with it's paranormal mystery story.
  37. nexus151196
    Dec 25, 2020
    7
    Очень интересная игра, прошёл её только что залпом. На всё - про всё ушло 3 часа. Мир поражает своей красотой, графика бомбически красивая даже для 2020 года( к тому же это инди игра, привет Беседка). Музыка ошарашивает своей красотой ещё больше, она просто нереальная, отлично подчёркивает атмосферу. Хочется просто стоять ,смотреть и слушать эту игру. А вот с сюжетом всё не так хорошо дляОчень интересная игра, прошёл её только что залпом. На всё - про всё ушло 3 часа. Мир поражает своей красотой, графика бомбически красивая даже для 2020 года( к тому же это инди игра, привет Беседка). Музыка ошарашивает своей красотой ещё больше, она просто нереальная, отлично подчёркивает атмосферу. Хочется просто стоять ,смотреть и слушать эту игру. А вот с сюжетом всё не так хорошо для меня, иногда не понимал логики действий, что от меня хотят и т.д. Возможно проблема во мне , и в том, что я играл в полностью англ.версию.( спасибо за отсутствие перевода). + слишком много фантастики. А так -рекомендую любителям бродилок.… Expand
  38. greyestfox
    Nov 24, 2020
    5
    I paid $5 on PSN and at that price I'd say it was worth it. The game says right up front it's not going to hold your hand and that's absolutely true. It's like a Myst-like in that respect because I can't imagine anyone getting 100% out of this game without looking up a guide. Some of the puzzle solutions aren't intuitive and for the most part the game doesn't even explain the mechanics ofI paid $5 on PSN and at that price I'd say it was worth it. The game says right up front it's not going to hold your hand and that's absolutely true. It's like a Myst-like in that respect because I can't imagine anyone getting 100% out of this game without looking up a guide. Some of the puzzle solutions aren't intuitive and for the most part the game doesn't even explain the mechanics of how you'd solve the puzzle. There's not even in-game instructions of what buttons do what.

    The best part of this game is its beautiful environments. I found myself stopping to take a screenshot quite a few times.

    That being said, a game like this HEAVILY depends on its story. I thought the story was interesting but not outstanding and it never elicited an emotional response like a good story should. I bought this after playing What Remains of Edith Finch. Th is game is in the same vein but I much preferred Edith Finch's story.    … Expand
  39. Bizancio_Askatu
    May 10, 2023
    7
    This polish indie walking simulator takes place in a stunning countryside landscape combining Lovecraft vibes with puzzles and a remarkable OST.
    Even though I do not like specially walking simulators, I enjoyed this game due to its detectivesque narrative, the mystery surrounding Ethan¨s disappearance and his dysfunctional family. It also helps that in this game you can move faster by    This polish indie walking simulator takes place in a stunning countryside landscape combining Lovecraft vibes with puzzles and a remarkable OST.
    Even though I do not like specially walking simulators, I enjoyed this game due to its detectivesque narrative, the mystery surrounding Ethan¨s disappearance and his dysfunctional family. It also helps that in this game you can move faster by pressing the run button.
    IMO the ending was kind of a cliche but fitted the story well and I liked that It can only be unveiled once all mysteries are solved.
    The Ps4 version was done from scratch to utilize the unreal engine 4, the original one used the 3, and it's really impressive, it also includes some QOL features like the saving system and the quick travel system to complete all mysteries.
    The puzzles are a little bit annoying sometimes because of the lack of indications, trial and error mechanics or some absurdly demanding precision to place the items but overall they are ok.

    In summary a short game with a very powerful atmosphere that can be easily recommended to anyone who likes mystery stories, puzzles and lovecraft's work.    … Expand
  40. DangerDave1409
    Jan 24, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A nice game with lots of twists. The puzzles range from easy to challenging aka "lets see how they solved it on youtube". The narrative is good and twisted, with the end being suprisingly strange but good. Loved it for its shortness and approach.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

50
#50 Best PS4 Game of 2015
76
#76 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 33
  3. Negative: 1 out of 33
  1. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Oct 16, 2015
    80
    The environment’s naturalism and splendour make the core of the game feel more exotic than it really is. [November 2015, p79]
  2. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Sep 21, 2015
    80
    A little threadbare and not as revolutionary as it appears, but poignant and breathtakingly realised. [Oct 2015, p.95]
  3. ActionTrip
    Sep 21, 2015
    95
    A splendid narrative experience that is not to be missed.
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