The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (PC) Review
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We liked?
- Looks incredible
- Intriguing story that doesn't hold your hand
Not so much?
- As good as it is at not holding your hand sometimes it's a little vague in direction
- Some mght feel the short length is an issue - depends on your value mind-set
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter sees you filling the (gum)shoes of detective Paul Prospero in the first game to come from Polish studio The Astronauts. Comprising some of the founding talent of developers People Can Fly (Painkiller, BulletStorm, Gears of War: Judgement etc) this 8 strong team hope to beguile us with this gorgeous horror […]
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter sees you filling the (gum)shoes of detective Paul Prospero in the first game to come from Polish studio The Astronauts.
Comprising some of the founding talent of developers People Can Fly (Painkiller, BulletStorm, Gears of War: Judgement etc) this 8 strong team hope to beguile us with this gorgeous horror adventure.
Pretty much off the bat The Vanishing of Ethan Carter lays its cards on the table by stating in black and white that the game will not be holding your hand in any way shape or form. You see the game is unlike most titles you might have experienced in the genre owing more to titles like Dear Esther or Gone Home than a traditional horror adventure title.
You start in a wooded area with little to no idea of what to do next. Only the briefest of remits from the main character as he talks over the letter he received from young Ethan Carter shortly before his disappearance. As you trudge the forest walk and make your way over the train bridge you honestly can’t help but stop and take a breath or two – the game is truly gorgeous. Not just in the case of effects and horse power but in the sheer tactile look and feel of the world created around you to explore.
Explore it you shall! As you start to look around Red Creek Valley you immediately notice a few things amiss. Blood stains on the railway track, brief snippets of clues. You slowly start to explore the area, piecing together the events that have led to Ethan’s disappearance, finding out about his family and the events that caused him to write to you in the first place.
The exploration is varied, undirected (for the most part) and utterly compelling. The story is as deep as you make it by your exploration and puzzle solving. These puzzles tend to split between crime scenes where you have to find out what transpired. Or you will have something slightly more fantastical like a house made of shimmering portals that lead to other rooms or chasing what appears to be a spaceman through a forest.
The puzzle solving portions take a unique turn with Prospero’s hidden talents for crime scene analysis. Using his skills you can see through small rifts where important objects you need to solve a crime scene are located. It then becomes a treasure hunt to locate these items.
As mentioned previously the game truly is mesmerizingly opulent. Such a beautifully realised game environment that it puts many other open world titles to shame – especially when you consider the size of the size of The Astronauts’ team of 8 people!
It’s impossible in many ways to deal with some of the things that makes Ethan Carter such a compelling title without spoiling some of what makes it unique. From the narrative tone, to the uncompromising refusal to show you the easy or obvious way to progress. The team have stuck closely to their vision and the title is all the better for it.
Final Thoughts
If you’re someone who is looking for a unique narrative experience then this is certainly something for you. If you had a passing appreciation for Dear Esther or Gone Home then again, this should be something you seek out with all haste.
The game will run you around 4’ish hours and that’s with taking a moderate amount of time to explore. You will no doubt ring a few more hours from it if you want to check every nook and cranny. It’s not particularly challenging as the puzzles are fairly basic but they will be just enough to hold your interest.
The game is a beautiful conundrum with superb story telling layered with some truly gorgeous world creation. As beautiful as the world is it certainly feels lonely – perhaps by design, yet it still makes this feel like a game world, rather than a living breathing environment.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is something to sit down and get lost in for a rainy afternoon or gloomy Winter’s eve. Wrap yourself up in the narrative and enjoy something a little more than your average adventure title.