The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a finely crafted cigar box. It is art, it has a purpose, and its contents will bring you enjoyment.

About a boy.

An average story mixed with some great nuggets to experience, all of which takes place in beautiful backdrops and wonderful accompanying music.

What’s even more impressive is that you right from the start, you can wander anywhere you want without without a single loading screen to pull your out of the experience. Seriously, I can’t count the number of times I stopped moving and just lingered on a view throughout my three-hour journey. Sprawling valleys, shimmering lakes, and autumnal forests make Ethan Carter one of those games where I want to screencap nearly every single moment.

Spectral visions turn a cloudy tale clear in a supernatural mystery adventure.

Developer The Astronauts has proven that you don't need a AAA budget to create a game that is not only beautiful, but also thought provoking and atmospheric. The game's only pitfall is how short it can be if you are only interested in the main story, but I would say it is worth a second play-through to discover all of the hidden investigations and secrets. If you are into Lovecraft or Poe and appreciate a macabre mystery with heavy atmosphere, you owe it to yourself to dive into the world of Ethan Carter.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter may not be a long journey, but the breathtaking visuals and atmosphere are enough to captivate most anybody on their way to solving a number of mysteries that all play a part in the overall story.

As the credits roll on this brief but powerful experience, you'll realise a lot is left open to interpretation. For some, that's to be expected. For others, it'll be infuriating. Prospero rarely seems to be in a hurry – even when he bloody should be – and as such, his plodding pace is very much a gamer's Marmite; you'll either love it or hate it… but good grief is this a mystery worth solving.

Play it all the way through and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter gives just enough to make what players see make sense, and help them go back to finish the overall story and pickup story elements that passed them by. There's enough beautiful - and at times, outlandish - imagery and story to overcome the game's problems so stick with it. By the end, the narrative wraps up beautifully.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter might be less involved than a lot of mystery games, but it is by no stretch any less fascinating, beautiful or immersive. Its haunting atmosphere sucks you in with its unsettling vibe, but it’s the mystery that keeps you there until the very end. It may not be the longest game, but if the supernatural intrigues you even a little, then this one case worth taking.

There's more to The Vanishing of Ethan Carter that I've omitted for fear of spoiling the game's best surprises, but I will say that each of these moments is inextricably tied to the method this story is being told in — that is, as a video game. It is evidence of a kind of narrative that games can do better than anything else, as well as proof that games can work with a story that doesn't need to be overblown or exaggerated — main character's paranormal powers aside. If you have the three or four hours to devote to it and care about the future of games as a storytelling medium, Ethan Carter is ...

Nevertheless I really enjoyed the 3-4 hours I spent investigating The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and recommend you check it out, although admittedly your own enjoyment will be tied to whether you find and solve all the puzzles first time around. The story is great and well told, the atmosphere is superb, the environment is intensely believable, and the “puzzles” are neat. There are a lot of surprises in store, so don’t just write it off as a “walking simulator”. Still the save system...