The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

A glorified walking simulator. + Nice visuals and soundtrack. - Stutter. - Bugs. - Too much back and forth. - Crap save system. Well the game world is pretty big - could do with a map or some sort of journal at least. Pretty sure I explored the whole place but I can only take so much of a walking sim and the whole going back and forth seeing if I might've missed something. It's not easy trying to find specific objects in a place that huge either. The game is kind of broken up into a series of mini quests based on the achievements so I completed a few of them just not the game I guess but I've had my fill. Really I think the whole 'the game doesn't hold your hand' thing is taken a bit far. Morrowind doesn't hold your hand, yet it at least gives your more than enough information to work things out for yourself. Dues Ex (2000) doesn't hold your hand either. This is purely just a guessing game - hope that you stumble across the right things and go in the right direction or something. I became more lost than I was in the beginning before I'd even discovered my first clue. How does that even happen? I guess if you want a walking sim with some extra spice then go for it but I wouldn't pay full price and you'll probably end up being left feeling dissatisfied, unfulfilled and that you wasted your time/money, unless you have a ton of patience to spare.

I started this walking simulator game without any clue and wandered around for an hour or two. Then I finally realised in the tomb area about how interactions in this game work. The game experience after that is smooth. The game tells an interesting story. It looks confusing at the start but everything makes sense in the end. Some of the side lines are easy to miss, but no need to worry as you always can walk back and complete those missed ones. All achievements can be completed in one run.

[h1] The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is like a warm blanket on a rainy day. [/h1] Just as cozy blankets and the soothing ambiance of a cool day are a perfect match – the game's combination of a mystical plot and breathtaking nature make the story about Ethan Carter an ideal blend. Unlike action-packed games with dynamic fights, this game's charm lies in a leisurely stroll through the valley of the red creek under a slightly creepy, a little naive, but thoroughly engaging storyline. The plot revolves around private detective Paul Prospero, who handles paranormal investigation. You'll need to solve murders, search for clues, establish cause-and-effect relationships, and spend plenty of time admiring the stunning landscapes. Let's talk about the real-life locations that inspired the game's stunning landscapes and eerie atmosphere. [quote = Google Maps] The coordinates of Red Creek Valley are 50°57'51.1"N 15°38'41.9"E. [/quote] Red Creek Valley, the setting of the game, is a real place located in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of Poland. The digitized photos of the game's landscapes are taken from the actual area, such as the Bobr River dam, which was built in 1912 and still generates electricity while protecting residents from floods. The railway bridge at the beginning of the game was built in 1909 and remains the highest in Poland, although it has not been in use for a long time. In fact, the bridge gained some notoriety during the filming of Mission Impossible 7, as the writers had proposed to blow it up, but the locals strongly opposed it. Another notable location is the wooden church from the game, which is actually the only old wooden church in Poland that was moved from Norway to preserve cultural heritage. If you're a fan of slow walks in nature, mystical tales, and dramatic narratives, I highly recommend immersing yourself in this captivating story.

Yknow compared to most people, I'd say I actually like walking sim games quite a bit, especially when they are able to engross me in an interesting story. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter does have an interesting story, however its hidden behind probably one of the worst designed gameplay concepts I've seen. Even just saying the idea out loud instantly spells the problems for me, so I question how on earth neither the developers or high score reviewers noticed this? It's a walking sim with a focus on solving a series of murders as well as completing various miscellaneous puzzles. Now this is great and all, in fact I enjoyed the investigatory part of the game a lot and some of the puzzles too. The thing which kills the whole thing for me, is the fact the game gives zero meaningful feedback for the player. This game boasts before you start that this is a game that doesn't lead you by the hand. Now believe me, I love it when a game lets me figure things out for myself and sets me on my own path. However, with that design mentality comes risk. You don't wanna drag your player by the arm, but you don't wanna cold shoulder them either, as this can lead to aimless game-time and bogs down the pace dramatically. This is why many of the best games ever made use all kinds of subtle immersive queues to let you know what to do, games like Half Life for example perfected this. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter slaps you on a giant island with only your goal in mind, no directions included. Most of the puzzles and investigations are not marked as such, leaving you to constantly wonder whether or not you're doing the right thing. You basically have to play the game like an observation maniac scouring over every tiny thing otherwise you're guaranteed to miss something, and its exhausting as ♥♥♥♥. Not to mention, there are numerous optional puzzles which don't progress the game at all, except they aren't labelled as such, because of course none of the damn puzzles are marked in any way. This means you could spend ages buggering about not knowing what to do, and then proceed to waste your time doing an optional puzzle that doesn't even progress your game. Personally, I like to play my games as blind as possible, but there were frequent times where without any kind of guide help to provide me a direction, I just felt like I was going the wrong way all the time. I like the story and the design idea of an open ended mystery, but the lack of meaningful player feedback and the aimlessness destroying the overall gameplay pace killed any motivation I had to finish it.

From the very first moments, it’s hard not to admire the stunning environments and the eerie, unsettling atmosphere. Red Creek Valley is easily one of the most visually striking worlds I’ve explored in a game. Unfortunately, that’s where most of the praise ends for me. You’re dropped into a large map filled with side paths and dead ends, with very little guidance on where to go or what to do next. Finding objectives often feels needlessly confusing, turning much of the experience into an unintentional walking simulator. A simple compass or clearer direction system would have gone a long way. More than once, figuring out how to progress felt like searching for a needle in a haystack, and I eventually had to rely on YouTube walkthroughs just to finish the game. I genuinely don’t know how someone is meant to complete it without outside help. The story is certainly unique, but uniqueness alone doesn’t make it compelling. It delivers a serviceable emotional arc, but nothing particularly memorable or impactful. In that sense, it reminded me a lot of Murdered Soul Suspect a game with interesting ideas and atmosphere that ultimately settles into mediocrity. I wish I had more positives to point out, but aside from the visuals, the soundtrack was the only other element that stood out in a good way. Overall, I’d only recommend this to very patient players with plenty of free time who are willing to push through confusion in exchange for atmosphere.

In this short walking simulator with some peculiar mechanics you play Paul Prospero, a detective. What makes this game unique is the way it tells the intriguing plot. There is an unexpected twist at the end, everything closes perfectly in a very original way. Then you realize who Paul Prospero really is and what's all about. Graphics are beautiful, environments aswell, but almost empty. Difficult to say whether its worth current full price. Maybe if you don't mind about game being rather short and with low difficulty it's probably worth it. If you like story-driven games, this one will surprise you and will not disappoint you.

If you are wondering which of the two versions you should play, then I would recommend the Redux version. This version looks better and generally ran better for me than the original. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter impresses with its graphics, its beautiful photorealistic landscapes and its mysterious story and atmosphere, which is further enhanced by the soundtrack. And there are definitely H. P. Lovecraft references present. The puzzles, on the other hand, are varied but also confusing at first because there are no explanations. The detective tasks were interesting but always followed the same pattern. The playtime is short at around 6 hours and the replay value is low and then you can play through the game in 1 hour like I did. (I played the Redux version first and then the original). All in all, I can recommend it, but only if it's on sale.

This game was, alright, but I would simply leave it at that. I typically enjoy thought provoking, deep story driven games so I was originally really excited about this. When the game begins, the world seems absolutely huge and overwhelming, after only a few minutes though, you start to realize the world is rather guided and controlled with boundaries and clipping boxes - which can kind of lull you into a false sense of security that you are being guided to the correct narrative. Not the case. I thought many of the puzzles and mechanics weren't super intuitive and the time spent trying to figure out what to do next broke any kind of immersion I had. Additionally, the environment seemed too unrealistic; both in how it interacted with the plot and characters, but also it's appearance - many of the buildings looked heavily European but the story appears to take place in Wisconsin. Lastly, the "juice wasn't worth the squeeze" as the story really just felt kind of lacking and the pay-off was not amusing.

"What happens then?" "Another story, kid. What else?" Man, this game destroyed me. I haven't been this sad completing a game since The Suicide of Rachel Foster. I cannot stress just how remarkable this game was. From beautiful storytelling, stunning environments, and an enjoyable, yet simple game play - this game is just. So. Good. Definitely a new favorite. 10/10.