About two Christmases ago I purchased The Vanishing of Ethan Carther along with Dear Esther. This weekend I was scrolling through my PlayStation Store purchases and noticed them both. I decided not to hold off playing it any longer.
Hotdogs, almost indefinable meat put into the shape of a sausage, load it up with some onions, ketchup, or whatever condiments you prefer and stuff into a soft bread roll. Despite its perhaps sounding unappealing once you have tried one it's hard to stop eating them. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a combination of many different ideas put together, but does it work?
Story
The game is set in 1973 and you take on the role of Paul Prospero, a paranormal investigator. He has been sent a letter by Ethan Carter, a fan of his, but this in itself is not unusual. The unusual part is that things Ethan talks about no child should be aware of them, and this is what prompts Prospero to go to Red Creek Valley and find Ethan.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is all about the story so I won't spoil too much, basically if you like things like X-Files, Millenium, and general paranormal sleuthing you will enjoy this game.
Overall the story is put together pretty well, the only downside for me was the ending. It felt almost unfinished making the ending not hugely satisfying.
Visuals
The visual spectacle created by Polish game developer The Astronauts is amazing. Exploring the beautiful countryside, the lush woods, and the old visual history of Red Creek Valley was a lot of fun. There was many a time when I just had to stop and take in the full visual glory around me.
Overall The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a beautiful and visually impressive game, that offers varied environments and kept my focus throughout my journey.
Music
The music creates an eerie atmosphere that intensifies both the story and gameplay. The creator of this sound is Polish Composer Mikolai Stroinski. He helped add his talents to Witcher 3 Wild Hunt and The Witcher Thronebreaker.
The soundtrack is just shy of being an hour and features some memorable tracks including; 'What do the ghosts say?', 'Lonely Planet', 'Carter's House' and 'Ethan's Theme'.
Overall an interesting soundtrack and while present it often is done subtly to not disturb or break the overall experience of the player.
Gameplay
The game is played from the first-person perspective, which works well and allows you to fully take in everything around you. The games let you know as you start that it is not looking to hold your hand, and they mean it, kind of. The game features a number of small puzzles that help in explaining what has happened in the world recently. It easy to miss them so exploring the world is a must. When you do come across a puzzle or their pieces they are generally easy to spot, and while this may come across as being slightly linear the most important part of the game is the story. That all being said I did enjoy working them out and liked that they had added to the story rather than being a roadblock.
Overall the game mechanics are simple, but as I have noted in previous reviews that is not necessarily a bad thing. The game allows you to enjoy the world you are in and fully engage with the story with only a few distractions that add more to it.
Final Thoughts
So, after almost five hours how did I feel. Pretty good. The story was engaging throughout my journey and while the ending left me feeling a little unsatisfied I still enjoyed it as a whole. The visuals are amazing and easy to see how passions the developers had when creating it. The music manages to be subtle and important and helps add to the environment and overall feel of the game. The game mechanics are simples, not out of laziness but you can stay constantly focused on the story. This one slides in with a 4 out of 5
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