I have never played a horror game that was not solely advertised or capitalized itself as being of that genre. Perhaps the closest would be "Gone Home", but I was younger then and couldn't grasp what went on all that well. I should probably revisit that experience...

But I digress, this "horror of non-horror" was what Indie developer "The Astronauts" did by labeling the Vanishing of Ethan Carter as being first and foremost, a mystery for players to unfold. The latter being emphasized as the devs even came up with a vision to evolve the way a story is told through video games. All interesting, but it's better to see how this was executed. Shall we?



The Gist:
Paul Prospero receives a distress letter from Ethan Carter telling him to go to Red Creek Valley. A renowned detective with skills and knowledge of the paranormal, it didn't take much of its contents to confirm something was wrong. Fearing the worst, he travels there in hopes of stopping whatever was about to happen. But it seems that it has already begun and Ethan is nowhere in sight amidst the carnage.

! There is no right or wrong answer to this story.


(a) Aftermath
The first few seconds introduce you to the mechanic of having to piece together several faint fragments of a memory. The murder scene reconstruction sequences also require something similar. Except that you have to inspect clues, see thoughts materialize and heighten your senses towards the origins of an object used for the deed. Only after figuring out how each item came to be, the deceased will lay out the events.

Even then, it's solely up to your deductions to number them leading to the murder. It's not all CSI- the rest of the game is actually 'optional' and require puzzles to be solved to unlock more memories. It could be as simple as catching up with a mysterious visitor or recalling what Ethan's house looks like and etc. I won't spoil the rest, but it's quite varied despite simple first person mechanics.

(b) What Could Have Been
Very intriguing story from the get go and pulls you in with mysteries all tied in to Ethan's disappearance. There's mention of the "Sleeper" and being an occult-based detective you expect to deal with more supernatural occurrences.. This is where expectations are subverted and interpretations differ. Ethan has been putting up with neglect and belittled by his family for his hyperactive imagination. Memories uncovered show they made fun of or showed disinterest every time he offers them a story to read. Everyone except maybe for Chad and Travis really get off on bullying- has their own pressing issues to deal.

His obsession in writing stories is therefore a form of escapism. This whole journey is his way of denying death and expressing regret. Making his family out to be the way they are because of a disturbed entity. Hoping for them to change but the quarrel moments before the accidental fire broke out is proof enough it's not that easy.

(c) Not What It Looks Like
I never say this, but man alive the graphics deserve high praises. In fact the immersion is astounding with it's atmosphere established by the overly cinematic soundtrack and level design. The musical vibes shift from a constant air of mystery to much deeper melancholic feels and stays pretty much there. I usually suck at appreciating music (unless it's popping and of the pop genre) but I could not keep myself away from the game or of the increasingly somber sounds.

As for the environments, they do not seem at all like one that belongs in or made solely for a game particularly because of how ordinary they appear to be. This may be because they were based on real-life locations in Wisconsin and also Poland. That and both the words of Ethan as well as Paul of not being deceived by looks, only intensified the very raw and real possibility of similar happenings in everyday life anywhere and anytime.

(d) The Thought Alone
Horror-wise, like the store page says it doesn't rely on cheap or adrenaline-pumping scenarios. Nothing is intense or high-stakes and the jump scares are almost non-existent except for a certain typical slasher scene in the mines. Some gore, blood and dismemberment aside, the rest of the game let's your mind and fears run wild.

What haunts is the constant dread of the worst case imaginable happening to Ethan, a teenage boy who you grow to sympathize with. Every clue hints at more hopeless situation. Worsening once you know the truth, plunging a stake through your heart because of *GASP* an open-ended outcome!! Jokes aside, the story of a torn household, abuse and the drastic effects it could have on mental well-being hits so close to home.


(i) Expectations VS Reality
I first finished the story on the original iteration which has frequent stutters. Not a problem, thankfully because buying the game comes with "Redux", an upgraded version of "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter". With a game engine overhaul, visual improvements and of course fixes the little pauses prevalent before.

It's not all great news because even though the latter runs smoothly, it doesn't retain the charm of the OG seeing as it became noticeably brighter and the colors washed out to be more dream-like (I'm beyond awful when talking about graphics). If you wouldn't mind that, I also realized that Redux fixed a specific progression issue connected to an achievement, so there you go! But ultimately, it all comes down to preference~

(ii) Just A Kid
Okay this game wasn't kidding when it said it won't hold your hands. You can literally play to the end and get stuck because you didn't finish the necessary equivalent of "story quests" before reaching the conclusion. Aside from button prompts, there's little perhaps zero voice-guided hints that will trigger, so expect tons of silence and aimlessly wandering.

A nice addition to the game that doesn't exactly spoonfeed but instead keeps track of all the notes collected. Any readable notes stay where you find them. If you want to peruse them again, expect to backtrack miles (bad at math) to examine their contents that takes 30 seconds to go through.

(iii) It'll Come to Me
There's a fast travel option but only at the final area of the game for those who missed the presumably optional eventually required events in order to view the ending. Furthermore, you still have to return to the final area in order to teleport to the other important areas (because you won't know where). However, I do tend to exaggerate things as there is an elevator shortcut and Paul does run remarkably fast. Besides, there's the breathtaking scenery- how much of a torture could it be?


The Vanishing of Ethan Carter accomplished what it set out to do; a paradigm shift towards storytelling, going above and beyond. Its absolutely gut-wrenching plot about a dysfunctional family and a kid who always bore the brunt of it. The fact such tragedies takes place in a photo-realistic setting just amps up the truth of the conflict and overall message conveyed.

Make no mistake- it's still a walking simulator with tidbits of gameplay wedged in. Coupled with lack of conventional game mechanics or interface to aid in finding his bearings- definitely won't satisfy everyone. However, one cannot deny it's a darn devastating yet memorable journey laced with interpretation and heartfelt emotions.




Playing this in VR (PAY UP) would be quite the surreal experience

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #27[/url] <-- [i]New review every Sunday[/i][/code] I have never played a horror game that was not solely advertised or capitalized itself as being of that genre. Perhaps the closest would be "Gone Home", but I was younger then and couldn't grasp what went on all that well. I should probably revisit that experience... But I digress, this "horror of non-horror" was what Indie developer "The Astronauts" did by labeling the Vanishing of Ethan Carter as being first and foremost, a mystery for players to unfold. The latter being emphasized as the devs even came up with a vision to evolve the way a story is told through video games. All interesting, but it's better to see how this was executed. Shall we? [h1]"Holding on"[/h1] [u]The Gist:[/u] Paul Prospero receives a distress letter from Ethan Carter telling him to go to Red Creek Valley. A renowned detective with skills and knowledge of the paranormal, it didn't take much of its contents to confirm something was wrong. Fearing the worst, he travels there in hopes of stopping whatever was about to happen. But it seems that it has already begun and Ethan is nowhere in sight amidst the carnage. [spoiler] ! There is no right or wrong answer to this story.[/spoiler] [h1][+] PROS;[/h1] [b](a) Aftermath[/b] The first few seconds introduce you to the mechanic of having to piece together several faint fragments of a memory. The murder scene reconstruction sequences also require something similar. Except that you have to inspect clues, see thoughts materialize and heighten your senses towards the origins of an object used for the deed. Only after figuring out how each item came to be, the deceased will lay out the events. Even then, it's solely up to your deductions to number them leading to the murder. It's not all CSI- the rest of the game is actually 'optional' and require puzzles to be solved to unlock more memories. It could be as simple as catching up with a mysterious visitor or recalling what Ethan's house looks like and etc. I won't spoil the rest, but it's quite varied despite simple first person mechanics. [b](b) What Could Have Been[/b] Very intriguing story from the get go and pulls you in with mysteries all tied in to Ethan's disappearance. There's mention of the "Sleeper" and being an occult-based detective you expect to deal with more supernatural occurrences.. This is where expectations are subverted and interpretations differ. [spoiler]Ethan has been putting up with neglect and belittled by his family for his hyperactive imagination. Memories uncovered show they made fun of or showed disinterest every time he offers them a story to read[/spoiler]. Everyone except maybe for Chad and Travis really get off on bullying- has their own pressing issues to deal. His obsession in writing stories is therefore [Spoiler]a form of escapism. This whole journey is his way of denying death and expressing regret. Making his family out to be the way they are because of a disturbed entity. Hoping for them to change but the quarrel moments before the accidental fire broke out is proof enough it's not that easy.[/spoiler] [b](c) Not What It Looks Like[/b] I never say this, but man alive the graphics deserve high praises. In fact the immersion is astounding with it's atmosphere established by the overly cinematic soundtrack and level design. The musical vibes shift from a constant air of mystery to much deeper melancholic feels and stays pretty much there. I usually suck at appreciating music (unless it's popping and of the pop genre) but I could not keep myself away from the game or of the increasingly somber sounds. As for the environments, they do not seem at all like one that belongs in or made solely for a game particularly because of how ordinary they appear to be. This may be because they were based on real-life locations in Wisconsin and also Poland. That and both the words of Ethan as well as Paul of not being deceived by looks, only intensified the very raw and real possibility of similar happenings in everyday life anywhere and anytime. [b](d) The Thought Alone[/b] Horror-wise, like the store page says it doesn't rely on cheap or adrenaline-pumping scenarios. Nothing is intense or high-stakes and the jump scares are almost non-existent except for a certain typical slasher scene in the mines. Some gore, blood and dismemberment aside, the rest of the game let's your mind and fears run wild. What haunts is the constant dread of the worst case imaginable happening to Ethan, a teenage boy who you grow to sympathize with. Every clue hints at more hopeless situation. Worsening once you know the truth, plunging a stake through your heart because of *GASP* an open-ended outcome!! Jokes aside, the story of a torn household, abuse and the drastic effects it could have on mental well-being hits so close to home. [h1][-] CONS;[/h1] [b](i) Expectations VS Reality[/b] I first finished the story on the original iteration which has frequent stutters. Not a problem, thankfully because buying the game comes with "Redux", an upgraded version of "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter". With a game engine overhaul, visual improvements and of course fixes the little pauses prevalent before. It's not all great news because even though the latter runs smoothly, it doesn't retain the charm of the OG seeing as it became noticeably brighter and the colors washed out to be more dream-like (I'm beyond awful when talking about graphics). If you wouldn't mind that, I also realized that Redux fixed a specific progression issue connected to an achievement, so there you go! But ultimately, it all comes down to preference~ [b](ii) Just A Kid[/b] Okay this game wasn't kidding when it said it won't hold your hands. You can literally play to the end and get stuck because you didn't finish the necessary equivalent of "story quests" before reaching the conclusion. Aside from button prompts, there's little perhaps zero voice-guided hints that will trigger, so expect tons of silence and aimlessly wandering. A nice addition to the game that doesn't exactly spoonfeed but instead keeps track of all the notes collected. Any readable notes stay where you find them. If you want to peruse them again, expect to backtrack miles (bad at math) to examine their contents that takes 30 seconds to go through. [b](iii) It'll Come to Me[/b] There's a fast travel option but only at the final area of the game for those who missed the presumably optional eventually required events in order to view the ending. Furthermore, you still have to return to the final area in order to teleport to the other important areas (because you won't know where). However, I do tend to exaggerate things as there is an elevator shortcut and Paul does run remarkably fast. Besides, there's the breathtaking scenery- how much of a torture could it be? The Vanishing of Ethan Carter accomplished what it set out to do; a paradigm shift towards storytelling, going above and beyond. Its absolutely gut-wrenching plot about a dysfunctional family and a kid who always bore the brunt of it. The fact such tragedies takes place in a photo-realistic setting just amps up the truth of the conflict and overall message conveyed. Make no mistake- it's still a walking simulator with tidbits of gameplay wedged in. Coupled with lack of conventional game mechanics or interface to aid in finding his bearings- definitely won't satisfy everyone. However, one cannot deny it's a darn devastating yet memorable journey laced with interpretation and heartfelt emotions. [h1]"Letting Go."[/h1] [h1]9/10[/h1] [b] Playing this in VR (PAY UP) would be quite the surreal experience[/b]