The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

So the game looks good, has a pretty cool story and nice soundtrack. But the gameplay is absolutely atrocious, from the slow run speed to the incredibly annoying "pixel hunting". It seems like a lot of it was used to make the game longer than 2 hours to beat. I haven't played Redux but they should make the items easier to see in the environment as well as speed up traversal (or add shortcuts).

Short but interesting story. Looks great on slightly older PC, puzzle challenges are okay, a little too much walking/running all over, needed a few un-lockable short cut paths.

Absolute story telling peak

the story of the game its very good like the graphics

A great game. I had fun playing this game. The story is amazing and immersive. My only gripe is that it was too short. Looking forward to more games from this Dev.

Amazing mystery adventure with supernatural elements. It's extremely atmospheric, the sound design, music and the realistic environments are superb. Both puzzles and exploration are rewarding and make for an incredibly satisfying short adventure.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a short walking sim set in the beautiful countryside of...somewhere. As a detective, you search for young Ethan Carter and try to piece together what happened to his family.

The game is very short - I played the Redux version, which Steam did not let me review for some reason, so I am leaving the review here. It took me about 3 hours to finish, and that is with a bit more exploration and also being AFK for a short time, so it may even be a bit shorter for some. The game is beautiful, has a nice soundtrack and good atmospheric sound effects, though some of them are a bit buggy and cut off rapidly when you look in certain directions. The game also had a few other bugs I experienced, but nothing too major or detracting from the experience.

I will say that, while TVoEC is, at it's core, a walking sim, there are a few puzzles, some of which optional, that range from nice to annoying, but they can all be solved rather quickly and are just there to mix up the gameplay a bit. The story was decent and the ending, while a bit unexpected, makes sense and ties up the story neatly.

I had a good time with TVoEC overall, but I thought it was a bit short and flat, with the gameplay being too infrequent and "random". Sure, it's a walking sim at it's core, but the moment you introduce some sort of gameplay into a walking sim that goes beyond, well, walking and looking at stuff / reading notes, it should be somewhat engaging, which I think TVoEC slightly misses the mark on. My biggest complaint, though, is the sound mixing in this game. With the default settings, voices are WAY too quiet, environmental sounds are jumpscare-level loud and the music, while nice, blares into your ears. It takes a bit of fiddling to get everything to a good level, but the default should be mixed well enough in advance and not be left up to the player.

Overall, though, you get what you expect - a short, nice romp through a beautiful environment with good music and a decent story, interrupted by some okay puzzles and some sound issues and bugs. Still a good recommendation, but wait for a sale.

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.

I found the game to be pretty enjoyable and it was an interesting and surreal experience.

This version of the game also works great on Steam deck with little to no issues but the redux version does not work so well.

I honestly felt like the story was all over the place but I also feel that was technically the point of the game.

I was able to get all the achievements fairly easily and I mostly followed a guide to help me.

My playtime is a little exaggerated but that's mostly due to restarting the game once. I probably would have finished the game in 4 hours.

The set pieces in this game are really beautiful and make it a stunning game.

this game is great, but get the redux version. it's the same game in a better and prettier engine.

want a good walking sim? edith finch

want a good hiking sim? dear esther, firewatch, maybe even northern journey for gameplay

want a good investigation game? obra dinn

opening "does not hold your hand" line is completely false, it held my hand so tightly that it got sore, the plot is generally shallow, music is alright but features the common Pretentious Piano™ track, visuals are nice and is usually half of what makes a good walking sim, but when the other half (story) is lackluster, you only have half of a game

As always, wish there was a neutral option on Steam.
- Wouldn't recommend this at $20
- Would recommend it on a 50% or better sale if you like narrative walking sims

This is a solid little narrative game, especially if you're getting in the autumn mood. The story and voice acting is solid. The atmosphere is strong. And while this is mostly a walking sim, there's a few game-play mechanics that add a little flavor to the overall experience.

I tried to explore the entire map and even redid a section or two when I thought I might have missed something. With all that, it took me a little over 5 hours to complete. I suspect for many it will be less than that. And for that reason I find it hard to recommend at its full $20 price point. But it definitely is an enjoyable experience if you're into these kinds of games. So definitely grab it on sale.

I completed the Redux version of the game: Pretty amazing detective story with spooky vibes that doesn't hold your hand.

A perfect example of a story driven game. There are not many game mechanics but I enjoyed the whole experience and the visuals are really stunning. The end was really hard.

I thought this game was extremely pretentious and the story was mediocre at best. Right off the bat, the title screen proudly proclaims itself to be "a narrative experience that does not hold your hand, an unnecessary statement that drips with contempt for the audience. The game then proceeds to trudge through a few hours of weak "puzzles" that failed to keep my interest and a story that thinks that depressing subject matter is the one ingredient needed for an emotional impact, rather than establishing the characters in any way that might make the viewer attached to them or having a plot that's actually engaging. Spoiler: it's all building up to a variation on the dreaded "it was all a dream." That's it

The nicest thing I can say is that the scenery is kind of pretty i guess. I don't agree with the other reviews that are gushing about the "breathtaking visuals" because there's not a lot of style or creativity on display in the visual design, just some kind of pretty scenery.

At least it's not very long. The only reason i have 5 hours on record is because i kept getting distracted and wandering off to get snacks and play on my phone because, as established, this game is not very interesting.

Recommended if you want to exp what schizo people feels everytime

insanely beautiful & eerie. made me pee a little

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a visually stunning first-person mystery that leaves you piecing together a fragmented narrative. The game excels at creating a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere. The story unfolds through environmental storytelling, where you gather clues from spectral visions and scattered hints, keeping you engaged and searching for answers.

The game features a solid list of achievements, including the elusive "Unfinished Story" trophy. However, unlocking this trophy appears to conflict with the game's save system—saving and loading can reportedly prevent it from unlocking. For those aiming for this achievement, it's best to avoid saving, loading, or exiting the game entirely during your playthrough until the achievement is unlocked, as the system might not capture all data needed for the trophy.

The story is captivating, and the atmosphere is immersive, though the fragmented narrative can sometimes feel like piecing together a disjointed dream. While intriguing, it may leave some players slightly unsatisfied.

I played through the Redux version and recommend that one over the original. You can find my full thoughts here:

https://steamcommunity.com/id/Synikx/recommended/400430/

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.

Not as good as Firewatch, Edith Finch or Dear Esther...
I recommend playing one of them first.
Its not really bad, but i wouldnt recommend it.

Breathtaking visuals, interesting story, unforgettable soundtrack, amazing atmosphere. Ethan Carter is a fantastic mystery game with fun and unique puzzles to solve.

The only criticism I have is the length: A blind playthrough only takes about 4-5 hours.

Beautiful indie walking simulator. A bit of suspense, a touch of detective work with mystery, and a dash of surrealism.

Review
Narrative
◼️ Pong
◼️ Poorly told
✅ Forgettable
◼️ Creative
◼️ Outstanding

Creative direction
◼️ Excel spreadsheet
✅ Barebones
◼️ Stylish
◼️ Artful
◼️ Masterful

Immersion
◼️ Puddle
◼️ You are playing a videogame
✅ Captivating
◼️ You feel like Spiderman
◼️ You are gone from this Earth

Engagement
✅ Perfect for falling asleep
◼️ Second screen activity
◼️ Fun in sessions
◼️ Don’t want to put it down
◼️ Obliterates the concept of time

Performance
◼️ Unplayable
◼️ Struggled through
✅ Nothing to report
◼️ Impressive
◼️ Sorcery

SCORE
6.5

Tried the Gone Home formula without reaching the same oomph. Try Edith Finch or Firewatch first.

Crazy game, super interesting story