The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Reviews

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is ranked in the 79th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
ACG
Top Critic
Buy
Sep 26, 2014
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4 / 5.0
Sep 26, 2014

Despite a few issues that prevent the game from being a wholly immersive open-world exploratory experience, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter packs an impressive punch. The four to five hour long game's world is aesthetically perfect, the stories are equal parts fascinating and bizarre and it's a hell of a ride from beginning to end.

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8.2 / 10.0
Sep 27, 2014

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is an impassioned monument to its prestigious foundations. A product-of-assembly depiction makes for an idle assessment, but it's difficult not to look at Ethan Carter and see narrative guidance from Twain and Vern, Lovecraft's proclivity for the destructive supernatural, and Chandler's pulpy detective fiction. The tale Ethan Carter ultimately aches to tell isn't as complex or natural as its influences, but it finds ample success in directing a curious story through an interactive ensemble.

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Sep 27, 2014

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a good little story with a bleak atmosphere that nonetheless provides some relaxing puzzle solving.

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9 / 10
Sep 28, 2014

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a beautiful adventure that slowly unravels its superficial veneer to reveal a touching and personal story.

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7 / 10
Sep 29, 2014

Like the unnerving fiction that inspired it, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a bold and fascinating story. But the story is something that's revealed, not something that's lived through. I was a tourist, a witness, a reader, and that left less room for being a player. Yet I expect the game to stay with me for a good long time, and its grisly, gorgeous world alone makes the trek worthwhile.

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Unscored
Sep 29, 2014

It is, however, probably the most aesthetically beautiful game I've seen, and I can genuinely recommend it on that basis alone. The rest of the game, it's sombre tale, is well worth hearing, and some of the puzzles are really splendid. But every time you walk out of a door and see the vista spread before you, it's an effort not to gasp.

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9 / 10
Sep 29, 2014

As soon as I finished The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, I started it again and was greeted by that same warning. "This game is a narrative experience that does not hold your hand." Originally I thought it was telling me that I was going to be challenged by what followed and that I shouldn't expect any help in figuring it out. And I still think that. But I also suspect The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, which rarely uses a word more than it has to, is making a broader point when it says it doesn't intend to hold your hand.

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82 / 100
Sep 29, 2014

A tense and spooky stroll through a gorgeous world, some fun supernatural detective work, and an efficient script with sparse dialogue.

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8 / 10
Sep 29, 2014

One of the best story driven games of the year, and one of the prettiest, although you do sometimes wonder if it's focusing on the most interesting aspect of its plot.

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7.3 / 10.0
Sep 29, 2014

I'm happy I spent the past few days playing through Vanishing and I'd recommend it to patient gamers who are fans of mysterious experiences, non-linear storytelling, and games that are heavy on atmosphere.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 29, 2014

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.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 30, 2014

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a game you should experience. I just made an ass of myself writing a review like a bad pulp noir because this game really made me feel like an intrepid pulp detective. I was a little disappointed with the short playthrough, but it had such high quality because it was short. Even then, some of it came apart near the end simply because it's hard to keep such high expectations in tact for so long. Buy it, and do your best not to have the answers spoiled for you.

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67 / 100
Sep 30, 2014

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter uses ambiguity to tell an interesting tale. Unfortunately the lack of direction can mean you spend too much time aimlessly fumbling through a pretty world.

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Sep 30, 2014

A richly atmospheric, story-led adventure which makes up for in chills what it lacks in challenge. The puzzles could be tougher and more varied, and at times all the wandering drags, but it's a superb-looking, forward-thinking mystery game that creeps you out without resorting to the usual sudden scares.

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Gamers FTW
Top Critic
Unscored
Sep 30, 2014

I've tried to temper my enthusiasm for The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, but it's difficult to remain objective when writing about something you've genuinely enjoyed. If you hate puzzles, you won't like this game. If you only want fast-paced, explosive action then you won't like this game. If you want nothing but to be scared senseless, then you probably won't like this game. If any of the above apply then you really should look elsewhere, but if you want a well-crafted (and at times totally insane) adventure through a twisted, but beautiful world that's driven by a compelling plot then The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is very much your kind of game. It's on steam now, at only £14.99.

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7 / 10.0
Sep 30, 2014

The relatively gratifying story and straightforward puzzles aren't the real reasons to visit Red Creek Valley. The location is a good enough reason itself. More often than not people look to graphics as an indication for this medium's progression and even though that's somewhat of a falsehood, it has to be said that this spirit story's looks are otherworldly.

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Yes
Oct 1, 2014

An intriguing (though flawed) tale that hits on some powerful themes games rarely explore.

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70 / 100
Oct 1, 2014

In the end, Ethan Carter's ratios are just a bit off: maybe a little less hand-holding at certain times, a little more at others. But to pretend that it's not there at all is just a refusal to acknowledge the way in which details and design choices can limit or direct play.

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Oct 1, 2014

It keeps you on edge just enough to pique your curiosity for what the next mystery will bring, and marries that mystery with an eerily beautiful world worth being curious about.

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