The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Reviews

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is ranked in the 79th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
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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7.5 / 10.0
Jan 18, 2018

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter on Xbox One X was a remarkable time with this being a solid narrative driven experience.

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75 / 100
Aug 19, 2015
The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter (PS4 Review): Ghost Detectives video thumbnail
7.5 / 10.0
Jan 20, 2018

An interesting proposal that we've seen twice before it's Xbox release. Although it's one of the most beautiful games that you can find on Xbox One X, but not one of the longest or fastest.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

7.8 / 10.0
Feb 2, 2018

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a great mix of storytelling and adventure, now available with 4K support on Xbox One X. A definite pick if you missed The Astronauts' debut game on either PC or PlayStation 4.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 15, 2019

When a game starts up showing a warning that establishes it isn’t meant to hold your hand I’ll admit my “Ruh Roh Raggy” meter tends to go off the charts...

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80 / 100
Jan 15, 2018

It's clear that the developers had a vision when making The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, a solid single-player narrative where the player was given a little direction on how to uncover the game's mysteries.

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Jan 23, 2018

Although it may not be the most action-packed adventure out there, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is without a doubt a fantastic game.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 23, 2015

I expected more from this game, content-wise mostly, whoever at it's asking price there is more than enough content, i'd love to play this in VR. As most 'walking simulator's this is not a game for everyone, especially if you don't explore much, you can almost make it to the ending skipping most of what there is for you to find. Do read the webcomic at http://www.theastronauts.com/comic/ which acts as a prequel to the game.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10
Jul 24, 2015

With its near photorealistic visuals and great voice acting, it's a unique game that I wholeheartedly urge any Playstation 4 owner to experience once

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Oct 6, 2014

I'd never have pegged the folks behind Bulletstorm to craft something like The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, but I'm very glad that they did. It has a few niggling issues, but ultimately this is a brilliantly subtle, imaginative and thoughtful game.

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Digitally Downloaded
Matt S.
Top Critic
Aug 12, 2015

But that's another debate for another day. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is one of the most beautiful games ever developed, and backs its aesthetics up with some of the finest Lovecraftian narratives that we've seen in interactive form. It's a compelling argument for games as art, in other words, and not just because it makes for some awesome digital postcards.

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8 / 10
Jan 10, 2018

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter's too much focus on story telling might prevent it from offering a true adventure experience, but nevertheless the story, atmosphere and world design is so solid that you'll just love it.

Review in Persian | Read full review

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 / 10.0
Oct 9, 2014

Ethan Carter is a powerful, entrancing game that'll live with you long after the credits have rolled. Just don't let anyone spoil it for you.

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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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Oct 11, 2014

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is all about the journey, and the journey here is spectacular both visually and narratively. This game is something special.

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8 / 10
Aug 9, 2015

From beginning to end, most players will breeze through The Vanishing of Ethan Carter in roughly four or so hours.

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8 / 10
Oct 14, 2014

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a fantastic game. My only true complaints are the short length and lack of replayability, but I can easily stomach that after enjoying it so much. I'd love to see more games in this vein from The Astronauts since the story really grabs the players and pushes them to continue. It is definitely worth playing for those that enjoy a bit of suspense in the middle of supernatural mystery.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 16, 2015

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter sets out to achieve a very specific goal and despite some slight missteps along the way, it largely succeeds in offering players a sense of spectral wonder through simplistic gameplay and stunning visuals, all wrapped in a well written mystery that leaves its mark. 

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