The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Developer(s) The Astronauts
Publisher(s) The Astronauts
Distributor(s) Nordic Games
Director(s) Adrian Chmielarz
Designer(s) Adrian Chmielarz
Krzysiek Justyński
Programmer(s) Adam Bienias
Artist(s) Andrzej Poznański
Michał Kosieradzki
Adam Bryła
Writer(s) Tom Bissell
Rob Auten
Composer(s) Mikołaj Stroiński
Marcin Przybyłowicz
Engine Unreal Engine 3
Unreal Engine 4 (PS4)[1]
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4
Release date(s) Microsoft Windows
September 26, 2014
PlayStation 4
TBA 2015
Genre(s) Adventure game
Mode(s) Single-player

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a 2014 horror adventure video game created by independent Polish studio The Astronauts for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4.[2][3]

Gameplay

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is set in an open world environment, in which the player can roam around and explore at will. The player can use paranormal abilities in order to solve crimes, such as sensing where important objects are located and reassembling the timeline of events tied to a certain death.[4]

Plot

Paul Prospero, a detective with paranormal abilities, receives a curious fan letter from Ethan Carter, a young boy who is disturbingly aware of the supernatural. Ethan's letter brings Paul to the fictional Red Creek Valley, where Ethan's family resides. Already aware that Ethan is missing, Paul begins to explore Red Creek Valley and investigate its dark secrets.[4][5]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings81.38%[6]
Metacritic82/100[7]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Eurogamer9/10[8]
GameSpot9/10[9]
GameTrailers8.5/10[10]
IGN8.5/10[11]
PC Gamer (US)83/100[12]
Hardcore Gamer4/5[13]
The Escapist4/5[14]

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter received positive reviews. It received an aggregated score of 81.38% on GameRankings based on 39 reviews[6] and 82/100 on Metacritic based on 61 reviews.[7] The game sold 60,000 copies in its first month on sale.[15]

Julian Aidan from Hardcore Gamer praised its well-designed open-world, visuals and story, but criticized the gameplay for being too linear, as well as finding the narrative aspect of the game weak.[13] Shaun McInnis from GameSpot praised the simple yet enjoyable puzzle-solving, captivating story, outstanding graphics and breathtaking environments, but criticized its weird and vague auto-save system.[9] Christopher Livingston from PC Gamer also criticized the save system, but praising the decent voice acting, enjoyable puzzle-solving, as well as the intriguing, satisfying, and wonderfully restrained story.[12]

Awards

BAFTA 2015 - Best Game Innovation[16]

References

  1. ↑ Sinha, Ravi (2 April 2015). "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Uses Unreal Engine 4 on PS4". Gaming Bolt. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  2. ↑ Purchese, Robert (Apr 30, 2013). "The next generation is going to be, possibly for the very first time, the next generation of game design". Eurogamer. Retrieved Mar 27, 2014.
  3. ↑ Purchese, Robert (May 21, 2014). "Vanishing of Ethan Carter release date and console talk". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Astronauts (September 26, 2014). "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter". Microsoft Windows. The Astronauts.
  5. ↑ The Astronauts (September 26, 2014). "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter". Microsoft Windows. The Astronauts. Paul Prospero: Ethan Carter I didn't know. But he knew who I was. When the police won't help you and the priests don't believe you, you call on Paul Prospero. You call on me.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  8. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (September 26, 2014). "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter review". Eurogamer. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 McInnis, Shaun (September 26, 2014). "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Review". GameSpot. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  10. ↑ Bloodworth, Daniel (September 26, 2014). "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter - Review". GameTrailers. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  11. ↑ Sliva, Marty (September 26, 2014). "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Review". IGN. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Livingston, Christopher (September 26, 2014). "The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Review". PC Gamer US. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Aidan, Julian (September 26, 2014). "Review: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  14. ↑ Sterling, Jim (September 26, 2014). "The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter Review - Walkie Talkie". The Escapist. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Ethan Carter Sales Analysis". Astroblog. Tumblr. October 31, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  16. ↑ BleedingCool.com

External links