[Megathread] The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (Absolute Best Graphics Ever!)

[Mothhive]

Sorry if Im a bit lazy to do some research myself but whats this game about? RPG, action? Running around and clicking on objects and solving puzzles (adventure?)

First Person Puzzle Adventure / Screenshot Generator :P

[rayvio]

it's most like an adventure game but they're pitching it as an "interactive narrative" which is a good description really. it's slow paced which personally I think works well for it but it might put some people off but if you like some atmospheric suspense then it's worth a look. you play as a paranormal investigator, a detective with some psychic ability, who received letters from a young boy about some strange goings on in his home town but the boy, Ethan Carter, has since gone missing. no sooner do you arrive in the strange town than you find the first dead body... or parts of it. you investigate the deaths and the disappearance, collecting evidence and figuring things out which trigger psychic visions that, once placed in chronological order, allow you to figure out piece by piece what's going on... there's a very Lovecraftian feel to it and in fact a few nods to his Mythos

the game is broken up into several different sections (usually beginning with either a dead body or a mysterious discovery) so which can be completed in any order but all have to be finished to play the final scene. if you're missing something though you will get a vision with a hint of where to look for the missing piece and once a section is solved you learn more about Ethan, his family life and the strange events

[Rixis]

Best walking simulator i've ever played.

On a serious note, its a good game, good gfx (not sure on the best tho) but, imo, a bit too short.

Quick glances do remind me of Dear Esther with a little more interactivity

[rayvio]

it's a good comparison but Dear Esther is a short(ish) story with no real puzzles beyond finding the right paths. it's an enjoyable game but a very different experience. Vanishing of Ethan Carter is longer and more varied but the player character is a person investigating the story rather than undertaking a journey to narrate the story they're a part of. genrewise they're very similar and fans of one will very likely enjoy the other, but the difference is in more than the interactivity. I'd describe it as being somewhere between Dear Esther (possibly more like Gone Home) and Scratches

[McNeil]

I'm really digging the game so far. Its a beautifull open world full with secrets you have to discover, and the Space Man easter egg has to be one of the best easter eggs ever.

[rayvio]

just finished the game today and then read an article from the creators about the ending (obviously a very spoilery article). personally I loved the ending and most of the game (lower mines section was irritating but the nods to Shadow Over Innsmouth and Call of Cthulhu in that section make up for it) and look forward to seeing what they do in future. indeed the spaceman part was great, really surprising and yet fits into the game very nicely. it's not an easter egg though, it's actually one of the required segments to complete the game. in addition to the murder solving except they're not always murder there's a few other 'stories' you need to find: railside traps, spaceman, mystery house, the witch and annoying zombie miner. if you've missed anything when you reach the end you'll find a map pointing where to go for the missing parts