Games

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

The Astronauts

2014•Puzzle•PEGI 18•About 4 hours

Taste attributes: adventurehorrormysterythrillerdetectivemafia/gangstermonster/alien/supernaturalmusic/dancerobots/ai/spacevehiclesfastunsavouryheavyimaginaryintricatelinearall consuming questdeep rivalryfighting evilhuman spirit/resilience/survivalrescue/escape/jeopardysolving the riddle/not as it seemsunderdog triumphs

See which match your taste

Boxlist takeExpect an otherworldly, dark puzzle game, fast rather than slow-burning. Best if you like edge over warmth.

Pace: fast · Originality: balanced · Tone: very dark · Weight: heavy · Realism: imaginary world · Story: balanced · Structure: linear · Look: balanced · Scale: balanced · Emotional punch: balancedHow we score

IGDB rating

79 / 100

407 ratings

Your matchTake the taste test to see your match

Based on your film and TV taste: games are matched on the same ten characteristics, with your own match bands.

About This Game

In The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, you play as Paul Prospero, an occult detective who receives a disturbing letter from Ethan Carter and realizes that the boy is in grave danger. When Paul arrives in Ethan's home of Red Creek Valley, he realizes things are even worse than he imagined. Ethan has vanished in the wake of a brutal murder, which Paul comes to see might not be the only murder to investigate. Using both regular and supernatural detective skills, Paul must figure out what happened to the missing boy.

Summary: IGDB

Story

In 1973, paranormal investigator Paul Prospero receives a fan letter from 12-year-old Ethan Carter, inspiring him to journey to Ethan's hometown of Red Creek Valley, Wisconsin. Upon arrival, he learns Ethan has gone missing and begins encountering unsettling paranormal phenomena, as well as evidence of recent violence in the tiny mining village.

Characteristics

Where this game sits on each taste spectrum

SlowPACEFast

FamiliarORIGINALITYOriginal

DarkTONEWholesome

LightWEIGHTINESSHeavy

FantasyREALISMRealistic

SimpleINTRICACYIntricate

Non-LinearLINEARITYLinear

UnderstatedSTYLEStylised

IntimateSCALEEpic

RestrainedEMOTIONIntense

Genres and themes

AdventureHorrorMysteryThrillerDetectiveMafia/gangsterMonster/alien/supernaturalMusic/danceRobots/ai/spaceVehiclesAll consuming questDeep rivalryFighting evilHuman spirit/resilience/survivalRescue/escape/jeopardySolving the riddle/not as it seemsUnderdog triumphs

Keywords

ExplorationBloodyParanormalDetectiveMurderMagicMazeTrains

Where to play

Details

Developer: The Astronauts
Publishers: The Astronauts, Nordic Games Publishing
Released: 25 September 2014
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Modes: Single player
Perspective: First person
Time to beat: 4h rushed, 4h normally, 5h complete
Age rating: PEGI 18
Taste scores: How we score
Source: IGDB

How game matches work

Games are scored on the same ten characteristics as films and matched with the same formula and your own match bands, from your film and TV taste. Game scores are estimates, made by fixed rules from IGDB genres, themes, keywords and descriptions.