Developer: The Astronauts
Publisher: The Astronauts
Release Date: January 19, 2018
Platforms: Xbox One (reviewed on Xbox One X)
Ethan Carter has a rampant imagination. He’s young, creative, and different; forced to live in fictional worlds of space and magic because his family is truly awful. Plus, a demonic presence has everyone killing each other. This is The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. It feels carved out of the Silent Hills universe and happens to be the best Walking Simulator I have ever played.
The story begins with a warning. This game is difficult and does not hold your hand. “How hard could it be?” I wondered. The challenge comes from the notion that not all games in this genre have to be on-rail experiences. And it feels good to be tossed into a town, no leads or waypoints or even explicit gameplay mechanics, and simply discover. We know Ethan Carter has vanished and there are clues to discover what happened to him but the game lets the player figure out the rest. Symbolically, the first path to traverse in along a set of railroad tracks. Then, the world opens up as things literally, and metaphorically go off the rails in the best way possible.
Early on, I discovered an old house. Free of my hand, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter never explicitly announced there is a puzzle to be solved. In fact, I found three separate scenarios before realizing what was required of me. This organic, I’m-so-smart player discovery, layered on top of a stunningly gorgeous, not-too-big not-too-small environment has my utmost appreciation. I felt like my experience with this game was unique – a hallmark typically saved for non-linear open-world experiences. To discover this style of satisfaction from a genre I was beginning to write-off is a true achievement.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter illustrates a worst-case scenario of when youthfully innocent imagination clashes with adult conflation and impatience. It’s devilishly enjoyable to unveil exactly what happened to the perfectly performed cast of characters across nearly a dozen deathly encounters. They speak to and about each other in horrifying ways and perform unthinkable acts of violence – all in a way that drives you to wonder what’s next.
One particularly memorable sequence is underground, in the mines. Of course, this is a no-spoilers review so let me just say the puzzle that awaits, and the path to solving it, is an absolute perfect execution of surprising the player while maintaining the game’s themes and mechanics. This section is different enough to be memorable but still follows the same rules as the rest of the game.
The best way to play is on Xbox One X, with 1080p, 1440p, and 2160p resolution options – all are noticeably different even on a 1080p screen. The real shame is the lack of a specialized photo mode. Still, I couldn’t help myself. Without a HUD or anything in the way of the picturesque environment and stunning architecture, I was often sidetracked by a few rays of sun piercing through an aging tree or a church steeple stretching up into the warm evening sky.
Without any prompts or direction, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter leaves it to the player to determine what’s next. And in the early-goings, there is plenty to stumble upon. Unfortunately, as the game approaches the end, it can be difficult to determine what is left to discover in order to progress into the final chapter. I certainly found myself wondering in the completely wrong area until revisiting the solved scenarios to playout a cohesive timeline and relearn the clues from the narrative I had unveiled.
Final Verdict
Players on PC have known this for a while but The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is at the top of its class. Now available on Xbox One, with exclusive features like Free Roam and 4K – using the absolute latest version of Unreal Engine 4, more players can and should experience The Astronauts’ more-than-just-a-walking-sim. As a gamer, I was challenged to think differently from most games but still understood the fundamental mechanics as they were introduced. As a creative, I fell in love with the environment, the art style, and the performances. And as a critic, I appreciate how it all comes together in a fun, memorable, and timeless masterpiece.
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