The Case

There are things in this world, things beyond the experience and understanding of men. Dark, foreboding creatures that flit along the very edges of mortal ken. They lurk in the empty spaces between ideas, they whisper at the fringes of the cerebellum, seeking even the slightest crack to slither their way in, take root, and germinate. Paul Prospero, an aged, tired old investigator knows all too well what is out there, waiting for any opening to slither in and take dominion. So when he receives letters from young Ethan Carter, someone far too young to be even capable of considering the possibility of such things, yet relates intimate knowledge of the most esoteric nightmares, Prospero cannot ignore his plea for aid. It is into this world of shadows and secrets we emerge, grimly determined to face whatever awaits.

The Trial

It must be said upfront, and in no uncertain terms, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a game built on narrative. There are a great many things that can be said about it without having to even mention this, but there is far more that should be said in reference to that fact. To that end, this review will take place in two parts. The first will cover only the peripheral aspects such as mechanics and presentation. Page two, for those who wish to dig deeper, will contain spoilers. Be aware of that and simply do not read past page one if it bothers you. You will miss out on nothing about what the game actually is in doing so, you will simply have greater context if you wish to continue.

Having said that, let’s get this out of the way right now: no messing about, Vanishing is absolutely freakin’ gorgeous. Not only is it pretty much impossible to deny it is a graphically stunning game and is practically guaranteed to stand as the next benchmark title. It is artistically outstanding. The visual fidelity of Red Creek is gorgeous. This setting is modelled after real places in Poland, namely Pilchowice and surrounding in the Sudety mountains, some villages there, and the Wang church which was actually imported (somehow) from Norway. All of it was photographed and reproduced in exacting detail by The Astronauts. Their conscious decision to soften everything with a hazy filter only adds to the sense of otherworldly ambience.

It really cannot be understated just how stunningly beautiful the rolling plains, hills and more truly are. They take what is, essentially, only ninety minutes of gameplay and extend it exponentially, engendering an environment which demands intimate scrutiny of even the most mundane items. Books, for example, are rendered in such intricate detail that you can almost read their contents. You can, in fact, clearly make out their titles - no blurry, flat, low res textures here. Only the fact you are unable to open them is what restricts further, in-depth interactions.

The extremely limited amount of interaction the game actually offers (seriously, there are maybe as few as two dozen interactions available throughout the entirety of Red Creek Valley), along with the fact Prospero seems completely devoid of any physical form, are both points that will be explored in depth in the second section of this review. At this point, it is suffice to say that this is not an instance of a lazy development team programming a finite number of interactions to ensure you do only what they want you to. It is, in fact, an extremely canny and methodical development team shepherding you along a well-crafted path towards an inexorable, unavoidable climax.

There is even a plausible, though not implicit, explanation for Mister Grizzled Protagonist’s uncanny ability to find only those things directly relevant to him within the gameplay itself. Being an investigator who specialises in the arcane, he has picked up a very particular set of skills, which he has acquired over a very long career. These skills make him a nightmare for the...well, not quite, but he has some unique talents to be sure. Namely, for lack of a better term, he can see the spirit of an area’s history or at least those events which leave behind powerful emotion, such as death.

By returning the area to the state it was in (or at least a close approximation thereof) when said event took place, he can literally see the series of events that lead up to, and include, the individual’s death. This happens several times throughout the game and forms the backbone of its gameplay. This is done by finding all of the clues, such as footprints and blood trails, and replacing any items that are out of place, such as a rock or pickaxe. The latter of these is assisted by...uhm, communing with the spirit of the area I guess? It’s never really explained, but functionally it allows you to see the item you need by lining up the floating words in the direction said item lays. A remote viewing of the object you’re seeking is then shown with a really cool, wavy wormhole effect.

After setting everything in place, a series of imprints are cast out into the surroundings. From there, you find them, tag them in the order they seem to take place, then sit back to watch. If you place one event in the wrong part of the sequence, it will play up to that point, then stop, like trying to watch a fragment of a video that has not fully downloaded yet. From there, you reorder the events, play them again, rinse and repeat until you have the correct order. This then leads to one final scene which gives you information on what to do or where to go next, such as Ethan talking about needing to enter the mine for example.

What little else Vanishing has in the way of gameplay consists of very basic navigation, which includes an infinite sprint, and picking up items such as notes and photographs. There are some other events such as puzzles that involve rotating a series of Stargate-esque stone circles until they show the correct sigils, for example. But truth be told, gameplay is so mechanically light as to be practically non-existent, something which may turn away some people perhaps, but considering how well everything is presented, that’s unlikely. If any game could be said to be an interactive painting, this would be it. It is more accurate to say that The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a sandbox of the most beautifully rendered environments for you to simply explore and experience...with a few annoying little bits of puzzles to get in the way of you reaching the next section.

Having said that, there is also a very, very light and amazingly well-crafted narrative which offers ample encouragement for you to suffer through those pesky puzzles. Consisting of only seven characters and less than thirty minutes of dialogue, it somehow still manages to tell an intricate, infinitely deep story with some shocking, heart breaking twists and turns, not to mention breakout performances almost across the board. Ethan himself can be a little hit and miss but he’s just a kid, so it’s hardly a make or break deal.

The music, meanwhile, is arguably as beautifully haunting as the visuals, whilst the incidental sounds...oh my stars and garters. Never has a game felt so vibrantly alive simply from the way it sounds. Animals call and reply, trees creak and groan, the wind rustles the grass and flutters through the branches. If you do not already, you owe it to yourself to invest in a set of gaming headphones in order to immerse yourself fully. The sounds of Red Creek are so powerfully understated you can practically smell the pollen.

There is more that can be said, and will be said, on page two. But none of this is necessary to know whether Vanishing is worth your money. It is, above and beyond the presentation or simply because of it. So feel free to leave now, confident that you know all you need to. Continue on to learn more about what awaits. Or return, having already taken my recommendation, to explore what lays beneath. Because this is only the tip of the symbolic iceberg. Just be warned: doing so will contain spoilers.

Case Review