The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Review for Nintendo Switch

Very rarely does a video game capture the physical world in an accurate manner. Ever more so does it rarely integrate game mechanics into this portrayal of the physical world without breaking immersion. Once in a blue moon a game manages to do these things in such a masterful way that it has you on the edge of your seat, completely lost in the world until you manage to pull yourself out and are left taken aback and dumbfounded alone in your dark room. At least that is what I experienced when I played The Vanishing of Ethan Carter on the Nintendo Switch. The Astronauts’ magnificent creation manages to combine imagination with reality and blur that line until it is impossible to distinguish the two from each other.

              Immediately upon entering the game, air is sucked out of the room as the game creates an atmosphere that surrounds you and envelopes your senses. Using headphones is highly recommended, as both the soundtrack and the ambient sounds of the area known as Red Creek Valley are some of the powerful tools utilized in transitioning the player into this world. Visually, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is hands down stunning. A beautiful landscape of forest, rail road track, and lake. Navigating the old and abandoned buildings scattered amongst the nature of the Valley puts you on this seesaw, teetering from mesmerizingly beautiful and hauntingly ominous. It’s downright enchanting.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter leans more as a mystery narrative experience, allowing you to interact with objects and bodies that populate the environment. Much of the plot is explained through visual storytelling and glimpses into the past through supernatural means, presenting this mystery that you get to unfold and piece together rather than get handed to you on a platter. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter does not fall into the mystery genre’s trap of presenting the pieces too obviously, everything that it does is subtle and calculated. At times, it is even quite easy to miss something entirely if you are not paying close enough attention.

              Throughout the game, the character you play as, private detective Paul Prospero narrates and monologues over what you are doing, interacting with, and viewing in the game. It has this weird doubling effect, where you are concentrating on the task in front of you while simultaneously focusing on what Prospero is saying. Even this adds to the beautiful yet ominous tone that game carries with it, with Prospero speaking on contemplative topics while examine a destroyed corpse.

But the thing that appears to be the most impactful is the way that the game engages you and explores some of the most human of emotions. Sorrow, anger, loneliness, and wonder are all investigated through dialogue of characters and flashbacks and moments of reflection looking at a sunset over a great lake while leaves flow on the wind. Playing The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is as much an emotional experience as it is a mystery solving the disappearance of a young boy. And it is completely worth picking up and experiencing for yourself.

Check Out The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Trailer:

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is available for Nintendo Switch for $19.99/19,99 Euro. It is also available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.

For more information, please visit here: http://ethancartergame.com/