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The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter – Love The Craft Because This One Is A 'Sleeper' Hit

Published Wed, 01 Oct 2014 23:30:00 -0500

by Hannah Means Shannon

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Patrick Dane writes for Bleeding Cool:

H. P. Lovecraft inspired games are hard to do. There are some exceptions to this rule with Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth being a fine example, but most games that feature "Lovecraftian themes" get it all wrong. Lovecraft's works are often about unknowable evil, a force so vast, so powerful that it can drive a person insane. That is why you can't just put Cthulu in a game as an antagonising force to over come. To suggest you can overcome Cthulu is a betrayal of his concept. To look upon Cthulu is to look upon madness. That is why so many games fail to really nail Lovecraft.

With all that said, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, while not strictly a Lovecraft game is one of the best examples of these themes for a long time.

You play as Paul Propero, a detective with a supernatural ability to see the scenes of a crime as soon as he has discovered all the clues. The prerogative is to try and locate a young boy named Ethan Carter who has gone missing and who had previously written you extensively. Your journey begins as you are dropped in the scenic town of Red Creek Valley. Note, that when I say 'sceneic', I mean it. This is an incredibly picturesque landscape. The depth of beauty on hand here is a wonder, especially considering the developer, The Astronauts, are a small indie team.

But even for all of its beauty, there is a sense of dread. A sense of festering darkness that is eating away at this haven. For all its beauty, Red Creek Valley is incredibly lonely.

Now, let me point something out. This is one of the those games some people refer to as "interactive narratives", much in the ilk of Dear Esther, Gone Home and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. It's a growing genre that has been responsible for several memorable experiences. They are defined by exploring a narrative by walking around an environment, trying to solve puzzles in order to progress. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter definitely fits into that category. If you are someone who traditionally hasn't had fun with these experience or you want something a little more immediate, you might not enjoy your time in Red Creek Valley.

The game opens by saying that it isn't "going to hold your hand", leaving you to figure out how to solve mysteries and use Propero's powers on your own. Initially, due to the vastness of the explorable area and the not entirely clear terms of your 'power' you may find yourself wondering around trying to figure out what you're looking for. However, once you figure out the pattern of the crime scenes and the 'stories' very few will stump you for very long. It's a shame, because as a detective, it would have been nice to occasionally do detective work. Most puzzles are you finding a certain number of clues until you can 'touch' the crime scene. Once you have them all you will see little scenes and you must order them. These can usually be figured out pretty easily and if you do get stumped, you can just use the power of deduction to figure out the right order for the scenes.

The story that does play out is one of a deeply disturbed family whose minds are being feasted upon by 'The Sleeper'. An unspecified and unseen force that thrives on the pain and destruction of its victims. It drives the family to murder, mutilation and suicide as 'The Sleeper' causes friends and family to eviscerate the roots of their relationships. It's dark stuff and while the puzzles could have been more engaging, there is a great sense of momentum to the story that propelled me forward.

As you figure out various crime scenes, you will also find out several stories written by Ethan. You find your powers extend to being able to leap into his psyche and see these stories first hand. These vary in tone and content, from space adventures to what amounts to The Call of Cthulu abridged, but despite the clashing ideas, it works. You find out a lot about Ethan, his imagination and the torment he feels through these mini-stories that become integral to progress towards the end of the game.

As with many games in this genre, it's worth noting that The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is fairly short, clocking in at around 4-5 hours. To some that will be off putting, expecting longer experiences for their hard earned bucks. Although, this is definitely for those that want quality over quantity. The time frame does feel perfect for this kind of game though. It never out stays its welcome and is short enough to remain mysterious. It also lends itself to the Lovecraftian 'short story' style.

This isn't to suggest the narrative is flawless though. Where the story falters most is in its landing. (I'm going to talk about the ending in a general sense from here on out in this paragraph. No spoilers but just ideas concerning the finale.) Once you've deciphered how puzzles work, the story has a continual sense of forward momentum. Finding the next area isn't too troublesome and the intervals between crime scenes and stories isn't ever large enough to feel wanting and the way the details are coaxed out are satisfying.

However, by the end of the game, you will realise you have to track back to areas where you missed certain aspects of play. This made me travel back to the very start of the game from the end twice, which killed any sense of forward motion I had coming into the conclusion. I also had a problem with how the story wraps itself up. While the conclusion to Paul and Ethan's story makes sense and has interesting aspects, it feels like it undercuts the narrative I'd been on just a little too much. Instead it offers me a conclusion to another story and not the one I had been following.

Should you buy it though? If you have time for "interactive narratives" in the ilk of Gone Home or Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, yes, absolutely. If you don't? It is harder to recommend, but I say it's worth a try. A jet black, misty sense of dread told in a Lovecraftian light make it a memorable story. Pair that with one the most picturesque and haunting environments of the year and it makes The Vanishing of Ethan Carter a unique experience in its genre. While it doesn't necessarily hang together as a whole by the times the credits roll, it doesn't weaken the experience of exploring Red Creek Valley and its looming sense of blood and destruction.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is available now on PC. It is coming to PlayStation 4 at a later unspecified date.

Patrick Dane, once a would be filmmaker, has somewhat accidentally found himself as an entertainment journalist over the past two years. You may recognize him from around these parts, or you may not. Who's counting? From E3 to SDCC to the Top Gear track, Patrick has explored the world of entertainment wherever it has taken him. He is always happy to talk words at you. Hopefully the ones above will suffice your needs.

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