The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a Adventure game from The Astronauts with a 87% positive Steam review signal. Indie Lantern indexes it for players browsing by weird, single-player.
Game snapshot
- Developer
- The Astronauts
- Release year
- 2014
- Playtime
- Varies by player
- Price
- $3.99
- Review signal
- 87% positive
Screenshots
System requirements
PC
- Minimum
- OS: Windows 64-bit Processor: Intel Core2 Duo or equivalent AMD Memory: 6 GB RAM Graphics: DirectX11 compliant card with 1GB of VRAM DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 9 GB available space Sound Card: DirectX9c compliant
From Steam reviews
Review notes
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is worth a closer look if you want narrative mystery, narrative adventure, strong atmosphere, and exploration.
Best for players who want strong atmosphere, emotional story, cosmic horror, and narrative mystery.
Check more carefully if you dislike technical roughness.
narrative-mystery
Play styleA useful part of the game is piecing together mystery and story threads.
narrative-adventure
Play styleThe experience is more story-and-place driven than systems-heavy.
strong-atmosphere
ToneThe mood, place, and presentation carry a lot of the experience.
exploration
Play styleThe draw is moving through spaces, discovering details, and learning the world.
emotional-story
ToneThe story is framed as affecting rather than just plot-heavy.
cosmic-horror
SettingThe darker pull is eldritch, strange, or cosmic rather than ordinary horror.
controller-friendly
FitController, gamepad, or Steam Deck play comes up as a plus.
melancholic
ToneThe emotional register is quieter, sadder, or bittersweet.
Steam review snapshots
Finding objectives often feels needlessly confusing, turning much of the experience into an unintentional walking simulator.It delivers a serviceable emotional arc, but nothing particularly memorable or impactful.From the very first moments, it’s hard not to admire the stunning environments and the eerie, unsettling atmosphere.A really gorgeous murder-mystery short experience that might not suitable for everyone, because it seriously requires you to explore EVERY single area…Why it fits
Good fit if you want a story-driven mystery with strong atmosphere and exploration. It stands out for its eerie environments, narrative mystery, emotional story, and cosmic horror tone.
Who might skip it
Skip if you dislike technical roughness or want clearer objectives and less wandering.