Game: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre: adventure game
Style: light influences
Verdict: Not Recommended
It wasn’t until I was setting up this site that I learned The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was considered Lovecraftian. After playing it, however, I feel like that description is a bit misleading.
The story begins with occult detective Paul Prospero arriving at Red Creek Valley after receiving a letter from a boy named Ethan Carter asking him for help. By piecing together crime scenes, you’re able to use Paul’s supernatural sight to see the events of the past.
While there are a few different gameplay situations you’ll run into, the most common one has you recreate the crime scene by finding missing objects, after which you’ll see snippets of the events. Once you put these events in the correct order, the entire scene will play out.
These scenes tell a grim story of Ethan desperately fighting for his life as his family tries to kill him, because they’ve fallen under the influence of “the sleeper.”
A dormant entity being awoken, the family falling under its sway, Ethan searching for a way to stop what he accidentally unleashed… it all sounds very Lovecraftian. There’s even a short section of the game that feels like it was pulled straight out of Lovecraft’s stories.
However, another possibility slowly begins to present itself.
From this point on, the review will contain story spoilers for The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the conclusion.
After each section, you’ll also find notes that flesh out Ethan’s troubled relationship with his family. These also suggest that some of the gameplay sections you’ve gone through have been based on stories Ethan wrote, rather than actual supernatural incidents.
Could this whole Lovecraftian story about “the sleeper” actually be a metaphor for mundane events?
Yes. Yes it could. It’s not even a supernatural explanation for regular murders, since none of the murders actually happened either. Paul Prospero isn’t an occult detective who traveled to Red Creek Valley, but a fictional character invented by Ethan as he dies after being trapped in a burning house. His family didn’t turn against him due to a dark influence, but considered him strange because he makes up stories.
That’s it.
The twist is well-foreshadowed, and it’s still a somber story, but the Lovecraftian aspect is all a disguise.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter has a fun gameplay loop and story has some creepy moments, but the conclusion disappointed me. You might still enjoy it, but if you’re specifically looking for a Lovecraftian game, this isn’t the game I would recommend.