Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 79 | 27 |
| Creator reviews (4 tracked) | – | 77 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 88% | 82 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 82 | 37 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 46% | 49 | 2 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 6 reviews sampled · 6 total reviews in window · weighted 1.1 up / 1.3 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (118)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 40
“Creators like Chmielarz need an obvious symbol of false hope to sell (not articulate) their trendy nihilism that, if anything, should vanish.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“As the credits roll on this brief but powerful experience, you'll realise a lot is left open to interpretation. For some, that's to be expected. For others, it'll be infuriating. Prospero rarely seems to be in a hurry, even when he bloody should be, and as such, his plodding pace is very much a gamer's Marmite; you'll either love it or hate it… but good grief is this a mystery worth solving.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Though it poses little in the way of challenge, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter delivers a gripping, gradually unfolding tragedy set in a beautiful open woodland environment that you are free to explore at will.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The Vanishing of Ethan Carter has a hauntingly beautiful, unnerving world, and when you leave it, it's like waking up from a very complex dream. The game is extremely pretty and demands some interpretation and asking of the right questions. The Astronauts' first game has many little details, and none of them are accidental. Everything is well thought out and the gameplay walks hand in hand with the story. There should be more games like this.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“A singular experience, at times strange, astonishing and even bewildering, but always captivating. The mystery will keep you going, but what the game does best is surprise. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter has a great story to tell, even if it's not the one you were expecting.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“By focusing on the unique story-delivery mechanisms of video games and providing a sufficient level of interactivity, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter side-steps many of the pitfalls associated with narrative-driven adventure games, even as it struggles to escape the sub-genre's orbit.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“When a game starts up showing a warning that establishes it isn’t meant to hold your hand I’ll admit my “Ruh Roh Raggy” meter tends to go off the charts...”
read full review ↗ - 50
“The Astronauts made an interesting experiment with The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, and while the team's attempt to tell some kind of tragic and emotional story is kind of effective, the overall gameplay, which serves as the grubby middleman that glues the whole tapestry together, is just not the hours wandering around in the Wisconsin woods. This probably would have made for a great novel instead of a video game.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was already great when it released on the PC in late 2014, and the PS4 version succeeds in re-purposing that same experience for a new audience. While reworking the title in Unreal Engine 4 hasn't brought about a drastic number of changes, it performs adequately barring some framerate hiccups. For the most part, though, this game delivers an intriguing and thought-provoking detective experience that, in its own words, doesn't hold your hand.”
read full review ↗ - 83
“The unbelievable graphics, the atmosphere and the feeling of lonely wandering manage to beat some design flaws such as lack of manual saving, possible backtracking and the failed jump scare moment. A game which will be discussed for a long time.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“The title definitely has good intentions but it inevitably falls short. Clichés and bogged down mechanics appear early in the game. Some mind-blowing scenes freshen up the experience but the riddles are either dull or poorly designed.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Ethan Carter is a powerful, entrancing game that'll live with you long after the credits have rolled. Just don't let anyone spoil it for you.”
read full review ↗
Slant Magazine
Nintendo Life
GRYOnline.pl
VGChartz
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
Push Square
LevelUp
GameWatcher…and 106 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Redux Update 1.01Sep 15, 2015
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Redux Update 1.01Sep 15, 2015
- Update #5 is now live!Dec 23, 2014
- Update #5 is now live!Dec 23, 2014
- Update #4 - Achievements - is now live!Nov 21, 2014
- Update #4 - Achievements - is now live!Nov 21, 2014
- Update #3 is now live!Oct 2, 2014
- Update #3 is now live!Oct 2, 2014
- Update #2 is now live!Sep 27, 2014
- Update #2 is now live!Sep 27, 2014
- Update #1 is now live!Sep 26, 2014
- Update #1 is now live!Sep 26, 2014