Stunning photorealistic visuals
Mentioned in ~3 in 5 positive reviews
“its visuals look incredibly impressive for the release year and hold up beautifully even compared to modern titles”
Steam review · 6.8 h played ↗
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Worth buying? What 300 Steam reviews say.Worth buying? Here’s what 300 Steam reviews actually say.
Very Positive · 88%Very Positive · 88%The Astronauts2014Mystery · Detective · Walking Simulator
$19.99
Open on Steam ↗US Steam price, checked 3 h ago
The verdict
A short, gorgeous, atmospheric detective walking sim with an emotional story, but it gives almost no guidance and the ending divides players. Skip it if you hate vague design.
Great for
Players who want a short, atmospheric, story-driven walking sim to relax with and take screenshots
Main risk
No guidance leaves you lost, and the "it was all a dream" ending may feel like a cop-out
What players love
Moving, memorable story with a twist
Mentioned in ~2 in 5 positive reviews
“It's got one of the best end-game plot twists since Knights of the Old Republic”
Steam review · 9.8 h played ↗
Haunting, immersive atmosphere and sound
Mentioned in ~2 in 5 positive reviews
“This has such an eerie vibe with a beautiful landscape, it subconsciously more scary in a way.”
Steam review · 3.5 h played ↗
Satisfying detective reconstruction mechanic
Mentioned in ~1 in 10 positive reviews
“you essentially have to work out the order of events that led up to the murder of a character.”
Steam review · 3.3 h played ↗
Relaxing, short single-sitting experience
Mentioned in ~1 in 14 positive reviews
“Good game, cozy, great to finish in 1 sitting”
Steam review · 4.1 h played ↗
What players complain about
Disappointing dream ending and weak story
Mentioned in ~2 in 5 negative reviews
“"it was all a dream" is one of the most clichéd and boring ways to end a narrative.”
Steam review · 1.9 h played ↗
No guidance; you get lost or need a walkthrough
Mentioned in ~1 in 3 negative reviews
“it literally does not even explain the core mechanics of the gameplay to you. I had to look up a walkthrough on HOW TO PLAY after wasting an hour wandering around aimlessly.”
Steam review · 4.8 h played ↗
Large empty world, tedious backtracking
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 negative reviews
“DON'T SKIP THE PUZZLES UNTIL YOU SOLVE THEM.”
Steam review · translated · 7.7 h played ↗
Stuttering, crashes and bugs
Mentioned in ~1 in 8 negative reviews
“The Redux version was completely unplayable to me b/c of the wildest stuttering I've ever seen.”
Steam review · 0.9 h played ↗
Too short and overpriced for content
Mentioned in ~1 in 9 negative reviews
“I don't think it holds up for a 20$ experience. It was mostly walking.”
Steam review · 3.3 h played ↗
Save system loses progress
Mentioned in ~1 in 14 negative reviews
“The save system cripples this game.”
Steam review · 0.5 h played ↗
System requirements
From the Steam store page
Steam Deck: VerifiedController support9 GB
Minimum
OSWindows 64-bit
ProcessorIntel Core2 Duo or equivalent AMD
Memory6 GB RAM
GraphicsDirectX11 compliant card with 1GB of VRAM
Storage9 GB available space
OSWindows 64-bit
ProcessorIntel Core2 Duo or equivalent AMD
Memory6 GB RAM
GraphicsDirectX11 compliant card with 1GB of VRAM
Storage9 GB available space
More games to check
Other games we’ve read the reviews for
The Forgotten City
Overwhelmingly Positive
+ Gripping, well-written story
− Flat characters and weak writing
analyzed 28 min ago
−70%
Gone Home
Mostly Positive · 77%
+ Touching, emotional story
− Story is boring, predictable or underwhelming
analyzed 47 min ago
Time To Wake Up
Very Positive · 84%Early verdict
+ Moving, well-written story
− Very short
analyzed 1 d ago
My Beautiful Faraway, Please Don't Be Cruel To Me
Very Positive · 91%
+ Immersive melancholic atmosphere
− Obscure, frustrating puzzles (TV, organ)
analyzed 1 d ago
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