It’s finally October, which means Halloween is right around the corner. In celebration ofHalloweenand the upcoming launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles, Game Rant is taking a look at the 31 best horror games that released on the PS4 and Xbox One. The second game in the spotlight isThe Vanishing of Ethan Carter, a first-person exploration game with supernatural elements and a tragic mystery to solve.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carterwas originally released in 2014 by The Astronauts, a studio primarily comprised of formerPeople Can Flydevelopers, best known for games likeBulletstormandPainkiller. But instead of being an over-the-top first-person shooter game like one might expect from the studio,The Vanishing of Ethan Carteris better described as a “walking simulator” style game, where players walk around the game world, exploring the environment and trying to solve the mystery at the core of the experience.
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The Vanishing of Ethan Carterseesinvestigator Paul Prosperoinvestigate the disappearance of the titular Ethan Carter and his family. During his investigation, Prospero discovers the dead bodies of the ill-fated family, and is then able to utilize his supernatural abilities to help solve the murders. The game revolves around finding important objects involved in the death of each family member, and tasks players with putting together the exact timeline of events leading up to each death.
At the time of its release,The Vanishing of Ethan Cartersearned mostly positive reviews, with particular praise given to its story and graphics. While not overtly concerned with scaring the player,The Vanishing of Ethan Carterstill creates an unnerving atmosphere and leverages its supernatural elements well. So it’s still a solid pick for horror game enthusiasts, and it certainly has one of the better-written plots when compared to the many other horror games that were released for PS4 and Xbox One over the years.
The Astronauts has not released a new game sinceThe Vanishing of Ethan Carter’s release, but the studio’s next game looks like it will also appeal to fans of the horror genre.Witchfirewas first revealed at The Game Awardsa few years ago, and it looks to be blending the “walking simulator” elements ofThe Vanishing of Ethan Carterwith the more action-oriented first-person shooter gameplay ofBulletstormandPainkiller. Hopefully The Astronauts can share rather than later.
While they wait for moreWitchfirenews, horror game fans can revisitThe Vanishing of Ethan Carteron their platform of choice.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carteris out now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
