The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was released about a year ago to almost universally positive reviews. The creepy supernatural vibe meshed wonderfully with the gorgeous environments, and the tight script writing made for a game that was difficult to put down. Seemingly out of nowhere, developer The Astronauts has released a complete overhaul of the game, called The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Redux, in Unreal Engine 4 (the original The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was created in Unreal Engine 3). Even better, the game is a free update for anyone who already owns The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. If you do not already own it, it is discounted 40% off on Steam until noon on Sunday. Check out the trailer for the update here:
- A new save system – The Astronauts fixed the most irritating part of the game. No longer do you have to completely solve a given area in order for the game to recognize it and save your progress. Instead, the game autosaves after nearly every action, so the world will not see certain parts revert to their original state if the player has to exit at an odd time.
- Invisible streaming of new areas – In the original, the game would often pause for a second or two when a new area was entered. In The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Redux, these graphical stutters have been almost entirely eliminated, creating one giant world.
- Elimination of backtracking – The Astronauts have eliminated the backtracking that was needed at the end of the game, but, according to the blog, “it’s hard to explain why without spoiling the game.” Needless to say, the ending of the game should flow more smoothly.
- Elimination of a scary/exhausting scene – Another cryptic fix listed on the blog to avoid spoilers, but a certain scene has been tweaked in order to make it flow better.
The developers have also made several unlisted graphical/game tweaks, and have expanded graphical options. Players now have the ability to use multiple monitor setups and non-traditional resolutions. The new engine has made system requirements a bit steeper, but it does not take an extravagant PC to play The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Redux.
Are these updates enough to make you want to go solve paranormal mysteries again? Or is one journey through The Vanishing of Ethan Carter enough? Let us know.
