The Astronauts, a new Indie development studio, has announced their debut title. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter seeks to be something slightly different from the usual horror games which get released.
Dubbed as a “weird fiction” tale, players take the role of Paul Prospero, a detective investigating the disappearance of the titular character, a young boy who has vanished following a murder in the game’s setting of Red Creek Valley.
Made up of a number of industry veterans - including members of Bulletstorm‘s People Can Fly - the goal is for players to become truly immersed in the gameworld, without having their experience interrupted by cutscenes or unnecessary exposition. “What we care about the most is that the players feel like they’re really there. Immersion is our number one priority,” said the game’s designer, Adrian Chmielarz. “It’s a game about exploration and discovery. We’re not abandoning the gameplay – on the contrary: we’re trying to strip it down to the bone and make sure it’s always meaningful and truly makes the experience better.”
Gameplay seems to be focused on investigation, rather than combat; you’ll need to identify and analyze clues, which will allow you to view traces of previous events. The more clues you identify, the greater your ability to piece things together.
While the game will be initially released on PC, The Astronauts also hope for a release on next-gen consoles. To coincide with the announcement, they’ve has released a teaser trailer, which you can view below.
Dale Morgan
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