The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
This review is for both The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter Redux. I’ve played both games, they are the same, the redux version has better graphics and some small interface differences. At the end of this review i explain more about the differences*.
More than 20 years ago, when i first played Myst i remember thinking, well, this game seems cool and all, specially the graphics, the story is very vague…and i don’t really see too many things to do…i hope i soon have some things to do.. because if i don’t i’m not so sure this is gonna work out….aand, of course, turns out, in myst, i did have some/several things to do, but in an original and unexpected way and there was a story, although not like you were expecting it to be, and it became one of the most known adventure games of the 90s (even though, it wasn’t considered an adventure by many…). And that’s fine, because the game was anything but a normal adventure, it was something else. You could like it, or hate it, but it was difficult to remain indifferent (once you played it).
– Real player with 5.7 hrs in game
Read More: Best Atmospheric Walking Simulator Games.
Paul Prospero, a detective with a unique skillset, is called towards a piece of fan mail as though the sirens themselves would emerge the moment he sliced the licked adhesive apart. A boy named Ethan Carter writes to him, detailing some dark happenings in the hidden countryside town he resides in. Paul realizes that Ethan wouldn’t have chosen him if these dark things wouldn’t require his particular abilities. His last case shall be this one, Paul decides, and sets out to the breezy hillsides of Red Creek Valley. Within minutes of arriving, he comes across a series of potentially deadly traps in the woods just on the outskirts of town. This case will be anything but ordinary for most people, but Paul Prospero is used to it.
– Real player with 5.1 hrs in game
Jenny LeClue - Detectivu
Note: When I wrote this review, Jenny LeClue had no voice acting, which is why the review doesn’t mention it. The game recently updated with the voice acting. It is extremely good, and on this replay, I can’t imagine going back to no voices. It turned a great game into an exceptional one.
Jenny LeClue is positively adorable. The eponymous hero, yes- exceedingly so- but also the game itself is just overall incredibly charming.
As far as gameplay goes, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. There’s a lot of conversations between Jenny and the various residents of Arthurton, as she walks about a 2d world, flicking switches and pushing boxes. There’s some neat investigation sections that will feel very familiar to fans of Danganronpa or Phoenix Wright.
– Real player with 22.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Atmospheric Colorful Games.
I first learned about Jenny LeClue a few years ago through Adventuregamers, after it had already been funded on Kickstarter. I followed the progression of the game through the developer’s page and eagerly awaited the arrival of this beautifully animated detective game, led by a young girl no less!
I regret to say that even though the developers obviously put a lot of effort in this game, it’s poorly constructed in terms of gameplay, plot and pace. After spending 21 hours of my life on it, which I’m never getting back, I feel a bit outraged – so forgive my long review and negative rant. I really regret being a completionist since I otherwise would have deserted the game maybe an hour after trying it.
– Real player with 21.7 hrs in game
Who is the Liar?
I loved the art direction chosen for this game. It combines pieces that look like they came out of the board game Clue with beautiful, more realistic 3D scenarios and comics iconographies. The game also has an engaging story and charming characters.
With all of these elements at the developer’s disposal, the game practically begs for more content. Since it is still in early access, it is sure to develop into a great game.
Very promising!
– Real player with 9.8 hrs in game
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A fun game, very well produced. The visuals are incredible, combining cartoon 2D and stunning 3D. A humorous narrative, it reminds me of the movie Knives Out with its crazy eccentric family. Looking forward to play the next stories in the final version.
– Real player with 8.3 hrs in game
Contradiction - Spot The Liar!
This is a FMV detective & mystery game developed by Baggy Cat, created thanks to a kickstarter campaign. Since I love detective games and tv-shows I decided to give this one a go. This is a lovecrafted masterpiece, great from start to finish. I’m gonna try to explain why.
You play as detective Jenks, investigating a girls suicide in an english village. Mysteries surrounding the suicide quickly leads to a murder investigation. Jenks only have a day to solve the mystery. He quickly finds out about a private school for adults called Atlas that uses some questionable methods, and you learn more and more as you go. Every chapter is an hour in the game, but every chapter took me more then an hour each. It’s a pretty tricky game, but you can use clues if you get stuck.
– Real player with 15.2 hrs in game
TL;DR: It’s a very fun and interesting game,
! with a very, very, VERY bad (and extremely) unsatisfying ending
I’m probably very late to the “reviewing contradiction” party (what a weird party), the game being almost 6 years old now and having been talked about in the ExtraCredits YouTube channel (the reason why I bought it in the first place!), but I’m gonna have a go at it anyways.
Contradiction is an FMV game where you must investigate in one night a supposed suicide in a small village. The investigation is done almost entirely by talking to people (i.e. watching small bits of questioning), though some evidence is found by walking and snooping around (in fact, I’m no lawyer or law-enforcement officer, but I feel like a quite a few of the evidence found wouldn’t be admissible in court!) But the main aspect of the game is asking people about things, which can directly lead you to new evidence, but will always lead to a set of statements from each person. This is where the main mechanic of the game comes in: you can select two statements (they must be from the same person though, hold this for later) that contradict each other and if they do, indeed, you get a new line of questioning where detective Jenks brings up the contradiction to the person in question, usually leading to new evidence. When you reach key milestones in the investigation, the time moves forward, and some new witness can become available (or unavailable), and going certain places can unlock certain events that can give you new evidence to ask around about.
– Real player with 13.7 hrs in game
Return of the Obra Dinn
In “Return of the Obra Dinn” you’re an insurance investigator who is tasked with determining the fates of all 60 crewmembers aboard the Obra Dinn, a merchant ship that went missing in the early 19th century. Among your possessions is a pocketwatch that, when opened while standing nearby (the remains of) a corpse, shows you a glimpse of the deceased’s surroundings – and what they heard – at the moment of their death.
Furthermore, you have a book in which you keep a record of every crewmate’s death and disappearance. It also contains an artist’s rendition of the face of every crewmember and a list of the crewmember’s names, their occupation and their nationality. Your task is to assign a fate to everyone aboard the ship by using the 3D stills the pocketwatch provides you with. Some people’s fates are easier to determine than others, and the game will rely heavily on your deductive reasoning skills, since you’ll have to draw conclusions by narrowing down possibilities. Although sometimes conclusions based on guesswork and incomplete information were required too.
– Real player with 15.7 hrs in game
TL;DR
People declaring Obra Dinn a prime example of games-as-art and a shining pinnacle of what games in general should strive to be, probably have little to no understanding of how games actually work and wouldn’t recognize a good game if it hit them in the forehead. The core puzzle is good, tho.
Longer version
It’s better to know one important thing before even considering buying The Return of Obra Dinn. This can make or break your experience with it.
The whole affair boils down to solving one big constraint satisfaction problem (think the famous Zebra, or Einstein’s, puzzle) uniquely presented as a series of “memories” (still 3d dioramas) accompanied by an interactive notebook instead of a usual cell table. There is nothing else to it, period.
– Real player with 15.6 hrs in game
The Case of the Golden Idol
The Case of the Golden Idol is a wryly amusing detective game set in the 18th century, brought to life with striking hand-drawn artwork. The game tests your ability to piece together clues and reconstruct the events leading up to some mysterious deaths.
Investigate a series of mysterious deaths
Explore hand-drawn locations set in the 18th century, where some mysterious deaths have taken place.
Reconstruct the events with a unique drag-and-drop mechanic
Gather verbal evidence and visual clues, then apply your deduction skills to figure out what actually happened and how each victim died.
Explore a greater mystery that spans centuries
Start revealing a larger overarching story that connects all the individual tales.
Kona
An interactive story/adventure that has a touch of puzzles, free roam exploration, and mild survival mechanics. It excells with its story-telling, its atmosphere, and its straight forward mechanics. It’s not for everyone, as it’s a bit short, mildly challenging, and not overly scary or exciting.
This is an interactive story first and foremost. The survival and puzzle elements take a back seat, and are more supplementary to the atmosphere than actual gameplay. The difficulty of the game across the board is mild, something more accessible to non-gamers or low-octane adventurers.
– Real player with 18.7 hrs in game
Welcome To Kona
This is where adventure takes Carl, our hero, who is entrusted with finding out who and why vandalises the properties of the local industrialist called Hamilton. Not long after the first couple of minutes of driving Carl has an accident and he is knocked out for a short while. As he regains consciousness behind the wheel he notices how the environment suddenly turned to white from green - snow quickly arrived in the form of a blizzard.
Now, reaching the general store will be our initial main objective. We find out more once we are there and we can also refuel our vehicle as the store also acts as a gas station. As we look at our map we can see there are a lot of houses and cabins we can visit so we can immediately get back behind the wheel and start our investigation in a town where residents is what’s very difficult to come by.
– Real player with 16.2 hrs in game
Murdered: Soul Suspect
🚀 Overview
| 👍 Merits | 👎 Flaws |
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✔️ Meritorious story
✔️ Soul-stirring side quests
✔️ Lots of collectables
✔️ Menacing, fetching atmosphere
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❌ Broken concept
❌ Shoddy optimization
❌ Mundane character design
❌ Linear gameplay
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🚪 Introduction
The way Murdered: Soul Suspect expounds the afterworld postulation is very aberrant. I don’t accept the idea of being stuck in limbo until I solve the mystery of my murder or know where my body was buried. What if I wasn’t a detective or was an innocent dumbass? Am I screwed then? Will I be forever roaming the streets as a freak? What about kids? All these unanswered questions flout the paramount aspect of the afterlife that is justice for everyone. I feel like the main concept of the game was built on the protagonist’s case, ignoring everyone around him.
– Real player with 30.7 hrs in game
They okayest okay game that ever okayed, and it took me 29 disappointing hours in two gos (played once and stopped halfway because of boredom). I’m kind of upset that they made it only okay, with the great ideas they were working with.
Jokes aside, it’s a lukewarm game made out of a great idea, but it misses the mark in basically every single aspect so much that it’s a perfect 6/10 game.
The basic issue with the game that they try to do everything with collectibles (There are 242 collectibles). To tell you creepypasta/camp fire stories, to solve investigations, to uncover ghost graffities because ghost kids gonna be ghost kids, and also to get information about your beloved past wife, the love of your life…wait what?
– Real player with 29.0 hrs in game
The ordinary case of Margaret Luoni
The head of the laboratory turned to Dirk for help in the investigation of the murder of his employee. What happened to one of the greatest minds in the Cat Head Nebula? What color do the Sumlings hate? Where can I get carbs for my secretary? And in what order did the great Blork Gnarbs draw his pictures? Why me?
You will find the answer to these and other obviously important questions by helping Dirk in the investigation.
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World: In a world where teleportation and robots are as commonplace as a cup of coffee, there are almost no living plants left. Humans are a lower caste and they are doing the work that hardly anyone else wants to do. For example, to investigate murders. The Margaret Luoni case is one of detective Dirk’s many investigations. There will be others! Learn new details of the futuristic universe and meet new galactic races.
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Plot: Travel between planets of the Cat Head Nebula, interrogate witnesses, and find new evidence. Solve puzzles and approach different witnesses with Galactic Handbooks. There are no obvious solutions here, find your own way to solve problems and get 2 different endings.
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Graphics: Everything from locations to the smallest of objects is hand-drawn, as well as painstakingly created character animations
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Music: amazingly atmospheric music
The Painscreek Killings
Summary
Fantastic adventure game with only minor flaws. Play time for me was around 15 hours or so plus another couple of hours for finding the last few items that I had missed originally.
You are playing a journalist who investigates a series of murders that happened a few years back and were never solved. The majority of the game consists of searching through various locations for letters, notes and other clues that allow you to piece together the events that led to the murders and identify the killer. The game is fairly non-linear, most locations are available right from the start although there are quite a few rooms and a handful of areas that you first have to unlock (literally, i.e. you need to find a key/code).
– Real player with 17.7 hrs in game
Walking simulator that quickly evolves from liesurely exploration of an abandoned gated community into a full-blown murder mystery adventure game.
Every place has its secrets. Every suspect is hiding something. Look through drawers, cupboards, the homes and belongings of the persons you are investigating to lead you closer to truth.
You play as an investigative reporter with one simple objective: Solve a cold case file by determining who killed wealthy socialite philanthropist Vivian Roberts and provide a front page photo. Can you find the murder weapon? Can you learn the whole truth about what happened in the now vacant Painscreek?
– Real player with 15.9 hrs in game