The Vanishing of Ethan Carter unveiled

The Astronauts announce their first digital title with the immersive horror game The Vanishing of Ethan Carter.

Made up of ex-People Can Fly (Bulletstorm) employees, The Vanishing is a little bit of a departure to say the least. Unlike the nonstop Bulletstorm, there’s no action to be had here. But what there is is high-strangeness… and full on ‘weird fiction horror’.

As a detective with the supernatural ability to visualize scenes of lethal crimes, you investigate the kidnapping of a young boy, hoping to save him before it’s too late. The investigation leads you to a beautiful mountain area, where you come across a severely mutilated body of one of the kidnappers. Using both your paranormal skill and modern detective tools you discover the mystery behind the trail of corpses in the valley, the roots of an ancient force ruling the area, and the fate of the kidnapped boy.

There’s no real description of the gameplay at this point per say, but the developers are looking to make a completely interactive experience that’s heavy on exploration, which sounds like it should make for some suitably creepy moments that are aimed to be played with the lights off, alone, and with headphones firmly in place.

“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.”

Expect to discover The Vanishing of Ethan Carter on the PC at some point in 2013.