Ether One

I went in blind, reading briefly that this game had two routes: walking sim, or puzzle game. I imagined a linear game with a fork in the path, in reality the game is way more open.
You’re a Restorer, working at a company pioneering memory restoration. Your task is to enter the mind of a dementia patient and help cure them, guided by the lead doctor.
It starts off in a seemingly linear way, but then opens up to 4 main areas which you are free to explore. You can travel between them (after the first area), by foot, or fast travel. Each area has puzzles scattered around that are technically optional. At any time, you can warp to “The Case”, essentially your home base, where you can review progress, re-listen to unlocked audio, review important files on your clue board, and best of all, store items you think may be important on your shelves. I loved the concept of having a safe & contained space in someone else’s mind, and the klepto in me from playing point & click games absolutely loved that I could hoard & arrange items I thought might be useful.
Now, puzzles are optional, but I fully back that this game isn’t worth playing as a walking sim. Playing this without the puzzles would be like deciding to eat an egg and then only eating the shell. This game is designed so well around the puzzles. Every time you even walk into a puzzle area, you get the first line of dialogue to a little memory that is being recalled that is only expanded on if you do the puzzle. Each puzzle also unlocks an audio log, so that’d be a lot of missed dialogue.
In general, the puzzles are interesting, and satisfying at times. I found it really engaging for quite a while, before getting stuck and kind of running out of steam a bit. I was prepared for harder puzzles, but a few were just kind of obscure. Plus, when you think you’re missing something it can feel daunting. It’s a shame there is no hint system in a non-linear game like this. Thankfully, most solutions are contained to their specific area. I did have to use a guide a few times as some things just weren’t obvious. One piece of advice I’d give you: really pay attention to the details & inspect important objects.
This game is quite old so my expectations were low. The graphics hold up surprisingly well, and you can tell that this game was made with detail in mind. I looked at a clock, and the face had all the numbers to the right side. I was reminded of a show that said sometimes the cognitively impaired can’t draw a clock properly, the example looking exactly the same as in the game. Everything is also placed perfectly. There are holes in walls, breaks in the trees and skyline, to give you glimpses of other parts of the level. Even something as simple as establishing the Lighthouse as a curiosity in the story, and then always making sure you can catch a glimpse of it.
I had no idea what the story was about going into it. As you go, nothing is given plainly. You piece together information to learn who is who and what is what. It feels purposely vague, and fitting giving the subject matter. Certain things felt odd/off but it made sense later. I honestly didn’t feel very invested in the story as I was going along, but by the end it had me crying which I was not expecting. For me, the impact was felt towards the end, and after playing.
Interestingly… I 100%ed everything knowing at a certain point there was no going back. I ended the game, I felt some kinda way, and was getting ready to sweep up achievements as not many were left, when I saw mention in the discussions of another ending.
If you “continue” after finishing the game to do anything you missed, once complete, you’re prompted and can get what I see as the actual ending. I missed this prompt as I was booting up a “pre-ending” save, so it’s definitely missable.
The first ending just left me unsure of what happened and what it actually meant. The completionist ending makes so much more sense, is so much more positive, and ties in so many gameplay elements that it’s just the better ending. Meaning, for a worthwhile end to this game you need to do all of the puzzles, making the walking sim option a complete no-go in my eyes.
My thoughts on the endings:
Ending 1, Thomas becomes lucid, remembers himself, his possessions, his partner. He’s weak and confined to his chair. We know now there is no institute, the doctor is just a carer, and he’s just going through validation therapy. He asks for his wife, and the carer alludes to her being gone. He found himself again, to realise he’s alone. They listen to music together and it cuts to black, which could signify him losing awareness again. This was just… incredibly sad. It may be the horrible reality of dementia, there one day and gone the next, but it made my heart ache and my mind wonder what really was the point?
Ending 2, Thomas becomes lucid, somewhat self-reliant. He walks freely, and you realise The Case was a re-representation of the care home, that throughout the game Thomas was not in touch with reality, but has improved enough to be discharged, to live with his son. You find notes that tie things together. A carer leaves a note to another saying Thomas had cleared the shelves and starting stacking random things on them because it helped “get his thoughts together”. This referencing the inventory system. Another note states the TV is broken and they will instead get some old record players out. This explained why none of the TVs would turn on in the game, something I was curious about, and why there was so many radios & record players. There’s a few other little revelations like this, that just gives more meaning to the gameplay and more hope to the outcome. This ending made me cry as well, but at least this time there was some positivity.
Anything relating to mental illness in games, I question if it is a fair representation. Curious about some of the notes in the game about dementia, giving that this is a serious & sad subject, I was glad to find out in the devs documentary (really recommend) that some research was done.
The doctor is based off of Naomi Feil, a social worker who developed validation therapy. Her approach works with the concept of validation so that the person in therapy is acknowledged and respected. The characters behaviour is also based on a specific type of dementia, Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), which affected how the story was told, down to what colours were used and even what shape the physical representation of the dementia took form as in the game.
After the game, I thought about it for a short while. How would I want to be treated if I got dementia? Would I want someone trying to ground me in reality, even if that was upsetting? or just let me go, and keep me as peaceful as possible? It scares me to think about my “being” being lost, but is it kinder, less painful, for myself and the carer, to practice therapeutic deception?
It is a horror to me, that may just be my greatest fear. To think that people go through this every day, as the one afflicted or as a bystander, is heart-breaking.
Overall this was an interesting and thought-provoking game. It’s not perfect, but I definitely recommend it. I actually couldn't fit everything I wanted into the review, so there are some extra bits in the comments.
Achievements: Included
Fairly easy 100%, but one missable you may need to start a new save for.
For more reviews of this genre, check out my curator page The Best: First-Person Puzzle Games
For more reviews of games with psychological, philosophical or thought-provoking themes, check out my curator page Psychology, Philosophy & Thought, where we review games that explore the mind, get you thinking or make you question.

Steam User 3

Reviewed last month

I went in blind, reading briefly that this game had two routes: walking sim, or puzzle game. I imagined a linear game with a fork in the path, in reality the game is way more open.
You’re a Restorer, working at a company pioneering memory restoration. Your task is to enter the mind of a dementia patient and help cure them, guided by the lead doctor.
It starts off in a seemingly linear way, but then opens up to 4 main areas which you are free to explore. You can travel between them (after the first area), by foot, or fast travel. Each area has puzzles scattered around that are technically optional. At any time, you can warp to “The Case”, essentially your home base, where you can review progress, re-listen to unlocked audio, review important files on your clue board, and best of all, store items you think may be important on your shelves. I loved the concept of having a safe & contained space in someone else’s mind, and the klepto in me from playing point & click games absolutely loved that I could hoard & arrange items I thought might be useful.
Now, puzzles are optional, but I fully back that this game isn’t worth playing as a walking sim. Playing this without the puzzles would be like deciding to eat an egg and then only eating the shell. This game is designed so well around the puzzles. Every time you even walk into a puzzle area, you get the first line of dialogue to a little memory that is being recalled that is only expanded on if you do the puzzle. Each puzzle also unlocks an audio log, so that’d be a lot of missed dialogue.
In general, the puzzles are interesting, and satisfying at times. I found it really engaging for quite a while, before getting stuck and kind of running out of steam a bit. I was prepared for harder puzzles, but a few were just kind of obscure. Plus, when you think you’re missing something it can feel daunting. It’s a shame there is no hint system in a non-linear game like this. Thankfully, most solutions are contained to their specific area. I did have to use a guide a few times as some things just weren’t obvious. One piece of advice I’d give you: really pay attention to the details & inspect important objects.
This game is quite old so my expectations were low. The graphics hold up surprisingly well, and you can tell that this game was made with detail in mind. I looked at a clock, and the face had all the numbers to the right side. I was reminded of a show that said sometimes the cognitively impaired can’t draw a clock properly, the example looking exactly the same as in the game. Everything is also placed perfectly. There are holes in walls, breaks in the trees and skyline, to give you glimpses of other parts of the level. Even something as simple as establishing the Lighthouse as a curiosity in the story, and then always making sure you can catch a glimpse of it.
I had no idea what the story was about going into it. As you go, nothing is given plainly. You piece together information to learn who is who and what is what. It feels purposely vague, and fitting giving the subject matter. Certain things felt odd/off but it made sense later. I honestly didn’t feel very invested in the story as I was going along, but by the end it had me crying which I was not expecting. For me, the impact was felt towards the end, and after playing.
Interestingly… I 100%ed everything knowing at a certain point there was no going back. I ended the game, I felt some kinda way, and was getting ready to sweep up achievements as not many were left, when I saw mention in the discussions of another ending.
If you “continue” after finishing the game to do anything you missed, once complete, you’re prompted and can get what I see as the actual ending. I missed this prompt as I was booting up a “pre-ending” save, so it’s definitely missable.
The first ending just left me unsure of what happened and what it actually meant. The completionist ending makes so much more sense, is so much more positive, and ties in so many gameplay elements that it’s just the better ending. Meaning, for a worthwhile end to this game you need to do all of the puzzles, making the walking sim option a complete no-go in my eyes.
My thoughts on the endings:
Ending 1, Thomas becomes lucid, remembers himself, his possessions, his partner. He’s weak and confined to his chair. We know now there is no institute, the doctor is just a carer, and he’s just going through validation therapy. He asks for his wife, and the carer alludes to her being gone. He found himself again, to realise he’s alone. They listen to music together and it cuts to black, which could signify him losing awareness again. This was just… incredibly sad. It may be the horrible reality of dementia, there one day and gone the next, but it made my heart ache and my mind wonder what really was the point?
Ending 2, Thomas becomes lucid, somewhat self-reliant. He walks freely, and you realise The Case was a re-representation of the care home, that throughout the game Thomas was not in touch with reality, but has improved enough to be discharged, to live with his son. You find notes that tie things together. A carer leaves a note to another saying Thomas had cleared the shelves and starting stacking random things on them because it helped “get his thoughts together”. This referencing the inventory system. Another note states the TV is broken and they will instead get some old record players out. This explained why none of the TVs would turn on in the game, something I was curious about, and why there was so many radios & record players. There’s a few other little revelations like this, that just gives more meaning to the gameplay and more hope to the outcome. This ending made me cry as well, but at least this time there was some positivity.
Anything relating to mental illness in games, I question if it is a fair representation. Curious about some of the notes in the game about dementia, giving that this is a serious & sad subject, I was glad to find out in the devs documentary (really recommend) that some research was done.
The doctor is based off of Naomi Feil, a social worker who developed validation therapy. Her approach works with the concept of validation so that the person in therapy is acknowledged and respected. The characters behaviour is also based on a specific type of dementia, Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), which affected how the story was told, down to what colours were used and even what shape the physical representation of the dementia took form as in the game.
After the game, I thought about it for a short while. How would I want to be treated if I got dementia? Would I want someone trying to ground me in reality, even if that was upsetting? or just let me go, and keep me as peaceful as possible? It scares me to think about my “being” being lost, but is it kinder, less painful, for myself and the carer, to practice therapeutic deception?
It is a horror to me, that may just be my greatest fear. To think that people go through this every day, as the one afflicted or as a bystander, is heart-breaking.
Overall this was an interesting and thought-provoking game. It’s not perfect, but I definitely recommend it. I actually couldn't fit everything I wanted into the review, so there are some extra bits in the comments.
Achievements: Included
Fairly easy 100%, but one missable you may need to start a new save for.
For more reviews of this genre, check out my curator page The Best: First-Person Puzzle Games
For more reviews of games with psychological, philosophical or thought-provoking themes, check out my curator page Psychology, Philosophy & Thought, where we review games that explore the mind, get you thinking or make you question.
Steam User 1

Reviewed last year

Ether One is a first-person exploration and puzzle game that focuses heavily on memory, loss, and the human mind. You explore quiet, surreal environments while uncovering fragments of a story tied to mental health and identity.

What I really appreciated is the atmosphere and the themes it explores. The game is slow and very introspective, inviting you to take your time, observe, and reflect rather than rush forward. The puzzles can be challenging, but they feel meaningful in the context of the story. Playing it feels calm, melancholic, and a bit heavy emotionally — a thoughtful experience that works best if you enjoy narrative-driven games that prioritize mood and meaning over action.
Steam User 2

Reviewed last year

there should be a study on why most walking sims (probably all with surreal concepts) end up being overly dramatic sentimental stories about trauma, loss, grief, etc.
this one was ok though, if you're into BioShock Infinite, Shutter Island and Eternal Sunshine.
Steam User 2

Reviewed last year

Heartwarming and at times heartbreaking puzzle walking simulator. Art style is gorgeous and plays well into the story which is topnotch

Ether One

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