The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

If you are wondering which of the two versions you should play, then I would recommend the Redux version. This version looks better and generally ran better for me than the original.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter impresses with its graphics, its beautiful photorealistic landscapes and its mysterious story and atmosphere, which is further enhanced by the soundtrack. And there are definitely H. P. Lovecraft references present.
The puzzles, on the other hand, are varied but also confusing at first because there are no explanations. The detective tasks were interesting but always followed the same pattern. The playtime is short at around 6 hours and the replay value is low and then you can play through the game in 1 hour like I did. (I played the Redux version first and then the original).
All in all, I can recommend it, but only if it's on sale.

In a beautiful yet spooky world where the game doesn’t hold your hand, it tells a story of walking the line between the human and the supernatural. It was a strange, surprising, and captivating experience—a tense and chilling journey through breathtaking landscapes. Despite the generally simple puzzles, occasional moments of emptiness, and a few minor issues, the immersive story and its dreamlike quality were truly impressive.
인간과 초자연의 세계 사이를 걷는 산책.

I really loved this game from start to end. It is very scenic and I don't remember how many times I stopped in between to admire the views and take screenshots. The art style and the colours kind of remind me of Alan Wake, which is great. The soundtrack is quite unnerving and it fits the mysterious tone of the story very well.
Now, the story itself is pretty disturbing and eerie at times, and it may seem like there's not much happening, but it pays off really well in the end. This game really nails that weird kind of horror mystery that just makes you think hard once you finish playing it. Definitely recommended!

I really enjoyed playing this game. Very different and kept me guessing. Not too gory. There were a few "jump scares". Good story and the ending made me cry.

In this short walking simulator with some peculiar mechanics you play Paul Prospero, a detective.
What makes this game unique is the way it tells the intriguing plot.
There is an unexpected twist at the end, everything closes perfectly in a very original way.
Then you realize who Paul Prospero really is and what's all about.
Graphics are beautiful, environments aswell, but almost empty.
Difficult to say whether its worth current full price.
Maybe if you don't mind about game being rather short and with low difficulty it's probably worth it.
If you like story-driven games, this one will surprise you and will not disappoint you.

It's not a long game, nor a difficult game by any means.
It is a little slow.
I got this on sale for $2. For this price it was worth it. I probably would have been a tad upset if i paid full price for it purely due to the length of the game.
3 to 4 hours is all it takes to 100% this one.
The world is actually really nice looking in redux, in the original still looks nice but there was a lot of video stuttering.
I agree with some of the other reviews in that I don't quite understand the item placement on some of the objects you have to find, seems odd. But nothing was hard to find and no part of it was so difficult without a guide that I had to go to Dr. Google. Over all good experience.
Would say I would play it again but there's not really much replay value in it.
If you can get it on sale for a couple bucks, it's worth it.

A 4/5 hour long narrative murder mystery experience for two quid. Why not? Is what I thought when buying this game and I sure am glad that I did. My expectations for the game were on the floor and avoiding hyperbolic statements like “This is my most favouritist bestest game ever!” I would encourage anyone on the fence to give it a go. Immerse yourself in a good story set in a visual and audio masterclass.

There is no mechanical skill ceiling for you to get to grips with in this game. If you come into it armed with the ability to press wasd whilst using your mouse to look around and potentially also click (Warning – You may have to do all these things simultaneously!) then you can manage. I can happily report that I only experienced one bug and zero crashes during my completion of the game. The bug issue arose because I was failing a puzzle so badly the game couldn’t comprehend my gormlessness and tried to help me.

The plot was interesting throughout and made me want to get to the end by any means necessary (more on this later). The few minutes after finishing the game I was a little confused, even a little unsatisfied if I’m honest. But once I had processed and understood the ending I was contented and even empathetic towards the characters I’d spent the last two afternoons with. The story has twists of narrative and jolts of the bizarre but it’ll all make sense in the end.

The visuals are fab! I was always stopping to take in the view, racking up 57 screenshots in just 5 hours of playtime. For all you maths nerds that is a screenshot every 5 and a half minutes… I think. It was a pleasure to spend time in the eerie wooded mountains, with their patchwork of lakes, cloisters of civilisation and the ever present amber duskball in the sky.

The soundscape was the most impactful part of the game for me. The music builds suspense and prolongs tension. I often had goosebumps when I was close to the next plot point. The ambient noise as well is perfect and the game did manage to pull me into it’s world.

If you don’t like puzzles, don’t play this game. Duh. There are two types, firstly the murders which felt like the main plot beats during the game. They’re stimulating yet horrifying, giving a window in to the very people you will have to watch die. Very fun to solve the murders and things are easily missed so stay vigilant! The other type of puzzles are the “stories”. The stories are odd, I had no clue why they were in the game until the very end. So stick with the outlandishness and wait for it to make sense later. The stories range in their oddity, some made me marvel, some made me scared and one of them was frustrating as hell. You’ll see what I mean.

Lastly, I have to credit steam user Mike who made this fantastic comprehensive steam guide