A version of Ether One remade in Unreal Engine 4, featuring graphical improvements. Created in order to port the game to PS4.
Mostly Positive
447 Steam reviews
| LANGUAGE | AUDIO | SUBTITLES | INTERFACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Y | — | Y |
| French | — | — | Y |
| German | — | — | Y |
| Italian | — | — | Y |
| Polish | — | — | Y |
| Spanish (Spain) | — | — | Y |
A brilliant game. Easy to miss things but most can be recovered without stalling. Two things that would have made it even better were a save facility and a map.
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 [b]all[/b] of the puzzles, making the walking sim option a complete no-go in my eyes.
My thoughts on the endings:
[spoiler]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.[/spoiler]
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.
[quote][b]Achievements:[/b] Included
Fairly easy 100%, but one missable you may need to start a new save for.[/quote]
[quote]For more reviews of this genre, check out my curator page [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45518898-The-Best-First-Person-Puzzle-Games/] The Best: First-Person Puzzle Games[/url][/quote]
[quote]For more reviews of games with psychological, philosophical or thought-provoking themes, check out my curator page [url= https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38795895/] Psychology, Philosophy & Thought, [/url] where we review games that explore the mind, get you thinking or make you question. [/quote]
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.
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.
10/10
Heartwarming and at times heartbreaking puzzle walking simulator. Art style is gorgeous and plays well into the story which is topnotch
I wanted to enjoy this game. And there was moments I was. But mostly it was just confusing and tedious. It really has the potential of being great. The story and environments are really interesting. But then the actual gameplay makes it fall flat.
The absolute torture of just being able to carry ONE item at the time! C’mon now.. and having to travel back and forth just to drop of one item so you can pick up the other crucial item you need for the same puzzle.
And speaking of the puzzles.. the people who have done guides to this are heroes and without the very detailed guides this game is unplayable.
It is an old game so maybe not much can be done to improve it. If someone was to take inspiration from this game and make a more thought out version it could be great.
ОЦЕНКА: 2 / 5
Самая душная адвенчура из всех, которые я играл когда либо. До конца, к сожалению, не осилил, поскольку уже перед самым финалом потерял сейвы. И это при том, что я нашёл все фрагменты памяти и восстановил почти все проекторы. Не рекомендую никому.
I love walking sims, but you lost me at a walk speed of 0.5 mph and a "run" speed of 1 mph.
Polecam :)
bon jeu belle aventure sa change des monstres belle advanture je le conseille
The first hour or two were pretty engaging. The story starts out interesting and the settings are intriguing, however, the story quickly fizzles out and loses all momentum and the surroundings grow less intriguing with every minute spent backtracking. If you want to completely reveal the whole story without any sort of walkthrough, be prepared to spend over 30 hours in this walking sim.
Do not recommend the game. It launches on my integrated CPU graphics instead of RTX card. I cannot play with 5 FPS.
Developers know about the bug, but don't want to fix it.
Similar happen to their gamed called Occupation, it crashes for me after 2 minutes of playing.
[h1]
Walking sim in which you travel to people minds to collect memories of the past. You can hold one item at a time however you can store more in some kind of hub where you're able to teleport to anytime. Gameplay consist of listening to story and wandering around solving puzzles along the way. Visuals aged quite badly but game have cartonish look to it so it's bearable. If you like sci-fi stories with time travels and such you might like it.
[/h1]
Garbage game tries to install some unreal engine malware in order to be able to play.
Una belleza de historia. Precioso ese pueblo minero que encierra tantos dramas reales. Un juego que me conmovió un montón. Ideal para pasar una buen rato, dramático pero sin golpes bajos, un finde
There is another version of the game called the Redux version. A remaster of sorts. I do not see it here on Steam anymore but that's what I played. Perhaps you get it when you buy this one. Anyway, you can't review that game separately since this is the only one in the store so I installed it for a few mins to be able to review the game.
The game is mostly an open world (actually large open maps with occasional loading screens) sandbox puzzle game. The music is relaxing/calming and the environment is very serene but also quite surreal. There is little to no hand holding. You could walk around for hours trying to understand what to do and why to do it. Some puzzles are easy and many I needed a guide for. The inventory system is half annoying and half clever. On one hand, you can 'teleport' to a room with tons of shelves to put stuff but you can only ever carry 1 single item at a time. So yeah, you'll be doing lots of teleporting. There are hundreds of random items here and there and most are unimportant so you can never be sure what to grab and store in your shelves. Basically, if most modern games do entirely TOO MUCH hand holding, this one doesn't do enough.
With that said, no matter what, do NOT give up on this game. If you start getting lost and impatient, just use a guide to help you. When you finally get to the end and understand what in the world is going on, the ending makes it all worth it.
I can't recommend a puzzle game that has known bugs which block correct puzzle solutions, as much as I liked the game
Honestly, I've never been so bored with a game.
Obwohl die Hauptstory eigentlich ganz interessant ist, die UE4-Version auch hübsch ist und vorallem das Sounddesign und die Synchro toll sind, hinkt das Spiel leider tierisch bei den sogenannten Rätseln.
Einige davon sind wirklich sehr gut zu lösen, andere sind einfach nur dummes rumprobieren. Eine Tür in einem Haus ist abgeschlossen und öffnet sich nur, wenn man die Haustüre schließt - das wird aber nirgendwo angedeutet, kein "Damit niemand meine Erfindungen stiehlt, bin ich besonders vorsichtig" oder so.
Oder wir sind ziemlich früh in einer Mine, in der es Gittertüren gibt, die sich nicht öffnen lassen, egal welche man ausprobiert. Stunden später in der nächsten Mine gibt es so eine Tür, die lässt sich aber einfach öffnen. Das ist einfach mieses Gamedesign, denn ich habe vorher gelernt, das ich die Türen nicht öffnen kann.
Oder es gibt ein zweistöckiges Rätsel, bei dem man sich im unteren Bereich bestimmte Schalter merken muss. Leider stimmt der obere Bereich überhaupt nicht mit den Stellen der Schalter überein. Das Rätsel ist also nicht schaffbar - es wird auch nirgendwo gesagt, das es eine bestimmte Reihenfolge gäbe.
Oh und ich hab die Redux (UE4-Version) von dem Spiel gespielt, nicht die normale Version, deswegen sind es hier nur 10 Minuten Spielzeit.
game has a good story but unfortunately was not able to finish it due to a bug that seems to be plaguing it for nine years as of the writing of this review that makes it to were the last core door appears like a regular door and dose not open, and the only fix that I've seen from in the discussions tab about this problem has been to email your save.
I enjoyed this game a lot. It is a walking simulator filled with puzzles that reward players who want to immerse themselves in the world and learn about the story of the areas they are exploring. It feels a bit like drinking a cup of tea with the characters.
The game presents the player with story-rich locations and landscapes that need to be explored in order to progress (the art style is nice, too!) While it is possible to complete the game just by collecting the basic objectives that are scattered throughout the areas, this makes the game feel a lot like a walking simulator and it actively goes against the spirit of the game, since the ending you get for beating the game this way is extremely unsatisfying.
Instead, the game encourages the player to immerse in its world and solve its more difficult puzzles, reading notes which present the stories of the people that lived in the areas you explore, and paying attention to other various environmental clues. This way, the apparently difficult puzzles unfold nicely, almost like in a detective game - which I believe this game is, in a way, also proved by the fact that the studio made a detective game after this one.
The story is quite simple, but also emotional and captivating, if you want to empathize with the virtual characters that you read and hear about.
All this isn't to say the game is without flaws. Some of the puzzles are obtuse and I thought they were badly designed even after reading a guide about them, since I could not figure them out by myself.
The best puzzles have their solution in the environment and notes and manage to add depth to the story - for example, one of my favorite puzzles is in the second area of the game and it regards Graham Bell, who allegedly lived in the town where the game takes place; the puzzle is located in Bell's workshop, but in order to solve it the player needs to find the house where Bell lived, investigate the place and read various notes around the area to discover the relationships the engineer had with other people, which complements the story nicely.
Some of the worse puzzles just require the player to run around and remember numbers that appear in certain places and place them on a grid - these add nothing to the story and is why I say they were badly designed. These more or less require a guide.
The graphics are simple but effective, and I enjoyed both the original (made in Unread Engine 3) and the Redux version (made in Unreal Engine 4).
Overall, I enjoyed the game a lot and would recommend it to people looking for an emotional and immersive adventure that rewards taking your time and paying attention to the environments.
This is a terrific game, despite some problems with pacing in the last third. You will need the help of a walkthrough from time to time (well, quite often, actually) - don't hesitate to use one.
Love this game. True genius. Buy it
Die ersten Minuten in der Klinik brauchte ich zur "Einwöhnung" - das gebe ich zu, denn man kann immer nur einen Gegenstand aufnehmen und muss ihn irgendwo ablegen, um ihn später wieder zu holen und zu nutzen. Aber, als dann das eigentliche Spiel begann, war ich total gefesselt! Sehr intelligenter roter Faden, ebenso die immer logischen Tasks, oft auch sehr kniffelig (ja, ich musste auch ab und zu mal einen walkthrough ansehen), aber nur im "Notfall", denn ich mag es, wenn meine grauen Zellen herausgefordert werden. Wie bei der Myst- oder Rhem Serien, weiß man oft zunächst nicht, was man eigentlich zu tun hat. Dies wurde in anderen Rezensionen schon bemängelt. Mich aber triggert es umso mehr, denn alle Aufgaben haben eine nachvollziehbare Logik und man muss nie irgendwelche Dinge miteinander kombinieren, um weiter zu kommen, Es empfiehlt sich auf jeden Fall, sich Notizen zu machen!
FAZIT: Eines meiner besten Spiele!!!
PS: Meine Spielzeit umfasst auch zwischenzeitliches Essen kochen oder ähnliches an mehreren Tagen.
Jemand, der keine Familie zu versorgen hat, kommt bestimmt schneller durch ;)
Unter 10 Stunden brauchen sicherlich nur Profi-Gamer oder Blender!
Ich schreibe das nicht, um jemanden zu beleidigen oder denunzieren, aber ich finde es unfair den Entwicklern von solchen tollen Spielen gegenüber, wenn in Rezensionen unreale ultrakurze Spielzeiten angegeben werden. Viele Käufer erwägen Preis und Spiellänge ab, bevor sie sich für eine Kauf entscheiden.
Невыразимая скукота.
Не стоит потраченного времени.
So, you have to play through this game to really be able to fully decide how you feel about it. It is not necessarily what you think, but it WILL make you think. And that is perhaps what I loved most about this game. Listen to the story closely--the story is what this game is about. I may or may not have teared up a bit towards the end. This is actually really well done, but you do need to play through to the end.
[h1]A unique game, just don't play Redux straight after[/h1]
Here is an adventure / puzzle solving game with a difference. The central theme is dementia, and its effect on not just the person with the disease, but also on close relations.
The game does a great job of setting the mental scene, insofar as my opinion is worth, as a person that has never experienced dementia. You spend your time running around fixing what you think is someone else's memories, collecting ribbons and exposing memories in the form of photographs, all supposedly towards helping a person recover from an illness. It's no secret the illness is dementia, but the identity of the main character is mysterious to begin with - by the end it becomes obvious who it is.
The graphics are not the greatest. This annoyance comes hand-in-hand with the movement speed, which can seem to make the game longer, especially if you're trying to figure out puzzles and end up running around a lot more. To add to this, there is at least one instance of a person's weight needing to be typed in, but there is no clue in the game to say what it is, at the time I write this.
So while it would have helped if running could be a bit faster, it might also have helped if it was always on. I couldn't imagine playing at walking speed.
There are four major areas of the game, in addition to a 'case' which functions almost like a personal mental space for your mind. Here you can see all your collections - ribbons remaining per area, items you saved and put on a shelf, photos taken (stored in the darkroom), and important documents and clues pinned to the lightbox.
Unfortunately none of these areas really stood out for me in terms of graphics or features, and a lot of the time spent on puzzles is all about figuring out combinations for locks. The areas are basically cave, beach town, village town, and industrial. And the only music to be found in the game is from little stationary radios, or occasional strums of a guitar (if you click on one).
A lot of my criticisms may make it sound like a negative review, but the story, in terms of dialogue snippets and banter, recorded messages and conversation excerpts, not to mention the emotional endings, kind of make it all worth it.
Ether One Redux comes with Ether One as standard now, but it is essentially the same game. Redux is just the version that was used for console release. Weirdly, the two games each have their own achievement lists and card drops, so they are in fact separate games. As mentioned briefly in the header, I don't recommend playing the same game twice in a row as it will do your head in from boredom. Once is an experience, twice is nuts. If you absolutely must play them both, space them out a bit with a few other games to preserve your sanity.
Симулятор хуйні!
To actually play through this game you need not only the brains but also a lot of insight, persistence and before anything - dedication.While I was keeping my mind keen and not to look any guides on the first quarter when exploring Pinwheel Harbor and managing with puzzles quite well the second level just overwhelmed me. Can't really help it for I was running around and around in big open spaces, searching documents, saving items, making notes, everything, and when I actually was able to solve something I rushed to another dead end. Hence I say this game is hard, I mean HARD! If you want to really delve deep prepare to reserve a lot of time, but it might be worth it cos solving the puzzles are extremely rewarding.
Here is an example of one the puzzles in the game. You find an space where you need place an object A that you found not from too far. To this point it might be intuitive, but nothing is happening after placing the item. So you might try something else for you see many item Bs standing around which can be lit or unlit. There is also five pedestals where you can place the item A, but you are not aware of which one and is there a some kind of combination with As and Bs or are the independent parts of the puzzle. Then after many trial-errors you may give up and go searching entirely other areas and you'll find many items As. A-ha! You pick them up and save them in the case (inventory) and head back to the puzzle place. You place the item As to the pedestals and 'presto' something happens, but the puzzle is not ready yet. There is still these item Bs standing around and not a clue nearby what to do with them unless your mind was so strong or you were lucky enough to remember some random clue you saw in the newspaper which was appealing in the entirely different area with dozens of other details and many hours before the current puzzle. "Wild-goose chase" if you ask me! Goes without saying that I did not solve this puzzle all by myself, but I really did try at first.
I am gonna be honest here and say that I really made a good use of guides, but the reason for it was that Ether One's story is remarkable and I could not let the frustration get into way and make me abort the mission. The whole atmosphere is so damn great and reminded me of games like Firewatch, Gone Home, Get Even, What remains of Edith Finch and I certainly was not feeling remorse after seeing the ending. The script is many layered and beautiful.
If you should take me lazy for picking the easier path which I did and love hard games, I do recommend to give it a try and see how far you can actually get before you are mumbling curses and pulling your hair out. Even after checking few guides some puzzles are really far fetched and need backtracking, a great feat of strength and even a fistful of good luck. And as a free hint when you get into the mine level and find rounded reel items - save them into the case and solve the puzzle straight when you have gotten all seven! The game can break the way that you won't get platinium and true ending. Speaking of which the game is featuring that you can play this game in two ways. Either concentrating into the puzzles or just taking it as a walking simulator and collecting only the special ribbons which allow you to reach conclusion, where you are left confused and unrewarded. Have courage instead and give it a try with the puzzles at least.
That being said I am gone and leaving this review positive for Ether One truly deserves it.
[quote] [h1] Приключенческая квест-головоломка от первого лица [/h1] [/quote]
Крайне сильно люблю тематику научной фантастики в области изучения сознания и разума человека. Автор такого произведения, фильма или сюжета, может поместить вас в фантастическое путешествие по миру, воссозданному из образов и фрагментов памяти человека, показать любую искажённую реальность и отсутствие логичных природных и физических законов, затронуть и преподнести эмоциональные сцены максимально трогательно. Именно такой оказалась сюжетная концепция в игре Ether One.
Сюжет начинается с представления главного героя, который является сотрудником научной лаборатории «Эфир». Здесь проводят экспериментальное лечение людей, страдающих психическими заболеваниями. С помощью уникальных технологий, специально обученный сотрудник (реставратор), попадает в разум человека и проводит внутреннюю терапию, путешествуя по воспоминаниям и различным сегментам памяти, попутно уничтожая пораженные участки мозга. На этот раз помощь необходима 69 летней Джин Томпсон, страдающей от деменции.
Сама история мне очень понравилась. Также испытал огромное удовольствие от скрытой интриги и главного твиста, но был разочарован подачей сюжета, которая здесь получилась очень раздробленной, не всегда последовательной и запутанной. Многие моменты я понял лишь после повторного прохождения и решения сложнейших и не очевидных головоломок, которые легко пропустить или не заметить.
Помимо классной сюжетной концепции в игре присутствует грустная и драматическая атмосфера. Очень трогательно показаны многие события из жизни человека, страдающего сложным психическим заболеванием и старающийся изо всех сил ухватится за жизнь. Не сопереживать основным персонажам было попросту невозможно.
Геймплей представляет собой квест-головоломку, с исследованием доступных локаций, решением загадок, сбором и поиском предметов, а также нахождением ключевых фрагментов для восстановления памяти пациента. Помимо виртуального мира созданного из воспоминаний, у рестовратора есть возможность в любое время телепортироваться в Хранилище. Это специальное место, где можно оставлять найденные предметы, записки, воспоминания и другую важную информацию о пациенте. Также Хранилище является переходным центром, благодаря которому, можно попадать в разные участки сознания. Важность этой комнаты заключается ещё и в том, что все найденные вещи придётся хранить здесь, так как персонаж способен носить лишь один предмет с собой в инвентаре.
В глобальном плане, игра предлагает два пути прохождения. Первый, достаточно простой и лёгкий, где от вас потребуется найти все ключевые предметы на уровне, прочесть найденные записки и совершить основные действия по восстановлению сегментов памяти. Второй путь прохождения подразумевает разгадывание опциональных, сложных и многоструктурных головоломок, решив которые, можно получить более подробную информацию по сюжету и событиям игры.
Проблема такого подхода заключается в двух крайностях. В одном случае, идя по лёгкому пути, геймплей не представляет чего-то оригинального и особенного. Нужно просто пройти несколько уровней и собрать легконаходимые, ключевые предметы. Сюжет в таком случае подаётся весьма бедно, большая часть дополнительной информации отрезается вместе с пропуском головоломок и в финале чувствуется эффект недосказанности. Идя же по более сложному пути, игра предлагает трудные головоломки, решение которых, представляют собой настолько сложные и нелогичные действия, что буквально, на первых из них, можно застрять и не продвинуться дальше.
Большинство загадок на самом деле весьма изобретательны и необычны. Для их решения необходимо быть крайне внимательным к любой найденной информации и предметам, тщательно анализировать все аудиосообщения, изучать сложные механизмы и детали работы производственных машин и т.д. И это круто, но в большинстве случаев загадки настолько не очевидны, а порой и вовсе не логичны, что это вызывает только раздражение.
В игре будет много заданий на поиск предметов, деталей механизмов, бумажек с кодами, инструкций, дневников и прочего. Есть много заданий с активацией сложных механических машин, игра в правильную последовательность, звуковые головоломки, в одной из которых, нужно будет сыграть мелодию по нотам... Бывают моменты, когда найденный предмет, может пригодиться, через 1-2 часа, уже на другом уровне, когда ты уже о нём благополучно забываешь. Многие квестовые вещи могут ничем не отличается от обычных. Более того, порой, в одних эпизодах один и тот же предмет, может быть как нужен, так и не нужен. Все пазлы являются многоструктурными, для их решения необходимо совершать длительные и последовательные действия. Банально упустив лишь одну деталь, не найдя лишь один предмет, все последующие головоломки на уровне просто рушатся, так как их невозможно будет пройти. Проблема сложности головоломок заключается ещё и в том, что автор придумал свои законы и правила, по которым они работают, но понять и догадаться о совершенно новых и никогда ранее не встречавшихся механиках зачастую невозможно. Да, частично, какие-то намеки и подсказки есть в заметках и дневниках, разложенных на уровне, но информация о них довольно поверхностная.
Мне понравились запутанные и симпатичные локации. Игра даст возможность побывать на побережье маленького городка, в шахтах горнодобывающей промышленности, на заводе по переработке мышьяка и пары других мест. Все декорации выполнены в стиле 60х годов и создают приятный ретро эффект. Правда в техническом плане графика выглядит весьма примитивно. Это в первую очередь слабая дальность прорисовки и низкое качество текстур, которые на близком расстоянии смотрятся очень плохо и размыто. Также не балуют детальностью модели, строения и объекты, которые созданы в низкополигональном стиле.
В игре есть классный, лиричный саундтрек, хорошая озвучка, но к сожалению, на английском. Для понимания игры, сюжета и заданий необходимо обязательно поставить руссификатор текста.
[h1] Итог:
Ether One оставила после себя двоякое ощущение. С одной стороны, потрясающая сюжетная концепция, драматическая и трогательная история, необычные и сложные головоломки, великолепная атмосфера, с другой стороны, не самая лучшая и довольно запутанная подача этой истории, совершенно не очевидные и не всегда логичные пазлы, заставляющие десятки раз обходить уровни, а также, примитивная графика. [/h1]
The Notebook meets Assassin's Creed meets Riven in this walking simulator/puzzle cross. You play the Restorer, traipsing around a patient's mental projection of his hometown as you investigate his childhood and one mysterious event in particular which surrounds it. And you zap those pesky blue dementia crystals away with your trusty lantern! ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
While the puzzles were not great, some were not bad and I like this style of gameplay. The aesthetics are the selling point, especially the music, which establishes and maintains the proper tone through the entire game. Unfortunately, the time you must endure walking around five small to medium environments is excruciating, and by about 10 hours, I'd lost almost all patience for this game. Riven is faster than this, and in Riven, you click pictures.
On top of that, much of the writing is quite bad. You're constantly listening to a Lara Croft-esque narrator ruminating over le grand science of her experiment with almost comedic douchiness. Yes, at one point, she pours herself a glass of wine. Her reflections never inform the player of characteristics of dementia, just talk about her CERTAINTY that a collectible holds a strong emotional bond with the patient... or complain about her funding getting pulled. Or you listen to what sounds like the Ghost of Christmas Present from the Muppet Christmas Carol reminisce about childhood feels. In one level, there's a plaza. Each time you pass through it, there's a 50/50 chance she'll tell a knock-knock joke. Insufferable.
My biggest complaint, however, is that Ether One comes off more as someone complaining about their childhood than anything involving an actually complex, interesting, and real disease. It reduces dementia to curable PTSD, then spends a lot of time wallowing in mild expression. It really wants to be special. It's odd because there are moments akin to a horror game which are fairly effective, but the creators always pull back from genre influences to try and hang on to something more literary. The whole time I'm walking through these attics or empty villages or mine shafts, I'm imagining all sorts of stuff following me, but nope, this games all about use of future tech to cure the human condition by unlocking memories.
I would suggest this game only if you really, really like the genre. Especially Riven. Like, if you were like, "Dang, I wish they made more pipe, crank, and door puzzle just like in Riven, but like, in a boring ass English fishing town, wouldn't that be cool?" Or if you're type to wax philosophical over feels.
This game has a soul. It tells a story about dementia, the importance of acceptance, and holding on to your memories. As a game, its graphics feel simplistically drawn, the music is scarce yet becomes meaningful. The numerous puzzles are genious yet occasionally frustrating. Certain bugs might impede your progress, but nothing that can't be restored with timely saving.
However, the most important element is the story and its telling. The lives of the main and secondary characters are pieced together through fragments: notes, objects, memories and excerpts of dialogue, unveiled as an interconnected mosaic. At many points, multiple levels of consciousness, different times, places and storylines coexist in the same space-time, connected via allegories. [spoiler]Personal favorite: Jean describing the diagnosis of dementia while Thomas descends deeper into the dark mine.[/spoiler] In this way, reality and imagination are fused together, in the most masterful, filled with tangible emotion, aesthetic interpretation of dementia I have ever experienced.
A decent environmental narrative game. Ether One has an interesting world to explore and its design and detail provides a tranquil atmosphere. Some of the puzzles are needlessly confused and its story doesn't strike the emotional chords that were aimed for. Still, you can tell the developers placed a lot of effort into this and it's certainly a cut above the average experience of the genre.
A breath of fresh ether.
6/10
While somewhat simplistic gameplay, there is a marvel of emotional storytelling that sits with me to this day. While it may not be able to hold up to other games of it's type as an overall complete experience (such as The Vanishing of Ethan Carter), I like to think of it as a more simplistic, yet impactful version of What Remains of Edith Finch.
TLDR: this game is slow, scattered, and a maze. Don't play it.
Having played for half an hour, I still have no idea who I am as a character, or why I should care about them. But wait, I'm also some kind of psychiatrist, so now I have to start caring about a patient I don't know about, with training I don't have? The pacing is horrible - the opening level has about ten rooms to wander around in, but only a couple items besides history notes. That wouldn't be too bad if the walking speed wasn't horribly slow. I spent the whole time holding down the run button, and _still_ felt like I couldn't go fast enough. (Also pretty jarring that I can somehow still jump three feet in the air like a gymnast.) I got lost on the second level, just trying to find where I should go. It's a simple path from the forest edge down into the town...and then a loop around a table with no other doors or anywhere for me to go? I can see the potential here - it's got elements of psychology, mystery, sci-fi, retro-future...but the game they ended up with is a mess.
Etwas irre, aber super Story und tolle Rätsel! :)
Wäre gut, wenn man nicht so langsam laufen würde. Fühlt sich nach Zeitlupe an. Geht mir deutlich zu langsam vorwärts, asl das ich es fertig spielen werde.
Gaming on:
Details über mein Laptop hier: https://valid.x86.fr/4zvdwc
Performance Test hiert: https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/49244514
Je vient d'acheter le jeu et ma grande surprise je découvre que contrairement à ce qu'il est écrit sur steam
il y'a aucun sous titre en français et voir même dans aucune autres langues.
Ce n'est pas normale d'indiquer sur tel jeu depuis 2014 que il y'a des sous titre dans tel langue alors qu'il n'en ai rien.
J'ai fais une demande de remboursement que j'ai envoyé car si j'avais su je l'aurais pas acheter.
Faite attention quand vous achetez sachez qu'il est pas en français contrairement à ce qui est écrit.
Et aussi je tient à signer que la version redux du jeu ne fonctionne pas et m'a fais buguer mon ordinateur à 3 reprises
Great game, just very long, and suffers from loss of immersion because you will need a walk through. I've marked games down purely because their clues relied on prior knowledge of a topic, this time it's just the pure amount of time you will need to finish the many chapters of a very well executed game.
Ether One - игра с самыми сложными загадками, решение загадок сводится к изучению мира, чтения документов и обращения внимания на маленькие детали, которые в последствии подскажут как решить загадку, например нужно в одном списке узнать имя рабочего (которое потом вручную нужно вписать будет), далее сопоставить с данными из другой таблицы и взять оттуда число и ввести в таблицу с именем, про удары в нужном порядке по трубам я вообще молчу...
Сюжет в этой игре, как и головоломки выливает на нас много информации, которую нужно осознать и понять, мы будем восстанавливать сознание пациента, путешествуя по его памяти, нас будет направлять доктор лечащий этого пациента, ну а что получится из этого, можно понять после прохождения.
Как итог - очень хороший сюжет, а самое главное не обычный и запоминающийся, с хорошей английской озвучкой и очень сложные загадки, а так же отсутствие русского языка - его нужно скачивать отдельно, благо текстуры тоже в нём перевели и игра воспринимается за счет этого хорошо и загадки легче решить становится!
Very nice art and atmosphere, cool puzzles & cool concept, 9/10
Keine deutschen Untertitel, obwohl diese in der Beschreibung angegeben sind. Die Grafik ist altbacken, das Gameplay angestaubt. Das Spiel beginnt mit einem Black Screen und man lauscht einem Telefonanruf. Das ist so ausgelutscht, uninnovativ und unkreativ. Warum machen Entwickler neue Spiele, wenn sie keine neuen Ideen haben? Dieses "Spiel" ist das Geld nicht wert und klaut wertvolle Lebenszeit.
Played Ether One Redux but cannot leave a review there. Actual game time for me was over 21 hours.
Incredible game. First person exploration/puzzle game that does not hold your hand at all. Very similar style to Obduction, even reminded me of The Witness. Graphics a bit dated but originally made in Unreal 3. You forget all about that once you really get into it.
True you can finish the game skipping most of the puzzles, however that will keep you from accessing the true ending by choosing Continue Game after you've completed the game the first time. There were 2 puzzle solutions that seemed a bit out there to me and I had to check a walkthrough, but otherwise very well thought out. Was a joy to figure out what to do next, even though it could be quite difficult at times. Just remember to pay attention and breathe.
The storytelling really helps put you in the shoes of someone with dementia. Piecing everything together from distorted fractions of truth found as you explore.
Highly recommend this game. Quite a unique experience. It will definitely test your patience if you're looking for full completion with the true ending.
Irgendwann spiele ich es auch nochmal komplett...
Es war leicht chaotisch und ich habe ein ganzes Gebiet nicht gespielt. Beim Rest hatte ich aber viel Spaß. Ich kann es auf jeden Fall empfehlen.
A walking simulator kind of game where you explore the memories of a woman with dementia in the hopes of helping her with her illness. The narrative is compelling but I found the world too difficult to navigate, and the puzzles too opaque to solve, and ended up muddling around without knowing how to progress or proceed. If you're smarter than me, you might like it.
Un peu frustrant parfois, certain puzzle demande une bonne mémoire des lieux dans le jeu et une réflexion un peu plus poussée que de bêtement suivre un pointeur sur une carte. Néanmoins l'histoire abordée est émouvante et la seconde fin est plutôt satisfaisante (j'ai failli chialer).
I enjoyed the hauntingly beautiful music and environment, and the abundance of secrets to uncover. Aside from that, the game has some issues:
-The story doesn't really become interesting until several hours into the game. There's lots of aimless wandering before then.
-The puzzles are fiendishly arbitrary and obscure. Fortunately they're optional. I gave up on them pretty quickly and enjoyed the game much more once I was free to simply explore.
-There are so many houses to explore that they all start to feel the same. Yay, more bedrooms and bathrooms...
-The ending leaves some big unanswered questions.
Worth playing, but there are better exploration adventures out there.
Quick disclaimer: I played Ether One: Redux, which is why my playtime on Ether One (original) is only 10 min.
I would describe Ether One as one of those games that perfectly fits everything I'm looking for in a videogame. On the surface it's a ´walking simulator´ with environmental puzzles, not unlike Myst, but once you start digging deeper you´ll find a rich world full of stories, history and hidden drama. The world of Ether One is extremely compelling, as the devs did an amazing job with the world-building and subtle storytelling! Because of the underlying subject of the game, and the fact that these environments show a lot of signs of previous human activity, yet are miraculously void of life, the world can feel a little 'creepy' at times. However, I found that over time, as you'll be walking around in these environments for hours and hours (16hrs total for me), you'll get used to that creepy vibe. You'll see that there are no jumpscares, no monsters chasing you or other horror elements, just the reflection of a broken mind.. And for me that became quite comforting. Peaceful. This game became a world I could escape in whenever I felt like it, and it always offered me more story to uncover, and more puzzles to solve. I love games that build worlds like this and give the player the agency to figure everything out themselves!
Alright, onto the puzzles: how are they? I've seen some other people say there are some really obscure puzzles, and I'll have to agree with them. There were definitely 1 or 2 puzzles that I needed a hand in solving. However, the majority of the puzzles can be solved by thinking logically, or just generally walking around, inspecting stuff, investing yourself in the story and the world, and I can definitely appreciate that about a game. This ties well into my first point about this world being one that rewards walking back and forward, pondering about possible solutions and story implications, just generally chilling out and enjoying the atmosphere. If that's something for you, you'll enjoy the story part of this game for sure :)
So then, the final conclusion. I very much enjoyed my time in Ether One and would recommend this experience to lovers of environmental puzzle games for sure! Take your time, only play the game when you're in the mood for some deep engagement and inspect every nook and cranny in the game! Hopefully after playing you'll look back with as much nostalgia as I do writing this review.
It's been years since I've played it but I remember thinking how amazing the story building was and how great the game looked. Worth purchasing!
This was a beautiful game, a feel good game... but remember, you don't shoot stuff and you don't punch things in the face... it's not that kind of game.
It's the type of game where you have to "take your time".
Explore, click on everything, read everything, take in all the visuals and then you will connect with the story and feel more of a part of it.
If you don't have any patience, then avoid this game.
But as an experience it was superb.
Although.... I did get stuck once looking for something and had to resort to Youtube to find out what I was missing... but that's more my fault at not spotting it.
Overall, it is a great experience and you should definitely try it, so long as you are willing to give it at least 9 hours of your time... it was worth it.
Recommended to all.
A nice, good-looking first-person adventure game with a ton of optional puzzles that don't hold your hand. All the clues and puzzles are greatly varied and neatly integrated into the extensive environments, slowly uncovering a tangled web of characters, memories and intrigues in a small town.
For some reason, practically all puzzles are optional - in fact, you only need to solve a single one and just walk through the locations to finish the game. In fact-fact, you can skip an entire huge level out of the four available ones, so I guess you can have a pure cut-down walking simulator experience, but I wouldn't recommend it just for that. Both the inventory and clue saving systems are a bit whacky, so you better grab a notebook. There are also a couple of annoying puzzle bugs, so be prepared for the recurring 'Am I too bad at this or is it a bug?' meta game.
You might like this game if you liked the following (or vice versa!):
- Kona: A lone detective investigating a town's story during a supernatural blizzard - not as much puzzling, but more horror.
- The Occupation: A much more intricate world, a whole load of interactions and all of it in real-time. Made by the same devs.
This game would be a lot more fun if there was a mini-map. Way too much time is wasted just wandering around in circles looking for some snippet of information. The Industrial level map just completely drained the fun out of the game. Total waste of time, skip it.
An absolutely fantastic with a truly beautiful story. Some of the puzzles proved rather tricky for me, but it didn't spoil how I felt about it overall. Definitely recommend.
On aime :
- la bande son, tout simplement sublime et digne des plus grands
- les lieux visités, apaisants
- l'histoire, très touchante et humaine
On regrette :
- un rythme parfois lent et une progression qui tourne en rond
- l'accompagnement un peu trop léger du joueur
- l'impression au final de passer à côté de certains messages ou révélations que le jeu nous réserve
Un jeu étrange, mystérieux... mais incroyablement envoutant. Si vous aimez ce qui relève de l'indicible et du suggéré, ce qui touche la corde sensible, et le sentiment de déréliction, tentez sans hésiter l'expérience. Ma meilleure en tant que "walking simulator" même si celui ci va tout de même au delà dans son gameplay.
A premissa de Ether One começa interessante: você faz parte de uma clínica que entra na mente de pessoas com demência pra tentar ajudar a curar a doença (ou pelo menos é isso que querem que você acredite no começo). A história se passa em um vilarejo costeiro britânico repleto de casas cheias de gavetas vazias que você abre à procura páginas ou de itens pra resolver puzzles que você ainda não sabe que precisa resolver. Ou não precisa. Explicações abaixo.
Desvendar a história é tão confuso que no final do jogo, eu é que estava mentalmente confuso. Se esse era o intuito, parabéns aos desenvolvedores. Infelizmente, não me conquistou. A história é contada de forma muito fragmentada através de diálogos e informações espalhadas pelo cenário, em páginas, diários, objetos. Essa já não é uma boa forma de narrativa pra mim, é uma mecânica arrastada e monótona. Mas esse jogo faz ainda pior. Esses fragmentos de informação não contam apenas a história principal, mas um apanhado de fatos de personagens aleatórios que vivem no mesmo vilarejo, alguns desses fatos são completamente inúteis. Então em meio a centenas de páginas perdidas e cronologicamente desconexas, e uma sopa de personagens e fatos aleatórios, o jogador tem que pescar o que é relevante.
Além disso, o jogo é repleto de puzzles (e que conste que eu gosto de puzzles), mas a maioria deles é opcional, alguns desnecessariamente complicados, e muitos necessitam de itens espalhados por toda parte. E ainda por cima esses quebra-cabeças também complementam a história.
No final das contas isso é um jogo, e sua mecânica ruim acaba se sobressaindo mais que qualquer outra coisa, por mais que ele seja cheio de boas intenções. Ou pretensões.
NOTA: 5/10
Ether One, del 25 de Marzo del 2014, es un juego de aventura detectivesca, donde asumimos el papel de un "Restaurador", un individuo con la capacidad de proyectarse en la mente de alguien, cuyo trabajo es investigar (segun parece al comienzo), los pensamientos de Jean Thompson, una mujer de 69 años diagnosticada con demencia. Para la tarea, debemos reconstruir sus recuerdos, utilizando simulaciones tridimensionales de los detalles, resolviendo acertijos que se vuelven más obtusos a lo largo del juego, a medida que los pensamientos de la paciente continúan volviéndose más inestables.
Una vez dentro de su mente, nos abrimos paso a través de los recuerdos de su infancia en Pinwheel, un pueblo costero en Inglaterra que depende en gran medida de la minería de estaño y hierro. A lo largo del viaje, aprendemos sobre los residentes de la aldea, en una destacable atmósfera, con temas envolventes. Mientras reconstruimos los recuerdos, encontramos una piedra parecida a una gema, que representa la demencia de la que estamos intentando deshacerse de la mente del paciente. Debemos destruirlas utilizando el "Artefacto", una lámpara capaz de borrar la demencia de la mente.
Con respecto a la representación de la demencia en el juego, los desarrolladores (algunos con familiares que luchaban contra esa condición), no tenían como objetivo necesariamente crear conciencia sobre la enfermedad, sino más bien "abrir la conversación" y poner al jugador en la perspectiva de alguien que la padecía.
El compositor de sonido Nathaniel-Jorden Apostol compuso la banda sonora del juego
This game was excellent! If you like walking simulators along the lines of Edith Finch or gone home this is for you!
I've actually played about 6 hours on Ether One: Redux, but they're two separate games and Redux doesn't have its own store page.
This one has been in my Steam Library for a very long time and truthfully I just got bored of it every time I gave it a shot. So I decided to FINALLY buckle in and play it in earnest. And... my opinion didn't really change. I don't like it.
In Ether One, you play as an astral-nought at a super-science research institute. People with dementia are awaiting treatment, and your job is to sit in an evil chair and dive into their minds through some combination of hypnosis and VR. Inside, you need to find the root cause of the dementia and erase it. There’s also an overseer in your ear who has no idea what you're looking at because apparently she's just looking at numbers and graphs but somehow knows when you're close to your goal.
So Ether One is essentially a combination of walking simulator and first-person puzzle game. You enter an area based on a charming British coastal town. You walk around and collect ribbons and then you can solve optional puzzles and gather collectibles if you REALLY want to.
If you're focused on the story and just do the walking simulator bits, I think Ether One works. it has some good psychological commentary, the areas are interesting, and the middle portion onward throw some great twists that keep things moving at a good pace.
But I think the optional puzzles are reserved only for people who really, really like puzzle games. The first few are very straightforward and the environment gives you lots of hints to figure things out. Then, they become obscure, occasionally requiring dream logic.
Here's an example. You enter a house. There's an unfinished letter on the table. There's a note in the kitchen that says, "Be sure to order BELLS through the mail, and don't forget a stamp!" So you hunt around and find a stamp. You fill out the order form and put "Bells," but that's not the right answer. You go upstairs and find a letter that says, "Mommy. Please make sure I have my hat and BELLS for the parade." So you try it again. It doesn't work. You go back to the child's room and hold the button that makes item descriptions appear. The bells are labeled as "BALDRICS" so you type baldric, seal the letter, go to the town post office, send the letter, come back and open the puzzle reward. This is just one puzzle in a game with 20 and the further it goes the more obscure and drawn out these become.
Another issue comes down to inventory. This is a point and click game and you can pick up a huge number of items in the world, never sure which ones you'll need. The problem is that you don't keep them in an inventory or a backpack. Instead, pressing "T" sends you to the command room in shelves. You always spawn in the middle of the room when you do this and if you want to store items you need to put them on the shelf. If you ever need to pick up multiple items, each requires that you pick it up, return to base, cross the room, drop the item, and repeat this for each item. If you ever accidentally leave an important item behind or forget where you left it... well it sucks to be you.
This, by the way, is why point and click heroes (even the old ones) either pick up every item you click on or only pick up important items. Forgetting where you left the Orchard Key because you accidentally swapped it out back in the mines isn't fun.
While puzzles move at a crawl, the story pacing moves too quickly. Entering a new room usually causes a soundclip to play from the dementia patient or from their memory. But sometimes its just your overseer talking about her job. At the same time, new dialogue always triggers when you grab a ribbon. So you can have these moments where you walk into the room and the patient starts talking to you, then the overseer starts talking before she's finished, and then the ribbon triggers a different set of dialogue that overrides the first. It seems you're just supposed to let them talk and then move around, but that makes this already very slow-paced game even slower.
Don't get me wrong, Ether One has some neat ideas toward the middle of the adventure. The problem is that it's a long road to get there. It's so slow-paced, even for first person point-and-click game that I felt more frustrated than intrigued. The puzzles are often so clever that they can go right over your head and the inventory system used to solve those puzzles seems infuriating by design. It's just not fun.
They say that you die twice: the first time when your body dies, and the second time when nobody remembers you anymore.
You are the sum total of the memories you make throughout your life. So what happens when it's you who doesn't remember you? Are you still alive? Can you make sense of the world around you? Do you linger in a sort of limbo, between life and death, in a fantasy concocted by the failing synapses of your brain, interwoven with fragments of your life as foreign as if it was someone else's?
Well, that's the setting of this game. And if nothing else, it's an effective tool, even if it's not based on real science. You are tasked by an advanced medical team to enter a patient's mind who suffers from dementia, in an attempt to find a way to reverse the effects of the disease. You are transported to various places around an early 20th century mining town in England where you try to piece together some of the patient's defining memories by way of solving puzzles.
The cell-shaded (cartoon-like) design may be hard on the eyes at first, but I find it helps in communicating the surreal aspect of the game's premise and creates an atmosphere, together with the overall level design, that is eerie, sad and, many times, heart-warming.
The story is communicated primarily through audio, mostly coming from the doctor overseeing the process, but if you want to get a full picture, you are also presented with lots of written material.
This is primarily a puzzle game, so following the story is not necessarily a requirement, especially when you realise that many, if not most of the puzzles can be skipped and you can still finish the game. I contend, though, that if you are a fan of exploration games such as this, you will want to do everything there is to do. And who knows? The story might even end differently if you do so. But be warned: the puzzles are not straightforward, at least most are not, and they may require legwork, a good memory (or a notepad and a pen) and sometimes thinking outside the box.
I played this game to the very end twice: once this version and once the Redux version, which is the same, just updated to the later version of the game's engine. (Unreal Engine 4.8) There was a considerable gap between the two occasions so the puzzles still presented a challenge and the ending left me in tears both times.
I really hope that I will remember my own life, as uneventful and boring as it may be, until the very end. If nothing else, this game has made me appreciate every second of it.
Interesting story with several twists. Some puzzles were extra hard and didn't have enough clues to help you figure out, but overall an enjoyable experience.
С душой сделано. 8/10
This is a tweener. I enjoyed it but was glad when it was over. Fantastic voice-acting, good sound, decent visuals. Obscure, confusing (though that part was intentional). 5/10.
Great puzzler type game. However, if you pick up certain items and place them elsewhere, they have a habit of "vanishing" and not returning, finding yourself starting over. Otherwise, it is a top notch fun game. If you like Puzzle games of course.
Great exploration game. The entire atmosphere, visuals and sound are amazing and they make you want to explore just a little more so you can understand what the hell is going on... The end is mind-blowing. Didn't expect that.
The gameplay is pretty simple and even if some of the puzzles are not easy, almost every single one is 100% logical and the solution will be quite obvious after you stop a little, ear, observe and read things.
If you're a fan of exploration / puzzle games, this is a must-play one. The Redux version is even better and it's worth every single cent.
[h1] Information / Review English [/h1]
Ether One is an Adventure game with little horror elements that was developed by White Paper Games.
[h1] Gameplay / Story [/h1]
The psychological adventure "Ether One" is the first part of a planned series. In the game from White Paper Games you take on the role of a so-called "restorer". You enter the memory of a woman named Jean and try to fix it. Only in the further course of the game will you learn details about your own identity and the connection with the still unknown woman. As you wander through the memories, you solve puzzles and experience the story in science fiction style.
The adventure in Ether One begins with a short stay in the research facility of the "Ether Institute". As the advertising posters on the walls of the elevator reveal, the institute has dedicated itself to telepathy in order to bring back their memories to patients. Who we are or in what context the male voice we heard while we were in the elevator remains unresolved, as does the question of why nobody is sitting at the reception. But we are obviously expected, because shortly after we ring the bell at the reception desk, a friendly female voice greets us and introduces herself as a doctor over the intercom.
[h1] Pro [/h1]
+ touching story
+ emotional impact
+ Empathy and narrative creativity are at the right place here
+ interesting stories
+ Achievements and trading cards
[h1] Contra [/h1]
- Playing time too short
- puzzles too easy
[h1] Conclusion [/h1]
With a lot of empathy and narrative creativity, the developers have succeeded in giving the still incurable disease dementia a face that is touching and horrifying at the same time.
[h1] Information / Review Deutsch [/h1]
Ether One ist ein Abenteuer-Spiel, mit kleinen Horror-Elementen, welches von White Paper Games entwickelt wurde.
[h1] Gameplay / Geschichte [/h1]
Das Psycho-Abenteuer "Ether One" ist der erste Teil einer geplanten Serie. In dem Spiel von White Paper Games übernehmt ihr die Rolle eines sogenannten "Restorers". Ihr betretet die Erinnerungen einer Frau namens Jean und versucht diese zu reparieren. Erst im weiteren Spielverlauf erfahrt ihr Details zu eurer eigenen Identität und zur Verbindung mit der noch unbekannten Frau. Während ihr die Erinnerungen durchstreift löst ihr Rätsel und erlebt die Geschichte im Science-Fiction-Stil.
Das Abenteuer in Ether One beginnt mit dem kurzen Aufenthalt in der Forschungseinrichtung des „Ether Institute“. Wie die Werbeposter an den Wänden des Lifts schon verraten, hat sich das Institut der Telepathie verschrieben, um Patienten auf diese Weise ihre Erinnerungen zurückzubringen. Wer wir sind oder in welchem Kontext die Männerstimme zu uns steht, die wir während unserer Anwesenheit im Fahrstuhl wahrgenommen haben, bleibt jedoch vorerst ebenso ungeklärt wie auch die Frage, wieso niemand an der Rezeption sitzt. Doch offensichtlich werden wir erwartet, denn schon kurz nachdem wir die Klingel am Tresen der Rezeption betätigen, begrüßt uns eine wohlgesonnene Frauenstimme und stellt sich als Doktorin über die Sprechanlage vor.
[h1] Pro [/h1]
+ rührende Geschichte
+ emotionale Wucht
+ Empathie und erzählerischer Kreativität sind hier genau richtig
+ interessante Erzählungen
+ Errungenschaften und Trading Cards
[h1] Kontra [/h1]
- Spielzeit zu kurz
- Rätsel zu leicht
[h1] Fazit [/h1]
Mit viel Empathie und erzählerischer Kreativität ist es den Entwicklern gelungen, der nach wie vor unheilbaren Krankheit Demenz ein Gesicht zu verleihen, das berührend und grauenerregend zugleich ist.
For the psychologists and story-driven players alike. So much of this game was a pleasure to experience. I highly recommend taking the slow way round with a pen and paper to help solve the puzzles and keep story elements straight.
Very enjoyable to play and endearing story. If you like piece hunting games to advance the story, play this!
- "На этой банке с жидкостью написано, что огнеопасно..."
- "Давай кинем в ту клевую печку?"
Вообще игра принесла весьма смутные ощущения. Не то, чтобы все плохо, но и не скажу, что она была прям очень-очень классной. Скорее такой "среднячек", со своими фишками и хорошей идеей.
"Симулятор ходьбы" и "квесты" - два моих любимых жанра и мне приятно, когда их очень хорошо смешивают, выдавая интересные проекты с увлекательным , методичным геймплеем. Ну и фишка таких игр - сюжет. То есть может быть вялый и простой смысл игры, корявая графика, но сюжет тут просто обязан быть роскошным. Ну и вот, к сожалению, он совсем простенький.
Уж не знаю, кому приятно, когда тебе с первых пятнадцати минут дают просто жирные подсказки, что все не так как кажется. И я считаю - это основной проблемой игры. Тип, ты запускаешь, заходишь в комнату, там жирный намек, потом попадаешь в фрагмент памяти - еще намек и все. Все, что остается - это еще часа 4 бродить, по красивым локациям, просто зная, что в конце. Вот этот момент на самом деле и убил у меня все ощущения от игры, я не скажу, что я прям уж догадливый или у меня хорошо с логическими цепочками, но это прям заноза в глаз такая, что вышло сумбурно. И я чисто на эмоциях передаю все ощущения. Потому что после финала игры я ее просто закрыл и такой "Ага, круто, спасибо".
А вот визуально и геймплейно мне очень понравилось. Она нарисована просто шикарно. Отличные домики, красивое окружение, город и прилегающие территории просто волшебные, он прямо просит, чтобы его исследовали, ходили, осматривали - это шикарно. Если отбросить тот факт, что исследование всего - просто придаток и игру можно пройти даже не решая головоломки,то выходит совсем скудно.
Кстати о головоломках. Они так же приятные и интересные. У Вас есть определенные места, которые нужно "восстановить", получая доступ к сюжетной информации и таким образом распутывая клубок. Еще есть куча всяких записок, дневников и тонная текстовой информации. Вот, что я скажу - это просто безумный и ненужный пласт букв. Это просто оказалось такой тратой времени, что мне даже грустно осознавать такое. Текст, написанный во всех этих заметках практически не дает никакой информации. Он просто есть.
Еще в игре есть свой собственный "хаб", где можно прослушать все записи, почитать "важные записки" с кодами и прочим и самое главное - хранить найденные и важные по-вашему мнению вещи. Вот скажу честно - эта часть меня расстроила больше всего. За всю игру нам понадобятся 5-6 предметов, которые вы найдете. И более того, предметы будут валяться рядом с головоломкой или местом, куда необходимо отнести предмет. В игре просто нет такого, чтобы ты нашел штуку в одной главе, а нужна она в другой, это меня просто разочаровало. Хранилище на 120 предметов, а нужна всего 1 полка. И Вам часто напоминают, что можно взять любой предмет. он обязательно может пригодиться, каждая деталь важна. К сожалению - нет.
Итак. Подведем итоги. У нас есть очень красивая, яркая и интересная визуально игра, наполненная небольшими и порой интересными головоломками. У нас есть отличная сюжетная идея, согласитесь, побывать в качестве "реставратора" воспоминаний - это круто. У нас есть отличное музыкальное окружение, которое хорошо задает тон игре. Но у нас есть просто пустой сюжет, у которого интригующая завязка и хороший финал, если не обращать взгляд на очевидные подсказки в течении ВСЕЙ ИГРЫ. Да, передать эмоции, диалоги и то, как пытаются победить деменцию - это сильно и хорошо, но ход не слабый, он просто нулевой. А в сочетании с неимоверно пустыми записками, которые в 90% совсем не нужны - получается просто унылое брождение. Игра в большей степени вызвала у меня хорошие ощущения, но не от сюжета. Я был увлечен миром, мне были интересны загадки, но вот продвигаться дальше, чтобы увидеть финал - желания у меня не было. Я знал его в начале игры и поэтому просто не рекомендую.
Jeu d'aventure très intéressant mais les bugs en tous genres ont complètement cassé mon expérience de jeu.
Après plusieurs tentatives pour réparer les bugs de duplication (et qui ont par la même occasion détruit des objets utiles pour la suite du jeu) j'ai désinstallé le jeu sans l'avoir terminé.
Un seul mot me vient à l'esprit: frustration.
Ich habe Ether One damals nur wegen des angekündigten VR supports gekauft. Das Versprechen wurde nicht eingehalten. Da ich nur noch in VR spiele - rausgeschmissenes Geld für mich. Daher eine negative Bewertung - nicht für das Spiel, sondern für die Entwickler.
A beautiful game, that touches on a very difficult subject. Can get intense, which I didn't expect.
[h1] DISCLAIMER: This is a full review, and NOT a first impressions review [/h1]
[quote] PLEASE NOTE: This review was written based on the redux version of this game; Ether One Redux and not the original version; Ether One [/quote]
Ether One is a game developed and published by White Paper Games
The game offers some nice graphics, although some ugly glitches here and there, it is pleasant all the same
Ether One overall, however, is a fun game to play albeit short, and it does get boring if being played for a long time, but is a good-ish adventure game to play in short bursts!
[h1] RECOMMENDED :) [/h1]
[b] REVIEW SOURCES: [/b]
[list]
[*] None
Pretty good.
Нет русского языка у redux версии. Возможно через сколько-то лет фанаты его допилят тогда и поиграю.
great story, love all the extra details put into it.
Story is intriguing, but pathfinding is too weak and walking is too slow for me to continue. This is a game that wants you to explore every nook and cranny (multiple times), but doesn't offer sufficient motivation to do so.
I like how unnerving and empty everything is while you're trying to find all the pieces the puzzles and figure everything out. It's atmospheric and haunting. The puzzles are nicely challenging, and the lack of explanation for stuff just makes me want to figure things out for myself all the more.
Very satisfying and touching story about dementia, in the form of a puzzle game.
Skilfully crafted and pieced together, if you like exploratory point and click narratives, this one is well worth having
LOL, why did ether redux just give me 3 "patient zero" cards while I wasn't playing anything? haven't touched this game in years
this is a pretty good Myst-like.
This game will try to break your mind with tricky puzzles there are some not logic puzzle but most af them you just need to think there is always solution a tip nearby. Story is interesting . Graphic is pleasing for the eye. Music add to the atmosphere of this game.
Bonjour. Je suis désagréablement surprise car il y avait en principe des sous-titres français pour ce jeu. Et bien non les sous-titres sont en anglais. Je n'aurais pas acheté ce jeu si j'avais su cela car je ne parle pas anglais et je ne peux faire le jeu. C'est un gros mensonge pas honnête.
Here is the thing. I am Vehemently angry right now! Do i vote up because its a game with good storyline and good gameplay? yes. So why am I so passionately angry you might ask? First, some background on me. I am an achievement hunter; I try to go for all achievements, especially collectible ones. This game, has lots of collectibles! I was thrilled. Now on to the problem - There are about 4 stages in the game, and they are apparently linear. As I am making sure I've collected everything, and taking my time to explore. I suddenly get to the end of the game, but missed a whole area of the game?
The stages of the game you don't seek out, they happen automatically as you progress. So as I look into it, turns out my game glitched passed the third area of the game, and guess what?! I CANT GET IT TO UNLOCK OR OPEN UP, BECAUSE THE GAME GLITCHED ME THROUGH A WHOLE SECTION OF THE STORYLINE.
You know what that means for me? Not only did i not miss some of the story. But that is 7/12 achievements I cant get.
I have to play the whole F***ing game over, collecting everything and solving every puzzle. I personally feel as though I've wasted 9 hours of my life.
If the game hadn't glitched, Its otherwise a really lovely game. With hard, intellectually challenging puzzles, that are fun and satisfying. i thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay and the process. Just super super angry that all my hard work went to ♥♥♥♥.
Дважды проходил достаточно много, дважды переустанавливал виндоус, сейвы в стим облаке не сохранялись, третий раз перепроходить не буду. По итогу так до конца, собственно, и не дошёл. Игра чудесная, но 15 евро за такое отдать оказалось жалко
С самого начала от игры завоняло The Witness: и замесом сюжета с VR, и этим шароёбством по огромной пустой карте без швов.
Потом резко в глаза бросилось, что тут не ждут головоломки на каждом шагу: те 15 минут, что я "играл", в шахте были только записки, какие-то обыденные подбираемые предметы да пара кодовых замков.
Что делать, я так и не понял. В Хабе надпись "Прожекторов активировано: 0/1" какбэ намекает, но найти его не получилось.
В итоге просрал четверть часа в никуда. Очень интересно. Ходи как дурак без чёткой цели, да в каждый интерактивный предмет тыкайся.
Ужасно.
A little buggy at times, but overall a worthwhile experience. Story is good, puzzles can be a bit obtuse but usually all the clues you need aren't far if you look closely enough. It's short, so probably wait for a sale. Also, the Redux version is far more buggy, I'd suggest just playing the normal version.
Great game, great story, great atmosphere. I loved that you really need to pay attention to the story in order to solve the puzzles.
JUST DON'T PLAY THE REDUX!!!! I'TS BUGGGGY!!!! I HAD TO START PLAYING IT TWICE ALL OVER AGAIN!!! the regular version is great... I wish I knew that before playing the redux....
Tags: Adventure - WS - Walking Sim
Additional Tags: Delete Local Content & Remove from Library
TLDR: Disorienting map layouts. Unclear objectives. Puzzles. Notefetching and typical sightseeing. Lots of walking. The psychological plot was thin with exploration of mental landscapes.
A bit short. Took me 12 minutes to finish the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzrisBI-nC8
I've really enjoyed my experiences with Ether One. It's a beautiful game with a beautiful story and interesting puzzle mechanics. I always find myself returning to this game when I have the free time.
[b]IMPORTANTE:[/b] [i]Joguem a versão NORMAL e não a versão REDUX! A REDUX é repleta de bugs que os desenvolvedores já prometeram corrigir, mas ainda não entregaram o patch com as correções (e estão atrasados). [/i]
Ether One é um jogo de exploração e puzzle, um Myst-like mas com uma ambientação mais agradável e realista.
O diferencial do game é que os puzzles são completamento opcionais, você pode simplesmente seguir a "quest principal" apenas fazendo o que a narração te indica ou pode passar horas e horas tentando resolver os puzzles que, aliás, nem se apresentam a você. É preciso que você veja o que tem a volta e resolva eles sozinho. O jogo não pega na sua mão em momento nenhum e isso é uma coisa sensacional.
I love this game. It's been a while since I've played it, but it's stuck with me, I did so much running around solving all the puzzles. I think they were mostly optional so it's not that I had to, I wanted to. There's nice environmental storytelling, and I still remember a lot about the pretty little town where it's set. A lot of the puzzles are in the exploration, putting together all the clues from different areas, while getting drip-fed the narrative. That might not be to everyone's taste, but I enjoyed slowly figuring things out as I wandered around.
I fully enjoyed this game, but not before bouncing off it once or twice. I personally found the Pinwheel Industrial map to be too large and difficult to navigate, so I frequently became lost in it with no idea what to do next. If you get stuck on this bit of the game like I did, then I suggest taking advantage of the excellent 'Ether One Complete Guide' by CrazyKrinkle (in Steam's 'Guides' community section) because it has puzzle hints that will help you work through it yourself.
If you're able to unstick yourself and keep moving through the game, then you'll find that it's very well-presented, thematically solid, and internally cohesive. I kept coming back to it for years because I could *feel* that it was a good game, and after finishing it now, I can confirm that I had it right all along. Definitely a solid first-person puzzler to add to the collection.
I really really wanted to like Ether One. I'm usually a huge sucker for exploration-based puzzle games and walking sims with strong stories and subtle emotions rather than lots of drama. And I'm usually willing to stick with some unintuitive puzzle design for a good story.
But I found Ether One's maps difficult to navigate, and its puzzles poorly signposted. I spent more time trying to find the puzzles than actually solving them. I found myself frustrated with constant backtracking, and I was also frustrated that I ended up progressing the plot and locking myself into a 'final' area without having fully explored the previous ones (Full disclosure: I didn't check to see if I could still backtrack to the area I missed but by then I was feeling the pressure to reach the final area and didn't want to kill the tension).
I ended up quitting the game and looking up a plot summary, only to find that I'd already guessed the twist ending.
Love the aesthetics and the music design, and there's a solid plot under there, with some interesting characters and turns and a lot of good background info to explore about the town and the people in it if you like exploration games. For me, it just wasn't worth digging through the rest of the game to get to them.
Βαθμολογία: 4/5
Παρεμφερείς Τίτλοι
INFRA
The story is a little scattershot and tries to be a little more clever than it actually is. The reveal at the end seems a little shaggy and doesn’t really re-interpret everything before it like it tries to. The town is very well detailed and fun to explore. Could really use a better map function since the streets and buildings are really repetitive and it’s hard to track down where you’ve been.
Ether One is such a beautiful game. You take the role of an investigator who's entering the memorys of a person with dementia to heal them. While this might sound quite sci-fi, it's actually a quite metaphoric game (and therefore sometimes a little bit hard to understand) - however in the end things get explained quite well with a special hidden ending once you've reached the main menu and hit "Continue Game". Most of the riddles are totally optional, however the atmosphere of the world and its wonderful soundtrack (by Nathaniel-Jorden Apostol) and overall sound design (it's a quite quiet experience though not silent at all) motivates to search for every clue and to just indulge in those mostly fond memories of the person. You need a vacation and some touching inspiration? Play Ether One. It has a wonderful, becalming atmosphere but stil makes you nosey and excited for the reason behind all this. This experience got a special place in my heart.
One last note: [b]beware of the REDUX version[/b] - it is pepped up with some gamebreaking bugs you might easily encounter. The standard version however works (and looks even more beautiful in some cases imo). By buying this game you get both versions at once.
[b]Edit:[/b] The REDUX version finally has been bugfixed and upgraded. Still I like some of the sounds (e.g. footsteps) from the original more, but those are little details :D Have fun with either version of both
Ich liebe dieses Spiel. Ganz nach meinem Geschmack. Tolle Story!
I was playing the redux version of this game, and at first the game is rather enjoyable.
but then it becomes obvious that they did not fix extremely glaring issues on the game like projectors refusing to repair after completing all actions required to revive them. And the game randomly turning to polish after exiting it and starting it again.
after 3 years these issues still have not been fixed and prevent progress in the game. and for that I can not recommend the game as you will not get the full intended expirence or have any chance of getting the complete ending for the game.
