Ether One

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August 2015

Ether One is primarily an exploration game with a similar feel to the classic point-and-click style games from the 90s. You begin the game in a futuristic business that specializes in helping people restore their memories. This technology is used for a variety of reasons, but it's often to treat Dementia. You sit in a special chair and then visit various places from someone's memory.

Much of the game involves exploring environments void of any people. This makes for a unique gameplay experience, but I thought it was a little strange - I wondered if the game developers just couldn't create good in-game characters. You discover aspects of the story as you progress, and it's fair to say that the story is the main attraction of the whole game. And on that front I thought it did pretty well. I think each person would have a different reaction to the story, but I found it much more thoughtful and meaningful than those found in most games. It's one of those stories where you are kept in the dark somewhat all throughout the game, but at the end it all makes sense.

Some of the puzzles in the game were, in my opinion, fairly obscure and stalled the game progression for me. They weren't as absurd as the puzzles in Myst, but you have to have good attention to detail to work out some of them. Many of the puzzles are optional, though, so tricky puzzles don't slow things down too much.

Personally I wasn't too enamored with the graphics, but they aren't bad. I thought the art style of the game was better than the graphics themselves, and each environment is fleshed out pretty well.

All in all, I liked Ether One. The gameplay wasn't totally my thing, but there were other factors that pulled me along. If you're interested in a calm, thoughtful game with a decent story, give it a try.

A nice little landscape.	There's your wallpaper. You're welcome.	The first area of the game, just outside the futuristic memory store.
It would be pretty awesome if memory restoration were possible.	The stairs down to the reception desk.	The chair you sit in to relive memories.
These diagrams are on a pegboard at a work site. You need to adjust various levers to get things to happen, and these diagrams are sort of like a key.	Exploring an abandoned work site.	Another key of sorts needed to solve a puzzle.
A pretty cool spiral staircase inside of the lighthouse.	There are bows hidden throughout the game that enable to to see special memories.	You can hold one object at a time, and you can keep them in a centralized storage area. You only need most of them once, but you don't know that when you first play the game.
I found all of the ribbons sow I was rewarded with decorations on my lantern.	Each stage has a few broken film projectors. I you find all of the pieces then you'll see special memories.	Obligatory platinum trophy screenshot.
If you search diligently throughout the game, you can find six dials that go on a safe. If you are particularly clever then you can find out the code for an . . . underwhelming reward.	The end of the game is a tearjerker when you realize who's memories you're reliving, and why you're reliving them.	The unconscious mind can remember what the conscious mind has forgotten.