Dutch publisher SOEDESCO announced that the video game masterpiece Ether One will be available as a physical edition for PlayStation®4 in the United States as from April 8th 2016. The first-person puzzle adventure game by the British developer White Paper Games was first released for Playstation®4 in May 2015, using Unreal Engine 4, and achieved great success as a physical release in Europe as from October 2015. The reflective, gripping game about life with dementia was acclaimed by both critics and the public.
Pinwheel: A Cornish fishermen’s village in bygone days
Ether One was particularly praised for its tragic and remarkably touching story that unravels in an unusual way. The first person player is placed into a Cornish fishermen’s village in bygone days, being the protagonist in a cutting-edge experiment to understand dementia and memory loss. The plot itself is not told, it has to be discovered by exploring the landscape of a dementia patient’s memory. Only Phyllis, the off-screen voice of a doctor monitoring the experiment, and other occasional voice-overs guide the player through the quaint sepia-colored scenery.
Beside for its relevant and relatable narrative, Ether One is praised for the gorgeous, hand-painted graphics, the non-violent and subtle gameplay and the poignant soundtrack. Ether One was nominated for the Develop Award 2014, the Destructoid’s Best Narrative Design Award 2014 and was a finalist of the Indiecade 2014.