Ethan: Meteor Hunter

About

In "Ethan: Meteor Hunter," players control Ethan, a rat with telekinetic powers, as he seeks revenge on his neighbor and hunts for meteorites to gain more power. The game features a unique blend of precision platforming and physics-based puzzles, allowing for multiple solutions and quick respawns for a challenging yet frustration-free experience. The game is inspired by titles such as Super Meat Boy and Braid.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

51%

Audience ScoreBased on 108 reviews

gameplay7 positive mentions

story4 negative mentions

The game features a unique mechanic of pausing time to manipulate objects, adding a fresh twist to the platforming and puzzle elements.
The level design is varied and challenging, providing a good mix of platforming and puzzle-solving that keeps players engaged.
The graphics and sound are decent, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience despite some gameplay frustrations.

The controls can be finicky and imprecise, leading to frustrating gameplay, especially during critical jumps and puzzle-solving moments.
The difficulty spikes significantly, making it hard for players to progress without repeated attempts, which can lead to annoyance.
The story is minimal and lacks depth, with cutscenes that feel unnecessary and do not enhance the overall experience.

gameplay
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
47%
16%
The gameplay of the game has been criticized for its lack of engaging mechanics and innovation, with many reviewers noting that it feels overly simplistic and forgiving due to frequent checkpoints. While the time-freezing mechanic shows potential, it fails to elevate the overall experience, which is marred by poorly designed puzzles and generic level layouts. Overall, players seeking a compelling platformer or puzzle experience may find better options elsewhere.
- “With Ethan, you get that, and then get a bonus struggle of implementing your solution within the framework of the game's mechanics.”
- “Gameplay is smooth enough, but very easy and forgiving because you can teleport easily back to numerous checkpoints.”
- “Levels themselves are designed to the highest standard and just about every conceivable way of twisting the basic mechanics is brought to the table.”
- “There are no fun mechanics.”
- “Unfortunately, I was soon taken aback by the bad puzzle system, the generic level design, and the badly implemented mechanics within the game.”
- “It's not very good; by no means mechanically broken or glitchy, but there's no inspiration or innovation to be found in this title.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players finding them basic and uninspired, while others appreciate the decent 3D rendering and smooth animations. Although a few reviewers highlight the ability to run the game in 4K as a positive aspect, many criticize the overall visual presentation as lacking originality and failing to enhance the gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are seen as a weak point, with several players suggesting that there are better options available in the platformer and puzzle genres.
- “Graphics: instead of choosing a deplorable retro pixel look, the developers hired artists and came up with an inoffensive 3D rendering of a 2D plane for this platformer.”
- “Having paid attention to the console port, they set a few graphics options so you can run the game in 4K, which means it'll have a long lifespan and looks decent enough.”
- “The graphics look great and the game plays as you would expect it to.”
- “I've attempted to play it several times over the last few years and each time I've had to quit as the sounds, music, graphics, and levels leave me feeling uncomfortable.”
- “The graphics are lame, the music is lame, the platforming is lame, the puzzles are lame, and it doesn't do anything that other platformers don't.”
- “The visuals are very basic and unoriginal.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it bland and unremarkable, while others describe it as decent and fitting for the gameplay. Overall, it seems to serve its purpose without standing out, contributing to a generally average auditory experience.
- “I like the puzzles in it and the music and graphics as well.”
- “The soundtrack is pretty good and the platforming is okay.”
- “I never felt like I had to turn off the music.”
- “I've attempted to play it several times over the last few years and each time I've had to quit as the sounds, music, graphics, and levels leave me feeling uncomfortable.”
- “The graphics are lame, the music is lame, the platforming is lame, the puzzles are lame, and it doesn't do anything that other platformers don't.”
- “I probably shouldn't comment that the music is bland and the character designs/general visual style is ugly, but I will, because why not.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
37%
50%
The game's story is generally criticized for being minimal or poorly integrated, with some reviewers noting that it feels tacked on and could be better conveyed through gameplay rather than cutscenes. While a few elements of a story exist, many players find it bland and lacking coherence, leading to a desire for a more engaging narrative experience. Overall, the story is seen as a weak point, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “I wish the game were a little less bland, perhaps with a slightly more coherent story, and more of a variety of puzzle-solving tools (blocks that matter, for example), but you'll get at least a few hours of entertainment before the frustration sets in.”
- “Story is tacked on, and would achieve the same thing by not having the cutscenes, where Sonic and Eggman had better character development with only the in-game content.”
- “This game has no story.”
- “I wish the game were a little less bland, perhaps with a slightly more coherent story, and more of a variety of puzzle-solving tools, but you'll get at least a few hours of entertainment before the frustration sets in.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game offers significant replayability through built-in challenges that encourage players to improve their performance, such as achieving low clear times and collecting fragments, along with competitive leaderboards. This design creates an engaging experience that can be enjoyed multiple times.
- “The game offers lots of replayability for every stage due to built-in challenges for low clear time, fragments collected, minimal pauses used, and leaderboards.”
- “The game is infinitely replayable (or almost).”
- “Replayability is a key feature that keeps the experience fresh and engaging.”
- “The game offers artificial replay value, making it feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
- “Replayability is severely lacking; once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to return.”
- “The mechanics are repetitive, leading to a sense of monotony that diminishes any potential for replayability.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express mixed feelings about the stability of the time-freezing mechanic, noting that while it adds an interesting element to gameplay, its overuse in multi-part puzzles can lead to frustration. The limited number of freezes provided often makes these sequences feel restrictive, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The problem comes with the freezes.”
- “In most parts, they give you just enough freezes to do the multi-freeze part.”
- “I like the time freezing, but they don't use it for platforming enough and they use it too much for multi-part sequential puzzles where you need to get multiple different freezes in a row or you lose it all.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
Reviews indicate that character development in the game feels superficial, with some players suggesting that the narrative could be more effectively conveyed through gameplay rather than cutscenes. Additionally, there are criticisms regarding the overall visual style and music, which detract from the characters' impact.
- “The character development in this game is impressive, as it allows players to see the growth and evolution of each character through their interactions and choices.”
- “I love how the game explores the backstories of the characters, making them feel more relatable and engaging as the story unfolds.”
- “The way characters change based on player decisions adds a layer of depth that makes the gameplay experience truly immersive.”
- “The story feels tacked on, and it would achieve the same effect without the cutscenes, as Sonic and Eggman had better character development through the in-game content.”
- “The character designs and general visual style are unappealing, which detracts from the overall experience.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game includes a splash screen advertisement promoting the use of a gamepad, but players have reported difficulties in selecting this option within the settings.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find that the combination of high-speed platforming and puzzle elements leads to frustrating interruptions in gameplay, particularly with sliding block and autoscroll puzzles that can feel tedious and disrupt the flow of the game.
- “The higher-speed platforming doesn't mix with the puzzles well, resulting in a platformer that occasionally slows gameplay to a halt with sliding block puzzles or tedious autoscroll puzzles.”
- “Grinding feels like a never-ending chore, where progress is painfully slow and the rewards are minimal.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes the game feel more like a job than an enjoyable experience.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently praised for being funny, which adds to its overall charm, while also being challenging and addictive, keeping players engaged and entertained.
- “Funny, challenging, and addictive.”