The cohort of developers that departed Bulletstorm and Painkiller developer People can Fly to form The Astronauts has lifted the veil on their first game, a "weird fiction horror" detective adventure titled The Vanishing of Ethan Carter --designed to be played "at night, alone, and in headphones".

As a detective with the supernatural ability to visualize scenes of lethal crimes, you investigate the kidnapping of a young boy, hoping to save him before it’s too late. The investigation leads you to a beautiful mountain area, where you come across a severely mutilated body of one of the kidnappers. Using both your paranormal skill and modern detective tools you discover the mystery behind the trail of corpses in the valley, the roots of an ancient force ruling the area, and the fate of the kidnapped boy.

“What we care about the most is that the players feel like they’re really there. Immersion is our number one priority," said the game’s designer, Adrian Chmielarz. “It’s a game about exploration and discovery. We’re not abandoning the gameplay – on the contrary: we’re trying to strip it down to the bone and make sure it’s always meaningful and truly makes the experience better.”

A teaser trailer for the game can be found below.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is currently scheduled for a digital download PC release in 2013.