Wanted:
Gamers to solve the mysterious puzzles of D'ni to
bring the series to a conclusion. No previous experience
required.
This
is the end of Myst. With Myst V: End of the Ages we
say goodbye to our old haunt but not before having
our brains meltdown due from the overheating of excessive
pondering and frustration. You don't have to have
played any previous Myst games to get into the finale
but if you haven't played a Myst game before I ask
you, where the hell have you been for the last decade?
Myst
is a point and click adventure game with an emphasis
on staggering visual landscapes and extraordinary
puzzles that no normal person could possibly solve
- but before you go hunting for the walkthrough it's
important to know that these puzzles may be a little
esoteric but they're not impossible to solve although
it may seem like it. You don't have to solve them
before you go to bed. Clear your head and take another
run at it another day. Solving the puzzles on your
own results in a level of satisfaction unrivalled
by most videogames.
Yeesha
and Esher are the two main characters in this adventure.
Yeesha is a panic stricken woman that knows something
that we don't. Her diary is scattered throughout the
Ages which are essentially different worlds that you
can travel to. Piecing parts of her diary will give
you clues to the mysteries that surround the Ages
as will the cutscenes that you unlock. Esher is a
ghost-like character that appears out of thin air
to assist you in certain situations. There is a marked
tension between Yeesha and Esher that you will eventually
uncover.
Unlike
the Myst IV, the environments aren't as interactive.
They conform to more classic Myst format whereby the
only items that are accessible are directly related
to puzzle solving. You can navigate through the environments
by using the "advanced" control scheme.
You can also use the mouse to look around in the environments
or you can travel from one place to the next using
the traditional mode-to-mode system. The advanced
system is my favourite and feels more free and natural.
As
usual the environments are barren and lonely. Even
the music is minimal with only a hint of ambience.
To bring some life into these worlds, a race of creatures
called the bahro are ever present and able to appear
in any given situation. A stone tablet that you carry
around with you will enable you to communicate with
the bahro as long as you are able to write the correct
symbol on it that they will understand. The addition
of the bahro is a good one in that it makes you feel
as though you aren't alone.
Once
again the graphics are incredible. They are highly
imaginative and well rendered. It's just too bad that
they weren't all interactive. You're going to need
plenty of processing power to see everything the way
it was intended. Some chances were taken with the
motion captured movement of the characters which looks
great in some scenes and just plain creepy in others.
The voiceacting is excellent and will keep you on
your toes for hints and tips.
I
don't want to ruin things for you but just let me
say that I was expecting a better conclusion to wrap
up such a memorable series. But as with most puzzle-oriented
game it's the journey and not the destination that
makes it all worthwhile. And it's been one hell of
a good ride.
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