If you’re new to the
Myst series, this isn’t your typical game. It’s a game that lacks action, and is by all means, one of the most boring games of all time. So how can such a lemon sell so many copies and be in its fourth game of the franchise? Two words: Puzzle-Solving. If you don’t like it, stay far, far away from Ubisoft’s
Myst IV: Revelation. But if you’re in for a challenge, then this may be your newest addiction.
The entire gameplay concept of the Myst franchise is based on still images and interacting with the environment. While you’re able to pivot the camera a full 360 degrees while playing Revelation, you won’t actually walk around freely. On-screen, you move a cursor around looking for hints to solve the next puzzle. You can perform actions on some objects like levers, buttons, and switches, but for the most part, you wander around the environment in limbo simply looking for clues.
As I perused the 2D environments, I often found myself moving the cursor all over the place, simply watching closely to notice it change into another icon that signifies an action can be performed. While some of the trigger areas of the panoramic views are obvious, many are not, and can go easily missed if you’re not careful. What this also meant is that I often moved the camera by accident, and it got very frustrating for me to have to constantly adjust my view until finally being able to position the cursor in the area originally intended.
Myst IV: Revelation wasn’t all bad, however. Some of the cut-scenes are pretty cool. You’ll also happen upon real people that have been composited into the 2D world almost seamlessly. Unfortunately, these cut-scenes aren’t able to be skipped, and some can get quite long. Because of this, I kept getting taken out of the game because I felt that saving often was necessary... not necessarily to protect my progress, but just to prevent having to sit through countless minutes of talking.
