Myst IV: Revelation follows closely in the footsteps of its best-selling predecessors. Coming on two DVDs and taking up a fair portion of any hard drive, it presents an atmospheric and thoroughly detailed game world that will take plenty of time to explore.
However, the underlying gameplay and the puzzles that form the core of the Myst experience are nothing that could not be achieved in a text-based adventure from the earliest days of gaming.
From the launch of the first game in 1991, the Myst series has split those who enjoy games on the PC. Some see the Myst games as nothing more than pre-rendered slide shows with puzzles, but many more will quite happily devote many hours to unravelling the mysteries that the games provide.
Revelation provides little in the way of technological advancement from the previous games in the series. As before, players navigate the lushly depicted game world in a stop-start fashion, having to closely examine everything they see in order to eke out every clue. This is not a game for fans of action: Revelation rewards slow and methodical play, offering a richly detailed world to experience along the way.
Revelation’s story continues the tale of Myst, which centres around Atrus, who created the books that allow navigation around Myst’s worlds, and his family. For fans of the series, there are many echoes of earlier titles, not least in the presence of Atrus’ two sons, the villains of the first game. Newcomers can enjoy the game itself without worrying too much about the story, but it is well presented and tied into the created world well enough to avoid jarring the suspension of disbelief. All the same, the sub-Hollywood acting and scripting of the human characters can be off-putting.
The puzzles themselves remain the main focus of the game. As ever, they reward logical thought and keen observation. Although players may occasionally become frustrated, it is always obvious that the solution is available to them somewhere, if they can find it. Helping them in this task are two elements: an integrated hint system, which offers various levels of help, and a photo scrapbook that records scenes from around the game worlds. All the same, keeping a notepad beside the keyboard will certainly help in getting to the end of Revelation. (The original Myst famously provided no manual, just a blank notebook, which players could well have used here.)
Graphically and sonically, Revelation is wonderful, presenting an exceptionally detailed fantasy world, convincing for all that players are not entirely free to navigate it. If there is one niggle, it is the inclusion of CG-rendered creatures, which never quite look as real as the landscapes they inhabit.
Revelation will please fans of the Myst series, but it is unlikely to win over any doubters. For those who can lose themselves in the story of the game and its atmospheric worlds, it’s an absorbing experience. Those who can’t are likely to find it just a bit tedious.
Myst IV
Requirements: PC or Mac
Rating: 75%
Price: €49.99
Contact: Gamestop 01 813 5350
07/02/05
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