Myst IV: Revelation Review (no fat)

Game Description

The titles in the Myst franchise rank amongst the best selling games of all time. The fourth edition Myst IV: Revelation carries off in the same vein as players have to point and click and explore their way through the massive and gorgeous environs of the Myst world.

The mythological trappings that the Myst titles exhibit are evident in this game. In Revelation, you find yourself in a land called Tomanha, home of the mystical Artus, blessed with the power of conjuring portals out of mere books. These books are devices that can help players move from land to land. Artus needs your help to crack a mystery but you soon find that things are more complicated than they seem. Artus' daughter goes missing and you have to quest to find her.

In Myst IV: Revelation, you have to traverse through four ages, interact with diverse characters, pick up vital clues, log clues and evidence in your journal, solve puzzles and unravel the mysteries that the game packs.

Like it's predecessors, there are plenty of puzzles in this episode, some fairly easy, others very hard. A built in help system proves to be a handy inclusion.

Bundled on two DVDs, this is a monster of a game that demands some serious computer real estate.

Myst IV: Revelation Gameplay

This game requires a lot of patience and perseverance. If you're an experienced Myst player and have dabbled with the earlier editions, the gameplay is similar. If you are new to the game, you'll soon discover that you can leave no stone unturned while traversing the four ages of the massive game.

The graphical richness is a highlight of this game and the point and click interface is pretty easy to figure out. However, the puzzles can still be fiendishly difficult to solve. There are a host of innovative devices that can provide invaluable service in cracking a puzzle. Players have access to a camera which takes up to 999 snapshots and these pictures can be logged into your in-game journal to be used as evidence or for further study. The journal can also be used for logging other vital clues that you pick up during your adventures.

And if you are seriously at your wit's end when it comes to a puzzle, bank on the built-in help system that you can summon at any time. From hints to solutions, this can help you progress without much stress (even though it technically counts as cheating)

Myst IV: Revelation is fairly easy to sink in and start exploring but the sheer volume of the game and the complexities of the puzzles can be intimidating.

Myst IV: Revelation Graphics & Sound

The game demands high end machines and configurations to do justice to it's cutting-edge graphics that packs fluid animations, 360 degree vision, 3D elements, advanced lighting and particle effects etc. It's the perfect marriage of the artistic brilliance and realism.

The ambient score written by Peter Gabriel, is a great bonus and a mood enhancer.

Myst IV: Revelation Summary

The technically brilliant fourth episode in the Myst franchise, is a gaming experience of massive proportions, packed with brain wracking puzzle action that can be riveting or frustrating at times. The game is also very demanding on your hardware and almost impossible to run on lower end machines.

The point and click interface is a breeze to work with and there's plenty of areas to explore, clues to gather and evidence to collect in order to solve a mystery. The help system is a useful addition.

Overall, it's a great gaming experience for those who are blessed with patience and have the ability to soldier on until they have unraveled the mystery.

Cost

Myst IV: Revelation retails at $19.99US.