Myst IV: Revelation (DVD-ROM)

Kha'tie gave me the first of several demos and I know my mouth hit the floor. The graphics are stunningly beautiful and the detail so rich I even had a hard time believing this was not 3D. They were so crisp, clean and as Kha'tie moved the cursor the screen easily followed. The attention to detail is equally amazing. I especially loved the realism of when I looked at a specific place the surrounding areas would blur representing the depth of the graphics ... just like looking at something in real life. Then move the cursor to another area and focus again on that object and the same thing would happen. I have never seen this in a game before. Amazing!

I was also amazed at how "alive" everything is. The clouds move as there is a slight breeze in the air. Even the trees and bushes would move in the breeze. There were insects flying about and lights would flicker as you move about and your perception changed ... totally realistic. So much so that I could feel the breeze and the movement. Even the steam is continually rising off the lake.

As you venture around you come to and enter into Atrus and Catherine's bedroom. To see the the painting close up I was even more in awe. Then to see the fireplace and learn its secret (well partially) and seeing what happens but not the full scope of what is happening. I find the amulet of Yeesha's and I'm seeing a memory through someone else's eyes ... though I'm not totally sure who's memory it is ... assuming Yeesha's. Kha'tie let me play with the fireplace puzzle for a bit but I was so overwhelmed that I had no clue what to do and I hadn't read anything yet. I mean how can I solve a puzzle without reading a journal or some other clue to guide me along. Not to mention that fact that I had people standing behind me watching me.

Then finding access to the books and so wanting to see where the other one went ... but alas I was not allowed to go there. Not even sure why I wanted to go to Sirrus' Prison Age first. Perhaps it was because I related to him more. So I link into Haven ... Achenar's Prison Age. Most of you have seen the screen shots from this Age and have a good idea what it is all about visually. What was amazing was how even more alive this Age is and it's huge. The trees move and sway with the wind. The animals roaming about. The one creature with the colorful head (not sure of it's name yet) that we see is quite inquisitive yet shy. He likes to follow you around but will run when you approach him.

Then stooping down and touching the water with my finger and having it radiate out in pools. I would then swirl my finger about in the water and it would swirl and eddy with my every move ... just as water should ... this is so real. As I continue to walk around and pass through a narrow passage the wind picks up and is quite strong through here blowing the dust around. You see the dust flowing around you and I instinctual closed my eyes to block that dust (and then quickly reopened them).

What few puzzles I saw looked so well intertwined that they seemed perfectly natural to me and to the surroundings with perfect blend. I honestly felt I was playing with items that I would come across naturally in a strange Age. They did not feel out of place at all.

The cursor I found was not intrusive and was like using my own hand. I could point my finger and click and that is where I would go. I could manipulate items by grabbing them. I could touch items by tapping on them and would hear the respective sound. I could turn the pages of the journals as I would turn a page in a book in real life. Even the concern of the look of the hand that I had initially did not bother me at all during game play ... again seeming and feeling very natural.

Even though I may be biased in my opinions of Myst this game is so totally amazing and it is very obvious that the developers listened to all the concerns of the fans of the previous games and incorporated all this into Myst IV. I honestly feel that you all will be as astounded and amazed as I am ... and I can't wait for the release.

BRAVO! To the Myst IV Dev Team and to Ubisoft! and a special thank you to Ron and Kha'tie for allowing me to be a part of this and to finally get to meet you two in person.

Apparently, one of the reasons for the bulk of the game is that there will be over one hour of DVD-quality video embedded into the game to help advance along the story. This is a bold step for the Myst series since all the the predessesor games had pretty limited in-game storylines. Other than an occasional journal or holographic snippet found along the way, you pretty much had to wait to the end of those games to watch the revealed resolution play out in video cut scenes.

In this story, we apparently get to witness just how dysfunctional Atrus' family really is. The bad boys from the first game, Sirrus and Achenar, are back in this chapter and play havoc with the serenity enjoyed by Atrus, his wife Catherine and their young daughter Yeesha.

Like Myst III - Exile, this game is not being developed directly by Cyan the makers of Myst, Riven and URU. Presto Studios, the maker of Exile, is no longer around, so the reins have been handed over to UbiSoft (in particular their Canadian branch) who was also a partner in the whole URU project. With the unfortunate demise of the ambitious URU Live internet project due primarily to financial reasons, I imagine both Cyan and UbiSoft are staking quite a lot on this next chapter.

If they can successfully blend the traditional mystique of the original games with a rich and immersive story like, say, Syberia, while blowing everyone away again with eye-popping graphics, then I think they will once again raise the bar of the adventure game genre (and quite possibly with PC video games in general). A bold claim, certainly, but one of which I think the pioneers of graphical adventure games are more than capable.