(One of my dream game houses - hey, that's an article!)
During the course of this blog I've been through The Longest Journey, Dreamfall, Syberia and it's sequel. They've all had in common a great story, and a great atmosphere. Myst IV is just slightly different. It's not going to win awards for characterisation, because you spend much of your time alone - with no companions like Crow (*sigh*), or Oscar the automaton to keep you company. Lonely? Well, the worlds of Myst IV more than make up for that, because when it comes to design, this game excels.
(Crow, glorious Crow)
The Myst series revolves around the misadventures of a man called Atrus, and his extremely dysfunctional family. Atrus has something of a special ability - he can create portals to other worlds, in the form of books. The concept alone shows the series' respect for literature and story.
Now, back to that horrible family I mentioned earlier. They aren't all the sort of people you can imagine round a Christmas tree, getting calmly pissed or laughing along to Michael MacIntyre. Sadly, some of them have issues - and, because Atrus is a master of shirking his responsibilities, it's up to you to clean up the mess when things inevitably go wrong.
(Here's the beginning. It's like Half Life's, but pretty.)
In the grand tradition of the series, this means a journey through worlds - and we're not talking the Doctor Who or Star Wars idea of dimensions. Each world in Myst IV is exquisite, and unique. They often feel utterly alien, contained and perfect. The UI may be off putting to some - you click your way from point to point - but it's easy to get used to, and gets you some spectacular views. You quickly forget that you're in a game at all.
In fact, Myst IV is a lesson on immersion. It was one of the last games to place real life actors directly into the game - when Atrus or his daughter Yeesha speak to you, they look real to you,, and even if they can come across as a little annoying at times, this still does wonders for immersion. It's an approach I've only otherwise seen in The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, but it was once a fairly widespread practice. And of course, it's ideal to adventure games, where the players usually only talk to characters, rather than say, shoot them.
(Not that a good shooting would go amiss...)
The other clever features of Myst IV were the camera and journal. It's something that I wish showed up in every game. It was most likely introduced for puzzle-solving purposes - because the puzzles of Myst IV are deliciously challenging and often frustrating - but it also doubles as a diary. Which is excellent, because that means it's ROLEPLAY TIME!!!
To me, roleplay is essential for games. It's one of the (many) reasons that MMOs aren't my thing. You can pretend to be an elf with a dark and soul-crushing past all you like, but then some tit is going to ask whether or not you're actually a real woman. Other players make you feel silly in your cyber-boobs and...*sniffle*...they....*whimper*...could you excuse me a moment?
Anyway, whatever the gender, roleplaying is fun. So when it comes to single player games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, or, obviously, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, I tend to go all out. And Myst IV's diary is an amazing way of getting into the game - as you journey through a series of beautiful worlds, you take pictures, record your troubles and your thoughts.
You feel like a real explorer. Traversing the shipwreck littered beaches of an island filled with dinosaurs, in search of a fugitive, you can take a moment to savour the view and really bitch about that Triceratops thing. And later, stuck on a lonely island of crystal caves, orbiting a green sun, you can sit back, flick through your diary and reminisce. You feel truly alone, like a real explorer. It's empowering.
(Strip me naked and call me Tarzan)
Of course, Myst IV isn't without flaws. The acting, while generally good, can slip at times, whereas there are (very few) puzzles that don't so much require a diary as an army of cryptologists. I went to the walkthrough a few times on this one. Still, like the best games, it's worth it for the journey, and even now, I doubt the graphics look tired.
Give it a go then, if you like a puzzle. Stick with it for the first twenty minutes, while you get used to the controls (and prepare to boot up a few cheat sites!) With the enchanting worlds ahead of you, and the sheer satisfaction of completing that bastard puzzle, Myst IV still has a great deal on offer.
Go on, play the explorer. Name yourself Dora. There are worlds on your doorstep.
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