Tag: Myst

Top Myst-like Games

A few weeks ago I saw that Cyan Worlds had put up a Kickstarter campaign for a 25th Anniversary Collection of Myst, a series of games I adore but because of limitations, mostly incompatibility with modern systems and being unavailable for purchase, haven’t been able to play as much as I’ve wanted to, with some titles in the series completely out of my reach.

Needless to say, I jumped at the chance and spent a ludicrous amount of money on the project, going for the next to last tier, “Writer,” which will nab me the digital and physical copies of the games and a Myst Book Box, which along with the rest of the rewards I’m hoping will be freaking cool. Continue reading Top Myst-like Games

Puzzle Games – Open vs Sequential

Last week I spoke of the two categories I separate puzzle design into, those being the story driven ones, the ones with a close tie to the game’s narrative and game universe common sense, and the challenge driven, those placed in the game just to give players something meaty to bite into, often tied to the game’s plot by theme rather than adhering to the plot, the locations, the character’s common sense, etc.

With those two in mind, I’d like to talk to you today about two other categories, but these are the ones in which I separate the games that feature these puzzles. Despite the article’s title, I don’t like to call them puzzle games, as puzzles in both categories can be in a variety of genres, with the puzzles being just another challenge offered to players, without them being the core of the experience—take the Resident Evil franchise for example, the first and latest titles heavy on complex puzzles but not their defining feature.

I base these two categories on how the players interacts with the puzzles in the world. They can be Sequential or Open.

Continue reading Puzzle Games – Open vs Sequential

Review: Obduction

What would you do if a strange seed of light suddenly took you from your home and placed you in a land enclosed by a dome? Would you accept things or would you explore and try to find the mystery at the core of this and many other worlds? That’s what I did in Obduction.
Continue reading Review: Obduction

The Weekly Puzzle – Stoneshipped

Puzzles are at the core of Adventure gameplay, they provide challenges for you to overcome with brains rather than brawn. For Action Adventures, they offer a break from the hacky-slashy-stabby-shooty element of title.

Every week I’ll bring you a new puzzle, drawn from some of the best and worst adventure or puzzle games I’ve ever played. Every once in a while I’ll even leave you one of my own for you to solve. If you do, I’ll find a way to reward you!

This week’s puzzle is from one of the greatest classics in the history of Point & Click adventure games: Myst. In this game you explore different dimensions, or Ages, all connected to the Myst Age. While doing so you uncover the secrets of those who linked the Ages and their complicated relationships. Today’s puzzle is the one you need to complete to unlock another Age connected to Myst, the Stoneship age. Continue reading The Weekly Puzzle – Stoneshipped