Myst V: End of Ages

A graceful departure

Platform	OVERALL
PC	8.50

Overall

8.50

While I was never able to finish the original Myst due to both my impatient adolescence and the incredibly difficult puzzles that Myst presented over 10 years ago, I was still intrigued by the mysterious, almost surreal aura surrounding the story and settings of this game. What was even more special was that this whole story of betrayal and untimely sorrow surrounded a single family, nay, a single man named Atrus who wished to preserve an ancient art handed down to him, through lineage, from an ancient race of people known as the D'ni.

Ten years later, my intrigue for this story was reignited when Myst IV: Revelations was released and I was awestruck at how sublime and elegant this game played out to be. The story flowed smoothly and the puzzles were challenging, yet solvable. The emotion I felt as I followed the characters' enchanting lives was so very tangible and even made me sit up and think 'wow'. The graphical presentation was astounding and the dynamic environments and panoramic vistas made the game seem almost life-like.

The latest, and final installation of the Myst series, Myst V: End Of Ages, is worth giving substantial credit for ending the story of this tragic family on a high note with an excellent plot. However, Rand Miller's decision to bring the Myst universe into fully rendered 3D was indeed ambitious, yet it undoubtedly became the biggest flaw in this final chapter.

End of Ages features seven different ages to explore. Bear in mind I use the term 'different' quite loosely as many of the ages, while beautiful in their own right, seem uncanny in their similarity and don't have the level of detail and depth that a pre-rendered environment would produce. Surely the design team could have made a more advanced version of their graphics engine used for Revelation merely because it was perfected and gave the Myst franchise its unique charm. As the old adage goes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Sadly Rand Miller tried to "fix" this game by changing the way players interacted with the ages and consequently, it lost some of the magic that surrounded its earlier incarnations.

Once again you start off the game as yourself - dragged into a new and unexplored universe ready to explore the unknown.
The game revolves around two major characters: Yeesha (previously seen in Myst III, Uru and in Myst IV), and a new character, Esher, one of the last surviving D'ni. In order to fully restore the D'ni race to its former glory, it was prophecised that the Grower (who is believed to be Yeesha) must utilise a powerful artifact known as the Tablet. The Tablet holds the ability to fully control a mysterious slave race known as the Bahro. Upon unlocking the Tablet, Yeesha made a misguided decision which consequently prevented her from accessing the Tablet ever again.
Yeesha then gives you the quest to unlock the Tablet, and hopefully, another chance at restoring the mysterious D'ni race. Over the course of the game, the player must unlock this "master" tablet by exploring four significant ages. Throughout this quest, the player will also encounter Esher, who attempts to influence the player's decision on what to do with the final tablet upon unlocking it.
The player's own choice is the crux of the game. Upon unlocking the Tablet, you are burdened with the fate of the D'ni civilisation. The player must make a decision that will ultimately decide whether the civilisation will prosper or collapse. This choice echoes the fateful decision required in the original game Myst.

Within each age you are literally burdened with a large slate which can be carried around and subsequently inhibits your movement to some areas when carrying it. This provides an extra challenge to the player by finding out how to move it around the age and eventually bring it back to the "master" tablet. Through each tablet, the player can also control the Bahro's mysterious power, such as invoking rain, which is used to progress through each age. This mechanism of progressing through the game is slightly frustrating and annoying, especially when you want to solve different styles of puzzles, like in Revelations. This adds to the similarity between ages and consequently drags a lot of diversity out of the game.

The sound in Myst V: End of Ages is no different from any of the other Myst games - simply astounding. The variety of moods and themes portrayed through the soundtrack is excellent and gives this game a very finished quality. The sound effects are also great, not to mention diverse, and you really get the sense that you are interacting with something unique, not an ambiguous sound that is used for many things at once.

Obviously my final gripe with the game is the resounding misjudgement to use a real-time 3D engine instead of the tried and true static, prerendered technique. The engine seems a little outdated and bland compared to its heavy hitting FPS rivals like Doom 3, Half Life 2 and movement in the game reminds me of the stale and robot-like articulations in Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

For fans of the Myst universe, this game pulls together a satisfying closure to an enchanting story that is full of intrigue. It provides hours of pleasure and rewards pain through the challenging puzzles it offers and allows you to explore, unhindered by a static control interface. However, Myst V:End Of Ages ultimately falls short of the great game it had the potential to become purely because it tried to become something that it didn't need to be. The story alone is enough to entice gamers for more, which removes the need to change the foundations of the series' resounding success.
I certainly recommend buying this game, however, it will never be as beautiful and enchanting as the previous chapters of Myst.

Posted by selbie Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:56:32

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