Myst Uru: The Complete Chronicles Review
Okay, let's just point out that Uru is the biggest and arguably best of the Myst series. Granted, the story is a bit thin, and yes, the real-time 3d doesn't quite match the graphical realism of, say, Myst IV.br /br /But in terms of sheer scope and volume of good gaming content, Uru: Complete Chronicles is an exceptional game. br /br /The art direction is superb. There are many worlds in the game and they are almost always gorgeous to look at, especially with the graphics settings maxed out. Visual details like falling leaves, rippling water, ambient life, rain, day and night cycles, and so on, make many of the areas in Uru feel like real places. There's a surreal beauty to the Myst series which is quite special. br /br /The sound design is equally solid. Tim Larkin's music subtly enhances the mood of the places in Uru, and in a few cases, like the Kadish gallery, the music is so beautiful you may find yourself just wanting to stand around and listen. Sound effects are believable and fit well into the worlds.br /br /Excellent puzzles, though certain ones, like the Eder Gira basket puzzle, can be maddeningly difficult. This may be rated "E" but it's not aimed at kids. Many puzzles will give your brain a workout, and some also use physics-based interactions, typically kicking objects around and jumping.br /Don't be surprised if you need to consult a hint guide or a walkthrough now and then.br /br /One of the things that makes this series so wonderful is the feeling of being in places where just about anything is possible. Myst's linking books and metaverse concept offer a lot of creative freedom to the developers, and this allows for all kinds of otherworldy, beautiful places, with a sense of history and depth informed by the canon established in the Myst novels. (Some of Uru's locations are derived from those books)br /br /Story is well-done enough, though - as I've said, thin, and more backstory than current story events. There are some good moments though, including a superb twist you'll discover in Ahnonay in the second expansion pack. (Make sure you read "Words of the Watcher" in Relto first to get the full impact of it)br /br /System requirements are reasonable but - as some have pointed out here - it won't run on every computer.br /br /Uru: Complete Chronicles is very large and impressive, though it's misnamed in retrospect. It's not fully complete. Myst Online: Uru Live added a variety of additional worlds to Uru since this was released. MO:UL was closed recently, after about million was poured into its development. Cyan Worlds (the Myst creators) want to reopen it as MO:RE (Myst Online: Restoration Experiment) though they haven't assembled enough funding yet to do so. MO:RE would be like MO:UL except that in MO:RE Cyan would release the tools they used to make Uru free to the public so players can add their own worlds to a living, growing, multiplayer Uru. So the future growth of Uru would be mostly from fan developers, making it less expensive for the company to run and therefore profitable. (Unlike MO:UL)br /br /But, with MO:RE currently on hold, Complete Chronicles is hands-down the best form of Uru available. And the more people buy this game, the sooner Cyan will accumulate the funds needed to open the bigger online version again. I'm a fan of this series. I even have a website, [...], covering Uru. I recommend Uru and there's a whole community of fans that would say the same thing - that this is a great game!br /br /
Myst Uru: The Complete Chronicles Feature
- In the world of Myst, all things are a puzzle. Any scrap of Paper or ambient Sound effect can be a clue. Unravel numerous stories of intrigue and right the injustices of the each Age in the history of planet Myst.
- Follow the clues in the diaries you discover, to unravel the secrets of Myst
- More mysteries await you in Riven -- unravel a strange story and save the world from destruction
- The D'Ni you saved in Riven are threatened with destruction again, and you'll explore an enchanting world where plants are massive machines dominating the landscape
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Customer Reviews
Preview of the LIVE version - Brian Baker -
A fantastic game! Stunning visuals, non-linear game play, and puzzles, puzzles, puzzles! Keep paper and pencil handy to write down clues, and take lots of Ki photos. This game also has an in-game journal book for the explorer to write in.br /br /The scenery and exploration are not diminished if you have to use a walkthru.br /br /This is the off-line version of URU: LIVE. Cyan failed to launch LIVE once, then recently it was hosted by Gametap for 2 year before Gametap shut it down a second time. We who are fans are looking to Cyan to relaunch URU: LIVE. Check with the Guild of Greeters often for news.br /br /The ending has not yet been written!br /br /UPDATE: Cyan Worlds has announced that they are releasing "Uru: Live" as Open Source. See [...] for details.
Mar 13, 2010 03:16:07
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