"A Beautiful Game that will Draw You In"

Even though Myst IV: Revelation has been out for nearly two years, I recently bought it and enjoyed it so much that I felt compelled to write a review. Fans of Myst games have often been derided by other's as not being “serious” gamers. I find this ironic, as this game is far more deep and complex than first person shooters like Halo could ever hope to be. If you are willing to use some logic and have a little patience, then you will love this graphically stunning adventure game.

Graphics: 10/10

I wish I could give Revelation an 11 in this category. The graphics are really that good. The game consists of a massive number of pre-rendered nodes, within which you can look around freely. While some see this as inferior to real-time 3D graphics, it does allow for a much greater level of detail and realism. All the images are indeed as photo-realistic as the game's predecessors. However, team Revelation went way way way beyond what was in earlier games. Myst IV has a series of immersive effects that truly make the worlds come alive. Leaves wave in the breeze, clouds move, animals and insects are all around, and water is no longer just a slight distortion of the pre-rendered images, but a full fledged animation. Revelation was the first Myst game I have played that I really felt a part of the ages I was exploring.

As with previous Myst games, Revelation uses live actors, not motion capture 3D models, to portray the characters. As with the immersive effects, they make the worlds that much more realistic. And unlike previous Myst games, these videos are much better integrated into the 3D environments in which they are placed. In all, I would be very hard pressed to fault the graphics of this game. The only real downside is the high system requirements needed to see them at their best.

Sound: 9/10

Like the graphics, the sounds of Myst IV are very high quality. The ambient noises really make the worlds feel alive (especially in Haven with all the animals). You can also hear your footsteps as you turn about within a node, as well as while you are transitioning between nodes. But, as with the graphics, what makes the sound Revelation stand out is how the developers have innovated. Within each node, there are a number of different objects, from guard railings, to objects on a desk, to leaves in a forest, which you can tap on, but not actually interact with. When you tap on an object, it sounds just like it would if you tapped on it in real life. Is this feature vital and necessary to the game? No. But does it make the game feel more realistic? Absolutely.

The music in this game is also fabulous. Jack Wall, who composed the score for Myst III: Exile, returns for this installment in the series. And what a job he does. The music fits well within, and is as varied as, each of the ages you visit. In fact, I enjoyed the music so much that I bought the soundtrack after finishing the game.

The only area where the sound falls short is in the voice acting. While the actors for the main characters are pretty good, some of the others range from bad to downright cheesy. One character even goes so far as to say to you “oh no, this is SO not good.” However, these instances are rare. After all, it is a Myst game, so the number of people you encounter is low.

Gameplay: 9/10

First of all, IT IS A MYST GAME! That means leave your reflexes and your guns at home-you won't need them. All that is required is some time, patience and (gasp) your brain. If you don't like the idea of having to think to solve puzzles and progress in a game, then you will likely hate Myst. But if the idea of using your brain in a video game doesn't scare you, then read on.

The game play in Revelation is not appreciably different from that of its predecessors. You move by clicking on the screen to move from one fully 3D node to the next. The ability to look around, as well as up and down, in each node (a feature introduced in Exile), does make the game a little more difficult. Clues are sometimes placed above or below your normal center of vision. This means you will have to look around to avoid missing things. It is also possible to get a bit lost occasionally (Haven comes to mind). On the whole though, the node system allows you to explore at your own pace, and never feel rushed. And the game also features a zip mode, which allows you to teleport back to certain important locations that you have already explored. This can cut down on some of the travel time, once you've figured out the solution to certain puzzles (which may have their clues spread very far apart).

The puzzles themselves are, thankfully, more like the ones in Riven than those in Exile, though not nearly as difficult. Instead of ages filled with arbitrary puzzles that have no real purpose other than to be solved (think Amateria from Exile), Revelation has ages where people either live or have lived. Therefore most puzzles revolve around devices with a logical function. Thus their solutions involve clear logic, and shed light onto the story that develops throughout the game. There was really only one puzzle in the game that I found truly arbitrary, with a second involving a very complex solution. Other than that, the puzzles were both logical and fair. Though, be prepared to think a bit.

As with the graphics and the sound, Revelation innovates in the area of gameplay. The player is provided with an in-game journal and a camera. The camera can be used to take a picture anything in the game. That picture is then put into the journal, where the player can access it at any time, as well as add notes. These two items are extremely useful in solving some of the puzzles. The player also finds an amulet that allows him or her to hear and sometimes see memories of something that happened at a particular location. This device gives the developers the ability to really flesh out the story, as well as make the puzzles that much more complex.

The story itself goes back to the series' roots, and is also a good one (another rarity for a video game). After 20 years of leaving his sons, Sirrus and Achenar, imprisoned in the ages of the red and blue books (original Myst), Atrus is considering whether or not to release them. Catherine is pressing him to do so, but he wants an impartial opinion. However, soon Atrus is forced to link to another age and Yeesha, Atrus' daughter, goes missing. It is up to you to find out who is behind it all. In the process you will explore deep into the minds of the two brothers, and see how their prison ages have changed them.

The game does rely on a fair bit of back story. However, enough information is provided to the player though the journals of the different characters that knowledge of the previous game is not really required. Those who have played the earlier installments will be pleased to find numerous references to the earlier games.

All in all, the gameplay is spectacular, providing you like the genre.

Replayability: 2/10

It's really hard to re-play a Myst game, unless you somehow forget the solutions to the puzzles. I did go back and see a few of the memories I found out I had missed the first time I played. But, realistically, the replayability is very low.

Overall: 9/10

This is a great game with a few minor flaws. If you enjoy games of this type, you should definitely play this one.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/21/06