Myst IV: Revelation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Myst IV: Revelation
Developer(s)	Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Designer(s)	Patrick Fortier (creative director, lead game designer) Mary DeMarle (writer, game designer) Geneviève Lord (producer)
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Xbox
Release date	September 29, 2004 (Mac) NA September 29, 2004 (Windows} NA September 29, 2004 (Xbox) NA March 28, 2005
Genre(s)	Adventure
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (T) PEGI: 7+ PEGI: 6+ (PT)
Media	DVD-ROM
Input methods	Mouse

Myst IV: Revelation is the fourth installment in the Myst computer game series of adventure games, developed and published by Ubisoft. Myst IV was the first game released exclusively on a DVD-ROM format; a multiple CD-ROM version was not produced as it had for previous Myst titles such as Riven and Myst III: Exile as it would have taken twelve compact discs to fit all the data.^[1] Like Myst III, Revelation combines pre-rendered graphics with digital video, but also features real-time 3D effects for added realism.

The plot of Revelation ties up loose ends from the original Myst. The player is summoned by Atrus, a scientist who creates links to other worlds known as Ages by writing special linking books. Nearly twenty years earlier, Atrus' two sons, Sirrus and Achenar destroyed many of Atrus' books and attempted to imprison their parents in a quest for power before being imprisoned; Atrus wishes to see if their long imprisonment has reformed them. The player ends up traveling to each brother's prison Age, as well as a dreamworld, in an effort to recover Atrus' daughter Yeesha from the brother's plot.

Development of Myst IV lasted more than three years and cost millions of dollars; Ubisoft had as many as eighty employees working on the game.^[2] Musician Peter Gabriel lended his voice and a song to the game's audio; the original score was written by Exile's composer Jack Wall. As many of the applications the animators wanted to improve work flow did not exist, the developers created animation tools expressly for the game's development; as Ubisoft did not have experience in prerendered games, the developers hired outside experts in the field.

Overall, reception to the game was postive; reviewers lauded the impressive visuals, sound, and puzzles. A few publications such as Computer Gaming World took issue with the control scheme of the game. Myst IV would be the final game in the Myst series to use both prerendered backgrounds and full-motion video; the final game in the series, End of Ages, would be rendered in real-time throughout.

[edit] Gameplay

Screenshot of the Serenia Age; each world in Myst IV has its own distinct visual style.^[3] The visuals of the game were positively received upon release.

Myst IV: Revelation is an adventure game, with the player experiencing all gameplay from the eyes of an unnamed protagonist. Players explore interactive worlds known as Ages by using the mouse or keyboard, solving puzzles and uncovering the game's narrative. Players cannot move freely across each Age;^[4] instead, as in the previous games in the Myst series, players travel by clicking to set locations called "nodes", which can be viewed 360 degrees in any direction.^[4] Revelation also features a Zip Mode which allows a method of rapidly crossing explored areas by skipping intermediate nodes; areas that can be instantly traveled to are stored as thumbnail representations which can be clicked on at any time.^[5]

The mouse cursor plays an important role in providing visual cues for player actions and movement. The cursor appears as a hand, which changes depending on what the player is hovering the cursor over.^[6] For example, to move in a direction, the cursor changes to point in the intended direction. If players can view an item in greater detail, the cursor changes to a hand holding a magnifying glass. By clicking and dragging the cursor, the player performs actions such as pushing, pulling, and tapping items.^[7]

Revelation features several gameplay enhancements which aid puzzle solving and plot progression. Early in the game players receive a camera, which can be used to take screenshots or pictures of clues.^[6] To annotate pictures or jot down notes for later access, player can use an on-screen journal; the camera and journal save the player the task of copying down notes and clues onto paper, as was often needed for previous Myst games.^[8] Much of the game's story is revealed via flashbacks triggered by an amulet which has the power to relay memories attached to objects.^[5] Zip mode, the amulet, the camera, and the journal are constantly available via a menu on the bottom of the game screen.^[5]

[edit] Plot

Atrus calls his friend, the Stranger (the player), to his home to request assistance. Atrus is the writer of special books which serve as links to worlds known as Ages. Years earlier, his two sons, Sirrus and Achenar, went rampant, destroying various linking books and imprisoning both Atrus and his wife Catherine. The Stranger's intervention during these events saved Atrus, who then imprisoned his own sons for their misdeeds. As it has been twenty years since their imprisonment, Catherine hopes they have finally repented for their crimes, in which case they would be allowed to come home. Atrus is not as sure his sons have reformed, and so wishes the Stranger to act as an impartial judge. After Atrus is called away to attend to another matter, an explosion knocks the Stranger unconscious. It is soon revealed that Yeesha, Atrus' daughter, has disappeared and that someone else has been in Atrus' home.

The Stranger sets out to find Yeesha. Travelling to the brothers' prison Ages of Spire and Haven, the Stranger discovers both have escaped their confinement. When the Stranger finds Yeesha again, Achenar appears and tells the Stranger not to free his sister. Achenar explains that his brother kidnapped Yeesha with the intent of switching minds with his sister, tricking Atrus and Catherine into teaching Sirrus the Art of writing Ages. Achenar insists that he has reformed and he only escaped so that he could protect his sister. The ending to the game depends on the player's actions; in some endings, Sirrus succeeds in transferring his mind to Yeesha's body and dispenses with both the Stranger and Achenar. I the only good ending, the Stranger trusts Achenar and helps save Yeesha. Sirrus dies from the failed mind transfer, while Achenar is fatally poisoned by toxic fumes in order to save his sister. The Stranger returns Yeesha to her parents. Though pained by his sons' deaths, Atrus resolves to continue on and rectify his past mistakes by properly raising Yeesha.^[9]

[edit] Development

Development screenshot of a hyena-like predator, part of an effort by the developers to make Myst less static.^[3]

Development of Revelation took over three years^[10] and more than eighty employees.^[2]

Early on, the development team made the decision to use pre-rendered graphics for the game, to match the style of previous Myst games.^[11] This proved to be a challenge, as the studio had never developed a pre-rendered game before, and had to hire over fifty new employees who had experience in the field. Full production was started on the game before artistic direction and engine development tools were fully established, and the resulting lack of focus and communication meant that a bad working relationship existed between the game designers, programmers, and modellers for most of the production.^[3]

The game broke new ground in the field of prerendered games. Like Myst III: Exile, the game has full 360° panoramic environments with two-dimensional panning in each location, allowing the user to look up/down and left/right at the same time.

Unlike the previous games Myst, Riven and Exile, Myst IV uses its "ALIVE" engine to animate nearly everything in the game. The water animations, for example, are fully rendered for each location. The trees sway in the breeze, and the sky has moving clouds. Also, a great deal of wildlife is seen, including creatures that walk through the environment and occasionally interact with the player, such as a frog that hops away when you "poke" it with the 3-D hand cursor. Also, the game features a number of effects applied in real time, such as lens flares, dynamic lighting and an optional focal blur.

In a trend started by the original Myst, the game uses live actors to play the game's roles in live-action video sequences, including series co-creator Rand Miller, who again plays the part of Atrus. There is more than 70 minutes of video and the game usually allows players to look around and sometimes interact with the video while it is playing.

[edit] Audio

Jack Wall composed, conducted, and produced the music for Revelation; the game was his second game score.^[12][13] Wall reused, re-orchestrated and expanded themes composed by previous Myst composer Robyn Miller, for example reusing Atrus' Theme from Riven and the brother's leitmotifs from the original game.^[14]

In addition to Jack Wall's score, the game features a song by Peter Gabriel entitled "Curtains", originally a B-side from Gabriel's single "Don't Give Up". Gabriel also performed a voiceover for the game.^[15]

[edit] Reception

Overall, Revelation was received positively by critics, with the game garnering 82% and 81% averages on Metacritic and Game Rankings, respectively;^[19][20] the Xbox port of the game received less favorable scores than the PC version.^[21][22]

As with previous Myst games, the visuals and interactivity of Revelation were singled out as the strongest features.^[4] The use of subtle animations to bring the scenery to life was particularly praised, with Gamespot's Greg Kasavin stating that the additions "truly helps make each scene in the game seem like more than just a panoramic picture, and instead it feels like a real place".^[9] Jack Wall's score and the sound design was consistently praised.^[16] The addition of the in-game camera and notes system was also positively received.^[4][6] Computer and Video Games proclaimed that while it would have been easy for the developers to lose heart after the disappointing Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, Ubisoft had instead produced "one of the most polished games" the publication staff had ever come across.^[17]

Certain reviewers took issue with aspects of the gameplay which had not been fixed or altered. Computer Gaming World, for example, complained about having to hunt for the small hotspots which allowed actions to occur.^[6] A reviewer for The Houston Chronicle judged the method of traveling from node to node was tiresome to navigate.^[23] Other complaints included the slow cursor animations which made looking for actions occasionally tedious. Many publications noted the rather steep computer requirements; in addition to requiring a DVD-ROM drive, the game took up more than 7 gigabytes when fully installed.^[24][17]

Revelation would be the last Myst game which used prerendered graphics or full motion video. Cyan Worlds, the original developers of both Myst and Riven, used realtime graphics for the next installment in the series, Myst V: End of Ages. Myst V would prove to be the final game in the series.^[25]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Myst IV: Revelation at MobyGames