Myst V End of Ages
I have played every Myst game, read every Myst book and for me End of Ages was a poignant passing of engaging tales, fantastic environments and memorable puzzles. Very like the feeling that comes with closing the last page of a wonderful book
For the followers of Myst, you must play the story to the end. As the title says the worlds are coming to an end. Age and wear show everywhere. The worlds are desolate, magnificent machines and chambers lie abandoned and deserted. Constant rumblings and tremors warn of forthcoming destruction. Once again -- you, now as an explorer, return to the cleft and with a linking book, link to where Myst began -- the very room where Atrus was imprisoned, making a full circle.
Soon you come upon a large shimmering bubble and entering it, touch what appears to be a tablet. Yeesha, older and haggard, tells you that the "Tablet has responded to you" and you will have to journey to four Ages to "collect what has been scattered" and when you return, the tablet with it's great power will belong to you. Your quest now begins.
Moving between worlds is still accomplished with linking books but also with a slate upon which you write symbols of locations that you visit -- a little like journey cloths in previous games. The slate also allows you to communicate, in some small measure, with the Bahro, the dark elusive shapes, that hold the power of linking.
Escher, a native D'nian, meets you in each world, offering some insight as to the worlds and their history and guidance in your quest. He wants the tablet to help him restore D'ni and since Yeesha has already told you that she doesn't want it, his interest seems quite sincere.
The four worlds will challenge you with their own special puzzles, Tahgira, the ice world, Todelmer, a giant astronomy installation in space, Nobolom , a laboratory for studying the Bahro, and Lai'ahn, a massive amphitheatre where Bahro and the Kresh fought to the death. Yes, it gets pretty dark.
When you solve all the puzzles -- there is one major one in each world -- the tablet is yours as is the choice as what to do with it. Your choice will decide the fate of a civilization (and also yours) Be warned, there is no second choice. You cannot "save" and return to try another option. Of course, you can read the Prima strategy guide that comes with the Limited Edition before making your choice.
The game doesn’t have the gorgeous lush graphics of the earlier Myst games, but hey, these are crumbling worlds. One does get the sense that this was a wrap-up, and as such there was no need to entice future players. There wasn't the almost continuous music found in previous titles and what there was, lots of timpani and jazz trumpets, was more jarring rather than adding to the ambience. The Escher character was well created -- excellent voice, good motion and a subtly defined so as to be ambiguous until the end. Yeesha comes across, through her journals, as maybe a little crazed.
The Myst V End of Ages, Limited Editioncomes with a miniature Prima Strategy Guide (there is also one on the disk), a souvenir colored graphics from the game. It is on a hybrid Win/Mac DVD-ROM. Two other disks are included: Making the Game and the soundtrack The PC only version comes on 3 CD's. The followers of Myst will most likely spring for the Limited Edition.
Reviewed by: Editor - 11/05
Ages: Everyone