Firmament

I have waiting for a long time for a game like Myst and Riven. And that is it!

The Pros: > Gorgeous graphics - as usual from Cyan; > Well-designed puzzles; > A hugely mysterious story; The Cons: > 'Feels' shorter than other games from Cyan; > ...and thus, *feels* expensive, when it really isn't; > Some puzzles can seem frustrating when things in the game don't seem to work properly. Overall: Firmament is more mysterious than other games from Cyan. Usually, there's books to read and papers and letters and log books, but that is mostly absent from Firmament instead opting to tell its' story through narration from the 'Mentor' we meet at the very beginning of the game. The usual minimalist background music really emphasises the scope and scale of the worlds we explore. The puzzles can feel frustrating when the various physics objects in the world seem to 'jam' on/in invisible walls, when they are just behaving as they are meant to, and we need to learn that certain actions just aren't possible under certain conditions. There's always a way around... The final revelations really do pull the rug out from under your feet in a similar manner that previous games from Cyan have done - but this time it's even more astonishing! I can thoroughly encourage you to begin your exploration of the realms of Firmament!

I have been playing Cyan games since Myst came out...I remember buying the CD box at the university bookstore and getting totally immersed in the game for a couple of weeks. I actually liked Firmament quite a bit...here are the main reasons why: - the art is absolutely top notch...as every one have said already...but let me point out a favorite aspect of mine: the level of detail!!! If you stop to study the structures you will see that nothing was left out...it looks real in the sense that every single bolt, every joint, every piece of metal or wood is there where it should be...amazing...that alone is a great big deal!! - the puzzles were not easy, not for me...one of Cyan's trademark is to require you to make smaller or greater paradigm shifts when solving their puzzles. For instance, they lure you into repeating a certain move, way of thinking, etc. while attempting to solve a puzzle but eventually require you to shift that strategy (sometimes on its head) to actually solve it...this can happen within a single puzzle or encompass more than one - the overall story line was the best Cyan story for me so far...like other players mentioned, I only wished there was more elaboration on its many fascinating details - the plan of the Mentor, for example, is genius!!! Maybe Cyan could write a little companion book to the game?!

It is a Cyan game, therefore : It crashes...but you knew that. Buy it next year with all the patches, as Cyan uses the consumers as game testers.

Cyan has some dang fine graphics designers. The graphics were astounding. I kept getting lost in my next task because I just wanted to walk through their worlds. The puzzles, to me, were not as difficult as Myst. But, they were challenging. I had to break out the logic module in my brain and start figuring out how to move pieces on the board to get to my next task. Everything seems to compare to Myst. But, Myst was a masterpiece in its time. Especially for us who are still wandering the Caverns of D'ni. This games has an old feeling, but the puzzles were contemporary. Even with the Steampunk vibe, I loved it. I think for Myst players, the puzzles didn't seem as hard. But, the complaint among a number of gamers is that Cyan puzzles are very hard. So, they don't spend the money on something they may not be able to advance in. For me, Cyan balanced absolutely breathtaking graphics with good solid puzzles. Those of us who are used to the Cyan game puzzles probably went through it more quickly than players who have never played Myst or Obduction. But, it gives new gamers a chance to experience the beauty of the game without feeling hopelessly lost in the puzzles. I'm hoping a new generation of gamers give this a chance to flex their grey matter and immerse themselves in this game. To me, it was truly worth it. And, I would purchase any game Cyan puts out. Are there glitches... yes. Will they get patched... more than likely. But, Damn.... what a ride!! Thanks Cyan. More please....