Quern - Undying Thoughts

When it comes to puzzle & exploration games, my nostalgia tainted mind instantly goes to Myst & RIven, so when I heard about this game via kickstarter, I was absolutely giddy to see a game that is inspired by the Cyan Series developed by a small independent developer Zadbox Entertainment. Just watching the previews of what they were building left me very excited to get my hands on the game. Starting this game, I felt like a kid again exploring an unknown world, re experiencing that exact feeling of playing Myst wondering what the hell these symbols mean & fiddling with everything possible like a newborn experiencing a world. I was finally getting to use my notebook I've held onto for years playing these types of games that's been gathering dust, as there's much to remember and document in this game. Each time i solved a puzzle, there was a childlike rushing energy of success, a feeling that I have long missed when it comes to video games. The music was extremely captivating and even though it is on loop with very little change, I never found it annoying. I enjoyed the gameplay, and felt very thankful that there was a sprint button, though the amount of back tracking I had to do was minimal. The game overworld is masterfully crafted as it takes no more than 2-3 minutes to get from one side of the island to the next. I have no complaints about this game, and it easily bests Myst & Riven at their own game. Certainly beats Cyan's recent entry in almost every way. If you felt disappointed by Obduction and the lack of challenging puzzles and feel a void left by it, grab this. Just grab it in general if you want a solid exploration puzzle based game with satisfyingly challenging puzzles and lots of things to scribble in your notebook.

As other reviews point out, this is much more than a Myst-style game. There's a semblance of a plot. There are plenty of puzzles, ranging from inventory (finding objects from other parts of the map) to logic. This is what Obduction or The Witness could have been. You slowly unlock areas of the map - a nice touch - limiting what would otherwise be futile exploration. Around half way through, you end up in another zone. Occasionally, I felt lost because I missed / forgot a detail from a place quite far away in the map. This meant I resorted to a walkthrough for one or two pieces. One or two puzzles were frustrating, mainly because you have to set something up in one place, walk over to another, and check the result. That didn't detract, however, from a very enjoyable time playing the game. Definitely recommended.

I picked this game up during a sale because I had always wanted to complete a Myst-like game. What a wonderful game which has quickly become one of my favorite and most memorable - and I have been a PC gamer since 1994! I was immediately hooked - the graphics, the calmness, the music, and importantly the puzzles - were excellent. It was so nice to play a game of introspective calm, where I could sit with the puzzles in a supportive in-game atmosphere and let the mystery of the world and the present puzzle wash over me, and get really into having my mind challenged rather than just my reflexes. The thread of the puzzles throughout the game is masterful. What a marvellous experience. If you like puzzle games, enjoy having your mind challenged, love good atmosphere and story with wonderful music then I highly recommend this game.

I just finished playing through Quern: Undying Thoughts. Really enjoyed it. It feels like a spiritual sequel to Myst. You are on an island and must solve a series of puzzles gradually building knowledge about how the tools on the island work. Puzzle difficulty feels just right for me. Few were immediately obvious. Some made me step away for a day and revisit. None made me check a walkthrough. All of them made sense once complete. There are times that you have to wander around to find something you may have missed, but rewarding when you find it. Total game time was 17 hours. Couldn't recommend this highly enough for fans of puzzle solvers and explorers.