Lost Horizon is an adventure game in the purest sense: globetrotting, puzzle-solving, running away from bad guys etc. It is, really, the closest thing to the Indiana Jones movies that you will get in the adventure gaming world. And I say this in a good way, the game is still original enough to stand on its own merits, but it's impossible not to get that "classic" Spielberg-esque adventure feeling while playing Lost Horizon. Which is great. Good characters, good voice acting, gripping story with a few very well done sections. Classic game mechanics, there are no silly puzzles or strange design decisions, it plays like a smooth classic adventure. The artwork is excellent, there is plenty of attention to detail, so the world feels immersive enough to drag you in, as you were playing through a past reality that is somewhat plausible, and not something cartoonish. Also a shout out to the game;s music - there is one jazzy track (recorded specially for Lost Horizon, I believe), that I think manages to encapsulate the whole tone of the game - you'll know which one when you hear it. So lots of positive aspects to Lost Horizon, it shows that it was done by people who like a good old adventure story, there is no out-of-place aspect to this game, at least none that I can think of. It is not perfect, it does not push any boundaries, but it is a visually beautiful game, that is also smart and entertaining. And that is a rare combination.
With Riven being the great game that it was, it was always going to be tough for Exile to top it in any way. Did it succeed? I think it did. Plot-wise, what you're trying to achieve in the game is to get Saavedro (played by Brad Dourif), the guy who wants revenge on Atrus for what his sons did. I'm not going to dwell on the plot because honestly speaking I'm one of those people who are into Myst more for puzzles and exploration than for the plot. :) Exile is one of those games that even though it's not perfect, it has something so ridiculously brilliant that it more than makes up for any shortcomings it might have. And I am talking about its design. Exile might very well be the best-designed Myst game (but not the most polished one - that award goes to Revelation). I think I read it somewhere that they had dedicated teams for each of the Ages and oh, does it show, because every Age is just so unlike the other ones,. Myst and Riven had great environments and tough puzzles too, but in my opinion they were not quite as detailed and infused with clear, distinct personalities of their own as Exile's ages. And there is such good cohesion between the types of puzzles specific to each Age, the mechanics behind them and their visual presentation. Speaking about the puzzles, I think anyone who cares about their sanity will absolutely enjoy them. They are hard enough to provide ample satisfaction when completed, yet not over-relying on "trial by error". Things make sense, which is what a balanced game should strive for anyway. That being said, you will probably find that overall the puzzles are not quite evely distributed among the ages you visit, with Amateria probably having the best puzzles, whereas Edanna kinda lacks in that department. Nevertheless, expect a good challenge throughout. The soundtrack by Jack Wall, which is gorgeous and totally in the spirit of the game, adds a lot to the immersion: non-intrusive, low key where it needs to be, a bit on the ethereal side, in one word: perfect. The bottom line is Exile is a great game from any angle you look at it. Entirely worthy of the Myst name, in many aspects superior to its predecessors and for a few people (myself included) one of the best first-person adventure games ever made.
Shivers was the first adventure game I ever played, exactly 20 years ago. It was only a demo and it was quite short, but for a 12-year-old kid who was assaulted by a plethora of platformers, first-person shooters and RTS games of the late 90s, this was something truly different. In spite of its dark atmosphere, there is an undeniable sense of wonder in walking around the dark rooms of this vast museum and getting to understand its mystery. There is really a lot to see, lots of secrets to uncover, hidden rooms, hidden drawers, the whole thing. A Disneyland for puzzle solving really, I guarantee you will be entertained. There are a couple of excruciatingly annoying puzzles, that is true, but most of what you'll be doing is fun-fun-fun. I won't spoil anything related to the storyline, it's nothing too complicated really, but it's worth just diving into the game and see for yourself. From a technical standpoint, the game mechanics do show their age, Shivers is literally a slideshow, there is no fancy 360 movement and interacting with the enviroment is again from another gaming era. BUT the graphics still hold up pretty well (an advantage of pre-rendered graphics) and the game is definitely graphically enjoyable, even after more than 20 years. The music was quite memorable and contributed a lot to the atmosphere, even though it was a bit repetitive and especially today it might not be to everyone's liking, as it screams "oldschool". Rally, I cannot recommend Shivers enough, especially to players who want something different. It is unlike any other game (even among adventure games) and it truly has a place of its own in the adventure game pantheon. It's true what they say: "they don't make them like they used to" and Shivers is a prime example of that.
