I have played the 1999 original and today's the first day of playing the eagerly awaited (albeit an initial demo) remake of Amerzone. First impressions, the graphics are sublime, absolutely stunning! The music is beautiful and However My first and major gripe with the new version is the lack of free movement available in the game. There's no WASD and for the most part you are at the whim of the clunky mouse controls which appear to be over complicating things. You continuously limited on where you can go, what you can explore, and when you do move, there's a cinematic involved which slows the game down greatly, occasionally your screen will go blank and then re-immerse to the new location, which will mean you will not see those few seconds where you moved from one area to another. The game starts off very slow, with opening credits that seem to go on forever....once again any hope of free movement or control to explore your environments are immediately hampered by pre-meditated cinematics. You feel as though you have no control at all over your character since you can only move 'where the game wants you to move' The voice acting is ok, but the CGI characters could be better for 2025. Although why the voice actors are speaking in English accents in France is somewhat beyond me. The endless tutorials that keep flashing up on your screen when you're just simply trying to enjoy the experience becomes intolerable. I understand that we may need to learn the interface but perhaps this can be done a little less aggressively and forcibly? (maybe a separate guide that can be referenced to if we need it?) Lastly, no save function? The original game gave you several slots you could use to save your game, this one, nothing. Not ideal! On the whole I am disappointed with this. The lack of free movement and no WASD for me is a killer blow. Why remake the game if you can't even freely explore the areas that you were unable to do in the original game? Such a shame
Riven was such an iconic game upon it's release. A direct sequel to (at the time) the best selling PC game of all time until 2002. It sold 4.5 million copies and has been heralded as one of the best games of it's genre. 27 years later and this is the way in which a remake should be done! There is something for fans old and new. Cyan have been careful not to change too much, showing loyalty to the worlds that had endeared so many, but at the same time tweaking some puzzles and including new ones, giving the older fans something new to enjoy and a different way of approaching the all too familiar puzzles. I welcome the changes and I think they have done it exactly right. If anything I think they could've expanded upon this further, but in all, areas that were once locked away become unlocked for this remake. You can see round corners that were once not accessible. The puzzles are more manageable and enjoyable to solve. You won't find yourself with the same headaches as you did with the original. There's the familiar soundtrack and the inclusion of new music to fit the scenery. The sounds affects are brilliantly integrated into the environments, to the point of which you can almost feel the breeze on you face of wish you could dip your feet in the ocean. The game is not without it's criticism. Graphically it is not as strong as the Myst 2021 remake. One one hand the ocean is as clear blue as you can possibly imagine with a shimmering sun that makes you feel as if you are in the Caribbean. On the other hand the clouds do not move, there's no changeable weather conditions which defy logic and natural physics (how can you have howling winds and large waves but no change in the weather or cloud formations?..) There is some issues around attention to detail, particularly in the boiler age and some pixilated blurry rock formations on the cliffs. Overall however, this is a tremendous remake. Exactly how it should be. The reply value is worth it too. Well done Cyan!
Ok, so let's get a couple of things out of the way first. Firstly, there are no 'multiple endings' or 'hundreds of locations to explore'. There is only 1 ending and as others have mentioned, it is like a kick in the teeth. There are more locations than those seen in Schizm: Mysterious Journey but they are smaller and require less exploration. HOWEVER despite this, and the cringeworthy acting and horrendous voice overdubbing in English, what you actually have here is an intriguing, enticing and thoroughly enjoyable experience. There is something bizarre and unworldly about Reah and the many places you visit. The puzzles are mostly logical and not too difficult or too easy, they are well balanced and enjoyable. The music adds perfectly to the strangeness of the environment. You have a creepy man in a cloak that keeps appearing to taunt you. The graphics are very much of their time, but it's important to remember that this game was released in 1999 and on 6 Discs. I generally thought the prerendered imagery was stunning in some locations, if a tad pixelated in others. In terms of comparison to it's sequel, Schizm: Mysterious Journey, point and click orientation very similar where you can occasionally look up and down, but mostly 180 degrees. There are more puzzles and locations in this game than Schizm, but then again Schizm has larger environments and of course the option to play as two characters, which you don't have here. (Interestingly. the actor and voice actor who plays the journalist in Reah is the same actor who plays Sam in Schizm!) All in all this was much better than I expected. Yes there are aspects to the game that that may infuriate you (the Tower of Hannoi puzzle being the big one!!) but for the most part, for the puzzle lovers out there, you'll settle in and thoroughly enjoy it.
Well what can I say about the Witness, other than once you've been through it and come out the other side, it will be entirely incomparable to any other adventure game franchise you've ever experienced. It was inspired by Myst, however the Witness certainly holds it own in the same way that Quern, undying thoughts also does. There are some stark similarities between the gameplay of The Witness to those seen in Myst, Riven or indeed Myst 3. The puzzles are unique to their environment and all point towards an end goal. The visuals are gorgeous and colourful, but also relevant to their own environment. Top Tip: Jump in the boat! It's a game changer. If the endless and occasionally tiresome bout of panel drawing becomes too much, then the boat rides adds to in-game entertainment. Plus it aids orientating what feels to be an initially very large island but it soon transpires it is not all that large and intimidating at all. However there is one major flaw in the gameplay. Each and every puzzle must be solved by connecting lines in panel. Each area contains it's own unique rules on connecting lines and dots, for example, symmetry, maze, Tetris etc. Whilst this may be a thrilling concept for some puzzle lovers, it also relies heavily on being astute in all areas of skillset. I particularly enjoyed the puzzles around symmetry and the environmentals, but the others I found almost impossible and had to use a guide for help!! Despite this, there is something strangely addictive about it. It hooks you in. At first you think to yourself, what on earth is this, but after a few days of playing it you can't keep yourself away from it! It is also a strange and eerie place to be. The human statues add to the eeriness of the environment. It is a very difficult game, but well worth the ride!
But it is not without it's flaws and, I will agree with others when they say that you may not come away feeling completely fulfilled. But having completed this following up from playing the 201 4 RealMyst Masterpiece edition, I must say I am very satisfied indeed, but touching up and improvements with attention to detail most notably in the internal locations would be welcomed. Pros The puzzle randomerizer is welcomed with OPEN ARMS! For veterns like myself, this is undoubtedly the most useful inclusion to the remake, as now I have to use my brain, as oppose to simply walking through and brushing aside the puzzles from memory, and believe me when I say that you really do have to think again. (Even the final white page can be hidden in a different place to the 93 version!) Extraordinary graphics. The external environments have never been more realistic! Options for variation on graphic settings to suit your CPU. The voice acting is actually pretty good! (Just a shame about the poorly designed '3D models' doing the speaking. Cons Surprisingly it seems much less care to attention has been provided for the inner locations of the game, for instance, there appears to be some furniture missing. This is where the 2014 RealMyst is a step ahead. Perhaps as others have indicated, this is due to the practicalities of using VR? The lack of day/night intervals. Again an aspect of 2014 RealMyst that gave the game just that little extra immersive/enticing interactivity. There's nothing more fascinating that walking around Myst island at Night and watching the sunrise in the morning! No Rime age. While this does not bother too many, for me it was an endgame inclusion that was worthy of the effort. Please include this in the game!! The 3D models. Now I know many have commented on this already and to be honest I don't think they are all that bad, but without the live-action FMVs you really are taking a big heart out of this legendary experience.
When previous reviewers declared this game as a 'Rive/Myst' clone, the expectations were of course already extremely high, but then after two run through's of this game, I can safely say that they have been greatly surpassed, and then some! This game is truly up there with the most highly regarded immersive puzzle games. Frankly to simply describe it as a clone of former classics grossly undersells this unique experience. Quern stands well and truly on it's own two feet, and it is very hard to find fault! Firstly, the music. The soundtrack is outstanding. The music fits the mood of the scenes perfectly, as the game changes and develops. It is a pleasure to listen to! You really get a sense of place in this strange, obscure surrealistic world you are drawn into. The puzzles are diverse and you have a little bit of everything in this game to suit all the puzzle lovers! Mechanical, logical, auditory, even some alchemy! And although the graphics are good without being mindblowing, they really don't need to be. The way in which this odd and rather curious place is designed and presented is everything that Quern should be. It is very much it's own world, away from the ages you may have seen in Myst, Riven, Uru etc! The story itself may lack the inciting feeling that others similar games may be superior with, but that's ok! Ultimately the end game has a multiple choice ending, and as things build up you re left with a genuine and somewhat difficult choice, but it all comes down in the end to, who do you trust? Great game, highly recommended!
