Myst, Riven and Myst III: Exile are three of my favorite all-time PC games growing up, and had a huge influence on my gaming preferences. I even collected a few of the accompanying novels, I was that crazy for the series. To be honest, I wasn't even aware of any other games in the series beyond Myst IV (which I have not played yet), until recently. I really wanted to like this game, from the very start. But I couldn't help but feel disappointed by Myst V.

The graphics are beautiful, like with any other Myst game. I couldn't help but feel the worlds were smaller somehow, though, and less explorative. Almost restrictive. I can appreciate how they are trying something different compared to the other games in the series; I just don't enjoy the outcome of it. For instance, full motion video had been used in the first four Myst games--and used very well. You rarely had contact with anyone within the games themselves, which added to the overall isolation and atmosphere of the games. And while Myst V only adds two characters into the mix, Escher and Yeesha, the impact just isn't the same due to predictable 3D rendered characters replacing the FMV. Their presence inside the game sort of ruins the notion of being isolated on some deserted world.Oh well.

Another small but vital complaint: the voiceovers used during journal readings. Just like the rest of the series, journals provide key insight and deepen the backstory of the game. I remember it being a very immersive experience in Myst, picking up a journal and reading and re-reading it to myself at my own pace. This time around, the journals are read for you, in the voice of Yeesha. Don't get me wrong, the voice acting of both Yeesha and Escher are very well done. It just ruins the experience of reading it for myself, and often ends up becoming an annoyance throughout the game.

My biggest problem with Myst V, though, are the puzzles themselves. When you think of Myst, you think of challenging, physics-based puzzles which require a good amount of patience. Even the hardest puzzle could be figured out eventually, as long as you paid strict attention to clues and weren't afraid to use a little trial-and-error. I never used a walkthrough for Myst, Riven or Myst III (and Riven was an incredibly difficult game). But I found myself breaking down for help several times in Myst V. The puzzles are frustratingly difficult, due to the fact that some of the clues are either misleading, or non-existent. I didn't really enjoy the use of the slate/tab mechanism, either, and found it frustrating as well.

If this game is part of some Myst/Cyan/Ubisoft bundle on sale, then by all means go for it. But I would not personally recommend this game by itself.

I have played every Myst game since the original and read all the books, but I held off on buying and playing Myst V for a long time because of the interface change (aaaaand because I'm Dutch, and we don't buy things full price). My assuption was that it would feel different from the other Myst games. Many years later, on sale on Steam, I thought "for $10, why not give it a try".

My reveiw is mixed, first the pro's:
1. If you know the Myst story, it is a fitting end in terms of plot. You should probably play it for the closure.
2. The worlds (with the exception of the 4th Age with the arena, which was a snore) are still as beautiful and imaginative as ever. I was particularly impressed with the "Observatory" age.
3. The game gives you the ability to place in one of several modes, from "classic" to "free-mode", so the change of format did not affect the game as much as I thought it would in that regard.
4. The game adds new elements to the Myst world, so there is more to discover!

Now the con's:
1. The change from real actors to computer animated motion capture made a HUGE difference for immersion in the game world. Frankly, every time a character was on sceen they looked rediculous. Because of their rediculous appearance I found it really hard to accept the dialogue genuinely... something that never happened to me before even with some of the over-acting in the rest of the series.
2. The puzzles were far too easy and the worlds far too small. I got through the game super fast (my log says 68 minutes but I think that's innacurate). Basically one day. I bought it Thursday morning and finished it Friday afternoon. That included all reading, puzzle solving, and even some down time where I went to do this and that but left the game running. Myst took me a good week. Riven probably 2-3 weeks. Exile and Revelation somewhere inbetween, and Uru... well I never finished that ;). This was therefore the shortest and most dissapointing of the series in terms of bang for buck or immersability (whichever means the most to you).
3. The plot was too predictable. The big twist at the end can be seen from... well, from the beginning. Myst is about Mystery, judging who will be evil and who will be good, and finally making a decision that will determine all (p.s. I died twice when playing the original Myst... like everyone else probably)! End of Ages was about the end of that mystery, there was no secret what should be done (though I tried the other options first in order to see the alternate endings).

Conclusion:
I enjoyed the game, but it felt like a "Myst Snack" rather than a "Myst Meal"... and I was hoping to end my Myst experience with something like a Christmas dinner, not microwave popcorn. Oh well. Don't buy it unless you want plot closure or just to see the imaginative worlds.

I liked it. It's true exploration is not as grand as it was in Riven and the puzzles are not very difficult, but it in no way takes away from the story. Also, unlike Myst and Riven, you can't beat this in under 15 minutes. You have to go through the entire thing like in Myst III and probably IV, but it's been a looooong time since I played that one.

Honestly, this game was a real let down. I played Myst and Riven when I was a kid, so they were kind of my childhood games. I also played Exile and Revelations. I expected this one to be the same, but the graphics just got worse (which is just...really sad to me), and I beat the game in a few hours. It should not have been that easy. I just feel that this game just did not meet my expectations at all.

A great finale to the best Adventure/Puzzle series I have ever played.

The first Myst game was the first game I ever played. I have really fond memories of playing the entire series. But I've never been able to play Myst V. I finally bought it on steam...and it doesn't work. Crashes every time I start the game. Turns out that it's not made to work on windows 7. Or at least I can't get it to work. Dissapointing to say the least. Still, it's hard to say I can't recommend the game. The rest of them were all so good and, except for the lack of live actors playing all of the characters, this one looks pretty good too.

sound corrupts over time. difficult to overwrite at steam software.

To really appreciate these games, one has to have read the books and beaten all the previous entrys. Wow that sounds elitist. Unfortunately, with Myst, it's quite true. Much like any other fantasy world (Middle Earth, Elder Scrolls, etc) the ages of Myst and your significance in them can only be understood in the context of the game's universe. Myst is about exploring ages, and figuring out puzzles, but in truth, its about so much more. Its about a lost tribe called the D'ni, and the legacy of the man who would eventually save them (Atrus). This is not a one part movie, but a story of which bits and pieces are scattered among other books and games. With Myst V you are getting the conclusion to a very long story. For that reason, it may seem short. But when you play the game with the knowledge of the other games, its an ending that seems mostly appropriate and is needed to cap off an otherwise endless story. Is it perfect? No. Does it work? yes. If you do not play the other games in the series, then it at the very least recommendable that you read the books. Not only do they fill in alot of blanks, but also give you some insight into the characters and why they are significant.

Where to start...? I played Myst and Riven when i was a child, I continued with Exile and Revelation and I absolutly enjoyed every single one of them. Unmatched when it comes to atmosphere and puzzles. I remember these masterpieces to be some of the brighest lights in my history of playing video games. So it was just a matter of time until i would pick Myst V and finally now when i found it (fortunatly being on sale, yay) there was no way around it. Sadly...I dont understand why this game wears the name "Myst". The story is flat, the puzzles are somehow boring and they didnt pull me into the game. I miss the once so excellent leveldesign and its awsome surreal enviroments who seemed so alive and fascinating. I also appreciated the real actors...its was one of the key features for me. Myst V at the other hand looks dead and flat. I dont feel any interest to go "deeper" into this. What a shame...

Disappointingly simple, frustratingly short, I honestly enjoyed it a lot. The voice acting is believable, though the story is not nearly as good as the previous entries. If you're a Myst fan, give it a try, otherwise it might not hold your attention very long. Either way, be careful about what you're writing on your tablets, an entire age can be accidently skipped if you happen to draw a symbol that appears all over that particular age.

Myst V is plagued with the same two things that made Myst URU unplayable: puzzle sadism, and bad dialog. First, the sadistic puzzles. Here's an example (spoiler!): at some point you come across controls for a cable tram connecting two points. One switch controls the direction (point A to point B, or point B to point A). A nearby lever gives the tram a push in that direction. When you discover these controls, you are at point A and the tram is at point B. Point B is so far away you actually don't know that the lever is doing anything, but 37 (seriously) 5-second pushes of the lever later, the tram is at point A. You get on the tram and discover a floor lever...that doesn't work, because the tram is powered from the other side. Fine. After more wanderings you get to point B via a completely different route, only to discover that the tram has to be in point B's dock in order for you to proceed, which requires you to go back to point A and hit that leverl 37 more times. What was the point of this puzzle, Cyan? To waste time on a mindless clicking goose-chase? What part of this did the design team sit down and decide would be fun:
- that the tram is not in the screen when you're pumping the lever, so you don't know what it's doing?
- that it takes *37* lever pumps to get the tram across the gap?
- that the tram doesn't actually work when you finally get it to point A?
- that after all that, the tram actually needs to be at point B to proceed, so the player has to run all the way back and manually reset it?

Similarly, there are more "guess-and-run-for-a-while-and-check" puzzles -- things that require you to try random combinations and then spend a substantial amount of time running somewhere to see what, if any, effect it had.

The dialog also greatly detracts from the game, because most of it is vague, stream-of-consciousness wistful regret that's not related to the puzzles.

Overall, I'm very optimistic about the upcoming Obduction game, because Rand Miller specifically said they're trying to harken back to the days of Myst and Riven. Those were good games that had far more puzzles than sadism. As for Myst V, I gave it my best shot, but the poor design of that tram puzzle warranted nothing less than a rage-quit.

A few glitches on the steam version that I didn't experience on the original. The tablet would sometimes just vanish if dropped (while I'm standing near it, not picked up by the Bahro). I would just reload my save it everything would be fine.

And then there was the whole situation with the snake sign on Noloben. Didn't work for some reason and then I think I finally glitched through the door. *shrug*

Anyway, all in all. I'm so happy I could play this again. Love this game so much. Just wish Valve could get Myst 3 & 4 as well..

Another great game from Cyan. A must have for any Myst fan too complete their collection. 10 stars out of 10. Buy the "[/u] Cyan Complete Pack [/u]" to get this game and ALL of the other greats, even their good old kids games!

If you were a fan of the original Myst games you may find satisfaction in the continuation of the story and the reverance that the developers hold for the source material and interface style. Myst V does not hold your hand however, and the difficulty is rather high. In my play session I was unable to find my way out of the first room you start in after the opening cinematic. If that is any indication of the difficulty throughout the game, you may want to make sure you have a walkthrough handy. In the end, Myst V delivers what it promises and is a worthwhile purchase for fans of the original series or adventure gamers.

Be prepared to be there for days :)

Just to play through the Myst games, (which are totally the best games ever) I had to try this one. But it was sadly, not nearly as good as those before it. I found the puzzles to be lacking. I didn't enjoy the story as much. Also there was a continuous problem with the sound in my game, I couldn't hear voices, even after 2 reinstalls I still could not get them to work :(
Worth it just to have played the whole thing through, but sadly a bit disappointing.

Love this game to death. The whole series was amazing. :)

Meh, doesn't really do justice to the rest of the series. The new movement system had way lower graphical capabilites at the time than the old pre-rendered graphics and the storyline got butchered.

If you like Myst you will LOVE Myst V. It's beautiful, the story is compelling, and it really does feel like a proper ending to the Myst Series. I was a bit skeptical because it has little alien creatures in it but the way they tie it to the story is really awesome! The only downside is it is a bit short for a Myst game and the epic music while there is not as prevalent as it was in other Myst games.

Get Betrayed by a guy calles Sirrus and some other fat crazy guy 10 out 10