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Myst V: End of Ages
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Developer | Cyan Worlds |
| Publisher | Ubisoft |
| Designer | Rand Miller |
| Engine | Plasma Engine |
| Released | (Win) September 20, 2005 September 23, 2005(Mac) September 23, 2005 |
| Genre | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Ratings | ESRB: Everyone (E) PEGI: 7+ PEGI: 6+ (PT) |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X |
| Media | CD-ROM, DVD-ROM |
| System requirements | Windows:
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| Input methods | Keyboard Mouse |
Myst V: End of Ages is the fifth and final installment in the Myst computer game series, and is a culmination of all the storylines from the previous games. The game was released on September 20, 2005. Like Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, the game was created by Cyan Worlds and published by Ubisoft. CEO of Cyan Worlds Rand Miller, stated that "Myst V: End of Ages follows the Myst storyline to its conclusion -- closing the book on the Ages of Myst".
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Myst V is rendered in real-time 3D for the first time in a Myst game (with the exception of realMyst, a remake, and Uru, a game that takes place after or parallel to the other Myst games). This technology typically sacrifices graphic quality and detail for a more interactive and animated environment. The Myst franchise has traditionally used a prerendered environment, so those games which have strayed into the real-time 3D mode have often been dismissed as having lower graphic quality and more difficult controls.
Myst V seeks to solve both of these problems, by incorporating the most advanced graphics engine seen so far in a Myst game, and by introducing the option of three different control schemes. Players are able to choose whether they want to play the whole game with a one-button mouse, stepping around nodes like in the original Myst and Riven, whether they want to step around nodes with 360° panoramic environments like in Myst III: Exile and Myst IV: Revelation, or whether they wish to use an 'advanced mode', designed for more experienced gamers. The 'advanced mode' contains FPS-style controls, and the ability to go anywhere, and investigate anything, like realMyst.
The Myst franchise has traditionally employed live actors to play all of the roles. Instead Myst V features live-action video of just the actors' faces, used as facial textures, and mapped onto the real-time 3D characters, which also employ motion capture from real actors.
Many puzzles require the assistance of creatures called the Bahro. In order to communicate with them, the player must write certain symbols onto a stone tablet and leave the tablet for the Bahro to find. There is also a journal mode, which allows photographs of locations to be captured and notes to be written. This also functions as the save-game feature (although game progress is also stored on-the-fly). Finally, there is a book that records all of your conversations with characters, for reference.
Myst V takes place some time after Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, but it is part of the central Myst plotline. Hence, it makes some effort to tie both stories together and wrap them up.
The game contains numerous references to all of the previous games, and draws on the themes of those games. However, it primarily focuses on the story of the Bahro, which began in Uru.
The game revolves around two major characters: Yeesha (previously seen in Myst III, Uru and Myst IV) and a new character, Esher, one of the last surviving D'ni. In order to fully restore D'ni, it was said that the Grower (who is believed to be Yeesha) must utilize a powerful artifact called the Tablet. The Tablet contains the ability to fully control a mysterious slave race, the Bahro. Yeesha made the wrong decision upon unlocking the Tablet and failed. She can no longer use the Tablet.
Yeesha gives the player the "Quest" to unlock the tablet upon meeting him or her in K'veer. Over the course of the game, the player must unlock the Tablet by exploring four different ages. Throughout this quest, the player will also encounter Esher, who attempts to influence the player's decision of what to do with the Tablet upon unlocking it.
The player's own choice is the crux of the game. Upon unlocking the Tablet, he or she is burdened with the fate of the D'ni civilization. The player must make a choice with the Tablet that ultimately decides whether the civilization will prosper or collapse. This choice echoes the fateful decision required in the original game Myst.
When asked about the ending in an interview, series co-creator Rand Miller explained: "The future of civilization is down to this point, and the choices you make determine where it goes." [1]
Myst V also makes reference to a new character, Calam, a D'ni Writer. However, Calam is murdered before the events of Myst V occur, and is never seen.
When you link into Releeshahn, you and Yeesha see Atrus, who has confined himself into the age after he loses his home (Tomahna), wife (Catherine), father (Gehn), sons (Sirrus and Achenar), ages, and grandmother.
It was revealed in the September Episode of Myst Online: Uru Live that D'ni Historian and previous D'ni Restoration Council Member Richard A. Watson was the protogonist in End of Ages, setting off a chain reaction of events in The Cavern, such as the Bahro beginning a civil war.
Players employ several methods of traveling between Ages in Myst V - including conventional linking books, and also through new "linking bubbles" provided by the bahro. There is a central "hub" Age (as in most of the other Myst games), known as Direbo, with linking books and bubbles to many of the other ages.
The main Age showcased before the game's release was Noloben, which is also the home of one of the game's main characters, Esher. The Age of D'ni also features prominently in the storyline.
Myst V features seven Ages in total:
- D'ni - The age that Atrus was trapped in during the original game is the hub age.
- Noloben - A sandy age with a calm beach and grassy plateaus, home of Esher. Theme: Desert
- Todelmer - An age of floating rocks and large telescopes. Theme: Space and Astronomy
- Laki'ahn - A serene age with grass and trees. Theme: Jungle
- Tahgira - An age full of icy islands. Theme: Snow and Ice
- Direbo - A quiet and peaceful age in everlasting evening. Theme: Swamp
- Myst Island - As the hub age of the original game, you'll link into this island and explore most of it as the final age. However, the entire island is in ruins and none of the machinery is operable.
- Releeshahn- In the victorious ending, Yeesha and the stranger visit it to see Atrus himself. However, only a small part of Releeshahn can be seen.
- Official Website
- Cyan Worlds - Myst V Official Gallery
- Official Press Release
- Official Trailer
- Unofficial Announcement
- 2404.org Review
- GameHelper Preview
- PC Demo (direct link, 257.5 MB)
- Myst V: End of Ages at MobyGames
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| Myst series | Myst · Riven · Myst III: Exile · Myst IV: Revelation · Myst V: End of Ages |
| Uru series | Uru: Ages Beyond Myst · Untìl Uru · Myst Online: Uru Live · Ages |
| Novels | The Book of Atrus · The Book of Ti'ana · The Book of D'ni · The Book of Marrim |
| Characters | Achenar · Atrus · Esher · Gehn · Sirrus · Ti'ana · The D'ni |