Myst URU: Complete Chronicles (Prima Official Game Strategy Guide)

Comment: An incredible game. While the online portion of this game has been on- and off-line several times due to technical and non-game-related issues, this offline version is very playable. A series of fascinating worlds that as of this date, five years after its original release, fail to be duplicated even nearly by any other game. While some games will have much more sophisticated-seeming graphics *techniques*, this game is much more sophisticated *artistically*. The puzzles are intelligent and immersive (see my review of Myst 4 and 5), and are engaging enough that you'll want to play it, then give it to your kids to play, and help them play it, it's very viral and intelligent.

Comment: Great to receive the book in a timely manner.

Regards

Joyce Parratt

Comment: this was here so much sooner than the quoted time! thanks for such great quality and speedy delivery! i didn't even pay for a rush!

Comment: As a long time explorer in the MYST universe, I am very familiar with its mythos and conventions, and therefore any product which deals with these comes under close examination for validity and usefulness. I am glad to report that as they so often do, PRIMA has gotten it right in their guide to MYST: URU. The guide serves two purposes, firstly to aid you in solving the game's puzzles if (and when) you get stuck, and secondly to enhance the players gaming experience with its artwork, hints and extra information both about the game and its creators, Cyan.

The 'explorers aid' sections are divided between a fast walkthrough, giving the most direct path from beginning to end, and also a more immersive 'narrated' walkthrough giving softer hints for solving the puzzles and helping to creatively visualise the exploration experience. Both are useful, the former if you want only to complete the game and see all its 'puzzle secrets' revealed, and latter if you prefer to truly immerse yourself in discovering the 'artistic secrets' and exploring the ancient cultures and histories created by Cyan. This second portion is written from the point of view of a fictional explorer who has walked the paths of URU before you, and has left journals of their travels. Therefore the solutions to puzzles are revealed gradually, allowing players to read only so far and (hopefully!) solve the rest of each puzzle themselves.

Also included in the guide is a substantial colour section on the origins of Cyan, the MYST series and how URU came to be. If you are interested in how the Miller brothers began this epic saga in the very beginning, or in the various fascinating techniques involved in producing a game like URU, then this section has some amazing personal interviews and historical information about Cyan and its employees which kept me reading until I had finished it; I couldnt put it down! In fact, this was the first part of the guide I read, and I think for many MYST fans, the most interesting.

However, whether you are a diehard fan of the series, or if URU is your first foray into the universe of MYST, PRIMA's guide is an invaluable resource, both for its in-game assistance, and for its mind-expanding art and factual information. Enjoy!

Comment: It is a little tough to give a complete review for I just started the game. So far the guide has been helpful when I got stuck.