Myst IV: Revelation

Myst IV: Revelation

Developer	Ubisoft
Designers	Patrick Fortier, Mary DeMarle, Geneviève Lord
Genres	graphic adventure, puzzle
Mode	single-player
ESRB rating	T
Media	2 DVD
Input	keyboard, mouse
Preceded by	Myst III: Exile
Followed by	Myst V: End of Ages

Myst IV: Revelation is the fourth installment in the Myst series, released in 2004. It was published by Ubisoft and developed by Team Revelation, a development group within Ubisoft's facilities in Montreal.

The events of Revelation take place in 1824.

Storyline

Atrus summons the Stranger to ask for help what should be done with his sons, Sirrus and Achenar, which were trapped in their prison Ages 20 years before. After an explosion, the Stranger is knocked unconscious and wakes up at night, realising that Yeesha has disappeared.

The Stranger discovers the two prison books, which lead to Haven (Achenar) and Spire (Sirrus). The brothers are eventually tracked down to Serenia, where Yeesha is found trapped.

Reception

Myst IV brought back mixed responses. While the game had beautiful, photorealistic scenery, some puzzles were found to be too aggravating. For example, much to the dismay of a number of fans, the Spider Chair on Spire featured a timed puzzle, a style of puzzle that no previous game in the Myst series had utilized.

Prison Age controversy

In the original Myst and Riven, Trap Books were described as Linking Books with subtly altered text, so as to trap the user inside the Link. This was a major factor in Riven's "good" ending. Trap Books were soon retconned as being actual links to Prison Ages, which is key to the events of Revelation. Some fans have regarded this retcon as an unnecessary complication, in that when Atrus destroyed the red and blue books on Myst Island, Sirrus and Achenar then traveled to their intended ages rather than remaining trapped in the link. In Myst IV however, neither brother recalls being trapped mid-link, although both of them seem to recognize the Stranger immediately.