Developer: Presto
Studios
Publisher: The
Learning Company Platform:
Projected
Release Date: May 7, 2001
I
give you, the reader, the following solemn oath: I swear not to, in this preview,
ask the redundant and untrue question of whether or not this game will “save”
the seriously undead adventure genre.
Also, I promise to not use the word
“Myst” to make any kind of clever but overdone play on words (not that
I’ve ever done this myself or anything), including the words mister, mistaken,
mistook, misty, mistletoe, and the overly odious, at least in this context, “mystical.”
I
will, however, give you as much decent skinny as I have been able to muster up.
Let’s start with the cold, hard facts. As reported previously in multiple places,
including our own beloved JA, Myst III: Exile will feature five new Ages:
Tomahna, J’nanin, Voltaic, Amateria, and Edanna. It also features a highly anticipated
new villain, played by academy award nominee Brad Dourif, a character whose homeworld
has been destroyed by Sirrus and Achenar, the sons of Atrus and Catherine, all
characters devotees will recognize from Myst and Riven.
Several
aspects to this release are intriguing. The graphics have been designed using
real-time 3D technology, which allows full 360-degree panning at any location
within the prerendered worlds. This is one of the really high-interest prerelease
mysteries (I swear I didn’t use that word on purpose) of Exile, anticipated
along with the five new ages and the fact that the storyline from the first two
installments will be carried forward, with the addition of a new key character,
so that the story evolves, weaving throughout gameplay, drawing new players into
the series as well as satisfying seasoned Myst/Riven players.
The
game is being developed by the adventure-oriented team at Presto Studios (creators
of the Journeyman Project series), who have put in some serious overtime
to make this everything every adventure gamer dreams it should be and a convert
of every player not yet an adventure gamer.
Recently it has been reported
by Gordon Currie on the RivenGuild BB and announced a few days later to fans on
the Myst3.com newsletter that the release date has been again moved, currently
to May 7, 2001. The reason? A spectacularly high anticipated amount of preorders,
at least half a million. That’s 500,000, people! And it’s a move devoid of the
elitist “I got there first” lines of the PSX 2 release–these folk are
burning the midnight oil to make sure everyone who wants one gets it, hot off
the presses.
The good news for Mac players is the CD-ROMs are hybrid, so
the PC and Mac releases are simultaneous. In addition, there is going to be a
collector’s edition, which is a special release of Myst III: Exile that
includes some goodies–a toy, a Prima guide, a “Making of Myst III”
video, a soundtrack CD, and a book called Atrus’ Journal with extra note-taking
space.
All of this, of course, brings forth questions regarding the players
themselves. Are the half a million people preordering this simply seasoned gamers
anticipating the media event this release has become? Or are a fair number of
these neophytes? And, if the latter, how is the adventure gaming community going
to be welcoming these newcomers?
The other thought here is will Myst
III: Exile be a first-person adventure evolution? As other genres evolve and
shape-shift, the first-person adventure continually battles against charges by
players of stagnancy. Can it evolve?
And the fact of Dreamcatcher Interactive’s
respectable success with The Crystal Key as well as other titles begs the
question regarding this style of game–do gamers not like it? Or have other titles
released by different publishers such as LucasArts simply not hit their marketing
stride?
Stay tuned. Or better yet, what do you think? Visit the JA
Forum and discuss the release and your opinions regarding the questions raised
by it.
In the meantime, here are my favorite Myst III: Exile links
to keep you entertained.
- Presto
Studios interview with Myst III: Exile programmers - Myst
III: Exile FAQ - Myst
III: Exile downloads–the trailer and more - RivenGuild
bulletin board - The
Myst3 Network - The
Myst III: Exile Haven - See MacAddict’s
full-action video of the game from the Presto Studios booth at the MacWorld
Expo - The
Riven Unofficial Homepage
