Myst V enters golden age

Today Ubisoft announced that the gold master of Myst V: End of Ages has been sent to production, paving the way for its September 20 release. Rated E for Everyone, the $49.99 game is available only for the PC.

While welcome, news of Myst V's gold status is bittersweet for fans of the long-running adventure franchise. The game is being openly billed as the last in the series, which first debuted on the Macintosh in 1993. The announcement also comes less than a week after Myst developer Cyan Worlds closed its game-production unit, laying off most of its staff in the process. (The studio will remain open with a skeleton staff for the time being.)

What PC gamers do have to look forward to is another adventure set in the unique Myst universe. Like other installments, End of Ages begins without introduction, dropping players in a strange locale. The game will have two primary protagonists: an elderly D'ni archivist named Esher, and Yeesha, the daughter of recurring character Atrus. Gameplay will consist of following a trail of obscure clues and solving mysterious puzzles, as outlined in GameSpot's recent hands-on preview. Gamers can also get a taste of the game via a 276MB demo on GameSpot DLX.