Uru: Ages Beyond Myst Impressions

We visited with Ubi Soft for a firsthand look at Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, the online game that will be based on the classic graphical adventure game. The new game will be developed by Cyan Studios, a team that includes the designers of the original Myst and Riven. The game will feature both a single-player adventure component and a subscription-based online multiplayer component.

The single-player game will fill out about 30 hours of gameplay that will consist primarily of puzzle-solving. We watched a demonstration of a puzzle early on in the single-player game in which the player character, a plain-looking male character, wandered through the streets of Teladon, one of the game's starting areas, in search of the solution to a puzzle that involved lighting a lamp. The game will be powered by a proprietary 3D graphics engine that Cyan Studios created in-house, and from what we've seen, the engine will do a good job of rendering the fanciful areas of Myst. The streets of Teladon seemed to resemble some of the antique-filled chambers and arboretums of Myst III: Exile, though they were rendered with considerable detail. We watched as the player character recovered a page from the tome of Myst containing a mystic symbol--these symbols may let you perform certain actions, such as instantly transporting yourself to various locations.

Both the single-player and multiplayer versions of Uru will feature 10 different ages you'll be able to travel to, and the online version of the game will feature cities that will act as meeting places for players. If you choose, you'll also be able to create your own custom "pocket dimension," called a "neighborhood." You'll be able to customize the appearance of your neighborhood, as well as protect your neighborhood with a password you can choose to give only to your friends, if you prefer. Though many details surrounding the game still seem unclear, Uru: Ages Beyond Myst at least looks quite good graphically. We'll have more information on the game prior to its release later this year.