URU: Complete Chronicles

I recommend this game ONLY IF you are fine with being really slow (even running is slow), battling glitches and game design that is far below present day standards.

For getting stuck I STRONGLY recommend using hints (Universal Hint System is a great resource), because
1) some puzzles are really far-fetched
2) often your actions trigger changes that are far and not visible/audible to you at all
3) glitches happen
4) sometimes the solutions are so elaborate that you need to do every step exactly and in the right order and you might not even know it, or for some reason it just doesn't trigger and you need to try the same solution multiple times.
5) there is usually very little feedback to indicate if what you are doing is correct or not
6) there are a few really badly designed puzzles (even agreed by the devs)

For glitches there are a few tricks:
* If you suspect the physics engine is broken (collisions don't work/you fall off the world etc): download Fraps and cap your FPS to 20 for the section that is broken.
* Lowering your resolution to lowest setting also sometimes helps.
* Window mode helps too when all else fails.
Usually you can revert to your usual settings right after doing the broken thing successfully.

Also the controls suck.

But the game has a lot of content, Steam seems to only track the launcher playtime, not the game itself. I assure you, it felt at times never-ending and I spent quite a few days on it. There is more content than any of the other Myst games. There is a lot to do and some of it is quite interesting. So if you can muster the bad and liked the previous Myst games, then it might be worth it. If there was a reworked version, I'd definitely recommend that instead, but I'm afraid this remake is not coming soon.

pros
+ Pretty Scenery, nice Atmosphere, interesting age design
cons
-Buggy especially on modern systems, one jump absolutely requires you to use fraps to slow down your frame rate to prevent a glitch.
- some truly awful amateurish flaws in design such as being able to get soft locked in one age, simply unacceptable.

You could put this game on steam but can't patch some of the issues? lazy incompetent game design at its worst I'm afraid, I say that as a big myst fan.

4/10 - buy on sale

I like this game but it has weird and janky controls. If possible, I would like to see this remade with standard controls. Similer to Myst 2021 and Riven 2024. Although highly unlikely as it would require making parts of game drastically different, Ahnonay comes to mind, also try making it smoother in incorporating other parts, Including parts (rejected?) of Myst V.

The reason I mention Myst V is because it's a sequel to Uru, originally planned for an add-on.

Culled from the various online attempts years ago, this is much less a game and more a lyrical and spiritual journey with puzzles, lonely and challenging vistas, and some of the most compelling soundtrack selections in games. The MMO lives on at mystonline.com, but there are many positives in playing this version first.

Awesome graphics with a story-line that's interesting and easy to follow.

Perhaps the ending has not yet been written