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While Riven occasionally stumps me even today, twenty or so years after I first played it, Quern is breezier. Quern’s not nearly as bash-your-head-against-a-wall obtuse, of course. Hell, there’s even a puzzle similar to Riven’s famous spinning room. Quern loves introducing new ideas and puzzle constraints at a rapid pace and then disposing of them at will, adhering to a certain internal logic but unconcerned with building on its own foundation. It’s grim and lonesome in the same way that made Riven a classic-and much closer in tone to Riven than Cyan's actual sequel, Myst III.Īnd it takes the same approach to puzzles-not just in terms of aesthetics, but philosophically. Everyday objects, but all of it residing in a world so unique and unusual.īetween the focus on mechanical puzzles and the aesthetic nod, Quern feels like the Riven successor we never really got (and likely never will get). It has the same sense of weary isolation, the same unexpected warmth to its grimy copper gizmos, and that feeling of “Normal” and “Alien” bashed together in one place. Those huts may represent the most obvious parallel, but the game reeks of Cyan’s mid-’90s output. And it’s incredibly reminiscent of the bleached-white adobe buildings that dotted Riven’s Jungle Island: It’s your main hub and where you’ll spend a good portion of Quern. It’s as close to a Myst game as I’ve ever seen from another developer. His journal entries lead you from area to area, sometimes giving context, sometimes giving clues, and all apparently part of some plan. The island’s previous occupant has left behind directives, notes on the peculiar properties Quern possesses, the secrets he’s uncovered and what he’s done with said knowledge.
QUERN REVIEW SERIES
Puzzles involving gears and simple mechanical contraptions, puzzles involving audio cues, puzzles involving some lightweight botany, and puzzles involving a whole series of crystals each of which has its own unique properties.Īlong the way you’ll delve into the origins of the titular island, Quern. There’s a way off the island though, approximately 50 locked doors and dozens of puzzles in your future. In this case you’ve been teleported to an island by way of a massive gateway which promptly self-destructs upon your arrival. Like Myst of old, you arrive in an area with no idea how you got there or what you should be doing. I recently delved into Quern’s world though-nothing like those slow Januarys for catching up on your backlog-and it’s excellent.