Obduction

1. FayEverdunes

   Aug 24, 2016

   10

   OVERALL IMPRESSION
   
   I'm incredibly impressed by Obduction, Cyan has done it again! The game has the familiar myst-like feeling that bringsOVERALL IMPRESSION
   
   I'm incredibly impressed by Obduction, Cyan has done it again! The game has the familiar myst-like feeling that brings me right back to my childhood when I first got to explore the Myst Island and I had no idea why I was there and what was going on, arriving in Hunrath has the exact same feeling. It also brought me back to taking my first steps in The Cleft and Minkata in Uru (even the footsteps sound suspiciously alike). Except this time things are alien, even eerier, even more beautiful, even more awe-inspiring, even more confusing.
   
   The game feels like a more matured version of the Myst games; you can tell that the developers have taken everything they learned from the previous games and with that experience (and perhaps the wisdom gained with age) have crafted a story that has a new kind of depth - where puzzles are not just intricate parts of the environment, as was the case in the Myst games, but that feel truly handcrafted with purpose by different civilizations, puzzles that takes it one step beyond the Myst games in how they merge with the setting.
   
   PERFORMANCE
   
   I have a GTX 660 graphics card, i7 2600k processor, 8gb ram, SSHD, and Windows 10 x64 which basically puts me at minimum spec with my graphics card and above recommended with processor. The game is pretty well optimized provided I play on low settings with the exception of textures that I put on medium. I experienced a few lag spikes and long loading screens here and there but nothing major or that I can't live with but it definitely seems the game is graphics intensive.
   
   That said, I get the feeling this game would still be playable with a graphics card one tier below mine but it's hard to say so don't take my word for it. The graphics aren't super amazing on low settings with some pixelation, especially with the shadows but it's still a fairly pretty game. If you really care about good graphics for your gaming experience I would suggest playing this game with the recommended or above specs, I believe at that level this game will be absolutely astonishing.
   
   PROS:
   
   * Myst-like
   * Fun unique mechanics
   * Beautiful graphics, textures, sounds etc. the ambience is just superb
   * Nostalgic moments and great easter eggs
   * A riveting and unsettling story that leaves you guessing throughout
   * Pretty well optimized for the most part but not perfect with minimum spec graphics card
   * Good mix of easy, medium, and mind-boggling hard puzzles that make you want to rage quit in a good way like good old Riven. A couple of things are pure evil and I think the devs had a little bit too much fun torturing us poor Hunrathians but at the same time it's kind of funny in hindsight.
   * Great to play as a family or with multiple people to help solve puzzles. While the rating says 10+ it's probably okay with adult supervision under that, but that's just my opinion. I think the Cyan games in general are great educational tools for problem solving, patience, and out of the box thinking.
   
   CONS:
   
   * Occasional lag spikes with minimum spec graphics card
   * Occasional long loading screens
   * a few minor glitches/bugs here and there but nothing major and most are hardly noticeable, a couple of small slightly irritating mechanics but again nothing gamebreaking.
   
   CONCLUSION
   
   Would I recommend this game? Absolutely. If you love puzzles, mystery, eerie atmospheres, casual exploration, and an immersive environment - you do NOT want to miss out on this game. If you are new to the genre this game will be a great example of a stellar casual adventure puzzle game. If you care a lot about graphics play on recommended or higher spec. Overall, very much worth every penny. 10/10… Expand

   • 8 of 13 users found this helpful
2. RockArtifacts

   Aug 26, 2016

   10

   Out of the Myst and into the new century with all the bells and whistles. Well OK, I haven't run into any bells and whistles yet, but that'sOut of the Myst and into the new century with all the bells and whistles. Well OK, I haven't run into any bells and whistles yet, but that's not saying knowing Cyan that either or both could show up down the road as I continue to progress through the various worlds. Cyan has done it again, in a wonderful way.
   
   I must admit the Myst/Riven-o-phile in me was excited, delighted, and yet a bit ...hmm.. 'will-this-be-as-great-or-will-it-tarnish-my-fond-memories" feeling as I watched the downloading bar. Am pleased to say memories intact, wonder piqued, and immersive level just as I would have wished. Tip: you may want to turn off "backer reward item," setting if you don't want your immersed feelings dinged.
   
   Gameplay has been smooth, Cyan has been quickly responsive to bug fixes already, the game feels true to those of the past in complexity -- thank you Cyan for not having dumbed it down -- and the graphics are as beautiful as one would expect from the team who defined this genre.
   
   GTX 960, i7-6700, 16GB RAM, Windows 10 x64. All settings on epic including water, running smooth. Love that I can adjust FOV so that I don't get the whirlies...dramamine not required to play.… Expand

   • 1 of 6 users found this helpful
4. Githnan

   Aug 25, 2016

   10

   I'm about 9 hours in so far and I absolutely love it. I've been a die hard fan of Cyan since Myst first came out. The only issues I've hadI'm about 9 hours in so far and I absolutely love it. I've been a die hard fan of Cyan since Myst first came out. The only issues I've had with this game so far are some technical glitches but honestly on the day of launch every PC Game I've had at launch has had issues. And the ones that it does have are not gamebreaking for me and I'm running a setup that's a little under the min specs for the game.
   
   Even with that it is an absolutely gorgeous game and the puzzles blend in with the environment seamlessly so far and I've only found once in 9 hours that a rather odd leap in logic was needed to get one of the passcodes. The music is also a perfect fit for the environments. All in all I have to say that Cyan has done it again. I can't wait to upgrade my hardware to see just how pretty it can get.… Expand

   • 2 of 6 users found this helpful
5. Floydman

   Aug 26, 2016

   9

   Obduction is the game I have been waiting years for! It is absolutely beautiful, even on my laptop, and the puzzles feel natural and areObduction is the game I have been waiting years for! It is absolutely beautiful, even on my laptop, and the puzzles feel natural and are thought-provoking. I've only given it a 9/10 score because the story feels a little corny, but it definitely warms on you as you continue playing. There have been several moments during gameplay where I was totally blown away. I literally laughed out loud because I was so surprised! Give Obduction a try, and I know you'll be surprised, too.… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
6. Corstiaan

   Aug 30, 2016

   9

   This game is the absolute new standard for puzzle games. I did play The Witness but seeing Obduction now, I have to say, The Witness is aThis game is the absolute new standard for puzzle games. I did play The Witness but seeing Obduction now, I have to say, The Witness is a (although well made) boring puzzle game with some nice graphics. Obduction adds everything The Witness needed. A well written story line, graphic details, clever level design. This game is just awesome. It's like taking a great crossword puzzle (the Witness) and having the best writers, illustrators and puzzle designers do a makeover (Obduction). They even managed to have it feel exactly as Myst or Riven (only in Unreal Engine 4). Not a score of 10 because they really had deadline stress and did not manage to fix loading and UI bugs properly. Can't wait to try this on the Occulus Rift, this will be nerd-gastic. Love to see that Cyan's back. Well done guys!… Expand

   • 2 of 6 users found this helpful
7. JackMcB

   Oct 31, 2016

   8

   Although by no means the same the echoes from Myst are all over, travelling between alien realms with their own, sometimes esoteric, rulesAlthough by no means the same the echoes from Myst are all over, travelling between alien realms with their own, sometimes esoteric, rules while piecing together what's happened to you and those who came before you, trapped and departed denizens offering brief snippets of motivation. You will routinely be confronted with locked doors that frustrate until you scour the land to find their obtusely hidden codes/keys, this can be maddening yet it's quite satisfying once you finally start popping them open and discovering what they hide.
   
   I can understand some people hitting a wall and giving up or looking up a walkthrough to get past the odd section, sometimes the path to progress is in another world and will take several jaunts back and forth to get everything 'right'. The loading screens during those times can become tedious even if your PC is up to snuff.
   
   It's certainly worth a look all the same, it's very pretty in places and the desire to see the various contraptions come to life becomes quite compelling pipe-dream early on. I'd recommend playing it until it stumps you then coming back a week later, that way you can appreciate the slow-burn rather than uninstalling it in a fit of pique as I nearly did and would have regretted.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. AuldWolf

   Sep 20, 2016

   0

   Let me paint you a picture of why this is a bad game. One 'puzzle' in this game is remedial, it's essentially just an average board ofLet me paint you a picture of why this is a bad game. One 'puzzle' in this game is remedial, it's essentially just an average board of Pipe-Mania, nothing special. This puzzle, if you had all the tools in front of you to solve it, would be completed in ten minutes. Instead, they purposefully obfuscated it and separated the controls by loading screens. They also separated how you could view the puzzle by more loading screens. On top of that, you're forced to take pointlessly long walks (for minutes at a time) and endure more loading screens just to reach more 'pieces' used to solve the same puzzle.
   
   Whereas a good puzzle game will give you everything you need in the same area, this is more like a point & click. Except that imagine you had to walk for a few minutes to go get multiple objects because your inventory could only hold one at a time, now imagine that this point & click adventure had loading screens that could last for up to ten minutes for every time you had to trek back. That's what it's like.
   
   So, instead of being able to solve this puzzle in ten minutes (because it really is a remedial puzzle), it'll take you hours of trekking along, going through loading screens, more loading screens, more trekking, more loading screens, more loading screens, more trekking, more loading screens, more trekking, and then it glitches out! Yes, this is a puzzle that's so bad it can glitch out and become unsolvable, and that's lead to some... fiery threads on the forums, that's for sure. You can actually end up in an infinite loop of loading screens and long walks.
   
   Essentially, they managed to create a first person Skinner box puzzle. It's going to addict people to it to solve it and see what's past it. It's almost Candy Crush Saga but in first person. It's truly remarkable, but also horrifying. If you like grinding, feel free. And the game, in general, is just broken, uninspired, and has many more Skinner box elements to trick the weak minded. I'm not weak minded, so I just let it rest. I have better games to play. I don't appreciate Skinner boxes.… Expand

   • 6 of 15 users found this helpful

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