A preview of Myst V: End of Ages has been released by the folks over at Worthplaying. It covers the new game's difficulty, the fresh new graphics, and the advent of a new object called a "slate."

This world seems to have mysterious creatures running amok, but thanks to the introduction of the slate, their presence can be quite advantageous. You learn from Escher that the slate allows you to alter the environment and communicate with the creatures. As it turns out, you will encounter various symbols in the environment, and if a correct combination is etched onto the slate, it will allow you to control some aspects of the environment, such as summoning the creature which conjures rainstorms. Along with this nifty new toy comes different kinds of puzzles. For instance, the slate is an invaluable resource, but it's large and unwieldy … and made of stone, so it's not exactly made to be hauled up a ladder. The logical solution would be to put the slate on the ground and climb up the ladder, but if the slate is left unattended, then some pesky creatures will scurry over and take it away. What to do, what to do …

With all the changes, players will be relieved to know that the camera journal, introduced in Revelations, has remained. The feature has been slightly modified, so that when you click on a journal entry, it also acts as a save point, so you can click and go back to any point in the game. It's unclear whether this will be like the "zap points" from the original Myst, transporting you to far-away locations which you've previously visited, or if this feature will allow you to roll back the game to a previous state.

Cyan

Myst V: End of Ages

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