Carradice: Hi there. I loved the original Myst. Then I played Riven. I liked it but having the clues for problems spread into different locations (sometimes far from each other) made things a bit of a chore. I did not try other sequels. Then I hear that there is a new Myst game that takes over right from the end of the original Myst. Then, Obduction comes.
My question is, what would you recommend, going back to the Myst games first or playing Obduction first?
It doesn't matter. While the Myst series and Obduction were created by Cyan, they're entirely independent other than their underlying, abstract approach to the structure and types of problems to be solved in an adventure game. The Myst series has its own canon and is best played in sequence from Myst, to Riven, to Myst III, then IV and V. Uru is its own D'ni universe with an oblique, very loose connection to Atrus, the central figure (with his family) in the Myst series and no role beyond a very limited one for Atrus' daughter, Yeesha.
Obduction is its own game with no reference or relationship to the Myst series or Uru. I played the entire Myst series and all of Uru many years ago when they were first released. Just finished Obduction. Play the Myst series and Uru in any order you please. Obduction stands alone and nothing is gained (or lost) by playing Obduction before or after the Myst series, or any of the individual games within the Myst series, or with Uru. I will avoid spoilers in this remark . . . there are some aspects of Obduction with minor delays when moving to another location, as it loads that location within its universe occasionally. How long this takes is very machine dependent, and it's obvious there was considerable thought as to how to perform this within the game. How often you need to move between disparate locations depends on how you play the game, and whether you need to go back to do or get something that could have been accomplished beforehand, but wasn't. Obduction contains considerable, high-resolution detail in its free-roaming 3D universe. Within Obduction, I found it useful to drop back some occasionally - at major break points - and rework a portion of it before moving forward. Gained some clarity in the process. I tend to do this with nearly all adventure games.
John
