Obduction (video game)
| Obduction | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Cyan Worlds |
| Publisher(s) | Cyan Worlds |
| Producer(s) | Ryan Warzecha |
| Designer(s) | Rand Miller |
| Artist(s) |
Stephan Martinière Derrick Robinson |
| Composer(s) | Robyn Miller |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, OS X |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Genre(s) | Adventure, puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Obduction is an upcoming adventure video game developed by Cyan Worlds. Obduction is considered a spiritual successor to Cyan's previous adventure games, Myst and Riven.[1] In the game, the player finds their character transported to strange alien worlds but with human elements within the settings. The player must explore and solve puzzles to figure out how to return home.
The game was funded via a Kickstarter campaign in October 2013,[2] and currently is expected to be released in June 2016[3] for Microsoft Windows and OS X systems.
Gameplay
In Obduction, the player's character has been abducted from Earth by aliens and transported to one of several alien worlds, with the goal to try to find a way home. The game, played out as an adventure game from the first-person perspective, has the player exploring the environment of several different worlds, which includes a mix of alien landscapes and familiar human settings, solving puzzles, and making decisions that can have an impact on how the game ends.[4] The game features traditional navigation controls for first-person games as well as a node-based point and click system. Many objects in the game can be selected and examined in a full three-dimensional view, allowing the player to discover possible hidden drawers or features that aid in puzzle solving.[5]
Development
Following the release of Myst Online: Uru Live, Cyan's team began discussing what their next project should be, debating between another work in the Myst franchise, or an entirely new property. They opted for the latter option, as it would give them more freedom to create and not be limited by their established canon for Myst, though would risk alienating fans of the Myst series. Following its announcement and Kickstarter, the team discovered that fans were very open to the new direction, showing great interest in Cyan's puzzle and adventure approaches.[6]
Obduction was formally announced on October 17, 2013, via a Kickstarter campaign headed by Cyan co-founder and CEO Rand Miller. The basic goal was set at US$1.1 million.[2] In the accompanying video, Miller states that the video game is intended to serve as the spiritual successor to Myst and Riven.[2] Taking inspiration from his earlier material, Miller remarked that the setting of a mysterious alien world would parallel the beginning experience of Myst. Noting that the announcement comes twenty years since the release of Myst, Miller emphasized that collaborators from the original two Myst games, as well as those who assisted in developing Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, would have a hand in Obduction's development.[7] The campaign ended on November 16, surpassing the stretch goal of US$1.3 million, meaning that the game will also have support for the Oculus Rift.[8]
Internally, the game was developed with the mantra of "Myst in space"; comparable to Myst's Ages, the player explores different alien worlds, with means to travel back and forth between them similar to the Linking books.[5] Though they initially wanted to move away from being too Myst-like, treating the title as a spiritual successor, they found that during development they were naturally brought back to structuring the game similar to Myst.[5] The game will include three non-player characters (NPCs), which originally were planned to be rendered and animated within the game's engine, but by March 2015, Cyan decided to return to the use of full-motion video of live actors that will be incorporated into the game, in the same manner as they used in Riven.[9]
Though Robyn Miller, who composed the soundtracks for Myst and Riven, had left Cyan after the release of Riven, he will be composing Obduction's soundtrack, as well as performing as one of the live actor NPCs.[10][9]
Though the game was anticipated to be out in 2015, production delays pushed the game into a 2016 release.[11] In March 2016, alongside a teaser-trailer, Cyan announced the game would be available in June 2016.[4]
References
- ↑ Chalk, Andy (October 17, 2013). "Myst Studio Brings Obduction To Kickstarter". The Escapist. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- 1 2 3 Hockenson, Lauren (October 17, 2013). "The creators of Myst launch a $1.1 million Kickstarter to fund new game". Gigaom. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- ↑ "Obduction at GDC 2016 - Obduction - Obduction by Cyan, Inc.". obduction.com. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
- 1 2 Yin-Poole, Wesley (March 4, 2016). "Obduction, the spiritual successor to Myst, out in June". Eurogamer. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- 1 2 3 Dingman, Hayman (October 4, 2014). "Exclusive preview: This is 'Obduction,' Cyan's spiritual successor to 'Myst'". PC World. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ↑ Dingman, Hayman (March 4, 2016). "Deep-dive Q&A: Behind the scenes of Obduction, Cyan's move beyond Myst". PC World.
- ↑ Sowa, Tom (October 17, 2013). "20 years after Myst, Cyan starts campaign to build its next game, Obduction". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- ↑ Farokhmanesh, Megan (November 16, 2013). "Obduction Kickstarter draws to a successful close". Polygon. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- 1 2 Dingman, Hayden (March 18, 2015). "Cyan's bringing live-action characters back for Obduction, Myst's spiritual successor". PC World. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- ↑ Chalk, Andy (November 15, 2015). "Myst composer Robyn Miller signs on to score Obduction". PC Gamer. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- ↑ Dingman, Hayden (October 20, 2015). "Publisher problems delay Obduction, Myst's spiritual successor, until 2016". PC World. Retrieved October 20, 2015.