A Bit of Exploration: Obduction

For those of you who haven't heard the news, Cyan, Inc. the super-sick creators of awesome games like Myst and Riven are coming out with a new game: Obduction. Despite the fact that the name does admittedly irk the spelling nazi in me, I will not be kept from playing (and preaching about) it. From my understanding, anyway, Obduction is meant to be an amalgamation of Obfuscation and Abduction—at least that's what I take from its Kickstarter page.


There aren't words to describe the amount of sheer nostalgia and excitement I feel over this game. Although I know that it is nowhere near the same as my beloved Myst (which I think I wrote about in one of my first ever posts), I can't help but think that this is going to be just as awesome if not better. My first experience with this company was watching my mother and stepfather pass the booklet that came with the Myst CD-ROM back and forth as they took notes on their findings and explorations. I tried to help them, if I could, but for the most part only stared in awe at the beautifully forlorn and deserted landscape, empty rooms and bookshelves, wishing that I, too, could immerse myself in the game land. Although I played Myst later, it was never the same experience as seeing it for the first time—now I have my chance.

According to the game's information page: "Obduction will be built with the same framework that made Cyan's earlier games such a wonderful experience: stunning landscapes, deep storyline, engaging characters, dramatic soundscapes, and challenging yet intuitive puzzles." And, if my experience with Myst and my views of the game trailer have any basis in reality, I'd say this is the truth.

Following the trend of games recently, it seems that Obduction will be based on an alien abduction, and the game will be set entirely in a foreign alien landscape with touches and traces of "normal" human civilization—you can see a sample of the graphics below:

Goddamn it, I don't care. We can run this alien bullshit into the GROUND and I will still be playing this game in two years when it comes out. If I had $4,500 to pledge (like some awesome person apparently did), I would. The designers and developers deserve every red cent they can get, and you should donate to them and make sure they do—plus you get the game for just $25! Everyone wins!