URU: Complete Chronicles

URU: Complete Chronicles
N/A
Metacritic
79
Steam
60.721
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$3.99
Release date
3 August 2010
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
79 (148 votes)

The critically acclaimed adventure of Uru: Ages Beyond Myst returns with this special collection that contains more Uru than ever before. Already the deepest Myst adventure to date, Uru is significantly expanded with the addition of To D'ni™ and The Path of the Shell, expansion packs that will take Uru beyond your imagination.

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URU: Complete Chronicles system requirements

  • OS: Windows 7 / 8 / 10
  • Processor: 1.8 GHz
  • Memory: 256MB RAM
  • Hard Disk Space: 2.5+ GB available HD space
  • Video: DirectX 9.0c compatible or better
  • Sound: DirectX 9.0 compatible
  • DirectX®: DirectX 9.0c or greater

Recommended:

Recommended requirements are not yet specified.
Updated
App type
Steam APP ID
63650
Platforms
Windows PC
Mac
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Anonymous
Anonymous

So I only played through Uru because I loved the first four Myst games and wanted to play all of them - if I wasn't stubbornly determined to do this, I probably wouldn't have bothered with Uru. Having finished it, I'll say that Uru: CC is fun, but it's also kind of a hot mess for three reasons. The first issue is the control system - the designers intended it to be played in third person mode and you sometimes need to use third person to accomplish certain tasks. However, the third person controls are extremely clunky and the camera angle frequently shifts around. My avatar did a lot of walking backwards while looking at his ankles or turning around in little circles when I was trying to position him in a certain spot. Crappy controls wouldn't be a huge deal (after all, you can usually stay in first person mode, which is much easier to use) except that the game sometimes requires you to manipulate the avatar in precise ways that require third person, such as manipulating items by bumping into them with your feet or making very careful jumps.

The second problem is that, unlike in the previous four games, the introduction of the Relto book means you can fall off cliffs and into chasms and otherwise get into trouble - you link out to Relto before you die, but that means you have to link back in and navigate to wherever you last were, Combine that with the clumsy controls and you have some very frustrating parts of the game, which for me took away some of the fun.

Finally, while I thought most of the puzzles in Uru were more or less logical, there were a few that I don't think could be realistically solved by a player using observation and logic. In other Myst games, you figure out cause and effect by experimentation, but some Uru puzzles make experimentation extremely tedious in that, if you get something wrong, trying again is time consuming and clunky. It didn't lend itself to leisurely trial and error like other Myst games, so I'd sometimes use a walkthrough just to avoid annoyance.

Anyway, I still had fun playing Uru despite all of that irritation - it's huge, has lots of playtime, and there are some gorgeous ages and several very cool puzzles. If I hadn't occasionally used a walkthrough it would have been a pain in the butt, which felt like kind of a shame.

Ratpak
Ratpak

If you enjoyed the Myst games, then you'll probably enjoy Uru. However, this game is quite different to the other entries in the series in that it made a move to 3D and you view the game world in third-person.

There's a lot of walking and exploration in the game and I found the puzzles to be significantly harder than those in the Myst games. You will very likely need to consult a walkthrough at some time to get through the game, but don't feel bad as some of the puzzles are really obtuse.

The game was originally destined to be online, which is why you create a character at the beginning, but this never came to fruition. The environments are beautifully done, but I'd only recommend this to hard core Myst players.

The Complete Chronicles also includes the 'To D'ni' and 'The Path of the Shell' expansions, so there's plenty of content here to keep you busy.

DRASCYLLA
DRASCYLLA

Having fond memories of this game during its earlier years, I decided recently to rekindle that past time.
Much of what I remember oozes with nostalgic vibes, though some specific aspects of its age have certainly not boded well for it.

An example would be a lack of high resolution support particularly in widescreen formats, bare in mind this game was made when CRT monitors were a thing, what's more there is one notifiable glitch in the ( Gahressen Age) where you have to cross a bridge to reach a stone pillar for a Journey cloth before heading to the main structure of the Age, and if you land in the wrong spot on the pillar you fall through it as if there was no clipping on the object.
The trick with this section I found is to firstly don't jump, just hold sprint (Shift-Key) + Move forward "up arrow by default" as soon your character POV is in line with the central position of the pillar or preferably one second beforehand.

Researching various articles on this problem, many concluded that its being caused by high frame rates and something in the code and the solution was to find some way to limit the games FPS to around 30, though I found if I just turned on G-Sync I could keep my high FPS and the pillar seemed less buggy, as a result the issue I believe could be more of a frame D'sync then simply just higher then normal frame rates.

All that aside assuming your able to pass that one hurdle, I highly recommend the game even now in 2023 especially if your a fan of the Myst franchise or visiting it for the first time.

teguesln
teguesln

Wasted so many hours trying to get this game to load progress, clearing caches, verifying game files, via Crossover on Mac. Unplayable. (not 44 hours of gameplay...probably 15 hrs of gameplay and 29 hours of trying to get it to load!!!)

excalibur39_nz
excalibur39_nz

While I like all of the Myst games - this is the one that Cyan put the most effort into. It had such potential and breadth of vision. The fact that the game still exists because of fan content and maintenance by Cyan staff is testament to its appeal. Well worth playing this version which does not contain multi-player puzzles, the only better version is The Deep Island version with its collection of fan created ages.

Techel
Techel

I loved and played the original MYST and Riven, and I had lukewarm feelings about the 'outsourced' Myst III:Exile and Myst IV:Revelation, though they improved a lot on the audio and music (Sorry Robyn Miller, you are a great guy but no professional composer).
URU takes place approx 200 years after, and you immediately see nostalgia with smashed pieces from the ending of Riven lying around. Nice :D
I don't know yet if I'll like or loathe this game. It seems I might like it :)

Georhan369
Georhan369

This game was a game I played though my childhood and I always started over after I was done and though it's not as good as URU Live it was the game that made URU Live happen and I recommend this to everyone who like storys and loves puzzles which may or may not get them stumped.

Jim
Jim

great! i am trying to play uru, but i can't because i need windows, and got a mac!
i downloaded Wine etc, to play uru! and whenever i come near zandi, the sound from the game gets fckd up!
anyone knowing how to fix this STUPID IRRITATING bug?

Hyperion: Titan of Light
Hyperion: Tita…

Wow! What a well made and large game! So complex and so true to the Myst form. Buy the Cyan Complete Pack to get this game and ALL of the other greats, even their good old kids games! Such rich textures, colours and you can run through the ages now at full speed!

DruagaBlackhart
DruagaBlackhart

Great exploration gaming, just like it's predecessors of Myst. Plenty to do and explore. A laid back and an enjoyable experience. Great way to kill time.

KaePhoenix
KaePhoenix

Pros:
Seeing the cleft where Atrus grew up was awesome. I nearly cried for joy.

Cons:
Controls were awful. I finally gave up trying to do anything.
They are the WORST controls I've seen on a game. EVER.

You're better off playing "Uru Live" online. It's FREE. It was what was originally intended for the Uru single-player version. It goes more in depth and has added features.

Mysteli
Mysteli

Awesome game. I played this back in its release year. I'm not sure if that was a good choice though, because of my age at the time, I looked at a bunch of walkthroughs, and therefore spoiled a bunch. :P
Regardless, even after being 10 (11 for non-expansion) years old. This is still by far one of my top 5 favourite games of all time!
The reason I don't have many play hours is because... well, I've played it a hundred times over before it even came to Steam. :P

This game has many many abstract worlds, mind boggling puzzles, a very unique style of gameplay, and so much more!

Despite Cyan still updating the Uru: Live (free online!) version of it, I'd really like to see a new game similar to this with improved physics, graphics and such. They did attempt to change physics before with the current game, but well... to many things broke for them to keep it, and despite being so old, the grahpics are still very good for its time, and it is almost gaureteed to not even lag on newer systems that are crap!

Anyhow, that's besides the point. If you love adventure-puzzle games, you should really check this game out!

pixels
pixels

For its time perhaps this was an interesting game, tho I don't even remember it being advertised... I certainly love the first two myst titles and was quite willing to depart from the myst formula a bit to try 3rd person modern blending etc. but:
a) the controls are insane and jumping around just doesn't work, so you get insanely frustrated
b) the whole thing seems like a big WoW fetch-quest with no xp reward... you're finding these 7 cloth banners in every area and I don't feel like playing where's waldo the video game.
c) the game is pretty much a walking simulator: it doesn't feel urgent in any way and while the visuals are interesting even by today's standards, it often seems like there's no purpose in anything your doing
d) related to the last point, the story in myst and riven really created a sense of urgency without overly stressing you out... you wanted to discover more about the mystery. Well, the writing I saw was mysterious enough all right, but more on the insanity level... there weren't many understandable characters or w/e, tho I did like yeesha the one time I met her.
e) environments seem incredibly empty, and arguably quite boring... few things are actually interactive and this seems quite odd coming from Cyan.
f) I went to an age that listed "visitors" and the last person to visit that age apparently was in 2004, unless I'm misunderstanding things...

So, despite some interesting ideas and visuals that looked like they might be interesting, I largely judge this title irrelevant by today's standards, since I'm incredibly bored after 4 hours of not knowing what the fuck I'm doing or why I should care about it. Very dissapointing since, as I said, I rather love Myst and Riven... don't buy unless you like dissapointment or have some godly level of patience and a masochistic streak to your gaming life... ugh :(

gamer11
gamer11

An old game, but in my eyes a very underrated one.
I realy enjoy the flair of this Gamesettings
the idea to bring the world to life.
After you have finished the game there are 2 more dlc contends who brought mor books and areas.
Its a shame that the online version never realy happened.
Graphicly its realy nice done.
The first hour is a bit frustrating- After that(the dessert the game gets realy enjoyable.
I had a lot of fun. Its not that great as the main Myst parts were, but thats mostly caused by
the fakt they used ingame graphic with lousy low polygons and no acters anymore,the story is pretty complex.
The world design itself and the textures are still pretty even today- well most of them.
And you can play it on ultra too today what was nearly impossible for the most of Pcs when
its was released.

You have 4 ages mainly an own island to create and a not so important character builder.
The rest of the books in your libary are coming later and than there are the 2 expansions.

The contras- not very well done are the controls. Actualy you can move in first person perspective or
3rd person perspective with F1. You walk with right mosue button forward etc. But if you want to climp up somewere (this was a problem even by its release date) you are stucked for a moment and have to decide if you want to move up or down, that doesn´t work proper.
The game gets better in the end and climax with a not that perfect ending.
But anyway. I truly think Uru is a great game and its my favorite game with Myst1-3
4 was way different and great too.
the 5th was the lazyest and absolute bad at the very end. This here was official No6, but released before part 5.
I know some people who dont like it, but i think it was challenging and well designed and written.

meticadam
meticadam

I've played through all of Cyans Myst series and this was the last one I came to. Myst and Riven were far and above my favorites, maybe due to nostalgia, but after playing through URU, this one get the top spot for me.

One thing to note is that this version is full of glitches that would probably be game breaking to someone who doesn't buy into the slow paced exploration type games. I had to re-set ages multiple times and there's a couple of spots where you'll fall through the floor or get stuck on a ladder. It turns into a chore to get past these areas and will definately not help in making any new fans.

But, all that being said this game is extremely well thought out and crafted (aside from the above mentioned glitches). The worlds feel large and organic, and I was totally immersed for the vast majority of the game play. It's a must play for anyone that's a fan of Cyan, or any other puzzle exploration style games. One of my new favorite games I've played. 10/10

Stormtkmf
Stormtkmf

Brillient game puzzels can be hard but keep at it you will learn alot about how thay think and how to solve the puzzels a place called the libary has alot of the awsers on the walls

Yeoman of the Bowmen
Yeoman of the Bowmen

I have a hard time recommending this but it has moments when it will blow your mind like no other game can.

This is the ultimate cult game, repellant to all but the most diehard fans of Myst. It's a picture of dysfunctional brilliance that awes the player with it's original ideas but flubs the most basic game design principles. This is a game that you will want to play without a walkthrough but it will likely end up being impossible. Having to resort to the walkthrough really will dampen the fun. There are puzzles in which it assumes the player has beaten Riven (and kept their notes from said Riven playthrough) it actually requires you to have clues/knowledge gleaned from other games to solve a few puzzles.

(spoilers)
There are also some rather infamous puzzles in which the effects of your actions don't show up for 15 IN GAME minutes making it difficult to tell what you actually did and there is even one puzzle which can only be solved by standing on a spot and literally being afk for 15 minutes.

Razorkiss
Razorkiss

i really tried to get into this game. i loved the other Myst titles when i was a kid but the controls are horrible in this. the worst i have ever delt with.
not worth the agravation

Oybluz
Oybluz

Another good title in the Myst series.

Now the game design might be subpar, but it is still a very enjoyable game, with great ideas and the beauty of Myst universe (pun not intended).

Seg
Seg

The game available to you here is an artifact to what was an MMO. This title stands alone as a very ambitious project to create a collaborative multiplayer game where the focus is on exploration and puzzle solving, not on combat.

You can see the lessons learned from Uru as they play out in other MMOs -- specifically with The Secret World's investigation missions.

marymyst41
marymyst41

I would recommend Uru: Ages Beyond Myst to anyone who likes the other Myst games or if you're just looking for a laid back adventure, puzzle game with atmosphere. There are some harrowing difficult moments but mostly its pretty easy. You just have to be very observant and thorough... take your time and enjoy the surroundings... graphics are pretty good (for an older game). I love atmospheric adventure games!

nyhsa
nyhsa

Let's start with good things:
- Pretty worlds
- Myst flair

Sadly, why I don't recommend buying it:
- It's spooky. It feels like walking empty servers. Ghost realms so to speak. In an renowned mmo, you would be happy to gather herbs and ore at quieter times...
- You're alone but for one: the poltergeist haunting the controls
- I got a glimpse of the story, but after the "tutorial" it went out of sight

I'm considering this expense as a donation and will try mystonline.

rhan.howe
rhan.howe

If you've followed the Myst franchise, I would highly recommend this game. (It's still fun to play if you haven't, but will make much more sense if you know the backstory.)

The puzzles are on par with the earlier games, but have somewhat more emphasis on parkour, as you'd expect from a free-world game. The worlds are generally rich and challenging, with strong non-linear gameplay. Fantastic soundtrack and high replay value, too!

There are few downsides or glitches. Few enough that I can list them all: Teledahn and Gahreesen leave you wanting to explore them further, as it seems the original plan was for another game expansion, but the worlds are complete as they stand and really cool. Yeesha is preachy and irritating, but you can simply walk away and ignore her. There are also one or two glitches (the jump on Gahreesen, cycling through Ahnonay) that Cyan needs to fix, but those are well-discussed and walk-throughable on the Steam forum.

This really is a fantastic game that will give you hours of immensely rewarding exploration and puzzle time. Go for it!

Adam DeLand
Adam DeLand

This is one of my alltime favorite games just for being so atmospheric. I have never played the expansion packs though, and even though I had to use a walkthrough for those, it still was a lot of fun. Anyone who is into the more mysterious and atmospheric side of the Myst games will surely get it from this.

Dukeman
Dukeman

Well, it will make your mind explode. Sometimes the answer seems obviuos and sometimes it is obsure and make 0 sense and thats just the main game. The DLC is X10 harder. Though the one redeaming fatcor is you don't have to be a rocket scientest to solve the puzzles(sometimes) just stop and think what is the simplest solutin to this problem. I think what hangs people up the most is over thinking the puzzle and they miss the obviuos.
On another note, The main story is told in a diffrent way. Sometime directly with words from notes or pictrues and somtimes with the visuals and the enviroment. Problay the greatest thing that Uru did was allow you to countiue the story and forge a new story online and though the online scene may be dead, I think it is still cool that its there.I mean how many games out there let you, after you come to the end of the main story, give you the pen and paper and let you countie writing.
Now this game is not without flaws. There are variuos aspects that gets under my skin and everybody gets annoyed at diffrent things but I think they are bearable. That being said this game is not for everyone. Don't get this game first. Get the first Myst and if you hate that then don't get this game. Also I would highly suggest to try to not use walkthoughs unless you really friggin have to. If you bought the game and you use the walkthrough through out the whole game you would have been better of to save your money and just read the walkthrough and whatch a couple of youtube videos.

Now, is this a great game? Yes. Should you get it? That depends if you like hard complecated puzzles that require you to think out of the box.

kazz
kazz

I got this because *nostalgia* which is usually a terrible reason to buy games as my memories of them are always so much better than the now aging corpses of what was once cutting edge and is now sadly dated. Some of the time of course you can see past it, or they have aged well, sadly in URU this isn't the case.

The thing is if you're buying this for nostalgia reasons you pretty much don't need a review. If you're coming at this for any other reasons though I wouldn't recommend it.

It hasn't aged well. You start with creating your personal avatar, the female character model is incredibly butch, the customisation is very limited. The inital area is a big wide open space and you are sloooow even when running, by comparison to it. Add to this the controls are incredibly clunky, although you can at least rebind the keys. If you are using 3rd person view the camera will randomly shift from following you to fixed perspective and I found myself frequently walking off the edges of stuff because the shift in controls felt very unintuitive. You can also shift to a first person perspective. It will still back out to 3rd person for animated sequences (such as ladder climbing, button pushing etc), but in general I found it much easier to navigate using this and it had the bonus of not needing to look at my awful character model which contrasts sharply with the amazingly good looking environments. All this is forgivable of course in an old game but the final issue is that it is both unstable (crashing) and glitchy. You'll even notice it mentioned in some positive reviews on here about known issues where it's much documented how to get around them, but honestly? If the best way of fixing an in game bug is to install other 3rd party software that negatively interacts with the game in such a way that allows you to get past something that is game breaking/progression stopping, that is pretty much a deal breaker for me. I don't mind that old games will eventually break but if you're still charging money for them I think you have a reasonable responsibility to make sure they have basic functionality still attached to them.

If you can see past the ugly character models, instability and need to screw around with the game just to get it to allow you progress through basic stages then this might be for you. It is a beautiful and peaceful exploration game with puzzles. These days though there are more of these around and I'm reasonably sure most of them probably offer better funtionality than this one.

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Joker341 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Jo…

UPDATE: It's been a year and it's still my most favourite game ever.

An absolute masterpiece of adventure games that I couldn't possibly not recommend. Filled with detailed and fantastic lore, and the ability to write your own journal take this seemingly simple game to new heights and it becomes your journey as much as it is your character's journey. The puzzles are mostly understandable and really fun to do, but there's always that one puzzle where you just don't know what you have to do and get stuck for an hour or two. Other than that, it's brilliant. Probably in my top 3 games now.

Throkgaar
Throkgaar

This is a very bizarre entry in the Myst franchise. Uru drops the first person phantom "Stranger" of the other Myst games and actually has you make an avatar. That's because this game was supposed to be an MMO, but due to weird deployment tech, this game just functions as a single player game. The MMO version is still available, and it's free! ( http://mystonline.com/en/play/ )

But how does this game hold up? Well...it's different. They didn't really realize just how much the change to 3D realtime movement would affect world traversal (turns out point and click is very efficient). So you end up with a few ages that have a loooooot of running around just to get to the main attraction. Luckily, for one major offender in particular, there's some pretty good conveyance on where to go, so you shouldn't feel like you're missing anything because you failed to explore every nook and cranny.

The actual gameplay is "Find the thing," there are seven(?) buttons (of a sort) which need to be pressed in each age to complete the age. This part is actually executed very well, as they act as checkpoints and are typically locked behind each major puzzle. So if you become stumped, you can leave, check out another zone, and come back fresh.

As for the actual puzzles, they're actually some of the best AND worst in the series. There are only a few puzzles utilizing the newfound 3D powers Uru offers, and those are nearly all terrible. But the traditional logic puzzles? Excellent. Uru actually boasts my all time favorite puzzle in the series. Just buckle in for the reverse Myst logic you'll have to utilize at the end of Kadish.

As for the art style, I always felt that Uru was a bit of a departure. I know that D'ni was always this sprawling city in the lore, but to me it was always just a big circular prison at the end of Myst, so it was weird to me that we'd be exploring some sort of "cavern" nonsense. It's been a long time selling me on this game, but I think the environments and atmosphere of this game have really stuck with me, possibly even in ways that I didn't notice. The soundtrack is alright, Jack Wall and Robyn Miller have brought a lot more to the table in the previous entries, but Tim Larkin brings a very unique voice to the series, and honestly? It's perfect. The instrumentation is alien and mysterious, and while a few tracks fall through the cracks, this game offers some of the greatest pieces of music I've heard in a video game.

Some quick technical notes, this game doesn't run in widescreen natively (although UruLive does). I think you can find a WS hack.

So if you like Myst and are comfortable with making the occasionally awkward switch to 3D and adding to the Myst universe an unusual take on the existing lore, give this a shot. It's definitely a strong Myst game, although it may not feel it at first.

dpatterson1981
dpatterson1981

First and formost, this game is next to imposable without searching online for help. However, despite the level of complexity and clunky controls the game is a true guilty pleasure. I've enjoyed myself despite frustrations and numerious google searches.

Wisteriya
Wisteriya

I whole-heartedly recommend this game, with a few caveats.

The biggest is that I realize that I have intense nostalgia glasses for this game which I will never be able to shake. I played it first when it was new, over a decade ago now, and I was absolutely entranced. I was immersed in the game world, and it felt like a living, breathing place to me.

Admittedly, the game has aged, and it might be a bit of a struggle for new players to experience the same level of wonder that I did when it was new. The controls are weird. They can be remapped, but all speeds are slow and often the detection on jumps is not what it should be. There are several opaque puzzles, though it's usually different for each player which specific leap of logic their brain refuses to make, so don't feel bad if you have to look things up, particularly in the beginning when you're just coming to terms with the implied puzzling langauge of these puzzle designers, and especially if this is your first experience with a Myst game.

All that being said, if you're looking for a thoughtful world in which to lose yourself, I whole-heartedly recommend this. There is no combat, and the sense of loneliness is palpable but intentional. The music is gentle and haunting. The different places you will visit are varied, but each interesting. The plot unfolds slowly, and the environments tell much of the story. It's one of the few games that I continuously re-install every time I get a new computer, just because I enjoy the atmospheres of the different areas. I happily re-play the game just to be able to go back to them and be in them.

However, if gentle, introspective, atmospheric puzzling and exploration is not what you are looking for, this is not the game for you. It does one specific thing, and I think it does it well, but it is an extremely specific thing.

mizlplix
mizlplix

I was in the original prolog when it only ran online for a month. They claimed there was not enough sign ups to support a server, BUT I know that the server was never up to the load it had. It was jerky and transitions took ten minutes. SO I played the stand alone game, bought all the addons and played it to the end. I loved it!

My only gripe is that some important sections called for the help of another person, so they had to be skipped.

It would be a fantastic place for a four person team to explore!

Satire is Dead
Satire is Dead

I got this game to followthrough on the nostalgia of playing the demo of this game.
There's a real sense of exploration that quickly fades after the introductory novelty passes by. The scenery is beautiful, even for 2018, but the puzzle design is incredibly tedious.

It only gets more tedious in Path of the Shell, and I had to break down and use a guide several times.

The puzzles are incredibly difficult because of the amount of time it expects you to spend warping in and out of each region, even given the book hints and environmental hints.

More of an inconvenient frustration to play than an entertaining frustration. I wish I had the patience for the Vault of Kadish puzzle because that is a dense challenge to unravel, but had just enough unintuitive design that it put me off of the reveal, and that feeling became the ongoing story of the back half of this game.

breathingxearth
breathingxearth

Really hated it. I made the mistake of thinking it would actually be like or better than Myst and Riven. As soon as I saw the ridiculous avatar you could "build" yourself, it killed it for me. Half the fun (for me) were the created characters - not some graphic-wonky out-of-context whoever....

BLAHHHHH! Returned.

YamiShadow
YamiShadow

Uru is my favourite of the Myst games, both in its online and offline iterations. Part of this is because it is where I started with the series, but part of it is also that the Ages you visit in Uru are just so great. I love the music, I find the puzzles deeply engaging, and (as per usual with Myst) I find myself deeply engrossed in the lore at every opportunity. This is one I have come back to many times, some here on Steam, and some on my disc copy and some more in the online version.

The Happiest Camper
The Happiest Camper

A weird, cryptic puzzle game that oozes atmosphere out the ass. Not for those with low patience (unless you look up walkthroughs to get you through the game, which is fair enough).

Zorinda
Zorinda

Sadly, I cannot recommend this game. I enjoyed all the Myst games, plus Obduction, so I thought I would like this one. It starts out OK with a little bit of story and some puzzles to solve before you can move on to the hub area from which you launch all of your explorations. There is a little bit more story to read about at the hub, but once you proceed into any of the environments you don't get any more story, at least that I could find.

I ran into constant crashing problems in the mushroom area (Teledahn?) and finally figured out that the executable needs to be set to Windows XP compatibility mode.

I started exploring Gahreesen and made it as far as the top of one building where it appears that in order to get to the other building you have to jump onto a little island and then onto a walkway to the other building. The two buildings are rotating. This is a jumping puzzle that seems to require split-second timing. I was unable to succeed at getting onto the little island, so I gave up and went to another area.

I got part of the way through Kadish Tolesa, into a room with four levers and four platforms with ladders. I put the platforms at the correct heights and was able to climb up two of them, but my character would not engage with the last ladder, so I am unable to move forward in this area.

What with the problems I've encountered, the minimal amount of story that I've seen, and the succession of obtuse/inane puzzles that often had me looking at a walkthrough, I can't say that I enjoyed what experience I had of URU. I finally gave up.

Agent S.
Agent S.

For Myst fans, I would not recommend Uru. The third person perspective is too different from the usual games. Stick with the main games. Not a bad game, but too different.

My monitor's ideal resolution is 1440x900, so I have to change the resolution before playing, which is a bit annoying.

Reason in Bold
Reason in Bold

The second puzzle where you turn on the holograph message was unsolvable because the two buttons that are important are blank solid white non image squares. I can't proceed to the hand image on the tree because I can't view the message.
Game over, what a bummer

Anonymous
Anonymous

The myst series is a fantastic series the likes of which is no longer made sadly, the genre has been in decline for some time but this little treasure is still available and is now updated to run on modern operating systems. Worth a try if you like myst riven or exile.

Rivendude
Rivendude

Fantastic worldbuilding and lore and some very devious puzzles, however I'd recommend the online version as it was intended at http://mystonline.com. Maybe one day we'll see a full reboot. I'd love to see D'ni as a living breathing society again.

Anonymous
Anonymous

Love love love that Uru is up on Steam (and especially for Mac). This isn't a review as it is a spontaneous gushing of love for this game. This is pretty close to an "open world" Myst game as there will ever come. Will most likely update this review in time.

Update 1 (12/3/2018):

The game, made more than eighteen years ago, still holds up remarkably well. If you're a fan of exploration-oriented games, this will be an absolute treat for you. Better still if you're into the D'ni mythology gradually introduced in the previous Myst games.

〔vøļçǻņøqůãķě〕
〔vøļçǻņøqůãķě〕

Currently using a uru beta patch. Thus steam time and play will not be detected.

+Uru worlds
+Story
+Music
+Clothes you can collect exploring
+Linking books
+Game is fun
+Easier to control character in first person
+Puzzles
+Mouse control of character
-Encountering -Spinning temple hand print bug: will activate index finger like rock pillar- This will lead to an age reset/re-install of game to be sure it's fixed next time aka kind of game breaking
-Having to use arrow keys to move instead of wsad
-Third person control is not recommended
-Textures quality
-Game graphics options
-Character customizing options are horrible and lame
-Falling through a rock pillar(can find and use a temp fix: going windowed mode works)

MarcusSparkus
MarcusSparkus

I originally played this game back when it first came out as an MMO. I like to think of this game as Myst adjacent. It isn't the same feel or puzzle level as the point-and-clicks but it's the same universe and carries on the story. I am willing to admit that this game has its share of annoying timing/navigating/warping puzzles. Also a few annoying moments that require you to launch your clumsy character into the abyss, without a single good camera angle, while desperately trying to click a tiny hit box... okay that sounds pretty bad... but the game reveals so much of the history of D'ni. Through URU you learn things you do not get from many of the other Myst universe games, also getting to see the lost city was really interesting. Having played the MMO playing the game solo is starkly different. The game takes on an intensely lonely and haunting feel throughout the majority of the ages. This feeling does not detract from the game, rather it adds to the story and tragedy of the D'ni. I was particularly struck by this in the Kadish gallery (which has one of the best pieces of music in the whole Myst universe). If you are a big fan of the story and universe and you don't get frustrated with difficult or clumsy puzzles, give this game a shot.

MittPlays
MittPlays

Easily my favorite game in the franchise. But I wish Widescreen Resolutions were supported like in URU Live. I did get widescreen by messing with my GPU settings but that just stretches the image. Maybe add 1080p and this will be the best game on here.

CaptainStarlight001
CaptainStarlight001

This is an exploration game, or more precisely an archaeology game. Requisite player characteristics include curiosity, patience, and persistence. Enter visually rich worlds and read journals from other explorers. Ponder and play with equipment and the natural environment to discover a way forward. Become part of an ancient, muted drama which is still unfolding. A player will spend hundreds of hours searching through vast areas for the smallest of defined rewards. The greater reward is in seeing the worlds and making the journey.

2nd Class Janitor - Wilco
2nd Class Jani…

Tags: Adventure - WS - Walking Sim
Additional Tags: Delete Local Content & Remove from Library

TLDR: Empty barren environments. Dated 3D. Awkward tank controls with mice. Lack of clear objectives. Lacks immersion. Unfun.

FrickSnake
FrickSnake

I've been playing this game since I was 10 I believe. I'm 24 now and I got 4 different tattoos all from this game (pretty cringe I know). This is the game that introduced me to gaming and how games can be works of art. It will always have a place in my heart.

Edit: Grammar

torkilhammer
torkilhammer

It is the original Uru with the 2 expansions. Everything works, and the opening screen has been fixed.

LACHSBOX
LACHSBOX

I was a great game until it stoped launching on Steam. I don't know how to get it going again. Any help would be appreciated.

Anonymous
Anonymous

I enjoy finding the different items needed. The scenes are quite nice just for the view. No rush to find items, I can go at my pace or come back later to continue.

mhair
mhair

If you love beautiful puzzles this is a wonderful game for figuring things out and making things work. Awesome music, gorgeous environment, and artistically crafted game. When it folded on Steam...I quit Steam. I came here just to play this game. Now I'm back with This game and several others!

~loizer~
~loizer~

open world MMO puzzle game isn't something you see every day, let alone so wonderfully and thoughtfully designed. one of the most unique games of the 2000s and a personal highlight of the decade for me.

lostinthegarret13
lostinthegarret13

I played the Myst games and fell in love with the online version of URU. I can't play that anymore as there doesn't seem to be support for it anymore, so it's great to have at least this much of the old game that I loved so much. No violence, just brain-wracking puzzles and great landscapes and all-enveloping world with its own unique story.

HighlanderBoots
HighlanderBoots

This is a great example of what an attempt at what a puzzle based MMO could be. Unfortunately, it didn't succeed at the original intent, but did find a way to create a compelling scavenger hunt.

Enjoy it and search around for information about what Cyan tried to do. It's pretty ambitious.

Argentewer
Argentewer

I gave up on this game almost immediately. I struggled with the controls so much, it felt like hours despite being mere minutes. What I did see of the game was beautiful and if it's like the other games Cyan puts out, it probably has a great story, but with the difficulties manipulating camera angles and walking (and running), it was a non-starter for me.

O Alentejano
O Alentejano

Doesn't benefit from the expanding content or polish Uru Live gets.
However, you'll never be blocked because a puzzle requires several people, and you'll always get as much information as you could about every age.

Very recommended.

BenzoSt
BenzoSt

Score: 7/10 - GOOD
This game is loosely connected to the games of the Myst series. Unfortunately, even after many hours, I still haven't completed this game! Either many of the puzzles are too difficult, or I'm just too dumb. One of these days I’ll come back to it, since it certainly isn't an outright bad game. But I suppose that I will have to begrudgingly look online for hints, which is something I really don't like doing.

Greywolf
Greywolf

I typically do not recommend games that require walk-throughs to progress. The puzzles are generally not overly difficult, but many require tedious and repetitive intervals of extensive reading / walking / backtracking / swimming to test each solution theory, often with no indication that you are on the right track. This slows down the pace of the game causing needless wasted time and effort. However, I give it a borderline thumbs up as the nonlinear environment provides a different perspective compared to the other Myst games, thus completing my experience in the Myst series. The worlds are visually stunning with many fascinating areas to explore, and a compelling story line that makes you want to continue searching for clues / new discoveries.

Hanubis
Hanubis

listen, yes it has bugs but that's what it is for the time it was made. I love this game and I would recommend trying it at least once.

okorz001
okorz001

This game is awful. This is nothing like Myst. I've only completed the base game so far (there is some bug prevent Steam from accurately tracking my time played) but my experience is so painfully negative, that I'm hesitant to play the expansion worlds. I think this is the first Steam purchase I've truly regretted.

Myst is a heavily story-driven franchise. Yes, fundamentally it's a puzzle game, but there's backstory to be learned through reading journals in every previous game. Critically, these journals don't just flesh out the story, but they usually give insight to several puzzles, rewarding you for reading everything. Uru on the other hand has almost no story. It was hours before I found a journal and it was a bunch of useless fluff that granted zero insight to anything. I was actually annoyed that I bothered to read it. By the end of the game, I was quickly skimming journals just to confirm that they were still useless. How disappointing. (This is besides the fact that I loathe what they've done with D'ni and the Myst canon in this game.)

Myst is a beautiful franchise. It has to be, because Myst is literally a slideshow. Sure, later games had a full 360 degree view at every location, but it's still fundamentally a sequence of pictures. Uru replaces this with true free roam in a 3D environment (and very awkward controls that cannot be fully solved by remapping). This sounds like it could be an improvement, but the worlds are simple and ugly. I understand this game is 20 years old so it's probably limited by its time, but I can't help but feel it's a huge step back from everything else. Even the original Myst with it's low resolution fixed-angle slideshow was more beautiful than this.

Myst is a puzzle franchise. The core gameplay of Myst is to encounter a puzzle and solve it. Previous games scatter clues for you to discover and decipher and it's euphoria when you piece it altogether. This game doesn't seem to have many clues at all. It felt like most of the puzzles required just trying random things until it works. What's the fun in that?

The last two problems actually compound each other -- there are sections that utilize the 3D free roam to create physics and platforming puzzles. So now, not only should you try random things, but you should try running into random things and jumping around on every ledge you can find. However, jumping into dead ends forces you to link out and back again, which adds up to a bunch of wasted time. After I realized this, I had no more patience to keep exploring and I resorting to using a walkthrough for the first time in this series.

I seriously don't understand what people enjoy about this game. At all. Riven is probably one of my top 5 games of all time, but this is pure shit. Now I'm hesitant to play Myst V. (And in hindsight, Myst IV was not so bad.)

Dr. Impossible
Dr. Impossible

I'd skip this one. This was an interesting attempt at making an MMO based on the Myst, but some of the puzzles in the game are just tedious and frustrating.

jmacdono
jmacdono

This is a great game; not quite as good as the original Myst series of games, but my wife and I enjoyed it.

CMDR Cyrus
CMDR Cyrus

This version of the game has all online content stripped from it, and so it feels huge and empty and the KI doesn't work properly. The story mode is intact, but D'ni won't make any sense without other people to explore with. You'll also need to download some patches off the internet to make it playable on newer PCs (ie. HD resolutions and EAX support).

Just download the free-to-play version off the official MOULa website.

dr.sputnik
dr.sputnik

It's a weird adventure / exploration game with a rich background story. The graphics are amazing for a game from around 2004. Worth a look.

stephenclaxton
stephenclaxton

I wanted to love it... I played it back in the naughties when it was released, but didn't finish it. Love the story, the graphics were great for the time, some of the puzzles are fantastic, some are just annoying and frustrating in a bad way...like when you find the answer and it seems to be close to random -i.e. with very little relationship to the problem. Also, there is lots of running and linking and running and swimming and running... and watching a cut scene again... and waiting... way too much of this so the fun gets diluted and then is just downright annoying. Loved Myst... wanted to love URU but didn't. See the other reviews online: that was my experience too.

Pharap
Pharap

Uru

Summary

A walking simulator with Myst linking books, some very confusing puzzles and an impenetrable plot.

Buy it if you care more about staring at the visuals than plot or puzzles, or if you want to experience the entirety of Myst (good and bad). Either way, be prepared to put up with a lot of glitches. (If you start clipping through things, reboot the game and it should be fixed.)

Swerve it if the plot and puzzles are crucial to your enjoyment.

(Note that Steam can't accurately track play time in this game because it boots into a launcher which then launches the main game. This also means you won't have the Steam overlay. I fixed this by finding out which process the launcher activates and creating a 'non-Steam game' that boots directly into the game with the overlay. Consequently I had to idle the UAC message for 5-6 minutes to even be allowed to post this review, so I suspect a lot more people have played this and attempted to post a review but been unable to.)

Background

Despite the name, Uru is a game in the Myst series.

It was released between Myst III and Myst IV, but chronologically it takes place between Myst IV and Myst V.
It was the first Myst game to be fully 3D rather than relying on prerendered images (something it shares with Myst V, which may have originally been intended as an expansion pack to Uru).

Whether it's part of the main franchise or a spin off isn't clear cut. In terms of plot, Atrus makes only one small appearance in the introduction and the plot instead focuses on his daughter, the remnants of the D'ni civilisation and a group of humans who discovered the ruins of the D'ni city.

Uru took far more time and money to complete than Cyan anticipated. It suffered from poor sales despite decent reviews, and it nearly bankrupted the company. The developers had intended to turn it into a new form of MMO, but that idea only partially reached fruition. It is now best described as a 'cult classic'.

The Good

As with every Myst game, Uru has many spectacular visuals.

Uru's ages are generally very interesting. Teledahn is one of the most 'alien' ages ever seen in a Myst game.

Uru has some pretty decent puzzles. Kadish Tolesa is particularly notable for having a good balance. Ahnonay is somewhat frustrating to figure out, but very rewarding because of the clever 'trick' to the age.

Relto, the hub age which the player actually owns, is a very nice touch. It's a little small (barely 1/3 of Myst island or J'Nanin), and it's not particularly pretty, but the customisability is a nice touch and the heart of the age - the bookcase - is really nice.

The Nexus age in To D'ni is a very effective use of the linking book lore.

The sheer number of ages is impressive, though some do feel a bit underdeveloped.

The Bad

By far the biggest flaw of Uru is its plot.

Mysts 1 through 4 all have a clear (if sometimes complex) objective - collect pages, trap Gehn & free Catherine, retrieve Releeshahn, save Yeesha. Uru (and its successor Myst V) suffer from what I call 'mysticitis' - the plot is delivered primarly in the form of Yeesha's confusing mystic mumbo-jumbo poetry. There's just about enough to figure out what you have to do, but why you have to do it is a lot less clear. Yeesha rambles on about 'the proud' and 'the least', and forever talks in riddles to the point of dismal pretentiousness. Even when you do make sense of it, there's still some unanswered questions that aren't even explained fully in the follow-up game (Myst V). I feel that had the plot been clearer and had a better direction, this game would have had a much wider appeal.

Some of the puzzles are ridiculous. Three puzzles in the Path of the Shell expansion involve waiting for 15 minutes (one of which you can't even move from a particular spot). That means you must spend at least 45 minutes of this game just idling. However, on one of those 15 minute intervals you have to be around to take note of the very short event that happens at the 15 minute interval otherwise you'll miss the clue and have to wait another 15 minutes. That's just poor game design.

Some of the ages are interesting, but others are quite barren. There's a lot to look at, but little to interact with.

Some ages are larger than they really needed to be, so at times Uru feels more like a walking simulator than a game about exploration or puzzles. The "To D'ni" expansion is the worst offender for this, particularly because it involves roaming around a huge ruined city on what is effectively an easter egg hunt(multiple times).

Even in the main quest line though, some of the backtracking could have been avoided by allowing the player's linking books to link to more than one journey cloth per age. It's as if the designers decided that "we put a lot of work into these levels, so we're going to force you to walk around them multiple times until you appreciate it".

The cloths are (in the main quest) also a form of Easter egg hunt. Not quite as bad at the To D'ni hunt, but with seven cloths in each of the four main ages, it gets a bit repetitive. It would have been better if the cloths were optional and the main goal were simply to find the door into the Bahro cave.

Somskel
Somskel

Despite being quite different from the Myst games, Uru still is a respectable and fun adventure game that has some of the style of Myst while having a few changes that makes it unique.

The first major difference one finds in Uru from the Myst games is the ability to create a character, as well as the ability to play in a third-person mode. Further differences and changes, including a customizable “home base,” fun secrets, and collectibles does make Uru repayable.

Like most puzzles from Myst, the ones in Uru have a consistent logic to them, even if they aren’t obvious at first and require some exploring. While some can be particularly devious, they are, for the most part, rewarding enough to keep on solving.

There are a few things of note, however, the first being that an online version of Uru is free and contains much more content such as ages and customizable additions. Additionally, collision glitches make certain parts of the game a pain or even borderline unplayable without limiting the framerate.

Still, despite all of the strangeness and differences Uru has with the rest of the Myst series, it’s still a great addition to the other Myst games. The environments and soundtrack are even better than the previous games, the puzzles are just as devious and rewarding, and there are still tons of secrets to find, making Uru indeed worth the time for fans of Myst.

paulkilduff
paulkilduff

Huge MYST fan! This game can be played to include all the features in MOULa and Fan Ages with the addition of Drizzle.
Outstanding puzzles, artwork and gameplay! I have all the games and anniversary editions.

obyisatone
obyisatone

Definitely the most challenging game from Cyan of all time for me and spent the most time pushing though for complete as with Myst

Frigidman
Frigidman

I can only recommend this on the basis that if you are a Myst fan, then this is an interesting (if not infuriating) addition to the set.

I did not enjoy the departure from a fundamental rule that "linking books remain when used"... and how Uru introduced this hip-book that came with you. It broke all the rules, of all the prior stories, and basically the whole of so many great situations in the canon... that I honestly don't know why they decided on it.

Anyway, as a game, it was fun enough to enjoy pounding my head against the obtuse puzzles and complete everything.

Jon Ardenoth
Jon Ardenoth

Pros:
*If you put on beer goggles, some of the scenery is conceptually cool

Cons:
*Graphics and gameplay have aged terribly
*Multiple prevalent bugs that can halt progress, requires tedious workarounds if they occur on your computer
*Probably the worst in the series for puzzle quality. Too many clunky mechanics, tedious/boring solutions, vague hint connections and tiresome amounts of waiting/running/searching
*Absolutely BUTCHERS all of the themes and concepts surrounding the D'ni from the written trilogy. Basically takes anything cool previously established in the lore of the books and other games and then lights it on fire
*Not even worth it if you get a copy for free
*I want every wasted minute of my life back and to have this game scrubbed from my memory. Scrub out Myst V too while we're at it

Hamakei
Hamakei

The most challenging game in the Myst saga.

Not because of the puzzles, but because of the atrocious controls. You'll spend most of your time wrestling with the tank controls, trying to get your character to go where you want, falling through tiny cracks in the landscape, staring at walls because the camera refuses to operate correctly...

...the transition to 3D was terrible for adventure games. And this is a prime example of why.

BalrogHuzzah
BalrogHuzzah

I probably know more about why you're here than you do. Don't worry about it. You felt drawn here, just like the others. I'm not really here to give you answers, just to give you help and get you started. She's left a message for you in the cleft. Listen to it well, follow her, find the journeys, and then... enter the tree.

The finest adventure game of all time. Nothing will chase you. It's OK to get lost.

ozymandias
ozymandias

Clipped through the ground 6 of 8 tries on the Gahreesen moving platform jump. Each try involved several minutes of tedious walking and standing while waiting for it to line up. One of the successful tries had me glitched halfway into the ground. Forum threads seem to think it's caused by high resolution. Game shouldn't be sold if it's not compatible with modern systems.

Also, whoever decided to add platform jumping in a Myst game with the jankiest control scheme of all time should be ashamed.