MMRashad
Mostafa Rashad   Cairo, Al Qahirah, Egypt
 
 
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So, here we are again with another resurgence period of point 'n' click adventure games. We had Haven Moon, Eyes of Ara, and from the company that started it all; Obudction. Now, we have Quern, a game that follows to that age-old formula so well it might as well be counted alongside those classics were it not for a few glaring issues.

In Quern, you get the full "Myst"-esque package, haunting melody, amazing scenery, challenging puzzles, great voice-acting, and much more.

When I first started playing it, I knew it was something special, so much so that I can't deny the effect the few faults here and there had on my overall experience and in the end had me wishing they could've been ironed out beforehand were the developers to have had the time and resources to do so.

As great as the game was, using Unity for it was a bigger mistake than Cyan's decision to customize Unreal Engine 4 for Obduction. A regular issue that pops up with increasing regularity in Unity developed titles with actual effort put into their visuals is the speed and optimizations which were to me, unsurprisingly, deplorable.

Add to that an issue in later chapters of the game with a certain scene (No spoilers) that was animated using hand painted sketches rather than actual complete art that would've served much better and just served to show just how little time the developers had to develop that scene than they should've had.

Add to that a rather lackluster ending sequence that is underwhelming even in comparison to that of the original Myst and you have what I would call qualms about whether the game should've simply been an homage to its predecessors or if it should've taken a step further and innovated the genre as many other titles are doing.

All in all, I had a terrific time playing it. I WILL replay it, eventually, and I can only hope that the developers make more of the same. In time, I'm pretty sure they'll hand us a gem that'll remain in our hearts and memories as do the classics.

Should you wish to be transported to a magical land where zen and your mental fortitude are the tools of your survival, then look no further than Quern. It feels like what would happen if you package a jigsaw puzzle and a sea smelling breeze in a compressed can.
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