Comments on: Firmament review: not reaching for the stars

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 06:46:45 +0000

In reply to drmabian.

Cyan definitely know how to make amazing worlds. The way each of the Realms feels so different encourages you to explore them and uncover their secrets… it’s just a shame there isn’t much to interact with and that they feel so empty. This makes me agree with your point about them not understanding game design here! I’ll be interested to see where the developers go next after the response to Firmament, but I’ll be watching from the sidelines rather than as a backer.

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 06:42:27 +0000

In reply to darkshoxx.

What you say here about gaps is spot on. I can deal with a game not giving me all the information upfront; it’s what we expect from Cyan and I like being able to piece together a mystery for myself. But Firmament felt like it introduced more questions rather than filling in those holes by the end of the story. The biggest one for me is still the ‘why’ behind Turner’s actions. Power being the reason just feels a little too simplistic, considering some of the other characters we’ve encountered during Cyan’s other releases.

I can totally appreciate backing future campaigns due to being a fan though! There are certain developers I’d do the same for. Hope you have fun at Mysterium!

By: darkshoxx

darkshoxx — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 11:04:28 +0000

I feel like in most Cyan games you only start with a vague notion of what to do and you get to explore for the sake of exploration. But I think in all other games, slowly but surely the gaps are filled. I’ll try to make this spoiler-free: When you make a choice at the end of Myst, you know what you’re doing. At the end of Exile, you understand Saavedro. In firmament, I feel like, throughout the game, they instead create more gaps, and then only fill the last one.
That being said, I’m here for the puzzles. While I can definitely give credit for some of them that I found enjoyable, to me at least, one of them sticks out like a sore thumb, and I’ve had that confirmed from many other players.

But, as a die-hard Cyan fan, I will still back their next projects . “Starry Expanse” is their Riven remake that I’m looking forward to. Next week is Mysterium, the annual Myst convention, in Spokane WA. I’m interested in what they’re gonna say about it.

By: drmabian

drmabian — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 06:51:31 +0000

Yup, I remember a similar experience. I was looking forward to Firmament as well, and then things just fell flat. A particular section had me all but screaming at the game for its horrible design. It feels cruel to say, but I think the people at Cyan just don’t understand good game design. The studio got lucky early on in a few ways. They just want to make interesting worlds and tell stories in them, and aren’t sure how to connect that to a fun gaming experience.