Firmament

The game was good, I enjoyed it and can recommend it. I do still prefer the way Myst and Riven were made. Those games were real mind benders whereas this game was more intuitive and maybe a little too obvious to solve.

Lovely visual design, especially the architecture and interior design- BUT......gameplay suffers from the exact same problem a LOT of 3D puzzle games have- lots and lots and lots of timewasting forms the core gameplay. 1 - Huge empty areas you have to slowly walk through (sometimes with VERY prolongued loading screens or unskippable sequences where not much happens) to actually GET between the puzzle pieces. Lots of prolongued backtracking too. To give an idea of pacing- I played approximately 3 hours (with a 1 hour lunch break I left running due to a loading screen)- encountered 4 actual puzzles and a couple of basic "hit the switch to turn this on" and basic mechanics training sprinkled in between- most of the time was spent backtracking and exploring dead ends. 2 - Puzzles where you can't see what you're actually doing so you have to keep disengaging from the controls (you can't even look away from the controls sometimes) and going back and forwards to check the outcome by eyeballing the pieces or the readout (sometimes over long distances- see 1), and then walk back to try it again. 3 - Use of trial and error (which isn't so bad in puzzle games, were it not for 1 and 2 above- testing the wrong hunch can be very costly). 4- The game also expects players to do parts of each world and frequently pass between them (usually to unlock powers in one that then warrants going to another to use to unlock that power and then return etc. Overall, not recommended if you're strapped for time and hoping to get as much as you can when you get a free moment (I played this during sick leave).

Really like this game. Puzzles were interesting and kept your attention. Weird story line. Wish game was a little longer.

Pros: 1. Art Design: As always, Cyan Worlds delivers a beautiful, detailed and incredible world of 3-4 "realms" that were just pure eye candy. Many moments I just left the game rolling while I just soaked it all it. 2. The first 3/4th of the story: I have no idea what the reviews that state the game "only has a story in the finally quarter" because I felt compelled with the narrative of the Mentor's narration nearly to tears at many moments. Mainly by the commentary on control, collectivism and conscience. 3. Cyan Worlds all the way down: There is something about this game that reminded me of Uru and Myst V in good ways. It is very much many of the same people at the studio working on this that worked on those. This really felt like a lost Uru expansion in many ways. 4. Music...as always: The score just fits so well. So dreamy when it needs to be and oppressive when the walls begin to close in. Cons: 1. Buggy: Riven (2024) and Myst (2020) run flawlessly at "Ultra" and ray-tracing on my PC, but for some reason this game had massive amounts of stuttering. And then in the final 1/4th of the game the FPS went from 130 to 40. I turned off ray-tracing and it shot to 200. Just very strange. There were were a few odd audio bugs as well that required a complete restart. 2. The last 1/4th of the story: I don't want to spoil the story, but the ending wasn't a let down, but it was a bitter of a bummer in that I think I prefer Cyan when they are operating fully in other worlds (sans Obduction, but I have some minor quibbles with that story) rather than invoking the "real world." It is a minor issue as I still found the ending compelling despite the "trappings." 3. Difficulty: In that out of all the pervious Cyan games this is the one I never felt the need to write a single thing down. Was it easy? No. But it didn't tickle my brain the same ways as Myst, Riven, Uru, Myst V, Obduction, Myst (2020) on randomize and Riven (2024). I feel like a damn fool. I was a backer on this game from day one and it took nearly 3 years to finally finish this game. I feel terrible because I love Cyan Worlds' games, (Riven being my favorite game of all time) but I never finished this one even though I truly believe in them. I think many of the mechanics turned me off early on, but once I pushed past that I finished the game within 30 hours. Is this among the pantheon of their best work? No. Is it still compelling, inspiring, beautiful and awe inspiring? Of course. Cyan knows only one speed and that is captivating me in particular. But in the ranking I think this does rank in the deep end. But a lesser Cyan Worlds game is still better than 80% of other games in my opinion.

Que dire ? C'est beau, c'est malin, c'est dense... C'est Cyan, quoi !

On s'habitue vite a cet environnement, mais on ne sais pas ou cela va nous mener. Les derniers puzzles sont super et la fin surprenante. Je recommande.

I'm playing in June and July 2026 (maybe August if I can't figure these puzzles out). I'm using VR - a Quest 3 connected to my desktop PC via Virtual Desktop. I'm ancient as far as video game players go, but I'm relatively new to puzzle games. I used to play the Sierra adventure games in the mid to late 1980s and early 90s, and I was always excited when a new one was released. I had to use a hint guide or call the 1-900 number for most of the games. I remember there being a lot of "moon logic," (you know, like rub cheese grater on satellite dish), and you could easily get soft locked out of finishing the game if you didn't pick up something near the start of the game. I played MYST in 1993. I loved the graphics and the immersion but couldn't figure out one puzzle. Hell, I'm not even sure I knew where the puzzles began. Then I stopped playing puzzle games for over 30 years. Recently, I've become a VR enthusiast and have over 165 games installed that are either native VR or can be modded to work in VR. I love that it's brought new life to my gaming. Among those titles are puzzle games. So I figured why not try puzzle games? I finished Ghost Town and loved it, and Red Matter 1 & 2 which were great. I've also gotten into survival horror games in the past couple of years and there's certainly puzzles in them. Next was Firmament. The environments are gorgeous and you really get a sense of scale and verticality. I'm in love with the uncredited narrator. She (he?) delivers their lines with a sort of wistful sadness, hope, and resignation, all wrapped up together. They sometimes sound as distant as the stars, and sometimes as personal as an embrace. The puzzles are a step up from Ghost Town and a step sideways from the Red Matter series. I've read some of the reviews here, and there was some disappointment about the puzzles and overall world not being at the levels of MYST or Riven. I'm finding them to be suitably interesting and challenging for a newish puzzle gamer. Veteran puzzle gamers will probably find less to like about them. Firmament seems to be one of Cyan's minor efforts. But, what an effort it is! The lonely landscape and the haunted quality of machinery long asleep is really compelling. I see this is on sale now for like $20. It's definitely worth that. I'm really enjoying my time with puzzle games. And, I figure if I play enough of them, I may eventually be able to return to MYST VR and at least make a dent in it.

If you liked Riven/Myst, you will probably like firmament as well, the puzzle difficulty is slightly easier than Riven imo (with a huge focus on machines and understanding how they work) and the history is decent, although I prefer Myst narrative. However, if you have never played Myst, I suggest you start there, since it is a better game overall.

I played this in VR and LOVED it. I was completely hooked from start to finish. It has and intriguing story, puzzles that were just the right amount of challenging, and a beautiful atmosphere. I'd find myself wandering around aimlessly at times just to take in the views.

Another great game from the makers off Myst.