Yup, that sums it up.

Really, it's NOT a good puzzle. I don't care what you say, sure you can figure the timing out for the portals using the map, but the kicker is a: you have NO indication you're waiting for a portal and nothing you can do will speed it up, b: you have no indication of the timing, when it starts (payiferen helps but not a lot) and c: If you leave for a minute or so you can completely miss the portal, and otherwise you have to wait a good part of a DAY because you have no idea how long the loop is.


I rank it right up there with the light "puzzle" in Path of the Shell, which I had to get a walkthrough because after a minute or so I figured I was doing something wrong and went to see what I could play with. I'm also lumping in the pellet drop vaguely, it was stupid and not much indication, but it was a hack to let us play a multiplayer age single-player so I give it some credit. It's still dumb.


A good puzzle should NOT only be evident post-facto. Those are NOT good puzzles. The annoying part is the rest of Cyan's puzzles for all their games are evident with a bit of thought more or less. And yet these timing puzzles are up there in stupid inane ideas. It's like your nth towers of hanoi in a generic adventure puzzle game. Everyone has to fall back on them at some point it seems and can't resist cramming one into their games somewhere.

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Quote:

and c: If you leave for a minute or so you can completely miss the portal, and otherwise you have to wait a good part of a DAY because you have no idea how long the loop is.

For those in 'hoods with clocks (which were random), you could work out with the map in the museum and the pamphlet on time on the classroom table when all of the portals were going to open up.

I really don't like the most puzzles from Uru... waiting 15 minutes (maybe i did something wrong but in uru live i had to wait 4 hours for the pellets^^), minkata, pod age, Ahnonay...
In Myst I didn't like the maze in Selentic, because I didn't understand how it worked, I just went everywhere until i found the end.
And in Myst 5 the elevator in lakian.
What I also don't really like is the puzzle with the water in Serenia. But I love Spire and the dream world
And riven is hard, but it's just wonderful...

From fav to least fav:

Riven
Myst
Exile/Revelation
End of Ages
Uru

Hardest: Fire Marble Puzzle in Riven. Not like it wasn't fun.

Stupidest: The "Please Your Spirit" thing in Myst 4. Or maybe "Try moving the slider. Adjust the frequency dial. No, that's the amplitude. Move it the other way. No, try the..."

Craziest: (in a good way) AMETERIA! That was probably the best puzzle in myst history.

Craziest: (in a bad way) The whole of Path of the Shell. Aaak!