Cyan Inc., the studio responsible for the classic games Myst and Riven, has taken to Kickstarter to begin a new project called Obduction, twenty years after the team launched the original Myst on CD-ROM. The game will be a real-time, first-person adventure powered by Epic’s Unreal Engine 4 that draws on what made Myst and Riven so popular, providing a rich, immersive world that players want to explore, discover and solve.
The game begins with the player’s abduction on a crystal clear, moon-lit night. A curious organic artifact drops from the sky, grabs the player, and travels across the “universes” to an unknown destination at an unknown time for an unknown reason. The player discovers a farmhouse – complete with a white picket fence – seated in the middle of an alien landscape. Why is it here? Naturally, to answer these questions, players will be required to explore everything and “read between the lines.”
The Kickstarter project began on October 17 and will end on November 16 with the goal of reaching $1,100,000 USD in funds. Currently, the project has 28 days to go and has already reeled in 5,562 backers pledging $300,000 USD. There are ten levels of pledges, ranging from Morale Supporters donating $1 or more, to Experience Design at Cyan for pledging $10,000 or more. Naturally, the more investors pledge, the more goodies they receive in return.
“Obduction will be built with the same framework that made Cyan’s earlier games such a wonderful experience: stunning landscapes, deep storyline, engaging characters, dramatic soundscapes, and challenging yet intuitive puzzles,” reads the Kickstarter page. “Obduction is an entirely new property, delivered using one of the most powerful game development technologies available today. Obduction is an adventure game for the new millennium that stays true to the concepts that made the genre great.”
To make a pledge, head to the Kickstarter page here. The official Obduction website can be found here.
