Firmament

 PC
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. PC Gamer
    May 18, 2023
    73
    A graphically gorgeous descendant of Myst, paradoxically limited by its own ambitions.
  2. Gamer.no
    Jun 25, 2023
    70
    Beautiful and streamlined puzzle, but the story drags.
  3. PCMag
    Jun 12, 2023
    70
    Atmospheric and lushly imagined, Firmament is a joy to explore. Its unique mechanics offer a dynamic puzzle-solving experience, but the game could use more lore.
  5. GameGrin
    Jun 6, 2023
    70
    An intriguing exploratory puzzler that nails the aesthetic and the unnerving feeling of being alone. Some technical issues mar an otherwise great experience with a quirky, interesting story.
  6. Road to VR
    May 30, 2023
    65
    Firmament offers up another substantial slice of patently difficult puzzling that fits right in line with Cyan Worlds' other hit titles, although its VR implementation feels like an afterthought. It's undeniably a good and beautiful game, but less so across the board when played in VR.
  7. Edge Magazine
    Jun 15, 2023
    60
    As much as Firmament highlights the skills and importance of industrial labourers, then, it also brings with it some of the tedium of the real work - which surely wasn't part of the blueprint. [Issue#386, p.118]
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  8. Meristation
    May 29, 2023
    60
    The new game from the creators of Myst is a first-person puzzle adventure similar to previous titles from the developer, but its proposal is too old-school to connect with players accustomed to modern titles. Recommended for those looking for a challenge like games offered in the 90´s in a video game that does not take the player by the hand and offers a gorgeous world to explore.
  9. Checkpoint Gaming
    Jun 9, 2023
    55
    Firmament is an immersive experience that facilitates a beautiful, albeit lonely world to explore. This is brought down by lacklustre storytelling and bland narration. With little to show outside of admittedly great audio and sound design, Firmament fails to hold its own amongst great puzzle games. The beautifully quiet and immersive atmosphere of a world abandoned will keep players immersed, unsettled and intrigued. Unfortunately, its tedious gameplay and puzzle-solving present a tired and uninspired experience that will have you looking towards Cyan World’s more notable titles.
  10. New Game Network
    May 30, 2023
    52
    Firmament’s deficient storytelling, bland and sparse worlds, clumsy primary tool, and occasionally broken puzzles mean it is not worth playing, even if you are a fan of Cyan’s previous adventures.
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  1. UploadVR
    Jun 6, 2023
    If you're seeking a new VR puzzle adventure, Firmament can certainly fit the bill and long-term Cyan fans will likely find plenty to enjoy here. I wanted to like it more but with all above caveats, I can't outright recommend it.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. dr_zoidberg590
    May 31, 2023
    6
    Too much 'friction' (hard puzzles) too early on, the flying adjunct in the demo that everyone was funding in kickstarter did not make theToo much 'friction' (hard puzzles) too early on, the flying adjunct in the demo that everyone was funding in kickstarter did not make the final game. There was not enough reward for solving extremely hard puzzles, you just walk intstantly into another hard puzzle. This might be fine if the worlds were astonishingly beautiful, but they are not. In comparison to the Myst series and even obduction, the worlds are bland. Expect to be looking at barren colourless craggy grey rocks for many hours both in Curievale and Juleston. Story poorly told with almost no interactable items besides adjunct sockets, you get so used to there being nothing but sockets to interact with, that when a interactable document finally appears, you are likely to miss it. The inane honking announcements are experience-destroyingly annoying. 'Engaging the embrace' in each realm is the largest anti-climax I've encountered in a game. This is doubly sad when we know what cyan is capable of or has been in the past. Sound score is barely there, minimal and bland - poor compared to the Myst sountracks which are some of the greatest videogame music ever made. This review comes from a lifelong supporter of Cyan, the Myst franchise, and a kickstarter backer of both Obduction and Firmament.… Full Review »
  2. Night_Thastus
    May 23, 2023
    7
    Firmament is a sometimes stunningly beautiful and overall good, if somewhat short and easy puzzle game.

    I was consistently impressed with    Firmament is a sometimes stunningly beautiful and overall good, if somewhat short and easy puzzle game.

    I was consistently impressed with how it looked, and kept thinking back on how individual stills of it look *just* like something I would have expected from Myst or Riven. The art style is remarkably consistent with their previous work. If nothing else - Firmament is very easy on the eyes.

    The sound design and music are similarly great. They don't take center stage for the most part, but they fit in very well thematically. The main tool used by the player is also very satisfying to control and snaps into place just right.

    To contrast, I think that the ease of the puzzles is by far its largest weak point. Players of Firmament are likely experienced puzzle game enjoyers, many skewing older from the days of the original Myst. None of the puzzles really required breaking out a pen and paper, or approaching from multiple angles, making deductions based on hints in the environment, going back and try again while working on another puzzle, considering the problem again and again, maybe sleeping on it a day or two. Those things make the "Ah-hah!" moment so very satisfying, and it's just not here in Firmament for the most part. Almost everything is straightforward and many are more or less just brute force.

    That low difficulty also compounds to make this a very short game - about 7-8 hours for most. A bit of a shame for the price tag.

    There are some complaints about the technical state, but for *most* players these are minor and they will be resolved in the coming weeks, so I think it's not particularly worth dwelling on.

    There are other nagging smaller issues - like a couple times where a third-person camera was really required and the forced first-person-only hurt it, as well as awkward controls. And sometimes the game doesn't communicate great with the player. But those are relatively minor in the grand scheme.

    I truly love Cyan games, and I want to see more. I just hope that if they make another, it offers a bit more meat on these absolutely gorgeous bones.    … Full Review »
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