Uru: Ages Beyond Myst

 PC
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Release Date: Nov 11, 2003
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
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  1. Quandary
    70
    Overall I thought that the answer to most of the conundrums was there to be teased out, with patience and (a lot of) persistence. It isn't easy though, and at times the way forward is indeed a jump, and not an insight.
  2. Adrenaline Vault
    70
    The plot is absorbing, the graphics are wonderful, the sound and music are enthralling, and the puzzles are challenging. However, interface problems, relatively brief gameplay, and the absence of the critical online component are significant deficiencies.
  3. Game Over Online
    60
    If you like the puzzles, then you’ll like the game. If you don’t like (or can’t complete) the puzzles, then you probably won’t. Since I’m guessing most people will fall under the latter category than the former, Uru isn’t a game I’d recommend you purchase.
  5. GMR Magazine
    60
    Even without online play, Uru wins points for style and originality. Diehard "Myst" fans probably already have this, but others may want to wait until February to see if the whole online thing pays off.
  6. G4 TV
    60
    For many, it will simply be the fantastic graphics and sound that seal the deal.
  7. Computer Gaming World
    60
    Unfortunately, the game shipped with its pay-to-play multiplayer unfinished and nonfunctional, so the only groundbreaking you'll do until that's fully completed is the kind that results from plummeting off cliffs.
  8. Yahoo!
    50
    An old-school "Myst" adventure tarted up in new clothes. For all the superficial changes to gameplay, anyone who completed the original game ten years ago will encounter a lot of deja vu here.
  9. Adventure Gamers
    50
    Generally overpriced for the offline game, especially considering there's no actual game in the online "game."

Awards & Rankings

59
#59 Best PC Game of 2003
76
#76 Most Discussed PC Game of 2003
35
#35 Most Shared PC Game of 2003

User Reviews

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User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 35 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 35
  3. Negative: 8 out of 35
  1. AuldWolf
    Oct 6, 2013
    10
    A decade ahead of its time.

    If this were to be released today as an indie title, as an online game (and you can play it online for free at    A decade ahead of its time.

    If this were to be released today as an indie title, as an online game (and you can play it online for free at mystonline.com), then it would be lavished with praise by all the critics. The reason for that is that we've had a decade to experiment and evolve game mechanics, we understand better what a co-op online experience is now, and we're more open to experiences, we're ready now for games that don't want to force us to be sociopathic murderers all the time.

    I was always ready for this, and it was fun watching the world slowly catch up. The experience it presents is beloved by all of the people I've introduced it to, including this year 2013. It continues to stand up as a technological marvel, something that people just couldn't wrap their minds around back then as it was one new concept after another. From the multiplayer puzzle ages, to the multiplayer exploration, the KI interface, and everything else. Even the esoteric and eccentric story, which people would also be more open to now than back then. Back then, it was all about the shooters, the platformers, the set genres. Easy to understand stuff. It was the beginning of the commercialisation of gaming.

    If it had been released ten years prior, in the era of the home computer, when everything was indie and experimental, it probably would have done okay then, too. This is how it is, it's a cycle, and people have to be in the proper part of that cycle to appreciate something like this. This is the kind of game you can form a deep bond with. I return to this game every year in order to visit an old friend, an alien creature named Shroomie. It feels really weird to have such an attachment to a 3D model, but this is what the Myst Universe does to you, and Uru more than any other.

    This is life-changing and life-affirming if you let it be. It feels good, and it feels even better if you have a friend you can bring along with you for the journey. And it's always about the journey, isn't it? This is about the journey through a bizarre, alien series of worlds. Journeys present obstacles, challenges, and puzzles. That's all part of the journey. And if you're excited by any of this, then this is a game you'll love. This isn't for the shooty-shooty people, this is for the intellectual romantics, this is for the old souls.

    If you give this game a chance, you could end up like me revisiting it every year just to remember the ghosts of the past. And Cyan still breathes they're starting a Kickstarter for something, soon, so that might be interesting. At some point in the future, reading this, you might know what all that's about, but right now, I don't. I only know that the journey through Uru might be worth your time, if you're ready for it.    … Full Review »
  2. EthanB.
    Nov 29, 2003
    10
    Absolutely incredible.
  3. MiKE
    Jan 29, 2005
    4
    I didn't like this game, the whole idea of seeing yourself, turned me right off. This game doesn't feel like the myst series. I didn't like this game, the whole idea of seeing yourself, turned me right off. This game doesn't feel like the myst series. Disappointment.… Full Review »
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