Catyph: The Kunci Experiment

[h1]tl;dr[/h1] Like Myst, but without any world to explore. 5/10 [h1]Ps & Cs[/h1] + Competent graphics + Voice acting has much improved over ASA + Streams beautifully - Very little exploration - TERRIBLE video communications followed by encyclopedia dump - Puzzles do not at all feel natural to the world - Bizarre mini-game for blue things that don't appear to do much [h1]Nitty Gritty[/h1] This wasn't the game for me. You're dropped into a world with nearly no branching paths and asked to solve puzzles that don't at all feel natural to the environment. You get some box that I don't understand, which I guess is part of your suit's augmented power? You also find these little blue orbs that don't appear to do anything. But you can play a terrible little game-and-watch game if you want more blue things. The little animated transitions between scenes were nice and a good improvement. However, 5 minutes in, you're given a video communication from a 1980's Saturday morning cartoon Arm...

So, I haven't finished playing the game yet, but, I'll still make a review. The game has its pros and cons but the ingenuity of the puzzles makes up for what it's lacking. The graphics are correct, the foreground/helmet effects look cool. The voice acting is really good. Story is interesting with a lot of background and depth. I would say, if you love Myst, you'll love this game. Another good thing is the lack of a walkthrough, making me try harder than usual and far more rewarding :)

[i]This game wasn't for me, but it might be for you, so be sure to check out what I liked about it. The game has a demo, so try it. It's better than just reading reviews.[/i] [b]Summary[/b] Reviewers have compared this game to Myst, which can be misleading. This is not a modern game that is [i]reminiscent[/i] of Myst. It is adventure game that would fit literally into in the 90's - complete with 90's technology, UI design and philosophy, and technological limitations of the era. [b]What I Liked[/b] All games follow tropes, because they'd be incomprehensible otherwise. But Catyph uses a few fascinating themes that I like - an eerie, uncanny world with a secret to discover, and an environment to match the mood. The style is classic deep sci-fi, and it's not surprising that it's compared to Myst for these reasons. It reminds me of Arthur C. Clarke's works. Catyph is remarkably fresh in this way - the way only small developers seem to be these days. That should be commended. [b]What I ...

I really enjoyed this classic point-and-click game. Although it's a sequel, I don't think you need to have played ASA before this, although it certainly wouldn't hurt. The storyline is very good, with a great deal of well-conceived background, and the game's flow fits the story well. The puzzles fit nicely into the overall story; the majority are challenging, with some really tricky ones, which makes solving them particularly satisfying (although I did have to get help on occasions!). In-game help is available in easy mode and a walkthrough is now available, so there's the option of that for people who want to play in the harder modes. The artwork is great and there are some very lovely mini movies, especially at the start and end of the game. As others have said, overall it's very Myst-like, but to me that's a real compliment. The game ran well; I had no problems with any of the features. Save worked fine and the game autosaves regularly. I did hit a problem when I missed something i...

The graphics are dated, but I could forgive that. The English is rough, at best, but I could forgive that. The game uses a very long intro vid to "tell the player" in an attempt to throw the player into the start of the game fully-informed (and then expect them to fully appreciate the details), rather than "show the player" to throw the player into the start of the game and leave them puzzled. Odd, but again, I could forgive that. What I can't forgive are the puzzles... they just weren't fun for me. [spoiler]The 1st one requires the player to assume that this (very deteriorated) landscape has been left in a state to suggest the entry code, rather than assume the place has fallen apart and is different from how the builders made it. The 2nd one requires the player to use pattern recognition from low-res graphics you can't zoom in on. The 3rd requires players to hunt for "spark plugs", and places one along the side of one of several very unremarkable corridors.[/spoiler] TL;DR: ...

I enjoyed this game, but I must admit I had to use the help now and again,'normal mode'.The logic circuits in my brain seem to be working fine but my observational skills are nil. You need both to get through this game without any help. This is a good game and has kept me interested and determined to finish it, which I have done! The different area's you visit are visually good and have to be investigated. I am looking forward to the next installment.

This is a truly remarkable game with all the elements of a first class adventure. Beautiful and diverse scenery, pleasing musical score, complex story, and very challenging puzzles. This is a stand alone game. If you have played other Black Cube games by Simon Mesnard, you will have the added bonus of returning to familiar themes, objects, and characters. The backstory is told through logs and video ransmissions. There is an incredible amount of creative detail woven into the story of the Black Cube universe, the adventures of Philip Forte, and the ARK. There are languages to decipher, numbering systems, machinery, energy sources, and teleportation... all laid out for you to explore at your own pace. The game is built around a 'hub' from which you travel to 5 satellite moons, each with a unique environment and artistic style. The 2018 "Light" version of Catyph has improved point and click navigation and some additional hints for the more complex puzzles. This was the version I playe...

An amazing puzzle game with a complex storyline! But first of all, Catyph is not a game for everyone. As a sequel to ASA: a space adventure, it is a classic Myst-like or Rhem-like in terms of gameplay, but it is way much more difficult. Clues are not directly apparent and require some very good observation skills and intuition (you need to figure out if something you see is a clue or simply just part of the surrounding world). Puzzles are very diverse as in the previous opus ASA, but are more difficult. Curiosity and perseverance are a requirement. But even then, it will still be sometimes necessary to take a look into the walkthrough... I quite enjoyed the wide diversity offered by the exploration in the game. While exploring 6 beautiful worlds in completely different environments, you will be able to use different modes of teleportation, experience time travel, pilot a submarine robot while dodging some prehistoric creature, explore the inside of some beautiful painting… I real...

Catyph is the second game in the Black Cube series (it is a sequel to ASA), which can be described as a sci-fi puzzle adventure. You are an astronaut, sent to one of the moons of Catyph (a large gas giant that resembles Saturn) where you discover a mysterious black cube. Entering the cube transports you to one of the other moons, Tytaah, where most of the story takes place. You travel to different regions of Tytaah in order to unlock the mysteries of the cube, while Terra (your home planet) is under the threat of a strange spacecraft. There are two editions of the game, “Original” and “Light”, and you get to select which version you want to play at the beginning of the game. After experimenting a little bit, I opted for the original version, which features transition cutscenes between scenes. Light edition is supposed to improve the design of some puzzles, I wasn’t able to test that. Positive - I was pleasantly surprised by both the amount and quality of the puzzles in...

I love a good 90's style point-and-click, but this one was tedious. While some of the puzzles were reasonably fun, most seemed to require a degree in math or linguistics. It would take hours to solve each puzzle (one, for example, involved a lengthy translation from an alien language). The voice-acting was terrible, and the graphics were very very old-school. The "point and click" style made getting around a chore, and it was very easy to miss rooms/areas because of the awkward movement dynamics and the way a lot of areas looked identical. The story didn't make much sense (too convoluted, too many things going on), and the characters presented were caricatures--it was hard to care about what was happening on "Terra" and the "bad guy" was so bad he could have been The Master in a 60's episode of Doctor Who (see: mustache-twirling, maniacal laugh). With most Myst-style games, the puzzles are so cool and interesting you genuinely want to solve them on your own. There is always some kind...