It’s been a long, long time coming, but remakes of two all-time classic puzzle adventure games hit PS5 and PS VR2 this week. Cyan Worlds released this version of Myst on Meta Quest headsets in 2020; PC, Mac and Xbox in 2021; and iOS in 2022. PlayStation had been an outlier until now. It’s available for Sony’s console and VR headset (usually $35, 20 percent of for PlayStation Plus members until May 26)
The remake of the sequel, Riven, debuted on PS5, PS VR2, Xbox Series X/S and the Microsoft Store on PC as well (also $35, but with a limited-time discount). The PS5 Pro versions of both games have “better view distance, foliage, textures, post-processing and shading,” per the PlayStation Blog.
I’ve never played Myst, but Riven was one of the first games I had on PC as a kid. I remember it looking very pretty back then, unlike any game I’d seen before.
Alas, I never made much progress. If I recall correctly, I couldn’t figure out what some of the various handles and levers I found in the opening section actually did and I quickly gave up. Perhaps I’d have more success in Riven (and Myst) now, even if puzzle games aren’t necessarily my forte.
Speaking of being an idiot as a child, I spent a lot of time playing Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind when I was young. I really liked it at the time, but in hindsight that game is not good. I mention this because Bubsy 4D — the first Bubsy game since 2019 and the first one in 3D in 30 years — dropped this week.
The quippy bobcat is back thanks to Fabraz (Demon Tides) and publisher Atari. In this platformer, Bubsy sets out on a mission to recover a Golden Fleece from the technologically enhanced sheep that stole it — I’m not going to try to explain the lore beyond that.
Bubsy has some new tools at his disposal, like being able to roll into a ball form and move faster. That should help players who want to finish levels as quickly as possible as claw their way up the online leaderboards.
There’ll be a nostalgia factor for a lot of players here. Honestly, it’s strangely comforting to me that Bubsy sounds as annoying as ever.
Bubsy 4D is out now on PC (Steam, GOG and Epic Games Store), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. It’ll typically run you $20, though there’s a 10 percent launch discount on GOG.
Thick as Thieves is a game that we’ve had our eye on for a while, and it’s had an interesting journey toward hitting Steam this week ($5). This was originally planned as a multiplayer heist game from a team that includes two stalwarts of the immersive sim and stealth genres in Thief and System Shock 2 veteran Paul Neurath and Deus Ex creator Warren Spector. The idea was that players would battle each other to steal valuable items in a 1910s setting that featured magic and nascent technology.
However, during development, OtherSide Entertainment pivoted after realizing that the solo and two-player co-op mode was more fun than the original vision of competitive heists. The developers said they may add a PvPvE mode down the line.
To begin with, Thick as Thieves features two thieves, two maps (which can be altered by adjusting the difficulty settings), 16 contracts and half-a-dozen pieces of gear. At the outset, the campaign is said to last for around four hours.
Amanita Design’s latest game is Phonopolis, which looks utterly gorgeous in this trailer. It’s a puzzle adventure set in a 3D world made from hand-painted cardboard. The developers animated it at 12fps to mimic the style of stop-motion films.
Here, the residents of the dystopian city of Phonopolis are bossed around by a leader who issues commands via loudspeakers. But one young resident is immune to these orders and starts to fight back against The Man. As Felix, you can rebel by manipulating the loudspeakers to solve puzzles with the help of other characters. You’ll be shifting the environment around as well.
Phonopolis is hitting all the right notes for me and I’m eager to check it out. It’s available on Steam, GOG and Epic Games Store. It’ll usually run you $25, but there’s a 10 percent discount until June 3.