How I spend my Saturday nights...

I tell myself I’m not going back. That it’s time to move on and explore other worlds, learn other stories.

It’s no good.

I go back again and again and again. Sucked right back into the paths I’ve traveled so many times I could walk them in my sleep. From the desert landing and into the Cleft with a short stop to listen to Zandi’s advice.

You think I’m talking about a book, don’t you? I might as well be. The storytelling is so tight, the worlds so beautifully depicted that I feel as if I’ve stepped into a book each time I visit. A book where I get to write some of the story. Or at least be a part of it.

No, I’m talking about Uru. The lost civilization of the D’ni. Rand and Arthur Miller started it off back when computers were young. Myst, the first in the series, was re-released as RealMyst when graphics got better as technology improved. Riven came next, then Exile, Revelations and End of Ages. But people clamored for more and Uru was conceived. A place for explorers to gather, in D’ni, and solve puzzles together, talk, write more chapters of the D’ni universe. The Path of the Shell was the original expansion pack for Uru, although the plug was pulled far too early and the two pieces never got put together quite the way they were envisioned (although now, if you play Uru: The Complete Chronicles, you have both the trip to D’ni and PotS in one).

Now, however, Uru lives again. A live game with real people to talk to and explore with. Except I’ve solved all the puzzles (many times over). There are no surprises and very little that I haven’t done.

And yet, I go back to visit every so often as if its a favorite vacation spot. I walk around, relive the adventure and see the gorgeous settings...just because they’re beautiful. Its just so relaxing, even walking over the humongous drop off in Kadish or listening to Yeesha in the Bahro cave. The Gallery in D’ni, however, is my favorite spot. The music is haunting and I could listen to it for hours on end.

Which is, in fact, what makes me think it’s time to visit again. As I write this, I’m listening to the soundtrack by Tim Larkin and as the music plays, I can see all the scenes in my head and I want to see them again with my eyes.

Yep. It’s time for another visit to D’ni. Anyone care to join me in-world?

Diana

NOTE: Several of the games are also available as apps for your Iphone and Android mobile devices. Personally, I not only have all of them on DVD (or CD for some of the older ones), but I also bought the bundle on Steam and play them there. Uru Online, however, has it’s own site.

SECOND NOTE: If you choose to enter these worlds, do so with a pencil and paper beside you. The puzzles require pieces of information to be put together – and those pieces are not always near each other. Taking notes and puzzling them out is half the fun!