There are a few other stinkers, but that one’s the worst. (Yes, it’s as boring as it sounds.) And you do it three times here.

One puzzle is just a retread of the Knights of the Old Republic puzzle where you do a bunch of column math to blow up injector pods on Manaan. Some of its puzzles fall into the typical adventure game trap-very obvious solution buried under a cumbersome series of steps. Everyday objects, but all of it residing in a world so unique and unusual. It has the same sense of weary isolation, the same unexpected warmth to its grimy copper gizmos, and that feeling of “Normal” and “Alien” bashed together in one place. Those huts may represent the most obvious parallel, but the game reeks of Cyan’s mid-’90s output.

And it’s incredibly reminiscent of the bleached-white adobe buildings that dotted Riven’s Jungle Island: It’s your main hub and where you’ll spend a good portion of Quern. It’s as close to a Myst game as I’ve ever seen from another developer. His journal entries lead you from area to area, sometimes giving context, sometimes giving clues, and all apparently part of some plan. The island’s previous occupant has left behind directives, notes on the peculiar properties Quern possesses, the secrets he’s uncovered and what he’s done with said knowledge. Metacritic gave it a positive score of 83/100.Along the way you’ll delve into the origins of the titular island, Quern. PCWorld gave the game 4 out of 5 stars, saying it was similar to Myst of old with excellent gameplay. There are dozens of puzzles to solve opening approximately fifty locked doors all are needed to find a way off the island. The plot involves a character arriving on the mysterious island of Quern with no memory of the past, passing through a gateway which thereafter self-destructs.

The game was developed by four Hungarian graduate students, one of whom lives in the United Kingdom. Quern was released for Xbox One on April 24, 2020.

Quern – Undying Thoughts is an adventure video game by Zadbox Entertainment.

Quern steam download