Video Game / Myst IV: Revelation

aka: Myst IV

Myst IV: Revelation is the fifth game in the Myst series. This game was developed and released by Ubisoft in 2004. It was so big and pretty that the game had to be put on a DVD-ROM instead of a CD-ROM, an uncommon occurence in 2004. Rand Miller once again reprises his role as Atrus.

This game retcons the end of Myst. It ends up Sirrus and Achenar were not trapped in Prison books that Atrus destroyed, killing them, but are stuck in actual Ages and Atrus only destroyed their Linking books. Twenty years later, Atrus has made new Linking books to their Ages and invited the Stranger to act as their one person parole board.

Before the Stranger can see if they've repented, a explosion knocks the Stranger out, and Atrus' and Catherine's daughter Yeesha disappears in the chaos. The Stranger wakes up and goes into Sirrus and Achener's Prison Ages of Haven and Spire to locate Yeesha.

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Myst IV: Revelation contains the following tropes:

• All There in the Manual: The biggest retcon in Revelations is fully explained two games prior, at the start of Riven. Atrus gives you a notebook explaining everything.
• All There in the Script: Some of the Protectors' names are only revealed in the credits:
  • Yannin, the one who discovers the broken harvester.
  • Caradell, the one who is suspicious of the Stranger.
  • Moiri and Raeane, the twin sisters.
• And I Must Scream: Though it's better than what was implied with their experiences in Trap Books in the original game, Sirrus and Achenar were nevertheless completely alone and isolated for nearly 20 years in their Prison Ages, the former not even having wildlife for company. Given their actions, it's ultimately fair enough, and the karma is made equivalent in that they'd done exactly the same thing to Saavedro For the Evulz.
• The Artifact: The Cyan Worlds logo plays during the opening even though the company had no involvement in the making of this game.
• Artifact Title: Around the beginning, in one of bedrooms (the one with the lamp puzzle) there is a painting above the fireplace of Atrus, Catherine, and Sirrus and Achenar as kids hanging out by the tiny pool on Myst Island you can also see the clocktower in the background. Otherwise Myst is not mentioned.
• Bamboo Technology: Achenar apparently built a rail-based chair in Haven using this that leads all the way back to the Linking Chamber at the start.
• Big Electric Switch: Sirrus' Spider Throne has one used as a circuit breaker, which trips open if there's too much power going to the throne.
• Bittersweet Ending: Yeesha is safe, but Achenar dies in a Redemption Equals Death moment.
• But Thou Must!: Averted. At the beginning Yeesha insists you take a picture (but doesn't tell you how) if you take too long trying to figure it out, or simply don't want to. She'll eventually say "Don't want to? That's fine".
• Call-Back: Three of the Ages in the original Myst have separate rooms that Sirrus and Achenar have inhabited at some point, where their pages are. Not so in the Selenitic Age. Sirrus' page is in the middle of crystalline spires, while Achenar's is in the little spot of vegetation left - a haven. Then comes Myst IV. Three guesses what their prison ages are named, and why.
  • There are three in the first puzzle.
    • The puzzle involves Crystal Viewer Version 2.0.
    • When the sound system blows out causing a partial power failure, Atrus heads off to Rime to get some spare parts.^note These first two actually break if the only version of Myst you played was the 2021 VR-supported remake, since that version doesn't contain Rime or the crystal viewer.
    • The Descriptive Book for Rime is stated to be located in the Cleft.
• Cast as a Mask: Inverted and has some gender bending thrown in with Sirrus.
• Chess Motifs: Yes Sirrus, Atrus made a Légal move.
• Chronoscope: The necklace.
• Continuity Nod: Both Sirrus and Achenar appear to react with recognition upon meeting The Stranger, which checks with events in the first game, even if the canonicity of their communication through the books is up for debate.
  • Saavedro's actions haven't been forgotten; the study in Tomahna still bears the burnt tapestries his fire caused (and you can even relive the moment through Yeesha's necklace for a full flashback). Achenar also recalls his interactions with his people most frequently in his journals.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: Achenar dies in Yeesha's arms.
• Disney Acid Sequence: Memory, both times. The entire thing consists of abstract imagery and bizarre spiritual banter.
• Dull Surprise: Yannin reacts to the broken harvester by saying, "This is so not good".^note It doesn't help that her performance is generally considered to be the weakest in the entire series.
• Eldritch Location: The Dream Land location in Serenia where you need a spirit guide to keep you safe from venturing off into oblivion. There's no exploration possible here, rather it serves as the backdrop for solving two non-consecutive puzzles.
• Follow the Plotted Line: Most encounters in Serenia are triggered by unrelated actions, allowing you to stumble around wondering whether you're supposed to solve a puzzle or receive more exposition. Anya will greet you as soon as you enter the temple complex, but Yannin will only appear beside the damaged Harvester after you enter the memory chamber, and after that Caradell will appear by the dock after you remove the winged snake from the water wheel. Only after Caradell sends you to the Hall of Spirits will the other three protectors receive you there. That makes it possible (though unlikely, by accident) to get to the ending early (see Off the Rails).
• Gadgeteer Genius: Sirrus engineered some fantastic machines on Spire.
• Hub World: Atrus' estate in Mexico^*: which gained independence from Spain between the events of Exile and Revelation, dubbed "Tomahna".
• It's a Wonderful Failure: Pull the wrong lever, or wait too long at that point.
• Jungle Japes: Haven, although a bit more realistic than most portrayals since there are no vines to swing from.
• Killed Off for Real: Sirrus and Achenar. Sirrus' body is an Easter Egg you can find if you look at the metal tube once you enter his hideout. You see Sirrus sleeping in the tube. Even then, Sirrus isn't dead — only his mind is, as solving the memory lock he holds on Yeesha essentially destroys his soul, rendering Sirrus a vegetable forever.
• Lampshade Hanging: One of the Protectors (named in the credits as Caradell) asks why everything falls apart whenever the Stranger is around.
• Lock and Key Puzzle: There are 46,656 possible codes to unlock the door beneath the old Memory Chamber. This code is randomized.
• Locking MacGyver in the Store Cupboard: Or rather, Evil!MacGyver unwittingly locked himself in the store cupboard called Spire.

• Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: The strategy guide suggests that the Dreamworld may be the product of hallucinations caused by the gases inside the Memory Chamber (though this does not explain the appearance of the Spirit Guide elsewhere in Serenia).
• Mind-Reformat Death: Sirrus, after snapping in Spire, takes over where the two brothers left off 20 years ago during the events of Myst. Their original plan was retconned into using a primitive computer-like machine ^note which begs the question of Fridge Logic on how this is supposed to work in the 1800s. to draw out Atrus' mind and his knowledge of the Art, to subjugate countless undiscovered Ages. Sirrus seems to die this way when he kidnaps Yeesha, attempts to swap minds with her using one of Serenia's containment globes, and becomes entangled in a battle-of-minds with the player, who, in-tandem with the device and the dream world, severs the metaphysical anchors protecting his essence from being obliterated by the Serenian dream world's chaos and entropy. When done so, Sirrus' own essence flies off into the void and is immediately crushed into oblivion.
• Nostalgia Level: Atrus' study and courtyard on Tomahna, taken directly from Exile. It's only accessible after you leave Serenia once. Also, one of the memories in the courtyard is of Katran dandling baby Yeesha and one in the study is Saavedro torching the library and heisting the Descriptive Book for Releeshahn.
• Off the Rails: It is possible to bypass the first dream sequence on Serenia completely. The minimal game only requires solving Spire (to get the random color code), solving the irrigation puzzle (to get into the old memory chamber) and then entering the final encounter there. The encounter will play out as if you had gone through the dream sequence. This requires explicit knowledge from outside of the game or from a previous playthrough. The purpose of the dream sequence is to tell you vital information about solving the lock puzzle. Information that is not randomized.
• Oh, Crap!: North of the lake, Mangress react this way to us because Achenar subsisted on them for a while.
• Practically Different Generations: Since they've been imprisoned for longer than her entire life, Sirrus and Achenar are surprised to learn that they have a sister. Sirrus resents her and sees her as a total stranger intruding into his life, though he hides it well.
• Redemption Equals Death: Myst IV: Revelation almost beats you over the head with this trope. The effectiveness of the message is tempered by how well you remember the events of Myst and Exile.
• Retcon: The transformation of 'Trap Books' into 'Prison Ages'. This was not a retcon created for this game however. Richard A. Watson stated in 1998 that trap books, as shown in Myst and Riven, don't exist; the brothers were always trapped in prison Ages (as shown in Myst IV). The trap books were simply a simplification made by Cyan for gameplay purposes.
  • Although, this retcon can be justified and/or subverted if you care to read the notebook Atrus gives you explaining your mission in Riven. Trap books are created by editing a few lines in a linking book to "break" the link, anyone who tries to use the Book is stuck between worlds. If the trap is undone by a skilled writer, the trapped victim is released to where the Book linked too.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: Achenar's first journal in Haven is littered with swear words, which is probably the main reason the game was given a "T" rating.
• Take a Third Option: Averted. For once in the series, the endgame presents a clear choice between two actions, and clear motives for both actions. Failing to act has the same consequences as performing the wrong action, and there is no third choice of actions.
• Trailers Always Lie: The trailers, box art, and even the official website completely omit Spire.
• Underground Level: Spire, for the most part. Until you see what is either the sun or an electrified planet surface under the clouds. Also becomes a...
• Wham Shot: When the player finally sees it and realizes what has happened.
• Wham Line: Several, in fact.
  • In Haven:
    • In a memory playback:
    Achenar: [crying] PLEAAASE!!!! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! It's too late... It's too late...!! They're^note All of the inhabitants of the ages he killed in cold blood in the past all dead! All of them!!!
    • In a second journal in the swamp:
    Achenar:: Oh my god... It can't be. It CAN'T!... ...Looked up and saw all of [the mangrees] looking at me. Pointing at the ball, and making that sound... ...[A] Sequence of drawn-out highs and lows... ...This cry I've never heard before... ...Like they were calling a name. MY name! THEY'VE GIVEN ME A NAME! What am I supposed do with this, Father?!! What am I supposed do?
  • In Serenia:
    • If the player chooses the correct lever to pull:

      Sirrus in Yeesha's body: NO! YOU FOOL! MY PERFORMANCE WAS PERFECT!

      Achenar: Thank you!

• Video Phone: The Crystal Viewer in Tomahna acts as one when you use it to contact Atrus in Rime.