The Five Cores
First posted on 10 October 2012. Last updated on 10 October 2012.
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| The rock painting seems to be a warning of some kind. |
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| The writing on the wooden blocks is obviously a clue. |
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| All of the cores must be activated to awaken the sleeping child. |
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| The child's dreams threaten to destroy the world. |
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| The motion of these planets seems to be another clue. |
The Five Cores is the debut adventure game from Neebla Games, a one-man independent game development studio founded by French game developer Matthieu Gouby. Clearly inspired by the Myst series, The Five Cores is set on 5 different islands—each with a unique theme and set of puzzles. Built using the versatile UDK (Unreal Developer's Kit), The Five Cores offers attractive graphics, a decent soundtrack, and plenty of great abstract logic puzzles to keep you entertained for days. I recommend it chiefly to diehard Myst fans, since the lack of characters and story may drive some adventure fans away from giving this game a try.
Much like the Rhem series, there is very little story in The Five Cores. What story exists is presented at the beginning in a brief letter. From the letter, the player learns that a child in a temple is having dreams that threaten to destroy the real world; it is up to the player to activate some magical stones to awaken her. Sadly, no other detail is ever revealed about the player's character or the identity of the sleeping child. This seems like a missed opportunity, since the game's focus on dreaming is ripe for exploration to gain more insights into the child's life.
What The Five Cores lacks in story it makes up for in puzzles, which are nicely self-contained on the different islands. Typically, the player teleports to a satellite island, solves the puzzles to activate the crystal there, and then returns to the main island. The player cannot leave the satellite island until the crystal there is activated, and once successful, cannot return to it. This cordoning of the game world greatly reduces the tedium of excessive travel as well as the difficulty, since the puzzles and all the clues and devices necessary to solve it are usually close together. Indeed, even though the game uses a graphics engine that allows for free roaming, there are plenty of invisible rails that (usually) prevent the player from falling off cliffs or accessing restricted areas—including a particular area with a large treasure chest that is just out of reach! I have, however, managed to fall into pits a few times, which necessitates a restore from an earlier saved game. Impatient players can hold down the shift key while moving, which effectively allows the player's character to move at great speed. Although the player's character can jump and push around objects like barrels, there are no situations that require it.
As with Myst and its many clones, the majority of puzzles in The Five Cores are solved by careful observation and trial-and-error. Most of the clues are difficult to miss. An example is a puzzle that actually has a large red arrow pointing at the clue, which is a series of lines of dots burned into a stump. In a nearby cave, there is a series of buttons with similarly looking dots on them. Putting these clues together, it is obvious on what to do next! Of course, not all of the puzzles are so easy. A favorite puzzle of mine has me gently leading a swarm of fireflies along a path. Another clever puzzle involves a giant pipe organ and large wooden blocks. As is common with this subgenre, there are several puzzles involving large banks of switches, levers, or buttons that must be activated or set in the correct sequence. Any gamer who has played Myst or Rhem will be in familiar territory here.
The graphics are gorgeous and nicely varied, ranging from sunny tropical islands to subterranean caverns. The developer has taken good advantage of the UDK's impressive lighting and shading technologies to portray a lovely and realistic setting, with moving clouds, trees, and water. Unlike the Rhem series, which is set almost entirely in an abandoned industrial place, The Five Cores offers some truly lovely vistas and intriguing environments to explore. The soundtrack helps set the mood but tends to get repetitive after a few hours.
All in all, The Five Cores is a solid adventure game that will please most fans who like Myst or Rhem. While the story is flimsy, the artwork and puzzles are some of the best I have seen in an indie production in a long time.