Obduction, the spiritual successor to Myst, is coming in July, not quite three years after Cyan raised more than $1.3 million in funding on Kickstarter. Eagre Games, founded and headed by Myst artist Chuck Carter, isn't aiming for nearly that kind of budget for Zed, which debuted on Kickstarter last week, but it still promises a game “with deep roots in the Myst adventure-puzzle genre.”
Zed, which is being written by BioShock Infinite writer Joe Fielder, has its own distinct visual style, but appears set to serve up a very Myst-like experience: Players must explore a bizarre world and solve strange puzzles as they help “an aging and dying dreamer leave behind a lasting legacy for his granddaughter.”
“The dreamer is confused by your presence. He can help or hinder your progress by putting challenging obstacles in your path—he needs your help but at times doesn’t understand why you are there,” the Kickstarter pitch states. “As you learn his story, the truth about his past and his final masterpiece is revealed in the dreams you explore; a personal creation of one man’s disintegrating mind. Help the dreamer fulfill his final task and unleash Zed to the world.”
Eagre acknowledged that the Kickstarter goal of $48,000 is a tiny amount for a game budget, but said that “being a small Central Maine studio allows us to keep studio costs low and ensures that all money we receive from this campaign will be spent wisely.” The team has already spent a year working on the game at its own expense “during the quiet hours of the night,” and said the Kickstarter is meant to cover “the most basic costs of future production.”
A “vertical slice” preview of Zed is available from the Kickstarter page and while it's very brief (and the puzzles utterly perfunctory), it does very nicely demonstrate the game's visual style. Start your kicks at your own risk, as always, but Zed, like Obduction, is definitely one that I'd like to see succeed. The campaign runs until July 1 and has so far raised about $21,000 of its goal.
The PC Gaming Show returns to E3 on Monday June 13, featuring game announcements, updates to existing favourites, and conversation with top developers. You can find out what to expect here, and also book free tickets to attend in person at pcgamingshow.com. The PC Gaming Show will be broadcast live through twitch.tv/pcgamer from 11:30 am PT/2:30 pm ET/6:30 pm GMT, but be sure to tune in beforehand to check out The Steam Speedrun, in which one lucky winner will buy as many games as they can in three minutes.
