Canveus is a Myst-esque, first-person puzzle game built for MystJam where you must solve a series logic puzzles in order to restore color to the drained, lifeless sky.
Canveus is an extremely polished and elegant-looking game. Both the choice of texture and its simplistic color palette complement the game’s themes beautifully. The machinery of the world feels meticulously designed, with cogs whirring and lights faintly glowing. These small details layer upon each other to create a world both mysterious and fantastical. Couple the visual design with the gently humming ambient soundtrack and the soft chiming sound effects and you have a game with a distinctly ethereal presentation.
Much like in the game that inspired it, Canveus doesn’t mess around with its puzzle difficulty. Though it’s possible to solve some puzzles with trial and error, solving some sections will require a basic understanding of mathematics, some degree of pattern recognition, and a great deal of patience. Fortunately, the developer elected to include a small “cheat sheet” in the game’s download to help guide you in the right direction if you find yourself truly stumped. In all, there are seven puzzles for you to pick through, each corresponding to a differently colored floating stone.
There is only one issue with Canveus: the placement of the puzzles. Often times, when working on a puzzle, you will be unable to look at the puzzle and activate the controls simultaneously. This visual restriction adds a needless layer of complexity to what are already reasonably challenging puzzles. The Red Section puzzle is the worst offender in this regard, as you will need to memorize what the board looks like in order to track the movements of the switches. Setting aside this relatively minor complaint, Canveus is a spectacular tribute to Myst and the cerebral, mystical world it popularized. Take a moment today to explore the secrets of Canveus. Just make sure you bring along the quintessential Myst toolkit: a notepad, a pencil, and an inquisitive mind.
Note: The Yellow Section has at least two possible combinations of buttons that SHOULD work provided you did the math correctly, but only one of these combinations WILL work. If you find your solution isn’t working, try the alternate button combination.
Download Canveus Here (Win & Mac)