Nitpicking on Temple Island

The Nits

At the end of the game, Gehn is not 100% out of the way. Consider the following: In Myst: The Book of Atrus, Atrus and Catherine attempt to trap Gehn on Riven and leave via a linking book to Myst. After Catherine links back to Myst, Atrus falls into the star fissure and links to Myst from there. The book eventually ends up on Earth, where it's found (by the person who plays the game Myst). The game Riven ends much the same way, with a Myst (or D'ni, thanks, Tom Brosz) linking book falling into the fissure after Atrus links. Here's the problem: It's safe to assume that this book will end up on Earth too, as will you when you fall in the fissure. But where at on Earth will it end up? Let's say someone else finds it, eventually ends up on Myst, finds the trap book with Gehn (assuming Atrus and Catherine didn't destroy it right away) and enters it. Gehn would once again be free, and there's a linking book to D'ni on Myst. The same problem all over again.

While you're on Riven, Atrus is back on D'ni monitoring the Riven book for changes that he'll interpret as a signal for him to go there. And of course, when you reopen the fissure, he links there. But if you figure out the combination to the cover and break the glass before you go to the Moiety age and get the trap book and Catherine's journal, he doesn't show up, and you fall in the fissure. Horror of horrors, was Atrus daydreaming just then? If so, it's a good thing he does it then (when you didn't accomplish anything useful) and not later after you've caught Gehn!

Must be the extra inertia you cause.

If the maglev isn't at the station outside the temple and you hit the call button, you see it fly down the track and eventually come into view very s-l-o-w-l-y. But if you ride it here from Jungle Island, it moves about three times faster as it comes into the station.

Bridge up.

Bridge down.

Is the bridge from the gate room to the big dome really in the down position? From everywhere in the dome where the door is visible you can see by the shadow the bridge makes whether it's up or down. Everywhere that is, except by the wheel. From there it's perpetually up.

Hi-fi stereo in the cage.

While you're in the cage at the beginning of the game, every sound you hear should only come from in front of you, because the walls will block sounds coming from the sides. But of course you can hear the rebel off to the right use his blowgun and run to the cage. Also, while all this is going on, you can hear the ocean, but when they're done and you can leave the cage, guess what?

Stairs in line with lift.

Or are they?.

This little alignment oversight must be caused by Gehn's bad writing! (Or Cyan's bad drawing? Naaaaah.)

Slider in track:

All gone!

In the left picture you can clearly see the slider in the track. But in the right picture...

The stopper will not work the way it's designed. Personally, I think it should be flipped over, so you push the handle up to engage it.

Telescope shadow on right

Is the telescope up or down? It's always up from these two locations. Side effect from the Star Fissure?

From the cage where you start the game there are only three images for the five positions of the telescope: up, halfway, and down.

Observations

Does the pipe in the cave go straight level out to the telescope? No, it does not. The cave is much higher than the telescope. Remember the long stairway to the gate room? The pipe most likely goes in the rock, down to the level of the telescope, then out.

NITS INDEX

233rd Age

LINKS

Red Orb Entertainment

Brøderbund Home Page

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