So for Labor day I took some time to play through a good chunk of Obduction and actually finished it off last night right before bed. It's been thoroughly enjoyable and really glad that Cyan has had the chance to produce something new in this genre.

The game manages to invoke a number of "a-ha!" moments that are essential to any of this style of game (this is why you should absolutely, positively avoid looking up hints/walkthroughs). My only complaint would be the game wrapping up a little too quickly at the end, leaving me puzzling through the plot.

Difficulty is always a tricky topic when talking about puzzle games - I for one would have appreciated perhaps a hard mode that omitted some of the more glaring hints or sprinkled a few more number puzzles (one point just consists of drawing the same pattern over and over and over again).

That said, 2016 has been a great year for the puzzle genre. Between The Witness and Obduction, I've had the chance to experience some great brain teasers and intriguing stories. Long live the puzzle-adventure genre!

So, I didn't love The Witness. It was beautiful, but the format of the puzzles got repetitive. It also lacked a driving story, which is what I found so compelling about Myst. The world and lore of the D'ni will forever have a place in my heart.

Does Obduction deliver?

+James McGill Aye. One of the really nice things about Obduction was it had a story behind it. The Witness is like a book full of puzzles while Obduction feels like a mystery story.

I'm not sure I found it quite as compelling as the lore behind Myst, and I had to go back and read the story hints afterwards to completely comprehend what's going on. However it does hit a number of the same high notes, so defiantly feel it's a worthy successor.

(Personally my all time favourite game is Riven, but that had some really gnarly puzzles)