Odyssey: The Invention of Science Review
I recently completed a game called Odyssey: The Invention of Science. Being a fan of the Myst games, I really enjoyed Odyssey. If you’ve every played Myst then you’re familiar with the open world adventure game filled with puzzles.
Odyssey definitely has the same feel and gameplay as Myst. You find yourself exploring an empty island while finding clues and solving puzzles. Although, the ending is a bit of a let down. It’s still a fun game overall.
We have another gaming PC for more intense games but I tested this game on my PC. My older GeForce 730 GT handled this game fine. It took me a few sessions, but added up amounted to 3.5 hours to finish.
Graphical Puzzle Type Adventure Games
These type of games aren’t for everyone since there isn’t really any action. There isn’t a timer or enemies at the gate. The only pressure comes from the idea the pirates could return at any moment. Spoiler, you don’t actually see any pirates. Or people for that matter.
Which is fine. It feels a little odd at first but you get used to it quickly. It probably helps knowing this before you start the game. Games like Nancy Drew have you interacting with a lot of characters in addition to solving puzzles throughout the game.
The only life you see on Odyssey is some butterflies or far off birds. But you’re playing these games to solve puzzles, not to shoot things. And Odyssey has plenty of puzzles to solve.
There are clues to how each puzzle works and the solution in the form of journal pages close to each puzzle. The puzzles themselves aren’t terribly complicated. I found some take a lot of time while others are relatively straightforward.
In addition to puzzles there are a few hidden items. Crates and hidden paths are rare, but easy to spot. Overall, the game is very linear. Meaning there aren’t multiple layers or composite solutions to progress through the game.
Some may see this as not challenging enough. But others may appreciate not having to piece together multiple layered clues in order to complete the game.
Odyssey is geared toward providing 3 or 4 hours of fun. I played Myst before the internet was a thing. Spending several hours on one puzzle was common. For example, figuring out where those marbles went was not easy.
I can say there were several puzzles is Odyssey that took some time to figure out. Such as positioning the Earth or Sun in a few puzzles. But overall, most were enjoyable puzzles.
Pros and Cons
The good parts of the game were the graphics, puzzles, and linear flow. The water, trees, and views were great. I enjoyed all the puzzles. Not too hard, not too easy. The straightforward flow of the game was good. You’re not going to get lost as you progress throgh the game.
The bad parts were all the reading. If you like reading then you’ll enjoy this game. By the end of the game the journal has over 200 pages. It isn’t like an actual book since the text is large and pages are short. Still, there is a lot of reading for a game.
Don’t worry, if you hate reading then you can just read the highlighted parts.
The ending is a bit of a letdown. Without revealing too much, it’s a cliffhanger. I think they planned on a sequel but since the game has been out since 2017 I don’t think any is coming.
Comparable Games
Odyssey definitely has it’s inspiration from the Myst series. Games like Portal, The House of Da Vinci, and The Witness are also great puzzle games. There’s a lot to explore, many puzzles to solve in order to progress, and a underlying story to keep you interest.
Odyssey is easier compared to the other games. Not that any of the Odyssey puzzles are easy, simply because those other games have some hard (but fair) puzzles. By contrast they make Odyssey seem less complicated.
Simpler puzzles isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I definitely had fun playing Odyssey. Spending hours on some tedious puzzle isn’t my idea of a good time. For example, mapping out a maze is a boring, time consuming task. Games that use cheap, exasperating puzzles just to burn up time are not fun.
Odyssey doesn’t have many red herrings to mislead you or distractions to side track your progress. You explore and solve puzzles. Overthinking some puzzles is the only snag at times.
Final Thoughts
Odyssey is a fun adventure game. There isn’t any combat, jumping, or other action. But exploring and solving puzzles is just as fun to me.
I give Odyssey: The Invention of Science 7 out of 10 stars. The graphics are good, the gameplay smooth, and overall an enjoyable game.
Odyssey: The Invention of Science Review brought to you by David M.
I’m David M. I’ve been playing video games a long time, my pong game was fire. Now, my kids run circles around me but we always have a good time. We mostly play party and family games. Strategy and battle games are still among my favorites. I like writing about games almost as much as I do playing them. My favorite games are: Moving Out 2, Out of Space and Overcooked All You Can Eat.
