The grand finale to an exceptional adventure series.
Myst V: End of Ages opens up with you the player in the K'Veer Island chamber from the original Myst. Like the original game, you have no idea what is going on so you're left to your explorations. Eventually you'll come across Yeesha and she will briefly explain your quest and then send you to a small desert area where you'll meet the game's other main character; a full blooded D'ni named Esher. The plot unfolds from there. Throughout the game you'll recover small journals left by Yeesha in D'ni that summarize the events from the past games in the series, including Uru. Overall the story will keep you mesmerized up until the emotional closing.
Myst V uses the same basic exploration, journal reading, and puzzle solving that is hallmark to the Myst series. A fresh new idea used in Myst V, however; are the slates. Throughout the game you're forced to carry heavy slates around certain Ages so that you may use them to communicate with the "Bahro", a species of intelligent creatures. To do this you draw symbols on the slate (which can sometimes be frustrating) and drop it. A Bahro will appear and if your symbol is clear enough it will perform the specified action. There are also puzzles scattered around the ages that have nothing to do with the slates; more traditional Myst puzzles if you will. These puzzles tend to be somewhat easy like those in Myst III: Exile, but some can force you to sit and think for a little while.
Myst V uses the same engine that was used for Uru: Ages Beyond Myst. Therefore Myst V looks like practically the same game in some areas. Fortunately the environments are unique enough to still feel fresh and not like a retread of Uru and its respective expansions. The textures are mostly clear and the grass effects are nice; some textures feel rushed however particularly in Lak'kan and Noloben.
The audio in Myst V is satisfactory. The voice acting is fortunately great, the polar opposite of the appalling acting seen in Myst IV: Revelation. Unfortunately the music seems uninspired, but Tim Larkin did a better job on Myst V than he did on Uru. The sound effects are good, however, but there is a disappointing lack of footstep sounds. This is not a huge issue, but after Myst IV and Uru I was expecting footstep sounds in the finale.
Myst V: End of Ages is a satisfying and special chapter in the Myst saga, as it is the last. If you're a fan of the Myst series you do not want to miss the finale; if you're not a fan and have no experience with Myst games I would encourage you to go back to the original and start from there. It's a great series that has an equally great conclusion.