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Revisit the world of Myst like you've never seen it
before. For the first time, the surreal world of Myst can be
experienced in full 3-D. Swaying trees and independently roaming
animals add life to the formerly static Myst worlds. The realMYST
game includes the complete original Myst game, along with an
all-new fifth age, called the Rime Age, which provides a complete
ending to the original mystery.
For those unfamiliar with Myst, it is one of the primary reasons
your computer has a CD-ROM drive. CD-ROM drives didn't really
catch on as must-have components until Myst debuted in 1993.
Since then, the game has sold more than 9 million copies and
still appears on bestseller charts.
The realMYST game takes place in a beautiful, interactive virtual
world. The player must solve puzzles and roam magical realms
filled with archaic technology in order to solve an ancient
mystery.
Review
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The game realMYST is a noble attempt by Cyan to update
its popular adventure game Myst. The title is meant to imply that
this is the "real" version of Myst, the version the Rand brothers
would have originally created had the technology been available.
The major change is the game's 3D engine: It lets you walk around
the island and the different ages in real time. The game also
includes a new epilogue that links it to its sequel, Riven.
Unfortunately, the 3D engine serves only to make Myst a much more
frustrating game.
The Myst phenomenon is well known. The Rand brothers, after
creating the moderately successful games Cosmo Osmo and The
Manhole, released an artistically ornate yet technically simple
adventure game that put you on a mysterious deserted island.
Through the writings of the former inhabitant, a man named Atrus,
and some brief interactions with his two sons, you pieced
together the history of the island.
Myst became a huge bestseller and reportedly sold around 10
million copies. It was available for any and every platform, and
it rode the top of the best-selling-games lists for years. Most
of the initial sales were through word of mouth, and the game
even became a hit among people who normally wouldn't play
computer games. Myst inspired dozens of similar games, including
Sierra's Lighthouse and Rocket Science's underappreciated
Obsidian. But as a result of its popularity, there was the
inevitable backlash. The name "Myst" became synonymous with
nonserious gaming, and it was considered by many to be the "pet
rock" of computer games - a fad that had no real intrinsic value.
There's one significant fact that's often overlooked amid all
the fervor surrounding Myst: It was a really good game when it
was released. Its series of static images may have been simple,
but the story and setting were great. Reading Atrus' lengthy and
detailed writings gave the worlds the life that the technical
shortcomings were unable to. And the puzzles were generally
logical and fun, unlike those in so many of the games Myst
inspired.
For the most part, realMYST is exactly the same game as Myst.
The puzzles are the same, and the books are the same. The major
difference is the new 3D engine, which not only lets you move
through the environments but also allows for the inclusion of
animation in the otherwise static surroundings. Windmills turn,
birds and butterflies dot the landscape, and the water flows
realistically. Visually, the engine is superb. Everything looks
great, and the water effects are especially noteworthy. Ripples
form around pillars, and boats bob over waves.
Unfortunately, the benefits of the new engine are limited to the
visuals. The control interface borrows from first-person shooters
- you use either the arrow keys or the mouse to move. But there
are two real problems with this: Trying to manipulate objects in
the world using your mouse often makes you move instead, and
there's no way to change the options so that control is limited
to just the arrow keys. And turning is a nightmare - you just
hurtle around with little precision.
The other problem with the engine, and probably the biggest
problem with realMYST in general, is that the engine runs slowly.
You'll find the game constantly dragging as the engine shudders
under the weight of everything it's attempting to render. The
problems exist even with the visuals set to the lowest quality.
And playing the game at high resolutions is almost impossible,
even on a relatively fast system.
The puzzles suffer as a result. Some timed puzzles that were
originally just mind benders have now become sadistic battles
between you and your keyboard. Even simple point-and-click
puzzles are now tedious, as they force you to try to get the
mouse pointer in exactly the right position as it slowly lurches
around the screen. And you might get sent hurtling through a door
when you were just trying to close it.
With some serious updates to the engine, realMYST would serve as
a modern reminder that the original was an impressive game that
was equally defined by both its fascinating detail and its
original story. In its current form, realMYST is suitable only as
a novelty for fans of the original, who will want to see the new
epilogue. You still have to listen to Atrus' speech at the end,
but afterward you're given a new age to visit and some new
puzzles. The epilogue serves as a more comprehensive link to
Riven, though it's still somewhat open-ended and lacks the
conclusiveness you want when a game is finished. It may be a
novelty, but it's still a mostly worthwhile one for those who
fondly remember Myst.--Ron Dulin--Copyright © 2000 GameSpot Inc.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form
or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is
prohibited. -- GameSpot Review
