Myst

One of the interesting aspects of the GREAT original Myst was the use of FMV characters. The CG characters in this version are a shocking disappointment, so much so that it spoiled the game for me. What a shame!

Many things have already been written about it, so I will limit myself to the conclusion: The mood misses its target. The environment is much too bright. Everything looks friendly and not like a abandoned island. In the original certain passages were rather threatening. This was mainly achieved through the light and sound, but also hidden hints of torture devices, cells and other strange constructions. The story is dark in essence and about the plundering of other civilizations. Yes, the story is really dark, where is that reflected in the remake? The dark rooms are now as bright as day. Dynamic light does not exist at all or it is not noticeable, even with the highest settings. I don't know what was the goal. Many sounds that ranged from meschanic to depressing were removed. I better not even start to talk abaout the cartoon characters... The other problems have already been addressed, but for me it was the lack of amtosphere that killed the game for me. The game should not be called Remake, but "Happy Island". I do not advise against buying, but don't expect the dirty, gritty experience of metal, machines and strange devices. You get a nice sunny day. If you like that, buy it. *For comparison I have also installed and tested the original version again

Once upon a time, I was a fifteen year old boy, it was circa 1998, a friend of mine showed me Riven. I played it, then I played Myst. I loved every single second of both of them. Now I'm 38. Yesterday, I downloaded Myst. Faster than in took back then to go to the store and purchase a physical disc. And today… I played Myst with my 6-year old son. I burst into tears of joy. All Ages are just like in my distant memories. Vibrant, lifely. Crazy how the mind forgets about the blockiness of 1993's pixels, about the rogue 256 colors palette. Today I re-discovered Myst, in all its glory and details, with my little boy next to me, guiding me from door to door, from puzzle to book, from tower to ship, his little hand over a mouse guiding Daddy through the wooden passages of Channelwood and the cogwheels of Mechanical Age. Folks: this is not a mere game. It's an experience, an unforgettable one, one that creates bonds and memories. Play it. Play it again.

FMV Elements have returned & look fitting in-game. A terrible oversight, now corrected. Visually impressive. Crossing my fingers for that day/night cycle eventually, ultimately pretty good as is. Point & Click is still gone. My Dad gets motion sickness easy and cannot play this, which makes me sad.

I don't recommend playing this if you haven't played the original, as it absolutely does not convey the same atmosphere. While it is of course nice to explore the environment with updated graphics and see what some of the difficult-to-parse objects in the original really are, the cartoony art style misses the point of what made the original so engrossing. The graphics in the original were the best they could do at the time; they weren't trying to make a cartoon world, it was meant to feel immersive, like real life, and almost every creative decision they made was in service of that goal. Originally there wasn't even going to be a save feature, or any music at all. That's why, for example, they used FMV of real people for the characters. I can't imagine if would have really been that expensive to hire actors to perform the, what, five minutes of cutscene footage? Or heck, even just putting in the work to upscale the original footage would have been better than the awful Civ5-looking 3d heads in this version. If you are new to the series, buy Myst: Masterpiece Edition instead, which is also on GOG for a third of the price.