Myst

It's really difficult for me to give a fair review. I played it in 1995. I was a teenager and any simple computer graphics were fascinating to me. So, at that time, MYST was really impressive and immersive. It was mysterious, a bit creepy at time and you were really on you own. No phone distraction and no internet with all the reviews and answers to the game. You were really transported away from your life to another island Nostalgia would regret the simple 1993 roman look but the new “steampunky” graphics are really gorgeous. But how the gameplay aged? It's difficult to have a fresh eye on it. The 5 ages are “small”. They had to be small in 1993, with all those stills pictures rendered on a home Macintosh computer. Everything was crafted by hand and there were no objects library either. It still blows my mind that they pulled it of... How a modern gamer who never played the 1993 MYST during that era would see those 5 ages but had many playing hours in bigger world/maps? I don't know... If you're young gamer, have an open minded to play this game and try to forget how modern games are and just take the time to immerse yourself, I think it's worth it. The price is fair and if you're not sure about purchasing it, just wait for a sale :) Also, If you doubt Cyan in their capacity to create bigger world, just try Obduction: it really recreates the MYST feeling for modern players, imho. But you still have to be a world explorer and a puzzle person. This is not an FPS ;) 1993 MYST is a 5 stars game no question for me. but I will remove one star just for the really bad CGI characters. They are almost no better than the Apple Memojis in term of animation. It _really_ breaks the immersion :( It's heart breaking to say that to a company like Cyan... but I had to be honest :/ Even if I know that CGI characters are the most difficult part to create... Lack of mean and money could be the issue, here. Cyan is a small company. Maybe it could be fixed in a later update?

Myst was the first game that left a real impression on me, and one of the first 2-3 games I ever played period. That was the original PC version in the 90s (not quite the original period, I think it started on Mac?), and I would have been about 8 years old. It's Riven that really hit at the perfect age for it to be burnt forever into my memory and imagination, but still. There aren't many games that will have this kind of resonance for me. I've played all the games. I've read the books. I was an Uru/Myst Online beta tester. I have learned some of the D'ni conlang. The next step is for me to go to some kind of convention I guess. Soooo I'm biased here. I've played all the subsequent Myst re-releases, and they're... fine. RealMyst added the freedom to look around, and I do kind of like Rime. But all versions before this are either using the original geometry with improved textures etc., or at least it seems that way. It's worth trying one of the older releases just to know what wowed us so much in the 90s I guess, but even for me it looks dated now. Maybe if I could see it on a tiny, fuzzy CRT again it'd be different. By contrast I still think Riven looks good 25 years later; just shows you that they had a lot more cash and staff when they made it, I guess. This release though, brings my old Myst experience into the 21st century. I love the graphics, love the sound, love the refinements they've made to the island and ages. It also isn't crippled by the unnecessarily frustrating controls you'll find in RealMyst Masterpiece edition. There are a few tweaks I'd make (e.g., allow us to view photos in-game superimposed on top of the relevant puzzle) but it's all inconsequential stuff. Maybe try an older release eventually, but as a certified Myst nerd I am comfortable saying to start here, and let this be your canonical version. I can't wait until Riven gets this kind of treatment.

But it is not without it's flaws and, I will agree with others when they say that you may not come away feeling completely fulfilled. But having completed this following up from playing the 201 4 RealMyst Masterpiece edition, I must say I am very satisfied indeed, but touching up and improvements with attention to detail most notably in the internal locations would be welcomed. Pros The puzzle randomerizer is welcomed with OPEN ARMS! For veterns like myself, this is undoubtedly the most useful inclusion to the remake, as now I have to use my brain, as oppose to simply walking through and brushing aside the puzzles from memory, and believe me when I say that you really do have to think again. (Even the final white page can be hidden in a different place to the 93 version!) Extraordinary graphics. The external environments have never been more realistic! Options for variation on graphic settings to suit your CPU. The voice acting is actually pretty good! (Just a shame about the poorly designed '3D models' doing the speaking. Cons Surprisingly it seems much less care to attention has been provided for the inner locations of the game, for instance, there appears to be some furniture missing. This is where the 2014 RealMyst is a step ahead. Perhaps as others have indicated, this is due to the practicalities of using VR? The lack of day/night intervals. Again an aspect of 2014 RealMyst that gave the game just that little extra immersive/enticing interactivity. There's nothing more fascinating that walking around Myst island at Night and watching the sunrise in the morning! No Rime age. While this does not bother too many, for me it was an endgame inclusion that was worthy of the effort. Please include this in the game!! The 3D models. Now I know many have commented on this already and to be honest I don't think they are all that bad, but without the live-action FMVs you really are taking a big heart out of this legendary experience.

I only ever played the original Myst and this version of Myst feels just like the version I remember. The fmv videos are here just like the original and the world is how I remember it, now as I imagined it. It's not point and click, but that just means you can explore a little more. The game isn't that hard once you work out the rules If you have the hardware to crank it then it's worth it as that's really the whole point buying this version right? Beyond that it's the same myst game from 1993. I like that there is a camera feature so you can capture screenshots of useful things and check them while in the game.

Using a modern game engine allows the game to run more easily on newer computers, but at the cost of the original gameplay mechanics. Many subtle, and not so subtle, things are quite different, from page mechanics to how the fireplace works. The graphics quality is not much better than RealMyst, which (surprise!) is no longer available on GOG since this newer remake was released. Guess they knew better than to compete with themselves. Most of the scenes are rendered much too brightly and appear washed out, even after adjusting gamma. A lot of the textures of objects and landscapes have been significantly altered compared to the original, which may or may not be a detriment, but is not really an improvement either. I don't use VR, but that may be the only real use of this version. Even then, I worry that it would not be that great of an experience due to how "cartoony" the rendering is. I hope Cyan's upcoming Riven remake is more faithful to the original than this game is!