Myst Masterpiece Edition

Myst is fully hand generated world. The graphics are visually stunning and the scenery is breath taking. What I most liked about Myst is that you can play and explore at your own pace. Being able to explore and look at all the fine details in each scene unfettered is refreshing. There is no pressure to complete time based challenges that have to be repeated over and over until success is achieved in that particular task. Unfolding the mysteries is very rewarding. The puzzles are challenging at times but there is a logic behind all of them. No pixel hunting or random clicking to solve illogical puzzles. All of the games in this series are brilliant. If you like adventures and puzzlers then this is a "Must Play"

This is a review of someone who has never played any of the Myst games before and has no nostalgia for them, so I only take into account of whether this is worth playing today or not. My main problem with this game is not the puzzles themselves, but the UI, or the lack of it, that leads to a very confusing gameplay experience. Ideally, your cursor should change whenever you are hovering over an interactable object or path that you can move towards, but the game doesn't really indicate everything that you can interact with most of the time. Add confusing pre-rendered camera angles and you have a recipe for complete disorientation. For experienced players this might seem like a nitpick, but interacting with things is the entire game and it's weirdly obtuse. I didn't even find the paths for some locations in the first island because they didn't look like paths that I could follow at all. I recommend the newest releases of Myst especially for a new player, since you can walk around in first person and the game clearly shows what is interactable or not, so you get a much better experience.

Myst was my introduction to the world of adventure gaming and I immediately fell head over heels in love with it. I'm still in love with it, having bought its various incarnations over the years and none of those statements is particularly apt for me as I don't fall in love with games. I like some a lot and repeatedly play them, others I play once or twice then forget all about them. But Myst was the one that started me off on the adventure genre and I've stuck with it ever since. There are many, many other later games that are flashier, better looking and more complex, but the simplicity and beauty of Myst ticks all the boxes for me. If you are thinking of trying one out for the first time, then look no further. Myst is a fabulous introduction to the genre and there really aren't enough superlatives to describe this game. Go on, do yourself a favour and get it. You won't be sorry.

I'm a little surprised to see how many reviews mention problems with Windows 7. I ran it on Windows 7 64-bit and it worked flawlessly, saving and loading included. Anyway, I played this game back when it first came out, so I may be somewhat biased, but I think it's still fun. The graphics aren't as impressive anymore- they used to have a sort of haunting beauty back when this sort of computer-generated landscape was brand new and nobody had ever seen it before, but by today's standards they look a bit plain. However, some areas, particularly Sirrus and Achenar's rooms in the various Ages, are still very atmospheric and highly-detailed, and the graphics are still far superior to many other games on GoG. The acting is a bit cheesier than I remembered, but not outright bad, and the sound and music are still excellent, though the music seems to change rather abruptly and often. Most importantly, the puzzles are excellent. They seem much easier now- I only remembered the tiniest fragments of their solutions as it's been well over a decade since I played Myst, but it still only took two or three hours to beat the game. However, the solutions always make sense without being too obvious and spoiling the feeling of being rather clever when you do discover the answer. I'm not sure modern gamers can appreciate Myst as well as those who played it in its original context, but I think there's still enough good design and atmosphere there for a fun experience, if a rather short one. Definitely a highly-recommended classic- at the very least, pick it up if it's on sale sometime.

Myst is quite possibly the very first game I played in my life. Seventeen years later, I finally acquired and finished it. The story and art of the game are really its strongest points, and the puzzles are (mostly) interesting. Even without rose-tinted glasses, the game's pre-rendered backgrounds still look fantastic. It has a couple of issues that really stood out for me, though. First, of course, the interface could be better. At times, finding your way around the screen can be quite hard, although understanding the scenario and recognising what is important, a common issue in adventure games, is not present here. All important items are clearly visible, just hard to click sometimes. The exception is Channelwood, the forest age, which is horrendous to navigate. Second is the ending. Myst could really have done with a clear ending, rather than a forced sequel hook. It makes it feel as though you just haven't finished the game yet, but got taken away from it halfway through. Some people don't mind this, but it is a personal issue of mine that stories should have a clear ending. Overall, it's still an excellent game, and its puzzles do keep you entertained if you like thinking about what you're doing, but not having played Riven or any of the other games in the Myst series, I would say it was lacking in the respects I mentioned.