Myst Masterpiece Edition

Yes, I'm dating myself as a late 40's adventure gamer, but so what? Like Zork (and maybe the Ultima series) before it, Myst was a seminal game to me and set the bar for others that followed. What an amazing experience to be able to play it again on this platform some 25 years later!

Owning a CD copy of the original version of Myst, I was at a bit of a loss on how to manage to play it on modern hardware (Windows 10). Because I got the CD copy for a bargain ($6 for Myst, Riven, and Exile all in one box!), I was able to spare some cash and get the Masterpiece edition here on GOG. Unfortunately, even with GOG's tinkering with the game to enable it to run on modern systems, the Masterpiece edition still suffers from crashes when interacting with menu items (enabling Zip Mode, getting hints, etc). However, all hope is not lost! By downloading ScummVM (which you may already have, as it comes packaged with a number of other GOG games, though you may need to download a development version), Myst Masterpiece Edition is fully playable on modern systems! You lose out on Zip Mode and the hint system, but considering I couldn't get those to work anyway it wasn't much of a loss. As for the actual game, I don't think there's anything I can say about it that hasn't already been said. The graphics may appear dated to some, because they are, but everything else about Myst has aged greatly. The puzzles, the environments, the sound... even the Ages have aged well! There are plenty of reviews on GOG and the rest of the internet that sing this game's praises, so I didn't feel the need to parrot what everyone else has already said. This review was much more about the technical side of things and helping people play the game they paid for if they have issues.

I was only a child when this game came out, so I didn't understand it at all back then. It looked real cool, but beat'em'up games were far easier to comprehend. Now, all these years later, I finally gave it another try. Had to first figure out which version I should play, and went with this one because it would give me the most original Myst experience. I'm glad I can say I didn't need too much help. I tried to limit myself to "how to find A hint" rather than a full solution, because the game is most enjoyable when you can figure it out for yourself. There is one puzzle not worth trouble, though: the Mazerunner. It's easy to figure out what you need to do, but you should spare yourself the trouble and find a map for it online. Some people might say this game hasn't aged well. I both agree and disagree. You don't need top-of-the-line graphics to make a game look good, or be engaging. Myst still does this, and pulls you right in. It's easy to be impatient to play a game by pre-render by pre-render by pre-render. But that only means your attitude is all wrong. I agree a fully 3d game might be considered a quality of life matter by today's standards, but Myst is meant to be about taking your time. You're not meant to speed-run through it. I will say its short length makes it feel almost like demo by today's standards. This game may actually be very short for you if you're good at puzzles. After only 8 hours, I feel like I've already seen everything Myst has to offer. I understand this is due to technological limitations, but still... I must be spoiled by massive RPG games with loads of replay value, so my perception is skewed on what caused this game to become a huge best seller and considered "revolutionary" back in the day. I know it was an important game, I can see why, but it still feels like it's past its prime. Even so, it is good, worth both your love and your time, even if only to explore some video game history at the very least.

Sure, the summary says it works on Windows 7, 64-bit. And it certainly seems to--except that it won't save where you actually were in the game. But an even bigger problem comes when your computer crashes. I ran it as Windows XP as an administrator, just like everyone suggested. More money down the drain.

This, to me, is the quintessential computer game. You could not experience an adventure like this through any other entertainment medium. If you are willing to forget that you are playing a game and do not analyze it from the usual player perspective but instead really imagine that you are a person who got "stranded" on this mysterious island... Well, few games will compare to the adventure you'll experience in this game. The only other requirement you need is patience. You can absolutely beat this game without a walkthrough, just take your time, read everything there is to read, and just focus. Don't think about this game as a collection of challenges, don't think about beating the game, just be there on Myst island and you'll be in the right mindset to beat the game. Also, if you are a Linux user, do not worry about this game not having the Linux seal of approval from GOG. I am a complete Linux newbie and I just finished the game on PopOS using ScummVM, and it worked perfectly. Not a single crash or any sort of issue, just make sure you get the ScummVM launcher and load it up from there manually.