It's always hit or miss with re-masters of classic games. In this instance, I can say it's an absolute hit. I'm going to wait until the full Legacy Mode is out (because it ain't Bard's Tale unless I'm mapping!) to fully immerse myself, but the graphics, sound, ambient effects, small details are all just amazing and show a love for the original material. An absolute treasure.
Riven is my favorite adventure game of all-time, and to me the pinnacle of integrated environment-explore-adventure puzzling. Myst and Riven together tell one of the most moving stories through some of the most compelling, thoughtful, and engaging gameplay, I've ever experienced. I'm a fan - and I liked Myst III as a strange epilogue/side-quest. Myst IV is, to me, a betrayal of much of what made the earlier gameplay great. Its focus on random logic puzzles which seem to antagonize the world ruin any immersion in the world. The story is fine, but won't hit the same notes as the originals, and also feels at odds to the original game's morality structures. While neither Myst 3 and Myst 4 were made by Cyan, it's Myst 4 that truly feels like a poorly-constructed Myst clone whose focus on logic riddles makes it miss the seamless puzzle integrations of the original. That being said, it's gorgeous, the acting is swell, and the opening sequence is jaw-dropping. I loathe the rest of it, and couldn't walk more than 2 steps usually without getting a guide to find a solution which made absolutely no sense for the logic of the worlds presented in Myst and Riven. Play for completion, but not for fun.
Riven is better. That being said, I consider this the second greatest adventure game of all time. Immersive, compelling, heartrending, a sophisticated narrative revealed through exploration which will haunt your dreams.
"Remi" Michalski crafted one of the best, most compelling, and adult adventures I've ever played. Innovative, mature, and creepy - this is a game anyone interested in new ways to frame a story should play.
