Myst

The Good
Myst came out and PC gaming was never the same again...

Then again, just because it was new and different and successful, doesn't mean every developer has to imitate it. That's their fault, not Myst's.

Where Myst does best is in delivering ambiance. It does this through outstanding (for the time) graphics, background noises, and yes, even the non-interactive aspect of each screen.

The retro-futuristic puzzles are difficult to master, but not impossible, given a little thought. It was fun unlocking the puzzles, and then entering and solving the different ages.

The Bad
Not much replay value, because nothing changes. I still remember many of the puzzles, as well as the ending - so what's the point of doing it again.

And unfortunately, Myst broke the old adventure game formula, and in becoming so successful, became the adventure game formula - at least for a while. sigh.

The Bottom Line
A fun and immersive little diversion from real life.

The Good
Memorably described by PC Format as a 'game for people who don't like games', this was a hugely-popular, completely empty CdROM-only title from the days when that was reason enough to release a game - along the lines of 'The 7th Guest', it presents you with some attractive locales and simple logical puzzles. And that's it.

The Bad
It isn't really a game. That's the big problem. It's a nice graphical demo, but there isn't really a game in there. You point, and click, and point, and click, and lose interest. The fact that it sold many more copies than the excellent adventure 'System Shock' speaks volumes about effectively marketing.

The Bottom Line
A distressingly-popular graphical showcase for people who don't like computer games.

The Good
Myst was one of my earlier games, I have to admit. I suppose one could claim I'm biased slightly towards it because of that. But I also played it again recently, in the wake of playing games like Half-Life, System Shock 2, Planescape: Torment, and Unreal. The truth is that even though my experience was to a degree lessened by my having completed the game before in my earlier days (and thereby already having seen it all and completed all the puzzles) I still found it a pleasure to play.

I have indeed seen criticism after criticism of this game coming out of the gaming community. Not enough action, lousy interface, just a bunch of screenshots, and the like. While such may be true, Myst really needs to be looked at in the light of its intent.

Myst excels at what it is supposed to be. It is supposed to be experienced. It is about beautiful, immersing environments and a chilling solitude as you explore this place where once upon a time there were beings, but now only you.

Playing Myst again I was once more struck even today by the beauty of the graphics. Not just by the way they are rendered, the quality of the images, but by their content. Every location is designed to convey an experience to the player, every object and vista to add to the ambiance.

The same goes for the sound and music. From the wind blows in a particularly lonely way that makes one's spine tingle and the music that finds its way into certain places, the essence of the moment is captured.

I found the plot to be interesting as well. I enjoyed the openness of the exposition, which allowed the player to come to a lot of his own conclusions.

All in all, I had wonderful time playing Myst and, in my mind, it achieved its purpose with excellence.

The Bad
It is too short and replay value is rather limited. The experience is not as potent after the first time.

The puzzles were fair, but one could argue that there aren't enough and one rather breezes through the game.

The Bottom Line
Playing Myst for the first time is like the viewing of a work of art. Definitely not an action title, but excellent in its own right.

The Good
MYST.

Just the name conjures up images of still life pictures :)

When this game first came out, I didn't have the hardware (or software) to run the game. I was still stick in the Non-CD ROM and Win3.1 games. So when I heard all the great reviews from the critics, but the horrid reviews from people I knew who played... Well I was skeptical to say the least.

Now, I have a P233 and a CD-ROM drive. :) So one of the first games I played was Myst. And I must say that the game is one of the most involving games I've ever played.

The Graphics by far are incredible. I know that a lot of people complained that they were still-life pictures. But you must take into consideration, the incredible number of hours it took to render this game. Each picture has a purpose, if it be to convey a clue or to steer you toward a object. The detail is unreal.

The sound and music in the game is also very good. The creators actually thought of not having a soundtrack, but after listening to the music and SFX, they reconsidered. Each sound is significant (especially in one of the ages where you need to Listen to sounds to unlock doors and navigate a maze), and the Background music is just that - background. Not intrusive, but you know it's there, and it adds to the experience.

The game is one where you learn about the backstory as you play (simliar to System Shock). The idea of moving pages to the books is unique, although to me it means traversing the ages TWICE (i.e. going through the same motions two times.) because you can only carry one page at a time.

The Bad
The one thing that this game has going against it is the control. It's not quite a pixel hunt, but moving from area to area can be frustrating, mostly with going up and down ladders. I've actually saved my game, left it for a while, calmed down, and restarted the game just so I could move down the ladder in the lighthouse (those who have played the game, you know what I mean).

The Bottom Line
This one is a toss up. If you like a game with no time limits, no score, and an engaging storyline, Myst (and Riven) is your game.

But most real gamers (this those writing for MobyGames) will be put off on the abstractness of this game.

Bottom Line: Try it you might like it.

The Good
The graphics are spectacular, the music eerily appropriate, and the intrigue of the story is discovered pieces by pieces, bits by bits, like a fascinating puzzle.

The Bad
The game is too easy for an experienced adventure gamer. What I can't understand is why didn't they make the puzzles more random. It would have made the game more interesting to replay.

The Bottom Line
Myst is probably the most beautiful and enticing game to come out in the mid-nineties. It has spawned a multitude of clones, and will probably be remembered for years to come.

The Good
The thing about Myst, is that it can't really be called a game. Myst is a work of art... It is a story told through immersive, beautiful graphics and an intriguing storyline. Many people don't like this, since it has very little action... But it takes a certain amount of intelligence to really see the wonderful detail and design put into this game. The graphics are fantastic, and the environments are beautifully surrealistic and dreamlike. The musical score is probably the best of any game I've ever played (buy the soundtrack!!), and sets the mode for the settings masterfully.

The Bad
There's nothing. That's right... I'm sure this will make a lot of people (mostly the less intelligent kind) mad, but there is absolutely nothing bad about Myst. It was the first of its kind, and there will never be another adventure like it.

The Bottom Line
It's as simple as this: If you like brainless, gory, first person shoot-em-up games, Myst isn't for you. If you enjoy exploring beautiful, dreamlike detailed worlds, and solving ingenious puzzles, then you should go out and buy this "game" right now.

As I said before, Myst is really not a game, and should probably not be treated as one. It can only be called a work of art, and it will be the most beautiful masterpiece ever to grace your CD-ROM drive. :)

The Good
"Myst" (1993) is often compared to, "The 7th Guest" in that both are first person perspective, puzzle games featured amazing graphics, music and sound effects but are often seen as being boring in terms of the storyline and too difficult in terms of gameplay. Personally, I would disagree with these critics. These type of games are certainly not for everyone because they have little, if any, arcade action and have a different sort of puzzles then are the norm in point n' click graphic adventure games. Yet, if want to crack some really difficult, abstract and even mind boggling puzzles, then "Myst" is for you.

The Bad
The storyline in "Myst" never bored me, but it was never really told as best as it could have been. The first generation of Full Motion Video looked goofy and after beating the game, I felt somewhat cheated with the lack luster ending that did more to plug the sequel then actually reward me for me my efforts.

The Bottom Line
"Myst" (1993) is a puzzle game that features ground breaking music, sound effects and graphics. The magical world that you are trapped in is beautiful while also being amazingly isolating. There are no enemies to defeat and the puzzles tend to be difficult to successfully complete without cheating. If you want to play a little bit of video game history or face up against some of the hardest, most abstract puzzles in a game, then give this one a try.