Myst III: Exile
Description official descriptions
Set 10 years after the events of Riven, Myst 3: Exile is about a man who wants revenge on Atrus.
The gameplay remains the same point and click interface as Myst, but adds 360 degree scrolling technology for a more realistic gaming experience.
Spellings
- "迷霧之島3" - Chinese spelling (traditional)
- Myst III: הנקמה - Hebrew spelling
- ミスト III: エグザイル - Japanese spelling
- 神秘岛3:放逐 - Chinese spelling (simplified)
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Credits (Windows version)
180 People (150 developers, 30 thanks) · View all
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[ full credits ] |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 77% (based on 48 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 89 ratings with 5 reviews)
A beautiful new chapter to the Myst series that fans will love.
The Good
Exile is a beautiful game. While the actual graphics themselves might not be rendered as cleanly as Riven, the previous game in the series, each island is distinct and recognizable, and the quality of the illustrations is stunning and worthy successor to Myst. Some of the animation sequences will take your breath away, and the freedom to look all around you is a welcome new feature.
The music is perhaps the highlight of the game. A complete new orchestral and vocal soundtrack has been recorded, which both pays tribute to the games before and presents new themes to add to the depth and character of the game. The collector's edition comes with a soundtrack CD (also available separately) that highlights the beauty of the music in this game.
The Bad
While Exile was a delight to the senses, the mind was sometimes left wanting. Exile is not as challenging as Riven, largely because most of the puzzles are self contained. Everything you need to solve each puzzle is clearly presented to you, usually within "arms reach." Riven, which often required an intuitive leap to make the connections between sounds, symbols, and sometimes obscure parts of the scenery, had a sense of unity to the world that feels missing in Exile.
The plot is less subtle and mysterious in Exile as well. Many have criticized Myst and Riven for requiring too much "dead reading time," so Exile presents most of the plot directly to you in the form of video messages from the villain, Saavedro. Unfortunately, he comes across as alternately petulant and vengeful, and really doesn't tell you anything about the story that you can't deduce from the pages of his journal you find scattered about the ages, which make his presence seem intrusive.
The Bottom Line
Myst III: Exile is a different sort of computer game, emphasizing logic and reasoning over action and dexterity. Like its predecessors, it breaks new ground in technology and artistry found in few other games on the shelves today. Its natural interface, beautifully illustrated environments, and haunting soundtrack make it a perfect game for all ages.
Windows · by Christopher Currie (3) · 2001
If you’ve waited until now to play one of the Myst games, don’t wait any longer!
The Good
Some reviewers are bound and determined to thwart the entire Myst Series, some to the point of blaming it for the downturn of the adventure genre as a whole. To that, I say BALDERDASH! If you have stayed away from these games because of those reviews, you have missed out on some of the most entertaining, challenging, engrossing and enduring experiences you may ever have within a game world. For those of you not familiar with the series, here’s a basic synopsis.
Creating worlds simply by writing them in a journal – sounds like the ultimate Sim, doesn’t it? Atrus creates worlds, or “Ages”, as he calls them, just by writing his ideas in books. You are able to visit and explore each Age by opening his book and entering the picture inside.This type of magic transforms a blank page into a self-contained world complete with animals, plants and people, all of which evolve and grow over time.
But, playing God can be tricky business, as Atrus has learned the hard way. Mistakes made in his early efforts backfired and caused destruction and loss of lives. This chapter in the saga deals with those mistakes, and with a bitter “exiled” survivor bent on revenge against Atrus and his family. You’ll be exploring some of his first Ages – the ones he created to help his two sons learn. Each one is unique in itself with it’s own atmosphere, beauty and, of course, puzzles.
Like in the preceding games, strange contraptions need to be manipulated, all with a specific purpose you must discover. There is a color puzzle and a sound puzzle, but fortunately, no mazes or sliders (hallelujah!) In my estimation, the puzzles are of Medium-to-Hard difficulty for the most part. Be prepared to be utterly confused at first, but with a keen eye and perseverance, the answers will dawn on you like a revelation from above. There are surprises around every corner, interesting gizmos and buildings to explore. There are creatures too – a beautiful mother bird and her young as well as an adorable little hamster-sized animal. During your adventure, you will solve some puzzles either using or helping those creatures.
I can’t begin to describe in words how beautiful the graphics are in EXILE. I was awestruck and totally thrilled with every step. It is definitely a feast for the eyes, but my ears were not neglected. The fully orchestrated musical score brought me to blissful tears at times. Realistic sound effects, from the chirping of birds to the crashing of waves on rocks, add to the ambiance.
I also liked the two different endings, both of which are interesting to watch. And, if you make the wrong choice during the last segment, you can actually die!
I thank my lucky stars that the Patch provided support for my aging video card. Otherwise I couldn’t have played the game at all. A nice feature is having optional hardware support for all of the major 3D accelerator cards. Supposedly this enhances the graphics even more, if you can imagine that, by adding more movement to the scenery. Because the game was published as a Windows/Macintosh hybrid, MAC users can enjoy it too.
The Bad
It’s hard to find anything bad about EXILE, but with a little thought, I did find a few little things, if you want to get picky.
The Bottom Line
Don’t rush through this game. Take your time, relax, and let yourself be consumed by the absolute uniqueness of each Age. You will be rewarded for your efforts with a fully satisfying experience. Fans of the predecessors and players who have enjoyed other 1st person adventures (Beyond Atlantis, for example) will love this game – as I did.
The foremost enticement of this sequel is the advancement of a story that began in the first game. As you begin playing EXILE, you’ll read enough background to get the gist of the story, so it is not necessary to play MYST and RIVEN beforehand (but it helps). I hope this is not the end of this saga and that there will be another sequel!
Windows · by Jeanne (75857) · 2001
The Good
Graphically it's brilliant again. There's a lot of detail. Gameplay is enhanced as you can now look around yourself in 360 degree views. The story is still very good. A man called Saavedro (brilliantly played by oscar winner Brad Dourif from One Flew Over the Cucoo's Nest and Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers) wants revenge on Atrus because his sons, Sirrus and Achenar (from Myst 1) have ruined his life. Now he wants to lure you into his hideout by stealing the book that can take the user to Releeshahn, a world that Atrus created for his people. As you travel through the worlds, you will find clues and puzzles and the story unfolds. The worlds (or Ages as they are called) are linked together by "linking books" in which they are described. You need to find all of them to get Releeshahn back. This story is sure a good one.
The Bad
Some puzzles are still a bit too hard, though this one is still easier as the second part of the Myst series: Riven. Finding paths is difficult sometimes because of pointing and clicking, especially in areas where things look a lot like each other such as the forest age Edanna. There's not really a lot of innovation but if you loved the earlier parts, you'll love this one too. If not, however, don't buy this. This is for players who like thinking, not for the action fans.
The Bottom Line
Another breathtakingly beautiful game that sadly doesn't offer much innovation. The fans won't probably mind that last problem, though.
Windows · by Rensch (203) · 2005
Trivia
Hybrid DVD release cancelled
Myst III: Exile was originally going to be re-released on a single, hybrid DVD sometime after the initial 4 CD release, however this was quietly canceled. One of the original Exile programmers, Roland Gustaffson, would later explain that this was not as a result of technical issues, saying
The Mac/PC version of Myst 3 that shipped is DVD-ready. If the files from the 4 CDs are placed on a DVD in just the right places, it will work with the current app. ie: not producing a Mac/PC DVD version is purely a marketing decision. There aren't that many Mac/PC games that have shipped on DVD, from what I can remember.
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Related Sites +
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ExilE-hints
Myst III Exile hint guide: Choose from different levels of hints to get only the amount of help you want. -
Exile Walkthrough on Games Over
Bert Jamin's Myst 3 Exile Walkthrough -
Hints for Myst III Exile
These Exile helpful hints provide gentle nudges before the final solution is revealed thus letting you attempt to solve the puzzles yourself. -
Interview: Myst III: Exile
Inside Mac Games interviews Susan Weyer, PR Manager of Presto Studios, several months before the release of Exile, discussing Presto's creative approach to the title, advertising, and the Mac (December 21st, 2000) -
Myst III: Exile Original Web Site Design
The original Myst III: Exile web site design on Wow Web Designs -
Myst related tools
Home of Myst III - music player and the Myst III Alt-Tab Patch -
Shaw-Kuderna Walkthrough
Another excellent Myst III Walkthrough -
Sinjin's Solve
Exile Walkthrough by Sinjin -
The Myst Guidebook
The Exile subsection of the Guidebook fansite that provides information about the game and a brief background on the game's production. -
Wikipedia: Myst III: Exile
Information about Myst III: Exile at Wikipedia -
Witchen's Walkthrough
Myst 3 Walkthrough by Witchen -
Zarf's Review
A Macintosh review of Myst III: Exile by Andrew Plotkin (May, 2001). -
interview (July 3, 2001)
for Inside Mac Games with Phil Saunders
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Grant McLellan.
PlayStation 2, Xbox added by POMAH. Macintosh added by Kabushi.
Additional contributors: IJan, Unicorn Lynx, Jeanne, Alaka, andy s, formercontrib, Ms. Tea, Crawly, 1gnition, Zeppin, DreinIX, Paulus18950, Cantillon, realXCV.
Game added April 4, 2001. Last modified August 2, 2024.