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0 One thing I love about remasters and remakes is that they offer a chance to people who may have missed out on the originals. It’s me; I’m people. That is why I will finally get to check out the latest version of Myst. This version has been remade from the ground up, thanks to the team at Cyan Worlds Inc. Besides hearing about the game now and then, I have no actual clue what Myst is actually about. So I will be interested just what mind-breaking puzzles I will get to do. You can grab Myst on the Steam store for £31.49 and apparently players can experience the game in VR too!
After all these years is this game a hit or Myst?
Gameplay
After a brief intro of a man being killed and dropping a book with the title Myst, we awake as a no-named character on a mysterious island without knowing how we got there. Beyond that, there really isn’t much context. Myst does little in offering context on what to do. So with that in mind I started poking and prodding around every nook and cranny I could. After reading some books and finding a slight hint, I was able to finally start the adventure.
The main appeal of Myst comes from the major focus on puzzles, and there are fair amounts. Players will solve one puzzle on the island that will uncover a book that leads them to a world known as an Age. Our main objective is to locate coloured pages in these worlds, and return them to the island. The puzzles are more simply logic based rather than locating items to use in key places. I was also expecting a lot more reading, since the whole theme is around books.
Graphics & Audio
After looking at some footage of the old versions, this Myst Remake really does its previous incarnations justice, and is visually stunning. With brilliant lighting and colours, especially with the sunsets and oceans, every area really did feel like it came straight out of a story book. Though the stone ship area was the most visually beautiful in my opinion, Must Island itself is the best designed. The music is also brilliant, and adds a perfect atmosphere to every area without fading into obscurity in the background, or overwhelming the scene. This says a lot as since there’s not much voice acting, so the music had to carry the majority of the mood, and did so perfectly.
Longevity
I managed to beat Myst in just a smidge over 9 hours, and that includes what I assume is the true ending of Rime. For the achievement hunters out there, you can expect to tackle 30 of them. Most will be unlocked over the course of your Myst play-through. Another challenge for anyone already well adept to Myst’s story can play the game with a randomizer. I think it just changes the order of the puzzles.
Final Thoughts
As someone who didn’t play the game when it originally released, or even touch other versions, I was presently surprised with what I experienced with Myst. The puzzles aren’t stupidly hard, and when I cracked most of them it left me feeling accomplished. Although the story did feel lacking at the start, even after reading the four books we get. My mind was quickly changed, and left wanting more and can’t wait to start playing the sequel Riven. Would I say Myst holds to the test of time? For sure If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend you check it out when you can. But I do confess that I used a guide for the tunnel puzzle, that one is probably the most difficult puzzle the game has.
So with all that I am giving Myst the Thumb Culture Gold Award. Here is hoping Riven offers the same great experience.
Want another point and click remake, why not check out my thoughts for Amerzon: The Explorer’s Legacy?
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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