Myst Game Review: Revolutionizing Graphic Adventure Games

Myst Game Review: Revolutionizing Graphic Adventure Games
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Myst PC Game (5 out of 5)

The Myst game is an unusually interesting puzzle-based graphic adventure title developed by Cyan Productions. The game was developed mainly for the serious adult gamer but it is suitable for all ages. It was hailed by many as the most immersive adventure game in the history of computer games.

Gameplay (5 out of 5)

The Myst PC game revolves around the strange and mysterious islands of Myst, an alternate dimension created by an ancient civilization called the D’ni. The initial story of the game transports you to these islands where you confront Atrus. He assigns you a task to recover the missing pages of two magical books which have imprisoned his sons. You embark on your quest to restore the missing pages to free his sons, but encounter many deviously-planned mechanical puzzles.

The story may perhaps seem very interesting, but the game is based on complex puzzles and open-ended environments. There are no dialogues, enemies or death traps, just you and an expansive surrealistic world of mechanical puzzles.

The Myst PC game is mainly divided into two parts: A puzzle-based level and a book hunting level. The first part allows you to wander through four imaginary ages comprising of the Stoneship Age, the Selenitic Age, the Channelwood Age and the Mechanical Age. Each age has a distinct theme, appearance and related puzzles. Most of the puzzles are mechanical or code-based. Most of the puzzles require much time and effort. Some are so challenging that players fail to solve them even after repeated attempts. There’s a popular adage that Myst is bought by many, but only a few succeed in solving the complex puzzles.

Players can unlock the second part only after solving the puzzles scattered all over the four ages. The second part is mainly about searching the lost pages and restoring them to free Atrus’ sons. The ending is very inconclusive and abrupt. But, you really have to work your grey cells to get there!

Myst Game Graphics

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Graphics (5 out of 5)

Myst has more than 2,500 photorealistic images showed in a slideshow fashion. The images are beautifully rendered and the slideshow fashioned graphics are truly very immersive. Developers Cyan studios painstakingly created the images by adding detail, surface and color into a wire frame model. Smaller objects like knobs, levers and switches are rendered beautifully. The game also has some animated cut-scenes and QuickTime videos, but the graphics are more detailed.

Developers combined various graphic tools to create the eerie atmospheres of the four ages. The water-covered land of the Channelwood age, the nicely rendered abandoned ship in the sunken island of the Stoneship age and many diverse graphical puzzles make the Myst PC game more engaging and very different from other adventure games.

Sound (4 out of 5)

Various environmental sounds play an integral part in some puzzles. At first, the developers didn’t plan anything about sound and music in the original design. But, at the time of release, developer Robyn Miller himself composed and added numerous background scores. The sounds are recorded by expert sound engineers and graphic artists and completely fit in to the overall atmosphere of Myst.

Overall

Myst was released way back in the early 90s, but no one could match the quality of its graphics during this period. There were many games similar to Myst released after its success, but no one matched the calibre of its game mechanics and graphics.

The Myst game has some drawbacks. There’s no inventory section and the game lacks high-end animated visuals. The ending is very unusual and points the way to the sequel Myst II. Still Myst rules the adventure gaming arena. Although you cannot download Myst for free, you can buy the exclusive DVD version from the Myst Website. If you love graphic adventure games, you must add this to your collection.