The Myst Series

[IllusionOfLife]

As a kid I played many games: Sonic the Hedgehog, Star Wars: Dark Forces, Kirby's Dream Land, Donkey Kong Country, etc., but the first game to ever show me the true potential of what games are, what games could be, was a little game called Myst.

Unfortunately, Myst is a name that today's gamers may hear in passing every now and again, but will never fully grasp the impact that it had back when it was released. To give you an idea, until The Sims outsold it in 2002, the Myst Series far outsold anything else on the Mac & PC (yes, there was also gaming on Macs back then, believe it or not), that counts Doom, Duke Nukem, Civilization, X-COM, SimCity, and StarCraft.

Myst is a game that's better played than described, but to try to give you an idea of what it's about I'll tell you that it's a point-and-click puzzle game in which you find yourself on a strange deserted island with no instructions and no goal except to explore. Quickly, however you discover a library in which all the books are burned save for two: a red book, and a blue book. Within the pages of each book is a panel which shows you a glimpse of an individual trapped inside; they are brothers who each claim to be wrongfully imprisoned by their father for something that their brother did. To free them you have to discover several Linking Books that transport you to other worlds (or Ages) in which you try to uncover the mystery of what happened.

What's so brilliant about Myst is how incredibly immersive it is. It's not extravagant, there's no big action sequences, bosses, or any one giving you commands, in fact, it's not a lot more than an interactive slideshow (at least the first game, anyway), but it will completely absorb you into its world. Also, the graphics were (and still are) gorgeous; granted it's all pre-rendered rather than real-time, but because of that they were able to pull of visuals like THIS in 1993, and like THIS in 1997.

The first three games (Myst, Riven, and Exile) are still, in my opinion, some of the best ever made, but sadly, the fourth, fifth, and spinoff MMO were rather crap, which could be part of the reason the series was forgotten. If you've never played these games, you can get Myst and Riven from Steam or on the Apple App Store for your iOS devices, and I really encourage you to try them out. They're classics that shouldn't be forgotten.

Am I the only one who has fond memories of Myst, or is there anyone else around here who loves these games as well?

[zerospaceA4]

I really know what you're talking about. I was only 2 years old when the first Myst was released so of course I didn't play it back then, but when I got my first computer, it was one of the first games I've ever played. I have to say though, I didn't enjoy it that much. You see, I was just a little kid and I couldn't understand English at that time.

I got the chance to fully experience this masterpiece just recently, with the arrival of Myst into the App Store. Now both - Myst and Riven are on my iPhone and I play them every night before I fall asleep. It's just so relaxing and fun. These games provide many hours of fun and are one of the best apps I've ever bought from the App Store.

I love point and click adventure games and I have to say that Myst and Broken Sword are my favorites. I'm really grateful that they are both available to download on the App Store and that the younger generations can experience them as well. So yeah, I recommend getting Myst, Riven, Broken Sword 1 and 2 if you have an iDevice. You won't regret it!