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Lush and atmospheric, not for all computer gamers

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 40 / 40
Date: November 20, 1999
Author: Amazon User

As a computer entertainment experience, there's been almost nothing like Myst. The game's success lies in its beautifully rendered scenery and lush soundtrack, a pervasive sense of mystery (hence the name), and overall atmospheric tension.

From the opening monologue, we are drawn into a world where we - as the player - must not only familiarize ourselves with the environment, but must even determine the goal of the very game itself. Although the ostensible objective is the solution of the puzzles, the actual purpose for playing Myst is the exploration of the very real world that the creators of the game have made.

Unfortunately, much of this atmosphere and wonder is lost on the modern computer gamer, used to more "twitch"-style 3D shooters. If you are looking for a game to challenge your adrenal gland, look elsewhere. If, however, you appreciate a sense of dramatic atmosphere and love the sense of discovery exploring a new and uncharted world, you won't find much better than this game.

Once you get into it, it never gets out of you

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 30 / 30
Date: December 20, 1999
Author: Amazon User

I have a hard time categorizing Myst as a "game." It feels more like a book. If you don't like books...you won't dig it.

Many games play more like a TV show, where the storyline is handed to you up front and your actions fill in the minute details. Not so with Myst, which gives you an enigmatic cinematic opening (which, though it's related to the game, explains nothing at all -- but it does establish an intriguing atmosphere) and then simply places you in an unfamiliar location. The existential search begins: Where am I? How did all these curious things get here, and what do they do? And why am *I* here? Only careful exploration ("attentive," that is -- there's no danger of harm, though some scenes do suggest it) yields the clues, some obvious and many subtle, which assemble into an understanding of the story -- a bona fide *story* -- of the situation you're in.

Myst isn't a perfect game, but it's a truly compelling story -- if, as I said, you're into stories. (If you loved Nick Bantock's mysterious, romantic story/art book "Griffin and Sabine," then Myst is for you without question.) If you absolutely require a more straightforward introduction but still like a sense of intrigue and brilliant, inventive puzzles to solve, then go straight for the sequel game, Riven. But I'd still suggest giving Myst a try first.

Myst Set the Standard for Computer Games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 28 / 29
Date: October 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Myst was the first home computer game to win a broad based audience. It was a rage in the mid-1990's when it first came out, and it has intrigued game players and non-game players alike. Selling like grandma's homemade hotcakes in a lumberjack camp, Myst won Ubisoft, the manufacturer, awards and of course lots and lots of money.

Myst is different in that it is not a shoot 'em up arcade-style game. You are "dumped" on an island and you have to figure out various puzzles to "win" the game. The puzzles are challenging and engaging. They will hook you into the game and keep you playing for hours of mental stimulation - explain it as "getting your mental exercise" when your spouse complains that you are spending too much time in front of the computer screen.

One final note, some gamers may not like this style of a game, as it is an intellectual pursuit rather than a "test your reflexes" game. You may spent hours looking for little clues to solve a complex puzzle. You also have to learn to use objects and machines and see what effect they have on the environment. It is very involved, and unless you are motivated to solve puzzles in this fashion, you will quickly become frustrated with the game and quit. It may take months to figure out the game and reach the end! Some simply do not have the patience to play a game and have to pour so much time and energy into it. If you need to solve your games instantly for gratification, then this is not the game for you.

Myst was the first computer game I really came to admire for its complexity and interest factor. The graphics were mind-blowing when the game first came out, but now appear amateurish compared to recent releases in the Myst series. Still, it stands the test of time and is a good place to start for beginning computer gamers.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig, Computer Freak

After Several Years--- Still the Best

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: November 22, 1999
Author: Amazon User

This game was one of the first I've ever played on the computer. This was several years ago. In all the years that have passed, I have seen nothing that comes close to the quality of Myst in the supposed genre that it created. Myst IS the genre. The graphics may have been surpassed due to the evolving technology, but I am still amazed at the quality of the breath-taking visuals to this day. The prospect of the original idea of not having any music practically horrified me because of how much the immersive soundtrack adds to the experience that is Myst. The plot unfolds like an interactive mystery novel in which you've been plopped right in the middle of. Definitely a must for those who are still human and would like to immerse themselves in an experience that has made Myst the best selling game of all time.

Myst - excellent first computer game or gift

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: April 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Myst is popular because it's a great game that requires a fair amount of thought, but isn't so challenging that players won't have success. It's set up so that with each accomplishment, you are led to the next step (i.e., your are rewarded). Though not an action computer game, it does provide excitement for people who enjoy figuring out puzzles and exploring graphically interesting computer-generated worlds.

Don't be fooled, however, into buying Riven on the basis of your Myst experience. The sequel to Myst is not the same, and takes more effort. Also, if you do not have a DVD player, Riven comes on 5 CD-ROMs which must be swapped continually to complete the game. It's annoying and interrupts the flow of the game considerably.

Great puzzle game!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 12
Date: January 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Although the technology behind this game is a little dated now, this is still an excellent puzzler for those who like games that don't involve shooting monsters. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy blowing away bad guys as much as anyone else, but it's nice to play something a little different every once in a while. This game does not depend at all on weapons or killing anything, nor does it require you to do a lot of jumping or physically manuvering around obstacles. It is entirely a "thinking" game. The closest you get to physical action is the fact that some of the puzzles to solve are mazes.

You start the game stranded alone on the Island of Myst, with no idea how you got there, and no idea how to get home. Your only clue is a note found on the ground near the island's library. From this slender beginning, you learn about the history of the island, about Altus and his two feuding sons, Sirrus and Achernar, and the four mysterious Ages you must visit and explore. Be sure and explore the Library thoroughly. Check everything. The books in the library contain important clues. They are not strictly necessary to solve the game, but they help out a lot, especially the Mechanical Age (with the rocket ship). Personally, I found the Channelwood Age the most difficult, but all of the Ages can be solved with a little logic, and thorough exploration. Each Age is also filled with little trinkets and gadgets that don't really help you solve the game, but they reveal a LOT about the personalities of Sirrus and Achernar.

Visually, the game is absolutely gorgeous. Each Age has an entirely different look and feel to it. The user interface is extremely simple and intuitive. The haunting soundtrack and well-done QuickTime animations also add a lot to the overall feel of the game.

The only people you will actually interact with at all in the game are the aforementioned Altus, Sirrus, and Achernar. This leads me to my one and only complaint about the game. I wish the Millers had spent a little more money to hire some better actors to play these roles, as all three of them are badly overacted. But, that's a minor gripe. Altus' acting is so bad, it's actually funny.

Once you've played through this game a couple of times, it becomes pretty easy. However, I still maintain that the game does have a lot of replay value. Why? Becuase once you have figured everything out and memorized the solutions to all the puzzles, you can get to the end in about 3 or 4 hours, tops. But that 3 or 4 hours is time well spent immersed in the game's beautiful environment.

I've noticed several people who have mentioned that the game does not run well on Windows 98. I've encountered this problem too. If you install the game from the automatic installation dialog box that comes up when you insert the Myst CD, the game will play OK for a little while, but will eventually crash. However, I was able to find a solution. If you're running Windows 98 or newer, do NOT install from the dialog box. Instead, go to the Install subdirectory on the CD, find the "install.exe" file there, and click on it to install the game that way. The installation procedure is slightly different. You'll know you are doing it the different way when the game installes to a new directory called c:\myst. If you use the automatic dialog box, it will install to a different subdirectory. I installed the game using this alternate procedure, and it has been running fine with Windows 98. I hope this helps anyone out there experiencing problems. It would be a shame to miss out on a game as good as this one becuase of operating system problems.

An intricate, spectacular experience that spawned a legacy.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: April 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have to say that Myst is just one of those things that changed my life.

I got the game from a relative many moons ago, for the Christmas of 1997. I was 12, and while everyone else was pining for the long awaited sequel, Riven, I was discovering the Myst universe for the very first time. I was intrigued from the get go. The back of the box seemed like the dustjacket to a surrealistic mystery novel, and I was dying to figure out what happened. Being horrid at logical problem-solving (something which really hasn't changed over the years), I armed myself with the guide book and dove in. I resurfaced several months later just in time for Riven (we actually needed to purchase more RAM for our faithful old Mac before it would run, but I remember thinking it would be the end of the world if I did not get to play it), and by then I was gone, completely, totally, irreversibly obsessed by the universe presented to me in this game.

I was rather shocked when I was on another site and noticed that people could find negative things to say about Myst. It spawned a phenomenon: a multitude of sequels, novels, and other merchandise, and it just keeps growing with additions like Uru and the recently advertised Myst IV: Revelation (how excited was I when I found out? ;). It has been cited as the best selling game of all time. Why on earth would someone call it dumb, boring, without a point or a storyline, when it had such a profound effect on me? Then I got to thinking about it and realized that actually, you need to have a certain level of intellect to really appreciate Myst and its sequels. The original version, the game that I played, was released in 1993, when CD-ROM games were in the definite minority. Back then, if anyone recalls, most video games were not at the graphically spectacular state they're in now. Therefore, when you loaded Myst, you were literally *blown away* by the quality and vividness of the graphics. Everything is incredibly intricate and just visually gorgeous to look at. More than ten years later, I'm still impressed by the graphics. Some have complained about the lacking navigational system of the game, but again, think of the time when the game was released. I know that I was extremely pleased that everything was as simple as pointing and clicking instead of having to manuver some kind of controller with 76 different buttons and joysticks and what have you. Also, when I first loaded the game, I waited and waited for someone to jump out and shoot at me, but no one ever did. Myst is unlike all of those mindless first person shooter games, instead allowing you to live long enough to appreciate the surroundings and get into the puzzles and backstory without having to worry about being blown to smithereens. Some would complain this solitude doesn't provide them with enough "stimulation" but the game held my attention for eons longer than the other games I've played where the only thing that was going on was chaotic crossfire.

But what really got me into Myst was, aside from the intensely beautiful surroundings, was the storyline. Some might call it dull, but that's only because your purpose is never directly spelled out for you. At the time I got Myst, the only other game I had played at length was Star Wars: Dark Forces (a game I do love, by the way, but it's an entirely different kind of game from Myst). At the beginning of each level, your mission objection is directly dictated to you. With Myst, nothing. You are simply there, and the only thing that keeps you motivated is your intense curiosity. People with short attention spans looking for gore and blood will be almost immediately turned off. People like me, however, well... will be all the more fascinated. And I don't know about you, but just the fact that I was completely alone the entire time creeped me out more than having 1000 angry stormtroopers breathing down my neck in Dark Forces.

It isn't really fair to say that Myst is a game, because it isn't, not in the traditional sense of the word. Myst is an experience, a universe all its own, presented to you on a CD-ROM. You can be pulled into the universe, the breath-taking environments, the riveting mysteries you are trying to solve, the hauntingly beautiful music (and if you like the music, please please buy the soundtrack, because it rocks :), and the characters you encounter along the way... or you can choose not to. But just be warned... you will definitely be missing out on something extraordinary. I recommend this game for everyone, as well as the sequels. I find them all equally wonderful.

A Marvelous Mindgame

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: January 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If you like shoot-em-up action and gore galore, this is NOT your game. If you enjoy exploring new, mysterious, and unknown worlds, and figuring out how things work, you will love MYST. MYST's creators borrowed from the ideas of some of the oldest computer mindgames--explore, touch, press the buttons, turn the wheels, read the books and papers--and created fascinating, interconnected puzzles that require patience, persistence, logic, and some intuitive leaps to solve. My husband bought the game, messed around with it for several hours, and gave up in disgust. I decided to try it and was hooked in minutes. Ultimately, I think, most players won't care much about the three chracters in the game; The challenge of solving the puzzles is all-absorbing, and the worlds to be explored are fascinating. You have to pay attention to small details to solve some of the problems, and there are plenty of meaningless, but intriguing distractions in every scene. Solving this game (I'm not even sure it should be called a game) requires out-of-the-box thinking and lots of note-taking. Every successful entry to and exit from a new world is a thrill because you've solved a very difficult puzzle just to get there. MYST is frustrating, fascinating, fun, and very rewarding. And it's a great precursor to RIVEN, which is MYST to the tenth power.

Let the world and the story immerse you--I love this game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: April 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Contrary to my usual reviewing style, there is little I can add that would be different from what previous reviewers have said. Plus, being that this is a game, I would not be doing well to give anything away to those who have not yet played/beaten Myst.

If you like(d) Myst, I strongly recommend that you purchase more games from the Myst franchise, as well as the three epic Myst novels. These in particular are all fantastic works, and they give background information that makes the Myst story come alive. I guarantee you will like the other Myst games and the novels.

My only suggestion is to seek this game in its later, remade incarnations (the one where it's included along with the second and third games in the series is the best value) because there is no real point in pursuing an old, original copy.

A side note: This game, at least in its original incarnation (this one, in other words), has very poor Vista compatibility. Upon installation, Quicktime kicks up some Dickens but allows the game to install and run. The game hangs on a regular basis, crashes frequently, and, as a result of the Quicktime issue, none of the movies work. This means that, unless you've played the game before, a vital part of the game play is missing. There are some eerie absences where those movies should be. Essentially, the original Myst game is no fun whatsoever on Vista. Later editions and rehashes are likely more compatible, and I have read as much. I include this information only for the benefit of those, like me, who have a legacy copy of the game from the original release.

All in all, there really isn't much to say. If you've played Myst, then you know. You just KNOW. And, if you haven't played it yet, what are you waiting for? Get ready to embark on one of the most engrossing and immersing journeys you'll ever face. Oh, and be prepared to become hopelessly obsessed with Myst--it really is "...the surrealistic adventure that will become your world."

Myst: The conquest of a lifetime

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 10, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Christmas morining, 1993. I was nine years old. I can still remember that day like it were yestserday. i woke up, ran down stairs, and looked in amazement at what santa had brought me. I woke up everyone in the house and forced them out of bed. A few minutes later i had my big brother, parents, and grandparents gathered around the christmas tree. Then i tore my way throught the wrapped gifts. After a few a came up on one that i wasnt expecting. MYST. i stared at it, not knowing exactly what it was, then i found out it was a computer game. After we finished unwrapping gifts, and ate breakfast, my dad loaded the game on to the family computer. I was fascinated. I felt as is a was grabbed from my chair and ripped into the game! I played for hours on end. I even believed that sleep was a rude intrusion of playing time. I admit, I had to go get a strategy guide, but i only used it when I felt that I was in dire need of it.Beat the game after awile. Then what? I got so cuaght up in it, that after i was done, it felt like something was missing.

Then, in 1996 Riven came out. I bought it and fell in love all over again. These two games are with out a dought, my personal favorite games of all time. The story is so deep, that you begin to feel atrus's pain. The scenery is so beautiful, that you will feel like you are there. I cant tell you if you would like the game, i know people who hated the game. if you would like a game where you can sit down, walk around and look at beautifull scenery, or solve a mystery, then by all means get this game. But if you want something alittle more exiting, stay away from this.

If you do buy this game, please dont go online and read the walkthrough, it ruins the experience, and the adventure. Take your time, dont rush it, its better if it takes you a few weeks than if you better in a couple of hours.

You may want to delay buying myst, becuase in november, they are going to put out a new version of myst called realmyst. It will be in real-time 3d, instead of just being pictures. that means you can walk around in the environment in 3d, instead of it being like a slide show. There will also be changes in weather, and it will change from day to night. There will be animals roaming around, and the clounds will move and trees will sway. There will also be a whole new age (world) to explore, with new puzzles. You won't be disappointed if you wait. Also look out for MystIII:Exile, coming out in the 1st quarter of 2001

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