Screenshot: Myst
There’s an ongoing internet joke about Todd Howard and rereleasing
Skyrim, but there’s been so many releases of
Myst at this point that even Todd has to be taking notes. Okay, I’m joking, but
Myst has seen its share fair of rereleases since its original Mac OS release in 1993, followed the next year by a Windows release and then 3DO, Sega Saturn, Atari Jaguar in 1994, and PlayStation in 1995. There’s been a Nintendo DS version, a 3DS version, an Android release and more. It was even rereleased as a (somewhat controversial)
realMyst in 2014 and upgraded to
realMyst: Masterpiece Edition in 2015 with upgraded graphics/better performance.
Myst is obviously a beloved classic that has been released on platform after platform. But how does this latest release hold up?
Myst, as this release is known, is a fully 3D recreation of the original
Myst. Released last year on Oculus Quest (
read my review here) it breathed new life into the original, but at the time, it wasn’t the best experience to play on virtual reality headsets.
Myst requires you to take notes to use later, and doing so in a virtual reality headset isn’t very easy. The biggest change I noticed when jumping into this version is the addition of a photo mode which allows you to quickly take a picture you can reference later, in-game. That means those who want to experience
Myst in full virtual reality will have an easier time of it. Those on PC will finally get a chance to deal with
Myst’s enigmatic puzzles as if they’re in the same room as them.
Screenshot: Myst
While playing
Myst on my Quest 2 was very fun, playing
Myst on my gaming rig with an Index headset is still fun, but now it looks even more spectacular. It’s basically the same virtual reality experience as the Quest 2 offered, just with higher fidelity graphics—and sometimes that can make a difference.
Myst has never looked so good, and that goes double for the non-VR version. There’s something about manipulating
Myst’s puzzles with touch controls, and stepping into each of its ages, see these worlds from my perspective, that awakens a wonderment in me not unlike the first time I saw
Myst’s full-motion video segments, and pre-rendered graphics.
If you don’t have a virtual reality headset, don’t worry:
Myst, while definitely fun and playable in virtual reality, was originally made for a flat screen. Much like
realMyst,
Myst is fully explorable in 3D. It plays like a modern first person puzzle game, but lacks many of the quality of life and signposting tricks that other more modern games employ.
Myst is a game that was made in 1993, and it doesn’t hold your hand to help. As you explore the starting island, and eventually wander into each of
Myst’s five ages, you’ll interact with a hauntingly realized world with puzzles that have captivated and inspired since the early 90s.
Myst has a puzzle design that I haven’t really encountered in most modern games. It requires you to scour its environment, with every symbol and written line of dialogue a possible clue or solution to a puzzle you’ve been ramming your head against for hours. There’s a particular satisfaction in solving the puzzles of
Myst without a guide, but there’s no shame in using one if you’re truly stumped.
Screenshot: Myst
Myst is a beautiful recreation of the original. With graphic options like NVidia’s DLSS and ray tracing, the Ages of
Myst have never looked so good. Myst Island itself is a little bland compared to the moody and atmospheric ages, but this overhaul has brought it visually closer to the original
Myst than the efforts made in
realMyst. I don’t know for sure if
Myst was built over the geometry of
realMyst, but it sure seems like it, and there’s even the inclusion of a certain character’s grave (which is a bit of a spoiler) that first appeared in
realMyst.
Myst is a true classic, and this latest release is probably its best. I’d love to see the sequels get the same treatment as this update, but that doesn’t seem likely—at least not anytime soon. But it’s good to see
Myst getting released to new audiences who can experience the computer game phenomenon of the early 90s.
Myst is available tomorrow on
PC and Mac via Steam, and
Xbox Series X and Xbox One, including Xbox Gamepass.
A PC key was provided to us for the purposes of this review.
If you like the video game, tabletop, or other technology content that Third Coast Review has to offer, consider donating to our Patreon. We are the only publication in Chicago that regularly reviews video games, and we cover lots of local Chicago-based events and more. If you want to contribute to our coverage of Chicago’s video game scene (and more) please consider becoming a patron. Your support enables us to continue to provide this type of content. Patreon.com/3CR
You can also catch us streaming games we’re reviewing and staff favorites on our Twitch channel.
