Myst - Masterpiece Edition - Box

Myst - Masterpiece Edition
Ages Kids to Adults (KA)

I forgot how good it was. With the first chords and Atrus' gravely voice the adventure once again claimed me. The Miller brothers have created an enduring masterpiece.

For those of you who haven't played it before, wondrous things are in store for you. As the game starts, you find yourself on tranquil, sun dappled Myst, the base island for your exploration of the other four worlds. The back story begins with Atrus who creates worlds by writing about them. His library has been torched, thereby destroying these worlds and Atrus suspects his sons. By reading the few remaining books you find clues to the linking books that will transport you to these worlds. Once on these worlds you must find the linking book to return to Myst island. There are puzzles to solve both in the going and coming back. You must visit all the worlds before you can enter the endgame and find out the true story.

As you wander these five lands, moving through the silent buildings filled with abandoned possessions and machines you feel the presence of the people who once lived there. You, the voyeur, can handle their possessions, read their books, and live for awhile in their lands while you solve the conundrums that will reveal the mystery.

The ambient sounds for the original game created a startling reality and these effects are now even better - clearer. Machines rumble, water gurgles, wind blows through the trees. The music never tires and adds greatly to moving you through the story - at times ominous, mysterious, restless - always matched to and enhancing the mood - awesome.

Addressing concerns that Myst was too complicated - the Masterpiece Edition features in-game, multilevel help in the style of strategy guides where each level provides more and more information. Here, the top level solution still leaves plenty for you to work out. I found the help to be useful mostly when you were advised to move on because there was nothing more to be found. Sometimes I got a polite “Wait a moment - I'm studying your situation” I didn't wait.

The graphics for Myst island and the four worlds, called ages, are superb. It's hard to realize that Myst was originally done back in 1993. This Masterpiece Edition has upgraded the graphics to sparkling 24 bit color making the clues stand out much better. There are more maps - no more doing quick sketches to get the lay of the land (you gals are so lucky) and the fly over animations of the worlds have been enhanced to provide lots more useful details.

Each age is different, offering an unbelievable variety of environments and puzzles to explore. Stoneship Age, Channelwood Age, Selenitic Age and the Mechanical Age will lead you through tree houses, underwater rooms, space ships, lonely rock outposts, planetariums, towers, elevators that rotate, walls that disappear, fountains that reappear. Enough! Go there and see for yourself. The only complaint I have heard is that there are no people there– so - take along a friend with you when you go on this adventure.

Reviewed by Genevieve 10/99

  • Myst - Masterpiece Edition
  • © Mindscape/The Learning Company $19.95
  • Windows 95/98, Mac