Written by Vetinari
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| It's time to input some ratings. |
So, we arrived at the end of Myst, and we are left to explore the five worlds contained in this game at our leisure. But is that something that we would want to do? Let's find out with the final rating.
Puzzles and Solvability
For being described as a puzzle game, in Myst there are not that very many real puzzles.
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| Is this a puzzle? Nah. |
Maybe I am spoiled by more recent games such as The Past Within or The Samsara Room (both excellent escape room-type games, I recommend them) where every nook and cranny is jam-packed with enigmas and/or hints, but the puzzles in Myst seem very few and far between. Apart from Myst Island that acts as a sort of hub for travelling between the various worlds, each other age has maybe three or four puzzles in total.
It also relies too much on doing things that have no obvious immediate feedback and then letting the player check all the various screens to discover what could have happened.
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| I pressed this. Now what? |
Some of the puzzles were frustrating (like the damned rotating fortress), but all in all they were on the easy-ish side. Most of them just relied on finding the correct code or number to be fed into some combination lock, and very few relied on reasoning on the part of the player. The ones that did however needed some sound reasoning (like the ones we found in the Selenitic age - get it? because they used sounds?) and so they keep the score up a little. My score: 5.
Interface and Inventory
The interface is simple but okay-ish.
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| Does this mean "look up" or is it just the default mouse pointer? (It is the default). |
The main problem with it is that it is too simple. Most of the time it is not clear if a point is clickable or not, since the default "hand" mouse pointer does not change with every interactive objects, so maybe a point on the screen could be interacted with, but you wouldn't know unless you clicked on it.
The other serious problem is the inconsistency in how the point of view rotates when clicking on the screen edges (or even just when advancing from one view node to another). One time you maybe rotate 90°, but some other times you do a 180° and find yourself facing backwards. Other times you advance, but are also rotated 45° to one side. This caused problems mostly in Channelwood, but it is awkward even in the other ages, most of all because if you were really travelling through these worlds on foot in real life, you would not have these kind of issues such as "in which direction I am facing right now?" at all. So, for how much the graphics strive to create a realistic world, the interface sinks it.
Another "100% an interface problem" issue is the lack of an inventory, which is somehow infuriating.
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| If only I had another hand! |
I could understand the impossibility to carry more than one object if all of them were to be used near where they are taken, or at least in the same age (which, for the most part, is true). But then there are the blue and red pages which are the only reason for which you are going to visit these various other worlds, and which if you want to get back to Myst island involve a lot of backtracking.
From what I understood it seems that this minimalistic/limited approach was somehow forced by the HyperCard software which was used to develop Myst, since it was not a really good fit to develop an adventure game. It actually was more similar to a database application (like Access) than a presentation software (like PowerPoint).
All of these problems were in fact solved by the other Myst successors which borrowed the skeleton of the interface and improved on it (e.g. adding a real inventory). My score: 4.
Story and Setting
I have yet to see another adventure game where the story is so much front-ended as the one in Myst.
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| Can we just get the abridged version? |
The plot of Myst can be summarized as follows:
A guy called Atrus creates some parallel worlds within books. He travels through them with his family, using Myst island as a sort of library/headquarters. But his two sons Achenar and Sirrus, greedy for riches and power, betray him, destroying most of these worlds and imprisoning him into a book by tearing out one of its pages. Unfortunately for them, Atrus had set-up a trap in two of the library books to trap them as well. Then the player, stumbling by chance on Myst island, manages to find the missing pages and free Atrus.
As you can see, 99% of the plot development happens before the start of the game proper. The actionability which can be attributed to the player is very much limited to solving some puzzles and watching some videos.
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| Nothing to see here. |
Sound and Graphics
Ooh boy, are the graphics in this game good.
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| This is just the beginning. (Well, near the beginning anyway). |
The graphical part is very good, bordering on excellent at times. The transitions and the various videos (especially the flyovers when entering a new book) are smooth and detailed, and the cinematography is also high quality.
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| Wish I could fly out in the blue... |
On the other side, the music is decent but nothing to write home about, contrary to what some other commenters might say (sorry MorpheusKitami). I could easily give it an 8 overall and leave it at that.
But! The sound compartment also comprises the sound effects, and these are really really well implemented. Not only that, but actually many of the sounds are integral to the gameplay. In fact some of the puzzles (and the most interesting ones, at that) rely on sound cues to provide hints, if they are not outright needed to solve them at all, which is something that is really not very common in adventure games, even nowadays. I have to give it a further point in this category just because of that. So total of 8+1, 9! My score: 9.
Environment and Atmosphere
There is surely a lot of empty space in this game.
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| Are we there yet? |
To get from one interactive point to another you could probably travel through seven or eight other screens with nothing in it, just some interesting panorama.
But on the other side, this feeling of emptiness and abandoned places creates a sort of Zorkian atmosphere which is quite unsettling and pretty fascinating, and which probably could account for much of the game success, in that you can just wander around, take in the sights and don't worry about anything else.
I cannot however go without thinking that this is a little bit of a cop out, since by having so many abandoned places you really do not need any other character to interact with.
Also most of the things we find in these other ages are from Sirrus or Achenar, and f**k those two guys.
The other sore point, and my main gripe with this actually, is that all of the various Ages are not nearly different enough from one another.
While reading Atrus' journal in the libraries, I expected to find worlds pretty visually distinct from each other: a volcano, a fortress with grey sky up above, and so on.
Instead all of these so-called "ages" could for all we know be part of the same archipelago as Myst island, and even not too far apart either. They are after all rocky islands in the middle of the ocean, with just some very small difference from one another.
The only Age which is different enough is Channelwood, which, surprise surprise, is also the only one which does not take place on an island!
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| Less islands please. |
Summing up, the atmosphere of this game does not live up to its full potential, and ends up as middle-of-the-road somewhat. My score: 5.
Dialog and Acting
Are there dialogues in this game, or only monologues?
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| Atrus tried somewhat, but it was still clumsy. |
We certainly had some lines delivered at us, but it was not really a good simulation of a two-way conversation. Also, the fact that the two Miller brothers doubled as all of the characters in the videos (Rand Miller played Atrus and Achenar, while Robyn Miller played Sirrus) betrays some limitations both in the game budget and in the acting capabilities and range shown. All in all however they do a tolerable job, even if way over-the-top in how Achenar and Sirrus are portrayed.
The other problem with the dialogues in the game is that by having as a lead a featureless adventure game protagonist, you cannot have many meaningful word exchanges and so this category suffers accordingly. This kind of protagonist is for sure a throwback to the original text adventure games (see "Zorkian atmosphere" above), but it certainly doesn't help in having good plot exposition and/or character development.
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| AFGNCAAP at their finest. |
I would have to check what Reiko gave The 7th Guest in this category to have a good baseline for this. Hmmm... 3? That's harsh. Let's be a little more understanding, shall we? My score: 4.
Totalling the scores, we get (5+4+4+9+5+4)/0.6 = 52 points!
For such a well-regarded game, this seems a little bit on the lower side, but apart from Sound & Graphics the other categories are really not very strong. 52 is the same as many other middle-of-the-pack adventures, such as the first Quest for Glory, Shadow of the Comet and Nippon Safes Inc.
In the end, ratings aside, I enjoyed playing Myst, and look forward to covering its sequel Riven for the blog when we get around to it in 2045.
The rating guesses from the commenters were all over the place, going from the “unreasonably low guess” of 75 by MorpheusKitami, to the actual unreasonably low guess of 1 by Leo Vellés. And all in all the average rating from all the guesses is 54, which is actually not very far off from the real Final Rating! So, good job everyone! But in the end the one who guessed closer is Radiant with 50.
CAP Distribution
100 CAPs to Vetinari
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For blogging and playing Myst for our enjoyment
35 CAPs to Laukku
- True Companion Award - 25 CAPs - For playing Myst along with Vetinari during the review
- A Magician Never Reveals His Tricks Award - 5 CAPs - For information on how tricks were used to make it look more technologically advanced while keeping it small and manageable
- Video Killed the Adventurer Star Award - 5 CAPs - For linking to videos that help keep the Myst mythos going
25 CAPs to LeftHanded Matt
- True Companion Award - 25 CAPs - For playing Myst along with Vetinari during the review
21 CAPs to Alex Romanov
- Knowledge is Power Award - 20 CAPs - For many useful facts and insights during the playthrough for Veil of Darkness
- Interest Accrued Award - 1 CAP - Interest earned on said CAPs at a rate of one-half of 1% per week for over 3 weeks due to the late payment of said CAPs.
- Psychic Prediction Award - 10 CAPs - For having the closest guess to the final rating for Myst
10 CAPs to Adamant
- Closed Captioning Award - 10 CAPs - For helpful transcriptions of the important dialogs in Myst, as the game lacked subtitles in a time they were starting to become necessary
- True Companion Award - 10 CAPs - For playing Myst along with Vetinari during the (part of) review
5 CAPs to arcanetrivia
- Easy Money Award - 5 CAPs - For resisting the urge to sell Mom's vintage, big-box copy of Myst for the last 30 years, when it could have brought in tens of dollars
5 CAPs to Leo Vellés
- Scottie Pippen Fan Club Award - 5 CAPs - For recognizing the logo for a major sports team in the Myst-ical skies.
5 CAPs to Agrivar
- Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse Award- 5 CAPs - For knowledge of the major stars in the skies
Huh, I would have deducted a point for the sounds being required to solve puzzles, since it makes them inaccessible to deaf/hard-of-hearing people, and also requires you to have the sound on to play, which I may have various reasons to not want to do.
ReplyDeleteEasy Money Award - 5 CAPs - For resisting the urge to sell Mom's vintage, big-box copy of Myst for the last 30 years, when it could have brought in tens of dollars
TENS, I TELL YOU!
But er, the version of this post I saw in RSS also awarded me another 5 points for cheekily quoting Curse of Monkey Island (a "review" which I stand by after having read all these posts)... but that seems to be absent here?
Huh. That one was from me, but I suspect one of my fellow pro-Myst admins came in and edited the post afterwards.
DeleteThe original post was eaten by blogger, I re-entered it a day ago and did the CAPs from heart, and even came up with a better title for your award than I originally had. So, spiritually, I awarded you twice with nothing to show for it. It will be made up for. :)
Wow. A tough one. Although half the readers are thinking the score is too low, and the other half think it's too high, I think you probably got it right.
ReplyDelete@arcanetrivia - I also wouldn't have removed any points for a sound puzzle. While I think accessibility is slightly more important now, it wasn't then, and I tend to judge things by classic standards. And games then were designed to be played with the sound on. Hence, why this one didn't have subtitles.
I was not bothered by the use that this game makes of sound at all!
DeleteWhile the accessibility may not be the best (e.g. lack of subtitles) I do not think that the game suffers from this, on the contrary it maybe increases its charms even more.
Also the environmental sounds were pretty well done.
I feel like accessibility shouldn't factor into a game's score unless it's something that directly affects you, because there are too many things you could remove points for. Color puzzles, since some people are colorblind. Mathematical puzzles, since doing math in one's head causes some people to have seizures. Navigational puzzles, since some people can't navigate. Timed puzzles, for various reasons. All text puzzles, since some people can't imagine things.
DeleteNow if they're crappy puzzles, on the other hand...
Umm, so, if I said that I was in fact Deaf then my opinion on this would suddenly become valid? I'm not, but since you bring up the example of colorblindness, my husband does have color vision deficiencies and there have been spots in multiple games where he's had to ask me to tell the difference between two blues/purples or yellows/greens because he can't see it properly. This is another area where modern design is more aware that relying on color alone for distinctions can be inaccessible to some people, and if it conveys needed information, to also use other elements like pattern or shape.
DeleteI mean, you are specifically advocating for a position that would naturally mean that even if you liked a sound based puzzle, you would subtract points for it because others might not be able to enjoy it. Like I said, there are too many things that you could apply it to just as well. Someone with arthritis or otherwise lost most of their dexterity would have a great deal of trouble with most of our top rated games. We are supposed to be a blog about adventure games, not finding games you can play with disabilities. Our reviewers are supposed to review puzzles based on what they think are clever, fun or interesting not what other people think are clever, fun or interesting or even not. There are some puzzles people won't enjoy because of personal taste and some they can't because of disabilities. If a puzzle was fun/clever/interesting, you are not doing those people a favor rating it lower for them. Pointing it out, sure, but lowering your rating for someone else helps no one.
DeleteI mean, you are specifically advocating for a position that would naturally mean that even if you liked a sound based puzzle, you would subtract points for it because others might not be able to enjoy it.
DeleteYes, I suppose I am. Such a puzzle would be improved if it were more accessible. I can appreciate the cleverness of the idea while also recognizing that it would present a stumbling block for some people who might otherwise be able to play the game completely through. I am not fond of the sound puzzle in Tales of Monkey Island where you have to follow a map by carefully listening to animal sounds, either. There's no alternative way to get the information, so someone who can't hear simply can't get past that (other than getting someone else to do that part for them). It wouldn't necessarily have to have been designed that way.
Talking of disabilities with manual dexterity, the "disability tax" i.e. the often high costs (not to mention extra hassle) for those who need adaptive input devices is a problem, too. (Now we're talking about my father, and to a lesser degree my mother.)
"Solvability" is part of that point category, too, and that can mean different things to different people.
Perhaps, but at the same time, something is always going to trip up someone's disability. Some blind people play games with screen readers, should we penalty all graphic adventures for not accounting for this? Some people get seizures if they try to solve mathematical equations in their head, should math problems get penalized on this principle? With respect, you seem to be focused on issues exclusively on people you know when there are a wide variety of issues that effective makes a puzzle that would be workable for all of them very difficult to do in a way that isn't simple or boring, to say nothing of the rest of the categories we rate for. You're asking for a change that only sounds simple enough because you haven't thought it out.
DeletePerhaps, but at the same time, something is always going to trip up someone's disability.
DeleteIt's true that there's no universally good solution, but that doesn't mean that things that can be improved shouldn't be.
With respect, you seem to be focused on issues exclusively on people you know
Because you said "I feel like accessibility shouldn't factor into a game's score unless it's something that directly affects you", implying that if it did, then my complaint would be valid. Well, I don't personally have any of these disabilities, but I'm surrounded by people who do, to varying degrees. It's to illustrate that it is probably more common than you think, and even though it is not me specifically who is affected, still it's not an abstract idea to me as it seems to be to you.
You're asking for a change that only sounds simple enough because you haven't thought it out.
I did not say it would necessarily be simple (in the case of any given example puzzle), just that it should be striven for.
"It's true that there's no universally good solution, but that doesn't mean that things that can be improved shouldn't be."
DeleteHerein lies the problem. Sure, improving things that can be improved is fine, but what is the thing that can be improved is the question. Games are complicated things to get right replacing a component that is working right is more likely than not, going to make a worse experience for everyone.
"It's to illustrate that it is probably more common than you think, and even though it is not me specifically who is affected, still it's not an abstract idea to me as it seems to be to you."
I prefer not to volunteer stuff that might be considered personal information willy-nilly. I imagine it's very difficult for any American to not be aware that a significant amount of people are hard of hearing or have arthritis. That said, a significant number of those hard of hearing wouldn't have too much of a problem with a sound puzzle, but the people caught in the cross blast from the speakers would.
very interesting rating and may I say, accurate. I wonder how all the remasters and remakes improve or destroy this game. There's been so many that I'm sure there's a lot to talk about those
ReplyDeleteThanks. I fully expect to be thoroughly panned for giving it a too low rating, but I tried to be as objective as possible with the scores.
DeleteIIRC, Masterpiece Edition is just a nicer-looking game that's mostly the same, it also adds a hint system. RealMyst kind of made it look worse despite making it all true 3D instead of pre-rendered, but it's nice having a day/night cycle and the ability to see everywhere whenever you want.
DeleteI don't really remember any past Masterpiece to confirm this, but some people say that later remakes screwed around with the atmosphere and art direction.
I still prefer pre-rendered/hand crafted backgrounds, especially for very atmospheric games, so I would imagine for Myst it would be better. A good prerendered background is like a good painting, you can capture more of the feel and atmosphere you're trying to convey. And if the game was designed with pre-rendered backgrounds in mind then it shouldn't affect the puzzles or playability.
DeleteAnd it was a great review of the game, I was always interested in this landmark title but knew it would probably frustrate the living hells out of me. I think the score is good, it's a bit of a love it/hate it affair but I think you did a great job of explaining your scores!
The original Myst does have a certain atmosphere that may have been lost in the remakes, but out of the ones I've played RealMyst Masterpiece Edition is easily the winner. The full 3D movement turned the game into something far more enjoyable for me.
DeleteI haven't played the 2021/VR version, only watched it being played online, so can't give a fair opinion on it. Initially they had gotten rid of the FMV and replaced it with ugly 3D character models, but fortunately they added it back in via a patch after people complained.
I can totally understand why someone would prefer the original though with those very stylish pre-rendered backgrounds.
I'd given more consideration to aspects like the game's haunting surreality (it drew me in more than the almost as depopulated but more ordinary-feeling Riven), the tension between the brothers is simple yet functional (unlike bloated messes like Grim Fandango or Virtue's Last Reward, hot takes I know), and acting-wise I appreciate the performances' memorability more than strict believability (The Miller father would've been a much weaker Atrus, plus they all work better than e.g. Dr. Ubermann in Fate of Atlantis). On the first point, once ShadyParadox continues his YouTube videos I will link them. On the other hand, the puzzles and interface indeed have much jank - the maze in particular either becomes mindless if you completed the Mechanical Age beforehand, or you tiresomely map out the maze, or it becomes a split between the two if you realize what the sounds mean part of the way.
ReplyDeleteHaunting surreality... exactly. Myst feels like some kind of horror, tension is constantly building up for... something... but that something doesn't happen. I'm not a big fan of Myst, but there's something really captivating about this game, the atmosphere, something that I really can't describe. So although it's 7/10 game for me, there is so much magic in it I just can't forget about Myst. It was less about game, more about experience.
DeleteSame here. Myst is basically a liminal space simulator way before the aesthetic became viral.
Deletea horror that never comes .. that reminds me somehow of all those "SM64 is a horror game" theories
DeleteI never played SM64. Is it really that eerie? In Myst there are also these unexpected moments... They aren't random, they make sense in context, but player must connect the dots to understand their meaning - and meaning is clear only after finding them. Like torture chamber or severed head. And there are some things that are not shove in your face, but implied - like this whole business with black/blue sky... IMO it's pretty creepy and more effective than hordes of monsters or gore.
Deleteunlike bloated messes like Grim Fandango or Virtue's Last Reward
ReplyDeleteWHAT? You managed to diss two of my favorite games in just one small sentence!
I'll second this outrage. The only thing wrong with Grim is the tank controls and first-person perspective. Big wrongs, mind you, but the characters, stories, and puzzles overcome them.
DeletePlaying Grim Fandango is like being a pinball bouncing through a world slapped together under (the non-visual kind of) Design Student's Orgasm principles, with told-not-shown themes about supposed guilt; Virtue's Lard Reward is a monotony of going through all choices and puzzle rooms after another while the characters try to be "quirky" (even the glacial Ever17, yet another of those Japanese games with a mystery across multiple branches, by the same author was better).
DeleteI love the zero trilogy, but 999 is the one that has a place in my heart. It's a superb story, with cool twists and not so much craziness as the sequels
DeleteIn spite of the other flaws in the series, I love the audacity of each game's big twist being a radically different variation on the concept of "We have lied to you about the identity of the point-of-view character"
DeleteI think you've given it a pretty fair score, and I would only go a little higher myself - Myst certainly has its issues however much I've grown fond of it, and the obscured presentation of what is a very full story reduces the impact.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the one area which I disagree on you is the medium score for atmosphere. Myst is absolutely overflowing with it, probably it's strongest aspect. The ethereal sense of otherworldly isolation, and the mystery flowing through it all, is intense.
I feel like there is a bit of not getting certain aspects here, as Adamant said last time, for example, there being nobody else around has become simply become true and wondering why nobody else around is not important, when it's the central question of the game and ties into how you deal with the brothers. Seeing how each world is written about and then seeing the world itself and noting all the ways the world is different is more important than credit is given.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, since both of us brought it up at different points, Atrus's journal mentions how the sky turns grey in the Mechanical Age when the pirates are nearby, but now the sky is blue, which tells us that the pirates aren't there anymore when they were at the end of the journal. Or the shot where there's supposedly nothing to see, hey, isn't it suspicious that the innocent guy has a needle and weird drugs in his drawers? Or the mysterious animal skull in Channelwood. The game's full of little touches like that.
Interestingly, I note that despite liking the sound and graphics less than I do, you also gave it a higher score than I would. Huh.
Long-time Myst fan who grew up playing it at as a kid. Completely appreciate the average score rating it today, and also recognize at the time for kids like me it was a staple that got me excited and into the entire adventure game genre. But respect that everyone found their own way here, and there’s definitely a nostalgia factor here.
ReplyDeleteSide note for anyone who does / did enjoy Myst series and hasn’t already seen this: the remake of Riven came out earlier this summer on Steam and the reviews are very, very good. Highly recommend checking it out.
- long time reader, second-time commenter, Jeff
The new Riven does look absolutely lovely. It sounds like they've made quite a few changes to it too, and most people seem to think they are improvements. The one thing that's bugging me is the removal of the FMV (I absolutely adore '90s FMV!), although I understand that in this case it wasn't feasible to keep it as part of the game.
Delete