Myst Still Holds Up After All The Years
I recently replayed Myst, a puzzle type game from 1993. It was a lot more fun the second time around in my opinion. The first time I played it was in 1996 on my a i486 DX4 processor running at a whopping 120mHz. As far as I remember, there weren’t any guides or walkthrough’s on the internet back then.
Many people like to talk about how exhilarating it was to solve the puzzles without any outside help. Well, I remember being incredibly frustrated. On the one hand I 100% completed the game by myself. On the other hand I spent may more time than I care to admit on several puzzles.
Getting Started
I only played on the weekends and spent several weekends before figuring out where all the “clues” are hidden in the tower. From there things got a little easier. Honestly, the only reason I didn’t just give up on Myst is because I didn’t have anything else to play.
Once I discovered Warcraft II I never looked back. That is until recently. I played Myst with my kids and had a blast. I hadn’t played Myst in so long I forgot the details of each mystery. Instead I had a vague feeling about the solution to each puzzle.
This time around, we didn’t waste any time getting started. My daughters figured out where to start a lot faster than I did. They had some practice at puzzle games though since they love the Nancy Drew games.
They took to Myst like a fish to water. Figuring out where the clues were, how to use them, and ultimately the right choice to make at the end. They immensely enjoyed the game from start to finish.
Along the way there were a few times we got hung up. Instead of weeks of frustration, we got some hints and gave each other clues.
Different Approaches
My experience was a lot different than theirs. I experienced a lot of highs and lows during the game. Mine were mainly due to the weeks of frustration of not making progress, followed by moment of delight when I solved a puzzle.
Theirs was an overall good experience from beginning to end. They enjoyed exploring the islands. They enjoyed taking screen shots and videos when they found clues. Something that required 3rd party software to do when I played.
On the rare occasion we got stuck, we simply looked it up online and moved on. In the end, my original method of accidentally stumbling on a solution isn’t any more commendable than simply asking for some assistance. In fact, the latter saves a lot of time and frustration. Overall, they rarely got frustrated because they enjoyed the process. Even if it included some help.
Different Interests
I think their favorite part was the storyline. We had a lot of discussion while the story unfolded. Something I missed out on the first time around. It’s a different experience when you have someone to share it with.
While Myst was popular back in the 1990’s, discussions happened sporadically. When I did discuss it with friends, it was usually centered around exchanging info to solve a problem.
Talking about the game as you’re playing it is a totally different experience. We had discussions on the puzzles we liked. The ones we didn’t like. How some could be improved on or modified.
I’m not usually one for group projects. However, it really depends on the group. Being thrown together at school with the people in your class rarely results in the optimal group. Hand picking your best friends to make a group is a different story.
I’m not sure what I expected by playing Myst as a group project. But I was pleasantly surprised by the results. It really turned out to be a great experience. Everyone had fun since everyone contributed in their own way.
We had so much fun we plan on playing Myst II and Myst III. We’ve played other games with similar results. As mentioned before, the Nancy Drew games are similar. Odyssey is another game that looks and feels a lot like Myst.
Final Thoughts
My main point these games have a lot to offer. Whether you enjoy figuring everything out on your own. Or whether you prefer to avoid some frustration and look up some hints.
Both ways build character. Learning that you’re not alone. That there is help out there is a good lesson to learn. Just as much as learning you can do it on your own too.
Although Myst is a solo game, several of us played alongside each other. It’s probably not how Rand and Robin Miller envisioned it to be played. But when you have good friends to play with, I found Myst makes for a great co-op game. It still holds up as a great game after all these years!
Myst Still Holds Up After All The Years brought to you by David M.
I’m David M. I’ve been playing video games a long time, my pong game was fire. Now, my kids run circles around me but we always have a good time. We mostly play party and family games. Strategy and battle games are still among my favorites. I like writing about games almost as much as I do playing them. My favorite games are: Moving Out 2, Out of Space and Overcooked All You Can Eat.
