John Gabriel Adkins:
Myst should need no introduction. It’s a puzzle-heavy, non-violent graphic adventure with a slick visual style and the simplest interface known to humankind. You, the player, are a genderless, unnamed interloper on a surreal island, a world that seems almost to have emerged from a madman’s mind. Things get weirder from here: alternate dimensions; magical books with people trapped inside; and an increasingly sinister plot. This project proceeded to sell more than 6 million copies — the highest sales of any computer game until The Sims.
The ripples of Myst are visible even today, most obviously but far from exclusively within so-called “walking sims” like Firewatch: a focus on atmosphere, on a sense of being there, coupled with a seamless interface. Influence-finding, though, is not my main interest here. What follows is a history of this game’s histories. I want to analyze the dueling narratives that arose to contextualize and explain the single, seismic event that was Myst.
It’s hard to explain today what kind of an amazing revelation the original Myst was. I never finished the game but I loved playing it.
I finished it, with a friend, and I had a pad with all the answers scribbled in it so I could replay it. What a great game that was. I also used to play Glider for much longer than I car to admit too!
Glider 3, I believe.
https://www.giantbomb.com/images/1300-1866360
I was fascinated by the game, but the Mac I had at the time ran it very slowly. By the time I got back to it, the OS was no longer supporting it.
I remember when it came out. It was a huge deal because no one had ever seen graphics of that quality at the time. Because of the graphics and the immersive music, the game sucked you in. It also caused people to buy CD-ROM drives because it wasn’t released on floppy.
It’s essentially an interactive IQ test.
It was incredible. The two authors, Rand and Robyn Miller were rock stars for a while if memory serves.
Well shit…that explains why I never finished it…
this game drove a lot of CD-ROM drive sales…i helped friends upgrade just to play it.
man, what a time. when CD-ROMs were new and exciting.
Loved this game and the sequels. I still have the dic and my “myst journal” of all the clues I wrote down. There was a kickstarter recently to re-release the games on Steam. When it happens I plan to play again.