[Fugu]

Via Gametap, I downloaded and played through Myst and Riven this week for the first time in over ten years. Gametap offers Myst for free, without even registering an account (you do have to download it, though). (They also offer RealMyst, which is what I played, a refurbished version of the original with more polished graphics, a 360 degree perspective, and a bonus age.) Riven cost me a buck. The games have aged well--I had forgotten all the puzzle solutions, and the creativity and genius design are as enrapturing as ever. They are a lot easier than I remember; they took about 6 hours apiece without using walkthroughs. That's certainly to do with the fact that I've played before, but I didn't really remember any of the solutions. Mostly I think it's that I'm better at puzzle games than I was when I was 13.

If you are weird and have never played Myst or one of its sequels, the premise is that you found this strange book, and when you opened it, it teleported you to a tiny island with no people and no architectural consistency whatsoever. By poking around, you start to figure out why there are buildings and books on the island, but no people. Most of the island's story is buried under the wreckage of what happened, and whoever built the place had an unhealthy love of convoluted engineering, so you'll have to do a little thinking to get around.

I give RealMyst 7 pimpslaps for tremendous imagination in world design, puzzle design, and visuals, and for making the Zork genre engaging. I give Riven 8 pimpslaps for delivering the same qualities on a more epic scale. The reasons that they don't get 9 or 10 are that they tend to rely on a few kinds of puzzles a lot--can't go here until you toggle something somewhere, can't go there until you toggle it back; abc = 123 and 123 = !@# so what is %&@?--and that if you're a puzzlephile with a notebook, these games, while challenging, are short. If I play Myst III: Exile next week and it has fresh, diverse puzzles and it takes me 12 hours, expect a 9 review. How would you guys rate your memories of these games?

[EvilDespot]

I remember Myst as incredibly confusing and difficult. That has less to do with the game, though, and more to do with the fact that I was 6-7 when it came out.

[Benevolance]

I never played.

[jade_firefly]

That style of game is impossible to me. I really just can't think like that. I realize it makes me sound like an airheaded bimbo, but hey.

[Barak]

jade_firefly, on Feb 15 2008, 02:10 AM, said:

That style of game is impossible to me. I really just can't think like that. I realize it makes me sound like an airheaded bimbo, but hey.

I'm close to that. I -can- do it, but I just find no pleasure in spending time trying to figure out WTF. And since games are supposed to be fun, and that's no fun to me..

[jade_firefly]

There's that, too. Which is kinda sad, because I do love exploring in games. When I *want* to. Not when I'm forced to.

[prussia]

I remember my brother playing that game long ago. I would sit on his lap and watch him play because I could not see the computer screen...and my father made him. I think he finished the game. All I remember is that it looked neat.

[Fugu]

I beat Myst III: Exile today. 11 hours, with fresh puzzles, and a more dramatically told story than the prequels. On the other hand, it repeats the "plot coupon" style of Myst (collect plot coupons until you have enough to exchange for a denouement). I'd rather save a 9 review for something that rises above convention in narrative as well as gameplay. So, 8.5.

I would look forward to Myst IV: Revelation, but they dont have it at Gametap. :( And they don't have it anywhere else for a dollar. :(

This post has been edited by Fugu: 16 February 2008 - 04:47 PM

[Druid Scion]

Myst IV is more aesthetically pleasing than any of the previous games, in my opinion, and it feels more like the originals in gameplay. Still the same set-up, though, and not a lot of variation. I never finished it.