Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Myst, One of the Most Influential Games Ever, Turns 25 (fastcompany.com)

Posted by msmash on from the closer-look dept.

harrymcc writes: On September 24, 1993, Myst debuted as a CD-ROM game for the Mac. The mysterious, puzzle-laden adventure went on to become the best-selling game title of its era, inspiring a devoted following and multiple sequels. But for all the people who loved Myst, it was disrespected by many in the gaming industry, who found it less engaging than previous adventures and even blamed it for killing of the earlier genre of more action-packed adventuring. Over at Fast Company, Benj Edwards provides an appreciation of Myst but also talks to game designers about the game's still-complex legacy.

6 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. Puzzles by fluffernutter · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Myst immersed me in its world. There was nothing jumping out at you or time limits on anything, but you wanted to solve the problems for the graphics and the story. Last one I played like that was Syberia II that came out in 2004; although now I have just noticed there is a Syberia 3 that came out in 2017. There doesn't seem to be a lot of games like that since first pirson shooters became popular.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    1. Re:Puzzles by arth1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I guess graphical adventure games are lost in the mysts of time.

      Personally, I'd go a bit farther back. Infocom text adventures is what I remember with the most fondness. From before they became semi-graphical. Trinity and Leather Goddesses of Phobos were just awesome.
      These days, however, they are kind of pointless, because you can find solutions online. Which defeats the purpose of these games, which were meant to be difficult.

    2. Re:Puzzles by commodore64_love · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Myst didn't impress me too much. It reminded me of Activision's text-graphics adventure Mindshadow (1984) which also had lots of still images, and puzzles to solve.

      Of course people brand-new to PC computing had no idea about the older pre-crash games. To them it was a new experience (even though it really wasn't).

      I thought later efforts like ICO were far more impressive and fun (thanks to random battles).

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
  2. Re:Pyst by commodore64_love · · Score: 5, Interesting

    No Pyst came 3 years after Myst, so it's only 22. I like the description from wikipedia: "The basic concept of Pyst was to show what Myst Island (from the best-selling game) would look like after four million people (players) had visited....... the island is full of litter, most of the buildings are ruined, and graffiti reveals secret doors and solutions to puzzles that challenged players in Myst."

    --
    "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
  3. Re:Pyst by OrangeTide · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Pyst was a gag that was more fun to read about than to play. It would have gotten rave reviews if it were a free bundle to promote a magazine subscription. Most people who paid full price for it felt kind of cheated.

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
  4. Re:Pyst by frencha · · Score: 4, Funny

    Would you say they were.... pissed?