"Breathtaking...."

Myst is one of the most unique and innovative games that I have had the pleasure of experiencing yet. It has an interesting combination of First-Person exploring (without weapons, finally), puzzles, and a magical form of game play that sucks you out of your own world, then tosses you into another. Let us move past the Mist and venture into the review.

STORY: 10
Myst has a very intriguing story line. A man who lives on a beautiful, and completely uninhabited island with his two sons, and teaches him his ways of staggering logic. The two young men quickly catch on and become brilliant scholars. The father begins sending them on trips together, by themselves, and even the he himself comes along sometimes. While one boy studies innocently, the other lets his mind venture into the darkest corners of the imagination. While the father, who is now growing older, waits on the island for the return of his boys, he records the events of each day into his personal journals. His daily records can be read in the island’s library. His early journals are filled with clues and stories from other worlds. In his journals found on the island, strange things begin to be written down; in one part, he tells of how a large rock appears next to the dock that is located on the eastern side of the island. He tells of how he befriends two lively, intelligent creatures who come to the rock one night for shelter. For several years these two creatures stay with him. They play regularly, but study and talk of philosophy and science, also. Eventually, the two creatures disappear. One day, a meteor shower takes place on the island. The old man hides in a cellar until it passes, and then goes out to see what has become of the island. He finds that it has been given a crude shape from its original landscape.... Okay, there is a lot to cover in the story category, so I’m not going to give it all away. You’ll have to engage in a lot of investigation in order to solve the mystery of the island. Let me take you the next category.

GAME PLAY: 10
The Game Play is near flawless in Myst. It is one of the very rare games out there that requires intelligence to play. The only other games I can think of that require brains are the Rainbow Six series. In those games, you must plan out special military operations. But, this game is still more intelligent, in my opinion. Tons of puzzles must be solved to get to your next destination. Many things must be done to complete one challenge, normally. Challenges are all very unique and differ very much from one another. In one challenge, you must play a special song in order to make a spacecraft launch, with you in it. In another, you must use a huge redwood tree as an elevator. Special books will transport you to new stages throughout your journey. Let’s go on to the Graphics and Audio categories.

GRAPHICS: 9
To tell you the truth, I am a seasoned veteran of gaming consoles. In fact, this is my first review for a PC game, so I don’t know the true powers of the PC. The system I spend the most time playing, is the Nintendo 64. All I have to say is, the graphics sure are incredible to me! The only problem is that when you move, the frame jumps from one to another, instead of a smooth and steady pace. Other than this, though, the graphics are perfect. Each frame is beautifully done. The graphics are very lush and smooth. I can’t see any polygons, can you? The lighting is just like that in real life! The Art designers in the games team were sure not to miss anything. If you see a building, look at the ground, and there is its shadow, gently standing there. The detail level is enormous! Everything is detailed to the last bit. If an object is facing the sun, you can see how the sun bounces its light off of the objects surface. To give the full-out truth, except for the frame rate, the graphics are perfect. Unfortunately, there is no cinema in the game. Also, like the frame rate, animation moves from one spot to another. For instance, if you pull a switch, you won’t see the switch slowly slide down. You will see it at its start, then it will just appear out of the blue at its other function.

SOUND: 9
I’ve heard a little bit of static in one level, but that was the only problem. To add to the game’s eerie feel, there is no music. Only the ambience and sound effects when necessary are heard. Ambience effects such as flowing water, rustling wind, humming electronic devices, creaky wood, and stuff like that is heard. Sound effects are crisp, and well recorded.

BUY/RENT:
BUY THIS GAME IF YOU HAVE A COMPATIBLE COMPUTER!!! It has already won many awards, so it’s a must have, no doubt. It’s very useful for when you’re on a long road trip and you have a lap top PC with you.

CLOSING STATEMENT:
Bye, bye, friends. If you have any further questions, comments, or critique on my review, e-mail me your thoughts at, DrDoak2001@aol.com. The Doctor has left the building.

P.S.: If you find out why they spelled “Mist” as “Myst”, please e-mail me the answer.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/18/01, Updated 04/18/01