Joystiq hands-on: Myst (DS)

by Andrew Yoon { Apr 5th 2008 at 7:30PM }

Fifteen years after the original Myst released for home computers, it's hard to remember what an incredible phenomenon the game had been. The adventure genre had been reshaped by the innovative use of a first-person view, and many had rushed out to purchase cutting-edge "CD-ROM drives." With millions of copies sold, it still stands as the best selling PC adventure game of all time.

But what was behind the frenzy? Empire Interactive wants DS owners to find out later this month (PSP owners will have to wait a few more months for their port). The entire game is controlled through the touch screen, an obvious design decision considering the hardware's capabilities. Point and click now becomes point and touch -- however, expect to have a bit more difficulty with the handheld version. When using the mouse on the PC, players knew what they can click on by the shape of their cursor. There is no on-screen representation of your stylus, so players will have to simply use their intuition to click on the appropriate items.

There are a few new tools for players to use, however. There's a clever magnifying glass, which allows players to zoom in on objects in the game world. You can even take snapshots of your screen and save them, recalling them for use during a particularly tricky puzzle. There's a map as well, but it won't indicate where you are. Finally, you can save notes, typed via virtual keyboard (no handwriting recognition, sorry). These additional tools should make navigating the game's tricky puzzles a bit less daunting.

Gallery: Myst (DS)

The DS handles the game quite smoothly, with nary a load screen to be found. Moving from one locale to another is instantaneous, almost jarringly so. With the exception of a new level (the Rime Age), the DS port is pretty much a carbon copy of the original game. All the puzzles and FMV sequences are on the cartridge, intact from the original PC adventure.

Obviously, that's a good thing for the dedicated Myst fan base, who wouldn't want to see this classic changed in one way. However, the genre has advanced quite a bit over the fifteen years since the game's original release. Some may find the game rather primitive and antiquated by today's standards. Players that already know how they feel about Myst won't change their minds about the DS version -- for better or worse, this is pretty much the same Myst we've known for all these years.

Tags: myst

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Eliot @ Apr 5th 2008 7:55PM

Reminds me of one of my favorite photochops

Wow! I just want to tap everything!
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/14/exploring-myst-online-on-the-eve-of-launch/

hunterrogue @ Apr 5th 2008 8:01PM

Let's hope that Lucasarts is listening...wouldn't that be cool to have mobile Sam n Max and Maniac Mansion!!

Mills and Boom @ Apr 5th 2008 8:20PM

ScummVM DS! It's a pretty incredible thing really. Even works with voices and all that.

I would love a Monkey Island 3 DS port. Very very much so.

Ted @ Apr 5th 2008 8:44PM

I remember when the first Myst came out, I was pretty young. I tried it but it nearly caused my brain to explode.

LaughingTarget @ Apr 5th 2008 9:03PM

Don't feel bad. That's because it's a poorly built game that sold on the premise of being the first CD-ROM game available to buy. The puzzles were entirely based on trial and error and pixel hunting (though the sequel Riven is the all time pixel hunt king that literally had a puzzle that required clicking the right pixel).

I'd be surprised this game is hanging on for all these years if I weren't aware of the whole nostalgia effect.

Shagittarius @ Apr 6th 2008 2:05AM

Wow, I can't believe you got whited out Laughing Target, what you said is 100 percent completely true, Myst is a real average piece of software that sold well because it showed off peoples CD-ROM with graphics that were not possible on a non CD format.

I'm guessing the people that whited you out were just really young and Nintendo fanboys who felt that you were putting down the DS, but I'm sure they never actually played the game to see for themselves.

Oh well I got your back dude, this game should be left to the past.

Mills and Boom @ Apr 6th 2008 6:58AM

thats alright Shagithingy I've been whited out for stating the truth as well.

SabreCat @ Apr 6th 2008 9:57AM

It's not a matter of truth vs. untruth. It's just that many people genuinely enjoyed the game, and to see somebody blasting it is going to prompt a downvote.

I agree that the game's not up to today's standards. But so what? The appeal of it lay in exploration of worlds with myriad hints at their purpose and history, and in the a-ha moments of besting each tricky puzzle. Dismissing a sentiment as "nostalgia" doesn't deny the fact that people did--and even still might, with a remake--have fun with the game.

E.J. @ Apr 6th 2008 12:44PM

@SabreCat

Don't bring your "logic" and "civil argument" here. It'll blow someone's mind. ;)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade port, plz. Kthxbai.

LaughingTarget @ Apr 6th 2008 1:39PM

I'm used to it, this is only a popularity contest after all.

As it stands, nostalgia does taint the real value of any media. For example, I absolutely love the old Ninja Turtles cartoon, but this is entirely from the viewpoint of me watching it when I was young. The show's merits are absolutely terrible. The animation sucked, voice actors were frequently voicing the wrong character, the storylines were filled with obvious holes and there were frequently more than 4 turtles on the screen, like two Leonardos. Anyone who hasn't seen it will think of how dreadful the show is.

Myst is just that kind of title. The novelty of it overwhelmed the awful game design. Many other games came out down the line that used the exact same formula, did it better, but were universally considered crap. Example, The X-Files game on the PC had a dramatically better storyline, utilized FMV and had solid controls but wasn't that great even though it was far better than Myst could ever think of being.

The whole slide-show adventure game was born and died with Myst. The idea just didn't work well and the fact that no one makes them is the proof.

These remakes are supposed to be aimed at gamers that haven't experienced the game. Myst isn't a game that will be looked highly on by anyone who didn't play the original long ago.

MarMar @ Apr 6th 2008 6:54PM

Laughing Target is an idiot, I bought a dozen CD rom games prior to Myst. Space Quest 4, Heart of China, Willy Beamish, Jones in the Fast Lane, Inca, and all those Dynamix and BrightStar games. Myst was a very good game, sorry you didn't have enough brain power to handle it.

Ted @ Apr 6th 2008 7:14PM

Why would someone buy a game because it was on a CD-Rom?

It's not like people rushed out to buy PC games on DVD when they started making them. And nobody's buying PS3 games because they come on Blu-Ray discs.

At the most it's more convenient to have 1 CD instead of millions of floppys, but it isn't the same as, say, a launch Xbox 360 game selling loads because the platform is brand new.

therpham @ Apr 5th 2008 10:13PM

I remember my uncle had Myst on his computer when I was young, much too young to understand it.

I missed out on the whole adventure game thing in the 90s, and I feel like I'm missing something worthwhile. Maybe not Myst in particular, but it seems to be a highly respected genre.

driven2sin @ Apr 5th 2008 10:34PM

oh god why

Mitsuo @ Apr 6th 2008 12:42AM

I remember beating myst. That was truly a fun experience. And guess what...I only had 1 full page of notes front and back. That's it. :flex: Where as my dad had like a whole notebook of notes and has yet to beat it. =P

mr nimblewick @ Apr 6th 2008 1:56AM

Man, I hated this game when I had it on saturn. I surmise I would still hate it.

Jansperus @ Apr 6th 2008 2:12AM

Lame! I don't see why everybody is hyping up this game. It's just a rip off of some game I played on the PC a long time ago.

thegears @ Apr 6th 2008 5:33AM

myst is one of the most immersive games i've ever played, especially the 3D RealMYST remake. never in ANY game have i felt like i was actually inside the gaming world as i have with myst. part of it was the soundtrack, part of it was being completely alone on the island, and part of it was the rich literature behind each age you find in the libarary.

i used to have vivid dreams of everyone in the world disappearing except for me and i would just explore. myst kind of triggered that sense of freedom again.

Rob @ Apr 6th 2008 6:50AM

People seem to hate it:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Midway-Games-Ltd-Myst-Nintendo/dp/B000UUUMY4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1207476733&sr=8-5

I'm fine staying with Revelation & End of Ages on the PC :P

t_m @ Apr 6th 2008 9:38AM

heh. good point. The reviews on amazon uk are truely terrible. Glad to see joystiq has succumbed to the "never write a bad game preview" game journalism bug.

---
"I mean it. Don't buy it if you love Myst; don't buy it if you've never played Myst. Buy any other version than this. It's a truly terrible port. The bottom quarter of the touchscreen is covered with bog-ugly icons; the upper screen only shows a title screen or the result of using the "magnifying glass", which would be fine if that didn't only work properly on books - anything else you don't get more detail, just a blown-up pixellated mess. Which makes things like the tower rotation map and lift floor labels illegible.

As well as bad design it's bug-riddled. Occasional sprites floating to the left of where they should be are the least of it. The lift in the Mechanical Age is particularly bad; you have to turn yourself 360 degrees to make the controls display properly; the DS actually *freezes* when you exit from that Age and I've got a very strong suspicion that it's actually impossible to exit the Channelwood Age - you emerge on the 2nd level, the lift isn't working (or maybe that's just the flaky controls - oh yes, forgot to mention those...) and I've frankly lost the will to keep trying."

Wiitard @ Apr 6th 2008 11:02AM

Why the huge delay?
It was out in Europe 7 December 2007

WorMzy @ Apr 6th 2008 1:50PM

Good god, this has been out for yonks in England. Did I enter some bizarre alternate reality in which Europe actually gets games before the Americas?!

..Probably not, although it is snowing in April for some odd reason..

eYak @ Apr 6th 2008 2:08PM

I played the European version and loved it. Unfortunately, I worked through my frustrations with the game when I beat it in '94 and no longer have the patience for its archaic mechanisms. Adding that some of the text & visuals are hard to make out on the tiny screen with scaled-down resolution, it's an awesome port, but not one that beats out the original experience.

If the DS had the hardware for it, I would've liked to see RealMyst on it since it actually adds to the immersion rather than 10 hours or so of slideshow navigation.

BigD145 @ Apr 6th 2008 3:52PM

I've played other point and click adventure series with a stylus and I have one thing to say: "They are frustrating and don't work well!!!" The stylus lacks the 'point' feature and only has the 'click.'

seifer @ Apr 6th 2008 5:24PM

Now if only someone would port The 7th Guest...

Ahrel @ Apr 7th 2008 7:22AM

Loved the first Myst game, it came with a journal and I literally filled that thing up becoming enveloped within the world laid out before me. That was back when I still had imagination so it was easy to do :p.

This game will at least look better on the PSP -- so if I want a portable version I'll wait for that one. They really should have just gone with the highest quality still images on the DS and forgot about the animation -- the DS's strong point is not in 3D....even the best 3D games on it leave something to be desired. Certainly not up to par with what Myst would require.

Funny that this is announced though, I just installed Myst, Riven and Myst III on my laptop a couple days ago with the intent of playing through each.