Myst is back!

Myst returns! The quirky but popular favorite is back. Credited with popularizing CD-ROM technology, Myst is considered to be one of the most popular games of its era. Created on Apple Macintosh by the Miller brothers, Robyn and Rand, it was the must-have game of 1993. There have been a number of re-releases in the decades since it launched, but this time, it’s VR compatible.

Myst was the best-selling PC game of all time between 1993 and 2002 and is displayed in The Smithsonian Museum. Cyan announced in 2019 that it had sold the film and TV rights for Myst to Village Roadshow for film development.

The gameplay, consider unique at the time, has you play as an unnamed, silent protagonist. You find a magical book entitled Myst and it strands you on an island with the same name. In order to find a way home, you have to explore the island, and solve its various puzzles. Once you do, you use “linking books” to travel to even more distant worlds.

Developer Cyan Worlds keeps with its tradition of not changing the name of the game and calls this version Myst as well. Upgraded, the studio says it is a whole new experience, rebuilt from the ground up to work on modern Macs and PCs and VR headsets. Rather than the slideshow of static images you may remember from the original, this one is in full 3D. The upgrade allowing you to explore Myst islands and its connected Ages freely. The latest PC version was announced 11 months ago, and Myst for the Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2 was released on December 10, 2020.

Did you know: The title Myst derives from Jules Verne’s iconic Mysterious Island.

Myst Returns

This new version of Myst, written in Unreal, allowed Cyan to fill it with gorgeous new art and assets. In VR mode, you can select either free-roam or teleport modes for transportation. There’s a new optional system that allows you to randomize the puzzles if you want a fresh challenge. According to Cyan Worlds’ latest press release:

“For the first time in Myst’s history, you’ll be able to enjoy the game in many different languages through localized UI, including dialogue and gameplay-context subtitles. We’ve also built in a variety of accessibility options to assist in gameplay. One of the technical features we’ve used to achieve this is AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution. This allows us to crank the graphics quality much higher than we typically would be able to.”

Cyan.com

The latest upgrade for Myst for PC comes out August 26, and it’ll be available in 2D versions on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store. Myst will be included with the Xbox Game Pass for PC. If you’ve never met Sirrus and Achenar, this could be the perfect time to experience an important legacy of gaming history.

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David Raiklen

David Raiklen wrote, directed and scored his first film at age 9. He began studying keyboard and composing at age 5. He attended, then taught at UCLA, USC and CalArts. Among his teachers are John Williams and Mel Powel.
He has worked for Fox, Disney and Sprint. David has received numerous awards for his work, including the 2004 American Music Center Award. Dr. Raiklen has composed music and sound design for theater (Death and the Maiden), dance (Russian Ballet), television (Sing Me a Story), cell phone (Spacey Movie), museums (Museum of Tolerance), concert (Violin Sonata ), and film (Appalachian Trail).
His compositions have been performed at the Hollywood Bowl and the first Disney Hall. David Raiken is also host of a successful radio program, Classical Fan Club.