Myst does that quite well, bringing the adventure we know and love back in a fresh new avatar that breathes life into the surreal world you find yourself exploring while retaining the sense of mystery that’s made it so popular over the years. But there are multiple versions of the title that have already tried to do the same. Does this one’s tweaks make it special enough to stand tall amongst its peers? Let’s find out.

"There are no enemies to fight, and no death screens to worry about."

Let’s begin with why you’re on Myst Island in the first place. It’s the home of Atrus, a writer whose travels across various Ages are recorded in mysterious books that are strewn about the island, hidden away behind clever mechanisms. His sons have been trapped in two books for some reason, each blaming the other for his apparent death.

Your task is to complete the pages of each son’s book, learning more about their predicament in the process. Getting to those pages is easier said than done, however, and that’s essentially the crux of the core gameplay loop on offer.

There are no enemies to fight, and no death screens to worry about. Instead, Myst challenges your wits by being as opaque as ever. You’re given no context to why you’re on the island, and where to go once you’re there. You learn more about things the more you explore the island, although the lack of hand holding in this one can get a tad frustrating at times.

That’s because interacting with objects in the area doesn’t necessarily give you any indication as to what they do, and several of them are red herrings, placed deviously enough to have you wondering just what the hell is going on. This is a game that demands diligent exploration and backtracking before it begins to get rewarding, just like it was back in the day.

"Myst is a rather short experience once you know what you’re doing."

But is that enough to keep you hooked? Your mileage may vary depending on whether your natural curiosity doesn’t let you leave a mystery unsolved, but I can easily see many players dropping off once the novelty wears off, or perhaps blazing through the experience thanks to a very large volume of helpful guides and walkthroughs available.

But that would take away the best parts of this one? Myst is a rather short experience once you know what you’re doing. But figuring it all out is where its beauty truly lies, the gameplay and story working together to present a world that guards its secrets jealously until it finds a player clever enough to uncover them.

I’d say that the game’s new graphics are now a great part of the experience, with the remake bringing improvements to both performance and lighting that elevate this version of the game above the others, at least on the visual front. The levels and environments you find are detailed very well, and the improved draw distances sell the illusion of a distant island really well.

The audio design is as good as it’s ever been, and the manner in which the game’s soundtrack is used to embellish scenes is definitely a plus. The game chugged along pretty well on a base PS5, with smooth and consistent framerates making the switch to a 2D format seem natural.

Of course, interacting with the world around you is an important part of the experience in Myst, and the remake handles that with aplomb. You get your cursor to let you know where you’re looking, and it changes contextually when you can touch or otherwise engage with an environmental element.

"The lack of combat, or any sense of danger whatsoever is another point to think about, as Myst’s concept was ahead of its time, but it’s definitely behind them now."

The controls could take a bit of getting used to and the sensitivity on the right stick could use a nerf, but those are minor complaints in the grand scheme of things as far as engaging with the island is concerned. I love how the new visuals add splendor that the original version simply wasn’t capable of. Myst Island isn’t beating any benchmarks but it does look very pleasing to the eye nonetheless.

But does a new lighting system, a visual overhaul, and a solid translation of the gameplay from VR to a controller merit a $35 price tag? Myst is a classic, and a very influential title from gaming’s past. That does count for something. It’s an alluring title when you first get into it, but if you’ve beaten the game before, it’s going to take you all of two or three hours to do it again.

Of course, you might argue that the game’s multiple endings lend it a fair bit of replay value, but I’d say that while that is true, I personally don’t see too many players choosing to do it all again other than for what could be considered the ‘canon’ ending that sets up its sequel. There’s a ton of videos and material on this one to know what happens in all the other ones, after all.

The lack of combat, or any sense of danger whatsoever is another point to think about, as Myst’s concept was ahead of its time, but it’s definitely behind them now. That’s not to say that I’m batting for the addition of enemies or artificial challenges for the sake of it, but this one’s only going to challenge your brains, and definitely not your brawn.

That leaves us with either nostalgia, or curiosity. Your mileage is definitely going to vary with the former, but the latter is where things get interesting. There’s a lot of stuff to hold your curiosity if this is your first time playing Myst, but you’re going to want to think about whether you’re okay with a game that absolutely stonewalls you at every turn.

"Myst is now a modern reminder of an era of video games long gone"

It isn’t going to take more than a few hours for returning players, and newbies could always have a guide handy if you want to do away with the hours of wondering what you need to do for progression. But that takes away part of the game’s innate charm. It takes the mystery out of Myst, and it isn’t what I’d recommend.

But with a bit of disciplined searching, you could find a balance that works and experience a game that has managed to stand tall over a little more than three decades. Myst is now a modern reminder of an era of video games long gone. And, as such, it is something that only the most curious are sure to enjoy.

For the rest of you, it’s still worth picking up on sale.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

The developer also posted an FAQ, confirming it is a ground-up modern remake of the classic adventure title. It won’t be point-and-click, with players able to fully traverse the 3D environments. Other navigation methods will be announced at “a later date.”

Also, if you own the original Riven, you will not receive a free copy of the remake. “This new Riven is not an update or upgrade. It is a modern from-the-ground-up remake that has required (and will continue to require) a substantial investment of resources.” Further details weren’t provided, but the remake is seemingly a ways off from release.

First released in 1997 for PC and PlayStation One, Riven received significant acclaim due to its aesthetic and puzzles. It was the best-selling game of its launch year, and sold 4.5 million copies by 2001. Stay tuned for more details on the remake in the coming months.

The first is Recompile which will be available for consoles, PC and the cloud on August 19th. The stylish Metroidvania-esque adventure has already garnered attention for its aesthetic and exploration. Train Sim World 2 and Twelve Minutes, the latter also being hyped for its premise and all-star cast, are also out on the same day.

On August 25th, the eagerly awaited Psychonauts 2 will be available at last with Raz embarking on a brand new adventure through all kinds of mind-scapes. Perhaps the most unexpected announcement is that Myst, a remake of the classic adventure game which first released for Oculus Quest in December 2020, will also be available for consoles, PC and the cloud on Xbox Game Pass. It will also release for PC via Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store.

As for titles leaving the service on August 31st, they include the following:

• Blair Witch (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Double Kick Heroes (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• NBA 2K21 (Cloud and Console)
• Stranger Things 3: The Game (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Dark Souls

The epitome of games that don’t hold your hand. From Software’s challenging hack and slash title provides a few basic instructions and then thrusts you into a world of pain. Forget the Poise debates of Dark Souls 3 or whether Dark Souls 2 was even any good – many players had a tough time just surviving in this age of fire and darkness. Where to go, what to do, whether you should kill that guy praising the sun abd so on and so forth. Of course, thanks to the summoning and message systems, players could actually help each other through tough situations. This ironically resulted in one of the more helpful communities out there.

Classic adventure game series Myst will apparently be made into a television series. This is according to Variety which reported that creators Rand and Robyn Miller are working with Legendary Entertainment for the same. The series will be part of a new “transmedia” initiative and also include a new game and tablet spin-off.

As of now, there are no details on characters, story or cast. Myst itself is quite the polarizing game franchise – when adventure games were still about characterization and difficult puzzles, Myst arrived with its pre-rendered graphics and static backdrops to shake things up. It didn’t do much to advance the genre save for consumers now demanding higher end graphics from their adventure games.

The Myst series went on for five games with various spin-offs in between. The entire franchise has sold millions of copies but will it be recognizable enough among today’s consumer base? We’ll find out in the coming months so stay tuned.

Jack Wall, the composer for the upcoming Lost World, has composed scores for such huge titles as Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Mass Effect, Myst, Splinter Cell and more. Now Wall has announced that his latest score will release in its entirety via his record label on iTunes and Amazon for download in time with the release of the game.

The soundtrack is split into two distinct volumes, each of which represent the two different approaches to the game’s soundtrack. Wall’s thoughts on entire piece are as follows:

“When Spark and Capcom asked me to write alien country as roughly half of the soundtrack to Lost Planet 3, I was really intrigued. It would be the main character’s mix tape. This is the music Jim Peyton listens to when he’s on mission in his rig – the music his wife Grace, back on Earth, sends him to remind him of home. The challenge was to make it real, but add just enough elements and context to make it seem like it is music from the future.”

As well as composing and producing the Alien Country Music, Wall performs acoustic, baritone and electric guitars on all the tracks. Joining him on this unique sci-fi musical adventure, Wall formed and recorded a band of celebrated artists including composer Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica) on accordion, guitarist Craig Stull (Firefly) on dobro guitar, drummer Joe Travers (Zappa Plays Zappa), vocalist Cindy Shapiro (Myst III: Exile), and cinema’s foremost harmonica player, Tommy Morgan, amongst other talented musicians. Key tracks include: “Rattlesnake,” “A Long Way Home,” “Ballad of Jim Peyton,” and “Outlaw.”

“For me the score needed to be two things: mysterious and wild,” explains Wall. “If I could inject those ideas into the music for E.D.N III, I would be doing my job. I’m very excited by what we’ve put together for players. The script, acting and story seamlessly intertwine with this music to create a tangible world.”

The Lost Planet 3 soundtrack will be available for digital download via Wall’s label, Lost Sound Records on August 27th.