Why are game developers pros and cons for one of the most influential games in history 'MYST'?

PC game ' MYST ' celebrating 25th anniversary from the release is a game characterized by beautiful screens with still images and movies made with CG pre-rendering, a unique world view, and an esoteric puzzle release. Fast Company has compiled MYST, which has been ported to various platforms such as Sega Saturn / PlayStation / iOS / Android / Nintendo DS, and has announced the 25 th anniversary package .

Myst, one of the most influential games ever, turns 25
https://www.fastcompany.com/90240345/myst-at-25-how-it-changed-gaming-created-addicts-and-made-enemies

Although MYST was released for various platforms, the first release was the 1993 Macintosh version. The game is to do a mystery while turning around the island "Mist island" in the book "MYST" written by Atlas writer. Although beautiful still images and movies made with CG pre-rendering are used in games, most were static and less mobile games. However, this photorealistic visual invited the user to the fictitious Mist island, and it seems that the impression like virtual reality was produced.

The following is the game screen of MYST. As a game that appeared in 1993, a CG image with a considerably high quality was used.

According to Bennie Edward , a freelance writer who played MYST 25 years ago with the daughters of 6 and 8, despite children being brought up looking at far superior animation images It seems that MYST was instantly drawn into the world by outdated CG images.

MYST developers who overwhelmingly appeal even in such a modern day were two brothers, Mr. Land Miller and Mr. Robin Miller. They created a small PC software maker, Cyan, based in Washington, and in 1989 released a PC game named " The Manhole " for the Macintosh. The Manhole came out to the world four years ago when MYST appeared, not a game using abundant CG like MYST, "he did not have visual awesome," said Edward.

Then MYST will appear in 1993. Even in the year 2018 when 25 years passed since then, "MYST's appearance became a serious branch point in computer games," Edward insists. In addition, we are evaluating to have the same influence as titles that have had a great influence on the later games such as Pon , Super Mario Bros. , and Tetris . Mr. Edward seems to think that MYST has greatly contributed to broadening the form of art in the game, expanding the game market, and making the assumption that the game is "challenging".

Like other masterpiece games, MYST has become a game loved beyond the times. Immediately after the Macintosh version was released in September 1993, the Windows version will be released in February 1994. In addition, MYST review articles will be published in newspapers and magazines within one year from the release, and MYST will become popular explosively. After that, MYST ported for at least 12 or more platforms can now play also with iOS, Nintendo 3DS, etc. Including all platforms, the cumulative sales volume of MYST seems to exceed 6 million, and until the appearance of " Sim People " it was the largest number sold as PC game titles.

Since its introduction in 1993, MYST has released four sequels, and in 2018 it also has a Kickstarter campaign commemorating the 25th anniversary.

25th Anniversary Package of masterpiece adventure game "MYST" sold over 6 million copies worldwide appeared - GIGAZINE

Even though the game has been loved for such a long time, its evaluation is various. For example, the MYST user at the time of release knows that although the game repeatedly restarted unexpectedly, he loved the game . Besides that, The New York Times praises MYST as computer game finally showed artistic maturity. In the opposite opinion, there was also a game media pointed out that MYST "lacks simplicity and movement".

In the evaluation of such pros and cons, it seems that the opinion heard from Mr. Edward, especially from many industry associates, is that "all of the adventure games that had been loved so far died". It is an opinion that tells that MYST had a big impact on the game industry at that time, and it is a comment that it is easy to understand that adventure games etc. shifted to a game using a beautiful screen like MYST.

However, when Edward created PCWorld's " The Ten Greatest PC Games Ever (10 best PC games ever)" in 2009, he summarized what kind of game influenced famous game developers However, it seems that we could not find the voice of the game developer praising MYST. Indeed, Al Lowe, who created the graphic adventure game "Leisure Suit Larry" says, "I could not understand why MYST was accepted with such excitement, it's always more interesting, exciting and better just .MYST puzzle game that was present with a logic that attracted praise, the status quo will be unpleasant, "to struggle to better the game is recognized comment has been.

Prior to MYST, some game makers such as Lucas Arts were famous for speaking of adventure games, and most users had purchased titles of such famous manufacturers. Adventure games created by such a typical game maker are such as "Third Person Perspective", "Having Many Dialogues", "Numerous Letters Displayed", "Danger at a Pace", "Verb-Based Interface" Although it seems that he had some common points, MYST was supposed to have removed all such features.

In other words, MYST was antithesis against the conventional adventure game, but it was not only for adventure games. There is no life etc. in MYST, and the character never dies in the game. Also there was no score or time limit, nor did we seek for physical agility or reflection. Because MYST was just a game to solve a puzzle and advance a story, "It was also the ultimate anti-arcade game," Edward says.

It was MYST who broke all the common sense of such conventional adventure game, but since it was amazing success, many game makers seemed to try to manage their game properties. However, it seems that many of them have failed and have suffered from review by critics.

As an adventure game of that time it is possible to see the making movie of MYST, which is a different work which is too different.

The Making of MYST - YouTube


Agustín Cordes, the creator of the adventure game "Scratches" released in 2006, acknowledged that the impact MYST had on the gaming industry was great, but at the same time it also noted that the impact is deplorable I will. "I think that clone games have increased due to the appearance of MYST and many people got tired of adventure games. Although the design of the story is not altogether similar," Ambiguity based on trial and error in a world with poor imagination There is only an embarrassing element that parts that solve puzzles are similar to each other ", Cordes points out.

In 1993 when MYST appeared, another piece of game playing a big influence on the gaming industry in the same way appeared in the same way. In " DOOM " which was released in December 1993, it will produce many similar first person shooter games (FPS) called "DOOM clones". About the two works that produced a lot of similar clone works, "MYST and DOOM have greatly changed the style and fashion of the game over the next ten years," Edward said.

Mr. Edward interviewed John Romero, DOOM developer, how MYST and DOOM created the interaction. So, Mr. Romero said, "MYST came out and Wolfenstein 3D was out of the top of Usenet 100. I got to know its existence.I think that games like MYST with many static screens are very popular I could not believe it, but I remember well that most of the customs used in adventure games at the time were ignored, "I recall when MYST was introduced. In addition, "The market of players who like to read excellent tales in adventure is huge," I think that the demand for adventure games like MYST is great.

Although MYST was a game that reverses the adventure game of the time from the root, it was not the success which won the game alone in the game industry. MYST boasted top sales in the latter half of the 1990s, but Edwards says that games of different genres such as " Quake " were also explodingly selling. It is obvious that MYST became a big hindrance for adventure game makers like Lucas Arts, but it seems that the genre of adventure games never died like that.

A note written by Edward's daughter who played MYST for the first time while playing the game

MYST was accepted with a great shock at the time of its appearance, but many users are used to casual games that provide quiet gaming experiences like playing with one finger at the time of smartphone popularization. Cordes points out that MYST was a foreseeable game in a sense, "MYST was deriving equations for victory in casual games and mobile games in 1993."