For a game I've tried to play at least a dozen times in the past, I think I've only ever put a total of maybe 2 hours into Myst. It's such a great world and cool idea and back in 1994 or so when I played it for the first time I thought it was the greatest thing ever. I just couldn't actually figure any of it out. Even as an adult trying to play it, it never really clicked. Maybe now's finally the time, then, with the realMyst Masterpiece Edition on Nintendo Switch! Read more and watch gameplay here.
I admit it, I cheated. I dove into realMyst just using a guide from the start. I don't care. I tried and tried for the last 25 years to figure out it, so I'm going to use a guide and actually see more of the game than the first island this time, damn it.
The thing about Myst is that you need to play it in a wildly different way than I, or most people, typically want to play games. You pretty much HAVE to take notes on everything you see in order to remember everything you need to. And pretty much everything you see is a clue to something else, so there's a lot to take in. Again, screw it. Guide time.
Myst is incredibly overwhelming when you first start out, but it turns out that most of the puzzles are surprisingly straightforward. Once you know how you're supposed to come to a conclusion it's a slap on the forehead "Oh, I get it!" situation that I can't tell if it is supposed to make you feel smart or dumb. It's getting to that point and figuring out what is connected to what and what vague hint you're supposed to use where that's the hard part.
But, whatever. I finally solved a puzzle in Myst and got to a new age for the first time ever. The realMyst Masterpiece Edition is a solid way to play the game, too. It looks nice enough (though, still like an older game ...) and the ability to freely walk around and look at anything you want is nice. The controls for pulling handles and doing any of the interactive stuff are awkward as Hell, but you get used to it.
