TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Video Game Review: Myst

ADVERTISEMENT

DOUG BUEL

Tribune correspondent

Published: June 13, 2008

System: Nintendo DS

Publisher: Empire Interactive

Reviewer's rating: *

ESRB rating: Everyone

Game type: First-person adventure

Kind of like: "Return to Zork"

Best feature: There's an extra area that wasn't in the original game.

Worst feature: The game is nearly unplayable due to the tiny screen.

The bottom line: "Myst" is a classic adventure game, well-remembered for its haunting atmosphere and focus on puzzles instead of fighting.

At least, it's well-remembered on the PC. Trying to play "Myst" on the DS is a miserable experience.

"Myst" turns out years later to be a perfect name, because in the DS version it's really hard to see anything. This game was never meant to be played on a tiny screen.

There are places in the game where we know for a fact, from having played before, that there's a button on a wall or a door in an alcove, and yet we can't see them even if we know right where to look. If you've never played "Myst" before, you'll really be in trouble.

"Myst" always had an interesting premise. You find yourself on a strange island. You walk around simply by pointing at the path you want to take. The main inhabitant of the island has disappeared, and it's up to you to figure out where he's gone.

The buildings of the island hold many different mechanisms and clues. Puzzles involve the island's many machines - for example, setting a clock tower to the correct time raises a bridge across some water. The proper time, however, is written somewhere else on the island.

The original game featured a pointer that helped you know what you could do. That's gone because the DS uses the stylus instead.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT