I actually own this game too. I got it several years ago in the bargain bin. I must say, my wife and I were quite bored with it, quite fast. I can't say I particularly enjoyed any of these actor-based adventure games and have to give the majority of the post CD-ROM genre a pass. Of course I despised Myst as well, so perhaps they're just not my type of games...
I initially despised Myst as well, and had a considerable chip on my shoulder about the game when I first played it. I was coming at it from a LucasArts/Sierra background, and didn't see what all the hubbub was about. It's a tough game, but not as tough as Riven, and I didn't enjoy it.
However, now that I've got so much more GAG experience under my belt, I can more easily see why the game is considered a classic. I guess you have to play enough bad clones of it before you really understand why it's so good. Just compare Myst and Riven to games like Schizm and The Crystal Key. Myst really did establish a new sub-genre, if you will, of GAGs that I like to think of as transcendental gaming. The game worlds are relaxing and pleasant to explore, and the puzzles, while difficult, make sense given the context. The key to understanding these games is the idea of world building. Cyan always starts with an amazing virtual world, then populates it with puzzles and grafts on a story. The focus is on making the virtual worlds as coherent and aesthetically sensational as possible. You could really play Myst and Riven without ever bothering with the puzzles; a good part of the game is just exploring.
You can compare that to LucasArts games, which usually focus on wacky characters and parody, or Sierra which focuses on themed puzzles and riddles. Both Sierra and LucasArts games tend to rely on satire and humor to atone for what usually amounts to pretty dull puzzle solving. Cyan, on the other hand, dispensed entirely with the humor, opting for more abstract puzzles.
I'd compare LucasArts/Sierra to visiting a Chuck E. Cheese, and Cyan to visiting a Zen rock garden. They're both fun/enlightening in their own way, but very different.
I actually own this game too. I got it several years ago in the bargain bin. I must say, my wife and I were quite bored with it, quite fast. I can't say I particularly enjoyed any of these actor-based adventure games and have to give the majority of the post CD-ROM genre a pass. Of course I despised Myst as well, so perhaps they're just not my type of games...
I initially despised Myst as well, and had a considerable chip on my shoulder about the game when I first played it. I was coming at it from a LucasArts/Sierra background, and didn't see what all the hubbub was about. It's a tough game, but not as tough as Riven, and I didn't enjoy it.
However, now that I've got so much more GAG experience under my belt, I can more easily see why the game is considered a classic. I guess you have to play enough bad clones of it before you really understand why it's so good. Just compare Myst and Riven to games like Schizm and The Crystal Key. Myst really did establish a new sub-genre, if you will, of GAGs that I like to think of as transcendental gaming. The game worlds are relaxing and pleasant to explore, and the puzzles, while difficult, make sense given the context. The key to understanding these games is the idea of world building. Cyan always starts with an amazing virtual world, then populates it with puzzles and grafts on a story. The focus is on making the virtual worlds as coherent and aesthetically sensational as possible. You could really play Myst and Riven without ever bothering with the puzzles; a good part of the game is just exploring.
You can compare that to LucasArts games, which usually focus on wacky characters and parody, or Sierra which focuses on themed puzzles and riddles. Both Sierra and LucasArts games tend to rely on satire and humor to atone for what usually amounts to pretty dull puzzle solving. Cyan, on the other hand, dispensed entirely with the humor, opting for more abstract puzzles.
I'd compare LucasArts/Sierra to visiting a Chuck E. Cheese, and Cyan to visiting a Zen rock garden. They're both fun/enlightening in their own way, but very different.
Matt Barton, Managing Editor
Location: St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA
Email: matt@armchairarcade.com