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New Version of Classic Mac Game 'Myst' Available With M1 Mac Optimization
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Imagine whining about a video game that was revolutionary back then and thinking it never was updated to be incredible now.
INSTANT BUY! One of the best game of all time, completely updated and even optimized for Apple Silicon!
Nope Steam is trash, when I can I buy on Mac App Store for many reasons, even family sharing. Steam is x86 and trying to inject x86 in arm64 executables… and still there are bugs in macOS client since years…
You can freely walk, though I wouldn't be surprised if they included a point-and-click mode as an option, just like they did in realMyst.
This is a completely new version in free roam 3D. It is a modern game
Has anyone purchased this Myst from Steam? Is it running natively on the M1?
(I'm thinking you need to launch it manually and not with the Steam launcher)
I'm assuming we'll get more sales on Steam than the Mac App Store.
(I'm thinking you need to launch it manually and not with the Steam launcher)
I'm assuming we'll get more sales on Steam than the Mac App Store.
Thanks for the feedback. I looked at the app store page, and it says it's compatible with this mac (iMac late 2015 27")
but the Macrumors list says iMac 2019 and later. I'm not a huge modern gamer, so it's OK, if it doesn't run on this mac, especially since I have the classic from GOG. I was just curious about that, and most of the games I would play are usually DOS based.
Except there was ALREADY a complete remake with realtime 3D graphics.
Right now on the GOG store there is:
Myst (1993)
Myst Masterpiece edition (1999)
realMyst (2000)
realMyst Masterpiece edition (2014)
Myst (2021)
I own the two Masterpiece edition ones, realMyst in particular kind of runs like crap, hasn't been updated since 2018. Apparently they would rather "remake from the ground up" every few years rather than maintain the existing versions.
Mixed feelings about this. Remake of a ~30 year old game, good memories from back them. On the other hand, visually it looks more like on the level of Bioshock (~15 years old) and therefore disappointing.
I'm not a fan of VR, but maybe, just maybe this is a title for which I have to get out the HTC Vive and try it.
I'm not a fan of VR, but maybe, just maybe this is a title for which I have to get out the HTC Vive and try it.
Wasn't realMyst Masterpiece made in Unity? This new one is Unreal Engine. I can totally understand why the change (and corresponding updates to graphics, etc.) would make them want to release this as a new version. And, if I remember correctly, the previous version NEVER ran well on any system.
That said, I think it's a fair point that the world doesn't necessarily need another 1:1 remake. Thus my desire to see a truly reimagined Myst.
I never played MYST back then in school. If anything I would be more of a Sierra games person, if we look back to that era. I played King's Quest 5 in High school on the classic Mac OS. Now I have those games that I can run in SkummVM since Boxer died with Catalina (officially supported). That's OK though SkummVM will play the windows versions of the games as well as the DOS versions. Before that, talking about my personal games I played SimCity 2000, and SimAnt. Those are the kinds of games I'd be curious to see remakes of.
Have the olde version on Steam (Master piece edition) tried it some months ago but graphics obviously clunky, might give this a go. First played it when when I bought my Amiga back in 90 whatever.
Might have kept the old Apple version disk somewhere but threw a load out, it might be landfill now.
Might have kept the old Apple version disk somewhere but threw a load out, it might be landfill now.
The amount of ignorance in this topic is astounding.
1) No it's not the original game. It's a remake. If you go see a remake of an old movie, do you get a discount because it's a remake? No, because it takes the same amount of effort and money whether it's a remake or a completely new movie. With that in mind, $30 is fairly cheap for a new game. When RealMyst launched in 2002, it also cost $30, which due to inflation is more like $45 today.
2) Yes it's realtime 3D/free roam. The previous two remakes were also realtime 3D/free roam. Even if you were unaware of those, does not "VR support" (whether or not that feature is supported on Macs) give it away?
1) No it's not the original game. It's a remake. If you go see a remake of an old movie, do you get a discount because it's a remake? No, because it takes the same amount of effort and money whether it's a remake or a completely new movie. With that in mind, $30 is fairly cheap for a new game. When RealMyst launched in 2002, it also cost $30, which due to inflation is more like $45 today.
2) Yes it's realtime 3D/free roam. The previous two remakes were also realtime 3D/free roam. Even if you were unaware of those, does not "VR support" (whether or not that feature is supported on Macs) give it away?
Bad idea. Buy it on GOG, then you'll not only have the Windows version as well, you'll also own a DRM-free version that operates independently of game launchers, so when Valve inevitably forces a Steam update so it no longer works on your computer that doesn't run the latest OS (a thing they've done more than once), you can still play the game.
Sure, still have the CD somewhere in a closet. Finished it too so there isn't likely to be enough in the remake to keep it interesting.
To try to bring some order to the chaos, here's how you can think of the games in the series:
- Myst: 2D, fixed-view, point-and-click game. You move by clicking between "nodes".
- realMyst: it's Myst, but redone as a fully 3D world you can walk around, with weather, day/night cycles, and an additional Rime Age that ties into Riven.
- Myst (VR): it's Myst, but redone as a fully 3D world you can walk around in VR at significantly higher graphical/audio fidelity. It was actually released late in 2020 as an Oculus exclusive, but it was just released today for traditional screens on Mac and PC, as well as PCVR. One difference from the original: the live acting has been swapped for CG characters.
- Riven: it's Myst 2, with the exact same mechanics as Myst.
- Myst 3 and 4: more sequels with the same mechanics as Myst and Riven, but this time rendered in 3D with 360° views at each "node". Made by a different company, and it shows in a bad way.
- Myst 5: the final sequel, but this one allows freely walking about, like in realMyst. It also trades the live acting of the previous entries for CG characters, but it was made by the original company.
- Uru: a failed-MMO-sequel-turned-single-player game, with the same general mechanics as realMyst, Myst (VR), and Myst 5. It's what the original company was working on when Myst 3 and 4 came out. I've heard it's actually fairly good, but have yet to play it myself.
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Unfortunate for me, I tried playing "Myst 3D" years ago and, due to the fact, I cannot play 1st Person Perspective games anymore (I get horribly motion sick), I didn't play it for long. If this new version is like that, I (sadly) will have to pass. I can play 3rd Person games (like American McGee's Alice... Bungie's Oni, etc.) but not 1st Person. So, if I can move freely in the Myst Realm, I'll likely get horribly motion sick after a short while and will regret having spent $30 in the process... love the fact they made an M1 native version. But thinking I'll never be able to enjoy it. 😭
There are various reasons for motion sickness. Could be performance related, when the framerate isn't high enough it can get choppy and cause MS. Or it could be motion blur or weapon bobbing or ... or ...
Some of this can usually be turned off in the options. Wait for a demo and give it a try.
IMHO, Myst is like a rough demo proof-of-concept that eventually resulted in Riven that is so far superior to Myst in every way. Way back when, a friend purchased the initial 5 cd-rom version for his brand new Mac but it was kind of a nuisance because of all the disk-flipping every time one wanted to move between islands. Eventually Riven was put on a single dvd-rom that made the entire adventure experience so much more enjoyable. Riven is the one that should be enhanced for M1 Macs because of its beauty and technical sophistication. The attention to detail is mindbogglingly cool as is the feeling that one is always being watched by native inhabitants who are lurking in the shadows. It's apparent that the expansive Riven 'vision' was limited by the hardware of the time and so there's a graininess to many of the visuals and animations that would be vastly improved by 4K enhancement. The lower definition is readily apparent in the version for iPad that seems to be nothing more than the earliest version modified only for finger and touch gestures to replace the mouse. Riven is an amazing work of software art that needs to be given better special treatment.
Well, crap! I remember playing this with the kids in 199X and being so overwhelmed with the graphics back then--on a 1024x768 monitor. It was immersive and impressive--compared to everything else on the market then.
Myst is downloading now. I can't wait to see what the 2021 version looks like in 4K...just 5GB to go....
I don't understand the nay-sayers here. This is a fantastic experience and at only $30 is a steal. Even if I just play with it once.
Myst is downloading now. I can't wait to see what the 2021 version looks like in 4K...just 5GB to go....
I don't understand the nay-sayers here. This is a fantastic experience and at only $30 is a steal. Even if I just play with it once.