Myst
-
Myst
(2006) -
Myst
(2020) -
Myst: Masterpiece Edition
(1999) -
Real Myst
(2000)
-
10 PC Games: Ultimate Gamer Pack Vol.2
(2008) - Adventure Pack: Nanatsu no Hikan & Myst (1997)
-
Ages of Myst
(1998) - Help Charity Compilation (1996)
-
John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles: An Adventure in Terror
(1998)
-
Myst (Desktop Edition)
(1998) -
Myst (Limited Edition)
(1997)
- Myst (2004 on J2ME)
Description official descriptions
Myst is a single-player first-person point-and-click adventure game.
The player controls an unnamed traveler who discovers an unusual book titled Myst. The book contains a detailed description of an island, and touching its final page transports the traveler into the place described within it. With no immediate explanation and no visible way home, the player begins on Myst Island and must explore its buildings, machines, and hidden chambers to understand where they are and what happened there.
Myst Island serves as the central hub of the game. The island appears almost deserted, but traces of its former inhabitants remain in journals, mechanical devices, messages, and linking books. In the library, the player encounters red and blue books containing fragmented video messages from Sirrus and Achenar, two trapped brothers who each ask for help. Their messages are incomplete at first, and the player must recover missing pages from other Ages to learn more about them and decide how to proceed.
The game is presented from a first-person viewpoint using a simple cursor interface. The player moves between fixed viewpoints by clicking paths, doors, stairs, ladders, and other visible destinations. Interaction is handled by clicking or dragging objects in the environment, such as switches, levers, wheels, buttons, drawers, pages, doors, and control panels. There are no enemies, combat sequences, health meters, or conventional death states. Progress depends on observation, note-taking, and understanding how the island’s mechanisms connect to one another.
Puzzles are based largely on logic, spatial reasoning, sound, symbols, numbers, and environmental clues. Rather than collecting a large inventory of objects and using them on other objects, the player studies journals, diagrams, map markers, sounds, machinery, and visual patterns to determine how devices work. Many puzzles require information found in one location to be applied elsewhere, such as matching constellations, tuning sounds, setting mechanical controls, restoring power, or interpreting notes left behind by the island’s inhabitants.
As the player solves major puzzles on Myst Island, additional linking books become accessible. These books transport the player to other Ages, self-contained worlds with their own locations, devices, and puzzle chains. The main Ages include the Mechanical Age, Stoneship Age, Channelwood Age, and Selenitic Age. Each Age contains red and blue pages that can be returned to the corresponding books in the Myst library. Each Age also contains its own route back to Myst Island, usually locked behind another puzzle or sequence of mechanisms.
Different releases of Myst preserve the same central structure of solitary exploration, linking books, and puzzle-solving, although interface and presentation details may vary between platforms. The original version is built around fixed screens and point-and-click navigation, while other editions and remakes may alter movement or visual presentation. In all forms, the core game remains focused on exploring an uninhabited island, deciphering its Ages, and resolving the mystery behind the trapped figures in the library.
Series +
Myst series- Next: Riven: The Sequel to Myst (1997)
Groups +
- Game Engine: HyperCard
- Game Engine: Mohawk
- Gameplay feature: Interactive piano
- Gameplay feature: Multiple endings
- Games made into books
- Games made into comics
- Launch title: Saturn (Japan)
- Live action cut-scenes
- PlayStation the Best releases
- Software Pyramide releases
- Video games turned into board / card games
Media
Myst: The Soundtrack
Spellings
- ミスト - Japanese spelling
Screenshots
Credits (Macintosh version)
28 People (10 developers, 18 thanks) · View all
| Designed by | |
| Directed by | |
| Graphics | |
| Animation | |
| Environmental Sound Design | |
| Sound Effects | |
| Musical Score | |
| Video and Movie Editing | |
| Producer | |
| Production Assistant | |
| Assistant Product Manager | |
| Senior Marketing Manager | |
| Marketing Coordinator | |
| QA Lead Technician | |
| Alpha Testing | |
| Manual | |
| Special Thanks to | |
| [ full credits ] | |
Collaborations
People credited on this game were also credited on:
- Myst (Desktop Edition), a group of 24 people
- Myst: Masterpiece Edition, a group of 20 people
- Riven: The Sequel to Myst, a group of 14 people
- And 22 more...
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Other Games
In addition to this game, these people were also credited on other games:
- Tom Rettig on 37 other games
- Chuck Carter on 36 other games
- Douglas C. Carlston on 33 other games
- And 22 more...
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 78% (based on 74 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.4 out of 5 (based on 348 ratings with 12 reviews)
A majestic, surrealistic experience.
The Good
Myst was one of my earlier games, I have to admit. I suppose one could claim I'm biased slightly towards it because of that. But I also played it again recently, in the wake of playing games like Half-Life, System Shock 2, Planescape: Torment, and Unreal. The truth is that even though my experience was to a degree lessened by my having completed the game before in my earlier days (and thereby already having seen it all and completed all the puzzles) I still found it a pleasure to play.
I have indeed seen criticism after criticism of this game coming out of the gaming community. Not enough action, lousy interface, just a bunch of screenshots, and the like. While such may be true, Myst really needs to be looked at in the light of its intent.
Myst excels at what it is supposed to be. It is supposed to be experienced. It is about beautiful, immersing environments and a chilling solitude as you explore this place where once upon a time there were beings, but now only you.
Playing Myst again I was once more struck even today by the beauty of the graphics. Not just by the way they are rendered, the quality of the images, but by their content. Every location is designed to convey an experience to the player, every object and vista to add to the ambiance.
The same goes for the sound and music. From the wind blows in a particularly lonely way that makes one's spine tingle and the music that finds its way into certain places, the essence of the moment is captured.
I found the plot to be interesting as well. I enjoyed the openness of the exposition, which allowed the player to come to a lot of his own conclusions.
All in all, I had wonderful time playing Myst and, in my mind, it achieved its purpose with excellence.
The Bad
It is too short and replay value is rather limited. The experience is not as potent after the first time.
The puzzles were fair, but one could argue that there aren't enough and one rather breezes through the game.
The Bottom Line
Playing Myst for the first time is like the viewing of a work of art. Definitely not an action title, but excellent in its own right.
Windows 16-bit · by Steelysama (82) · 2000
I think "The Curse of Monkey Island" had the best review for this game...
The Good
In "The Curse of Monkey Island," Guybrush Threepwood speaks with a ferryman who's been lost in the mists for a long time now. Here's what Guybrush had to say about the boatman's experience:
"I like mist. I think it's pretty."
The Bad
The boatman's response to Guybrush's statement:
"Of course it's pretty, but egads, is it DULL!"
The Bottom Line
That conversation alone describes the game.
There's no story and no point to the game. There isn't even an ending. Your reward for finishing the game is to read all those freakin' books all over again. That's enough to make me want to put my foot through the monitor, but I'd rather just play frisbee with my dog using the CD.
Windows · by Macaroni Penguin (4) · 2002
The Good
The graphics are spectacular, the music eerily appropriate, and the intrigue of the story is discovered pieces by pieces, bits by bits, like a fascinating puzzle.
The Bad
The game is too easy for an experienced adventure gamer. What I can't understand is why didn't they make the puzzles more random. It would have made the game more interesting to replay.
The Bottom Line
Myst is probably the most beautiful and enticing game to come out in the mid-nineties. It has spawned a multitude of clones, and will probably be remembered for years to come.
Windows 16-bit · by Belboz (6510) · 2000
Trivia
1001 Video Games
Myst appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Development
Myst was rendered entirely on stock color Macintoshes using only Stratavision Software. Until the success of Myst, The Miller brothers ran Cyan from their basement.
Easter egg
A mosaic on the floor in the D'ni Age shows the face of developer Chuck Carter.
Guinness World Records
- 1999 - Best-selling computer game
- 2000 - Fastest-selling PC game
Novels
Hyperion published three novels set in the Myst universe:
- The Book of Atrus (1995), by Rand Miller, Robyn Miller and David Wingrove;
- The Book of Ti'ana (1996), by Rand Miller, Robyn Miller, and David Wingrove; and
- The Book of D'ni (1997), by Rand Miller and David Wingrove.
A fourth novel, The Book of Marrim, by Rand Miller and David Wingrove, was put on hold while the last Myst games were completed. A preview of that book was bundled with Myst V: End of Ages (Limited Edition).
Additionally, Dark Horse Comics published two issues (Passages and the Joining) of an aborted Myst comic book miniseries, The Book of Black Ships.
Reception
Over the course of a few years, the game stayed on PC Data's top ten list. The game's non-violence (the creators are both pious Christians), simplicity, and amazing graphics contributed to its success. Myst was also responsible for many people buying a CD-ROM drive for their computers.
References
While in D'ni, you may notice there is a mosaic of a face on the tile floor. Though it may look like one of the characters in the game, it is actually Chuck Carter, one of the graphics designers for the game.
References to the Game
In the 1995 episode "Treehouse Of Horror VI" of the TV series The Simpsons the last of three parodies named Homer³ is based on a Twilight Zone episode. Homer gets sucked into the 3rd dimension and enters a 3D animated world where some 3D objects exist on a grid. As he walks along, you can see a replica of Myst's library and a snippet of the Myst finale theme music can be heard.
Cancelled versions
Sunsoft announced releases for both the SEGA CD and the LaserActive's Mega LD format, both of which were in an advanced state of completion before being cancelled.
Soundtrack
Myst soundtrack composed by Robyn Miller was released in 1998. This soundtrack saw a wide release on online music stores, and was later brought to streaming services.
The songs are parted to several Myst game ages:
- Myst Island (1-6)
- Mechanical Age (7-13)
- Stoneship Age (14-17)
- Selentic Age (18)
- Channelwood Age (19-21)
- Finale (22-23)
- Bonus Tracks (24-26)
Tracklist:
- Myst Theme
- Treegate
- Planetarium
- Shipgate
- The Tower
- The Last Mesage (Forechamber Theme)
- Fortress Ambience, Part I
- Fortress Ambience, Part II
- Mechanical Mystgate
- Sirrus Cache
- Sirrus Theme
- Achenar's Cache
- Achenar's Theme
- Compass Rose
- Above Stoneship
- Sirrus Theme - Stoneship Age
- Achenar's Theme - Stoneship Age
- Selentic Mystgate
- The Temple of Achenar
- Sirrus Theme - Channelwood Age
- Achenar's Theme - Chennelwood Age
- Un-finale
- Finale
- Fireplace Theme
- Early Selentic Mystgate
- Original Un-finale
Awards
- Computer Game Review and CD-ROM Entertainment
- February 1994 – Best CD-ROM Of The Year
- Computer Gaming World
- November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – #11 Most Innovative Computer Game
- November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – #13 Hardest Computer Game
- November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) – #3 Least Rewarding Ending of All Time
- Electronic Entertainment
- March 1994 – Editors' Choice Awards: Breakthrough Game (Honorable Mention)
- FLUX
- Issue #4 - #14 in the "Top 100 Video Games of All-Time" list
- GameStar (Germany)
- Issue 12/1999 - #33 in the "100 Most Important PC Games of the Nineties" ranking
- MacUser
- 1993 - Best Game (Editors' Choice)
- PC Gamer
- April 2000 - #42 in the "All Time Top 50 Games" Readers' Poll
- PC Magazine
- December 20, 1994 - The 11th Annual Awards for Technical Excellence - Finalist in the "After Hours" category (page 44)
- January 10, 1995 - included in "The Best of 1994" roundup
Information also contributed by Adam Baratz, Agent 5, Big John WV, Mu77etOfDeath, PCGamer77, Pseudo_Intellectual, Scaryfun and Scott Monster
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Related Sites +
-
Cyan's Myst Walkthrough
Full solution to Myst -
JTB's Myst Help
A webpage providing a hint book in three different formats, illustrated puzzle solutions, both spoiler-free and spoiler-laden tips, maps of the Channelwood Age, links to other sources of online help for the game, and a set of save games for the Macintosh version of the game. -
Myst UHS Hints
Online web hints for Myst, written by Jason Strautman. -
Myst.Com
Cyan's Official Myst Homepage. -
Play Myst For Me
An article by Scott Rosenberg, originally published in the SF Examiner Sunday Magazine, detailing his experiences attempting to get Myst running on his (dated) PC (1994 - Feb. 1995). -
The Myst Guidebook
The Myst subsection of the Guidebook fansite that provides information about the game and a brief background on the game's production and later remake in addition to game hints and a walkthrough.
Identifiers +
Contribute
Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.
Contributors to this Entry
Game added by MAT.
PS Vita added by Fred VT. PlayStation 3 added by Lance Boyle. CD-i added by Corn Popper. Windows added by Trixter. iPhone, PSP, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 added by Sciere. SEGA Saturn added by Kohler 86. Windows Mobile added by Kabushi. Macintosh added by Terok Nor. PlayStation added by Grant McLellan. Amiga added by Syed GJ. 3DO, Jaguar added by quizzley7.
Additional contributors: Jeanne, Guy Chapman, Havoc Crow, Parf, Ms. Tea, Zeppin, Patrick Bregger, Plok, FatherJack, Evolyzer, Silver, coltrain5041.
Game added March 29, 2000. Last modified July 2, 2026.
