I ran realMyst on:
- Win 8.1 64bit
- Intel Core i7-4710HQ CPU @ 2.50GHz
- GeForce GTX 980M
- 16.0 GB RAM
- compatibility mode set to Win XP SP3
- running as an administrator
The original Myst came out when I was a teenager. I loved it then and devoured not only the game and its sequels but also the novels and the soundtracks. Now, many years later, I’ve revisited the island.
realMyst ran well for me: no crashes or other issues on my modern hardware. Sometimes I saw some artifacting around the edge of the screen but this was minor. Navigation and clicking was a bit wonky at times but not too bad for what I expected. My only real complaints are that the Steam overlay never worked, I couldn’t take any screenshots with either the Steam function nor the Print Screen key, and alt-tabbing was a bit finicky.
The game shows its age texture-wise (I will probably buy realMyst: Masterpiece Edition for the updated textures later) but content-wise it still held together well. It’s been long enough that I didn’t really remember the puzzles (was even stumped a few times despite knowing I should know the answer) and even the content of the remaining journals in the library was only partially familiar.
The two sons evoke the right kind of emotional response—Achenar especially. For a game that isn’t violent or frightening, it nevertheless has its disturbing moments, and this is perhaps made more potent because of the extra freedom of movement to get up close. There’s a curtain in one room, and given the other paraphernalia present…I couldn’t help but wonder…what’s hidden behind that curtain…? Certainly not a window. And then I decided I didn’t want to know.
I enjoyed what to me seems to be enhancements from the original. Stumbling across the grave marker for Ti’ana in particular was an “oh wow” moment that has me wanting to reach for the books again. The bats in one of the underground tunnels were a nice touch too. Discovering the additional content after the original “desired” ending was a real surprise and quite satisfying.
Definitely recommended.