Worth Your Simoleons Vol 2: Left in the Myst

May. 20 1:53 AM by Navie

A look at Myst for the DS, and the caveat emptor of "Don't waste your money."

Myst, many remember fondly this point and click adventure game as being one of the first PC games in their library, with rich graphics and drool-worthy ambience. Myst has successfully sold over 12 million copies in its 14 years of existence. Now Myst makes its way onto the DS, and we are left with a bitter taste in our mouths.

Players who remember Myst from the pc may be able to conjure up memories of a vast, lush island that is riddled with puzzles (see what I did just there? Riddled? Puzzles?) You may remember very realistic sounds of the wind rustling the trees or the waves on the beach and enough eye candy to pull you into the world for hours. Unfortunately to all of those wishing to take a portable trip down memory lane, Myst epically fails to deliver the same environment on the DS. Your entire journey takes place on the touch screen, which works well for interacting with the game but goes horribly wrong when trying to deliver the graphics Myst is famous for. The once beautiful island looks incredibly pixilated and faded. The sound is horrible. You're even given a magnifying glass to zoom on the top screen, only to see that the graphics are disappointing on that screen as well. All of this is very scream-worthy as you realize they've plugged this release to be "completely remastered for the Nintendo DS. "

So, all your left with are the insanely hard puzzles you probably couldn't solve on the PC version 14 years ago. In its defense, however, it has added some never-before-seen content that the previous installments lacked. You now have access to a notepad and camera, making it easier to refer back to previous puzzles and record your progress. But its hard to play and ignore that feeling they could've utilized the DS's features to the full extent, such as being able to turn the DS sideways for use while paging through the many books in the game. Unfortunately though, with this game, the negatives far outweigh the positives, and you are best off spending your money somewhere else and dusting off your PC version of Myst if you want to relive that experience.

Myst Gallery

Comments

I had high hopes for this game but I'll save myself $30 dollars. Nanostray 2 and Contra 4 should keep me busy enough on the DS though.

Meh, I'll save the cash for a good game. Like Taiko Drum Master 2.

I completely agree. I tried to play the DS version and the graphics are terrible and it makes it impossible to see where you are supposed to go, what you are supposed to click on, ect. I was very disappointed!