Don't let earlier reviews fool you. This version of the game was updated in 2018 to be compatible with modern systems for the 25th anniversary. I have yet to experience any issues on Windows 10, and the game runs just fine. I'll update this should anything change.

EDIT 4/17/21: Late update, but I completed the game with no technical issues. The game itself is a classic PC point-and-click title that I recommend everyone give a shot.

Okay so this is gonna be lengthy and less of a review, but I feel like I need to write this here.

I had honestly never heard of this game at all until my uncle mentioned it one time back in 2017. He was an art teacher and an amazing artist at that, I looked up to him as I was doing art myself. So of course, I checked this game out. It looked okay. I hadn't really been so big on the visual adventure game genre back then (I am now) so I didn't end up buying it. It just sorta sat in my wishlist waiting for the day when I would buy it. I probably wouldn't have at all.

In mid 2019, my uncle committed suicide. It was heartbreaking and honestly I didn't know what to think.

It was only recently in December 2020, I checked my wishlist and sure enough, I saw Myst sitting there. I figured, why not. Maybe I could do it for my uncle. I'm glad I did. This game has some feeling to it, I'm not sure how to describe it, but the low textured graphics and the ambient sounds of the winds that have been condensed to hell and back have made me feel that sad nostalgic feeling. I never grew up with these sorta games so I have no genuine nostalgia, but it sure as hell still gives me that feeling, and I'm so happy that it does, because it honestly makes this game that much better. it only adds to this overall feeling of isolation and confusion as to what this island contains. I'm excited to continue playing through it.
This ones for you Uncle. Thanks for showing me such an amazing game, and inspiring me to do more art. Rest in peace.

Myst is a point and click game from the olden days, where things were simpler. FMV was taking off, and a slew of adventure games came out, one of them including Myst. What made Myst so special, you ask? Well, it told a story from a new perspective, and had mind-boggling puzzles. It really gave you this sense of adventure. Sure, the game has aged like ♥♥♥♥, but it's a good trip down memory lane. Get past the graphics, and you can treat yourself to an adventure classic.

*NOTE* This game has techincal issues on Steam, and I have experienced crashes, and has made the game almost unplayable. It's very glitchy and unstable in this condition. If you desparately want the game, try out GOG. The game probably runs fine with Win XP, but watch out for anything newer.

If you're like me, you've bought upwards of ten legal copies of Myst over the years and sought it out in less reputable varieties even more than that, in a desperate attempt to get the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ thing running on modern PCs. I was able to accomplish this with this version, but if you're a fan of the series, you know damn well the first real puzzle is getting it to run.

To anyone who isn't familiar: the quicktime movies are essential, so if you load up the game and just see a book and not an opening movie, you haven't figured it out yet. Keep trying.

You can disregard most of the negative reviews after the 25th anniversary edition update. Every myst game runs perfectly on windows 10 now. No compatibility issues whatsoever.

As for the game...its a classic. If you've never heard of Myst before and you're a PC gamer, then youv'e been living in a cave in Canada for the past 25 years. At one point, it was the highest grossing pc game. That is until Riven released a few years later. Myst uses an old technology called hypercard so each "scene" you go to is just a flat graphic that is pre rendered. Don't come to Myst for the graphics, come for the deep lore of the series.

This is an old classic PC puzzle game. I beat it in about 6 hours of play time, but I've played it a dozen times since I was a kid. If you like puzzles and logic and things that will make you think, this is a game you will enjoy. Disclaimer: I'm by no means a "gamer," just an old PC nerd who loves her old games!

The grand daddy of all esoteric first person puzzlers, and still worthwhile in 2021 if you're able to look past the extremely dated visual interface. It's been re-made and re-released many times over the years, and both realMyst and the recent remake are good ways to experience the classic world and puzzles, but if you're up for a deep dive back into cutting edge 1993 renders there's still nothing that quite replicates the original atmosphere and experience.

Previously this version of the game had significant compatibility issues with modern systems, but it was recently updated to use ScummVM, which means it should in theory run just fine despite what older reviews and forum posts might have to say.

Find the .exe in the Steam folder in your program files and set compatibility mode to Win95, 640x480 resolution, and 256 colors, and you won't into any issues running this game. DON'T do any of that, you will not see any of the cutscens, including the books.

Beyond that, it's Myst. If you don't know what Myst is, then welcome to PC gaming. Myst is one of the games that defined PC gaming in the 90s. If you have a brain, play it. If you don't have a brain, play it, cause you might grow one. Immerse yourself in the world and just enjoy.

I do recommend this game, but I would recommend realMyst over this. If you want pure PC nostalgia, go for this. A classic of gaming.

It only took me about twenty years to beat this game, but here we finally are. Thanks COVID-19.

UPDATE: Since I played this game two years ago, it has been updated with a complete switch to ScummVM, which fixes all the problems I had with it. They even fixed the typo on the note. This release is now fine, changing my recommendation to Yes.

My original review, from July 2017 remains below, but the issues have been addressed.

--- original review below ---

VERY BROKEN. Get a different version.

I had a terrible problem with this game. The game's video playback was broken, but there is no warning or indication about this when the game runs, it simply fails to play video where it should and otherwise it seems like the game is working "normally". Because this is a game about mystery and experimentation, there is really no way to know that it is not working as intended. THIS BECAME AN EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING EXPERIENCE. A puzzle game where all the hints are broken.

Eventually I discovered that the video problem can be fixed by running the game as an administrator, but the game begins randomly crashing. At any rate I find it totally unacceptable that I had to watch a walkthrough video to realize the game wasn't working as intended.

The best solution seems to be to download ScummVM and use that to play the game (point it at "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Myst Masterpiece"). This runs mostly fine (with a few minor audio issues) but at least I finally got to play through the game.

One additional problem, a note you find in the game with instructions (critical to completing the game) has a typo, where it says "off" instead of "on". Bizarre! I'm really astounded by how badly this version is put together.

Anyhow, Myst is an interesting game with an important place in history. I think it's worth playing, but I strongly dislike how poorly it is packaged here.