How to describe the Myst series...
Myst is that series that people remember as being a killer app for the CD-ROM format back in 1993, but that few can actually attest to having played. How many people do you know who have actually played one of the games, let alone all of them? (And people on the Internet don't count. Yes, that includes me.)
My experience with the series goes back to the late 90s or early 2000s. My sister and I were staying at my aunt and uncle's house while my parents went off to do...something. It was a long time ago. I spent that whole afternoon rotating between different games on my uncle's computer, trying to find one I could actually play with my minimal skills. One of these was Riven, which as far as I could tell, was a game about exploring a tiny section of an island, with hopelessly locked doors at every turn, and for some reason came on no less than 5 CD-ROMs.
It wasn't until I was in middle school that I asked my uncle if I could borrow the game. He obliged, along with a small strategy guide that I ended up using heavily. That Christmas I got the first 3 games in the Myst series on DVD-ROM, and over the years following, I eventually played through the remaining games in the series (which hasn't seen a major release since 2005, so I'm not going to beat around the bush regarding spoilers).
It's disappointing that this series gets disregarded mainly due to being a game in a genre that hasn't aged well. That much is true; point-and-click adventure games have largely died out (though to my knowledge they were never that big to begin with). It does deserve more credit though, as a work of fantasy fiction.
Most people think of Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia, or something in that vein, when they think the word "fantasy." Medieval castles, knights, elves, dwarves, goblins and dragons. This is a pretty narrow paradigm for a genre. I'm not saying this is a severe problem today, but I do like to see a fantasy work like this one which tries to do something truly original. The central premise of the games is the fall of a civilization known as D'ni (pronunciations vary). The D'ni possessed The Art, through which they would write books in which they would describe worlds. They could then use these books as portals to the very worlds they described. According to the lore, the D'ni did not create these worlds (although some characters have beliefs to the contrary) but were linking to pre-existing worlds created by the Maker, who gave the D'ni this art. This extreme application of Murphy's Law to the multiverse basically gives the producers of the series license to come up with whatever surreal settings they want, and they use this license well.
Instead of a top ten list like I did with The Clone Wars, I'll just go through the series, one game at a time, and describe some of the worlds I like, and maybe a few I don't like. Strongly.
Channelwood
A simple yet elegant premise: trees growing out of the water. I'm a little surprised this concept isn't used more often.
Selenitic
Something of a hodgepodge location, but with interesting features like red-leaved trees and a "stone forest" that makes whistling noises when the wind blows through it.
Riven
A comparatively mundane-looking world at first glance, with jungles and forests, until you realize the water...doesn't behave normally. Look at that screencap again and you'll see there are holes in the water.
Basically, the water in this world is permeated by colonial bacteria that tend to avoid heat sources. Thus you can have holes or even minecart tunnels (yes that actually happens in the game) in bodies of water if you arrange heat sources a certain way. Again, it's a simple concept but I'm surprised it hasn't been used more often.
233
No name given, as the guy who wrote its Linking Book wasn't very creative with names. Still, island mountains stacked on top of each other? Looks impressive. It's implied to be due to caustic oceans with a...sizeable tide.
Edanna
Imagine if you took a tree and turned it inside-out. Sorta. The entire age consists of a giant tree-like structure with layered ecosystems inside.
Narayan
One of my personal favorites, so naturally it's one of the ones the player barely gets to explore. Floating algae-like plants called "Lattice Trees" above a fog-shrouded ocean under a salmon sky, with a civilization living in those trees. Though in the backstory, the trees require near-constant maintenance from the inhabitants, leading one to wonder how the people were able to survive long enough to learn this.
Spire
Very little lives on this world, but the aesthetic is incredible. Glowing green minerals against forbidding mountain peaks under a forbidding sky. The whole thing is reminiscent of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II's Malachor V, though I think Spire actually predates that. There are more cloud layers below these peaks though, so imagine what the surface looks...
 |
| Uh, ladies and gentlemen, reality is out to lunch. |
....like.
Yeah, believe it or not, the fact that this all exists on floating islands is actually the least improbable aspect for me; those glowing minerals are supposed to have piezoelectric properties that allow the islands to levitate in this planet/sun's magnetic field. How they are floating above a green sun is anyone's guess. Green stars don't exist to our knowledge, so maybe this is a gas giant with lots of electrical storms? Or a dwarf star with unique chemical composition? Of all the Ages in the series, this is probably the most trippy.
Haven
The polar opposite of Spire: physically mundane, but teeming with exotic life, like the timid bipedal zeftyr, and the hammerheaded flying and scavenging karnak, and the aquatic predatory cerpatee.
Teledahn
Giant mushrooms on a planet where the sun never rises or sets, just circles around the sky in a matter of minutes. Watch out for the alien whales in the ocean.
D'ni
The great cavern of D'ni is perhaps the series' only look at a subterranean ecosystem. With a massive underground lake populated by bioluminescent orange algae that only glow for part of the day, thus creating a simulated day-night cycle.
This location is central to the series' lore, so it's a shame the player doesn't get to see more of it.
Taghira
Seriously, what is up with those trees?! They look like they all have gout or something. Maybe it has something to do with how they can keep their leaves in freezing temperatures?
You can find some good wallpapers with more screenshots here: http://www.mystjourney.com/
Regrettably, this series hasn't seen a new release in over a decade, but I have some good news: Cyan Worlds, the creator of the Myst series, is releasing a brand new game called Obduction in just a couple months. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what they come up with next.
