The Good
When this was released, it was not like other point and click adventures such as Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion, but a first-person view game so that YOU become the protagonist. This makes it fresh and unlike anything else. Instead of fighting baddies you are totally alone on this island and you have to find clues to discover what happened and solve puzzles to progress. This way the (brilliant) story slowly unfolds. Therefore if you are an action gamer stop reading otherwise read on. You'll soon find out that there are two brothers called Sirrus and Achenar trapped in books and you need to free them but they but both blame each other for being a liar so who's right and what about Atrus and Catherine, their parents? That's for you to find out. You need to travel to all the different ages (worlds) of Myst by finding the linking books in which these worlds are described and retrieve the pages torn from the books to take them back to the library. In each age a blue (Sirrus) and red (Achenar) page is hidden and a linking book back to Myst. The puzzles are challenging and fun (you may find them too difficult at times, though) but if you concentrate on them and think logically and look for relations between things you'll find the solution eventually. You need to explore everything to gain all clues and solve all puzzles. The game can be completed in different ways but only one is the correct one (That's up to you). The graphics are also surprisingly beautiful and combined with the realistic sounds it really gives you the feel of being alone on a deserted and surrealistic island.

The Bad
The puzzles may be a bit too hard as mentioned before so you may need a walkthrough at times.

The Bottom Line
If you like puzzling and exploring, this is for you. If not leave this!

The Good
Myst is a revolutionary adventure game, which wowed 1990s, audiences with its amazing graphics, tough puzzles, complicated mystery and a lack of the sort of graphic violence and gore that was popular in the industry. The Atari Jaguar CD edition is pretty much flawless when it comes to recreating the original Myst game.

The Bad
Myst in its original format, is a game that has not aged particularly well. The pretty pictures may not pretty may not wow a 2021 audience and the pretty pictures do not come with much animation or music. Except for a few Full Motion Video clips, you do not really interact with anyone on the island and the puzzles are some of the hardest ever put into a video game. All of these faults are found in the Atari Jaguar CD edition of the game because it is an exact copy of the original Myst game.

The Bottom Line
Myst is a video game that revolutionized the industry when it was first released in 1993. Modern gamers may not be especially impressed with the game's technical achievements and world building. If you have played the original version of the game, then their is nothing new or improved on the Atari Jaguar edition to justify a purchase.

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.