New Version of Classic Mac Game 'Myst' Available With M1 Mac Optimization

[MacRumors]

Classic puzzle game Myst has been revived on the Mac and an optimized version of the title is now available for M1 Macs.

Cyan has undertaken a rework of the game that takes advantage of Metal 2.1 and AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution for a 50 percent performance boost on M1 Macs that does not impact game quality.

Myst for M1 Macs features improved modeling, textures, and dynamic lighting effects, and Apple's machines are able to run the game at 4K resolution without noisy fans. It's also been reimagined for a VR gaming experience.

Myst is compatible with both Intel and M1 Macs. According to the system requirements, it works with the following machines:

• All MacBook Pros released since 2018
• All iMacs released since 2019
• All iMac Pros released since 2017
• All MacBook Airs released since 2018
• All Mac Pros released since 2019
• All Mac minis released since 2018

The updated version of Myst can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $29.99.

Article Link: New Version of Classic Mac Game 'Myst' Available With M1 Mac Optimization

 

[Killbill2]

Retro! Will give it a spin!

 

[doolar]

Marathon next? Will definitely give this a spin!

 

[MacinMan]

I bought some Myst games from GOG that run on the Mac. Is this any different? The ones I purchased from GOG have native Mac versions, at least a couple of them do, at least.

 

[jayducharme]

It amazes me that this game is nearly 30 years old and yet is still being tweaked and supported. Kudos to the developers.

 

[Gabebear]

I remember playing this on a 486SX...

 

[DotCom2]

I loved this game. Can't wait to get a new M1!

 

[Marbles1]

Bit of a risk buying a game on the Mac App Store - get this on steam and you’ll own the PC version to play when Apple inevitably deprecates some key system feature the game relies on.

 

[performa_6400]

I'll definitely snag the updated version when the new 16" MBP is released.

 

[MacinMan]

I just checked in GOG Gsalaxy and the Myst games I own are as follows:
Myst: Masterpiece Edition
Myst III Exile
Riven Sequel to Myst
realMyst Masterpiece edition.
Is the game mentioned in this article any different? or is it just the same game on the Mac App store now?

 

[skitidetdu]

Spent many hours with this on my Performa 5200. Got pretty frustrated with cd-rom loading time and never solving the puzzle...

 

[RalfTheDog]

I just checked in GOG Gsalaxy and the Myst games I own are as follows:
Myst: Masterpiece Edition
Myst III Exile
Riven Sequel to Myst
realMyst Masterpiece edition.
Is the game mentioned in this article any different? or is it just the same game on the Mac App store now?

I suspect the main difference is, the graphics have been rerendered to a much higher resolution.

 

[Gabebear]

Bit of a risk buying a game on the Mac App Store - get this on steam and you’ll own the PC version to play when Apple inevitably deprecates some key system feature the game relies on.

Ya... worry about a game that debuted on Mac 28years ago...

Steam/Proton don't plan to ever support their older games on the M1. It will be fun to see what happens with PCs when 32bit support is finally pulled. Win10-64bit pulled supports for 16bit apps... and broke a hilarious amount of people. Most Windows installers were still 16bit when that happened.

Win10-32bit(which can't run 64bit apps) can run 16-bit apps, so you could run the original Windows version of Myst that was ported from Mac on that, but no Windows computer today ships with a 32-bit only version of Windows.

 

[CarletonTorpin]

The article on Macrumors mentions that this version offers VR support.


THE FAQ on the Apple App Store says it does not support VR.

Any more-knowlegble people who can chime in on the matter?

 

[jdb8167]

I'd give them maybe $10 but I'm not giving them $30 for a 30 year old game. Nostalgia be damned.

 

[smirking]

Marathon next? Will definitely give this a spin!

And add an online mode for multiplayer arenas! Let's meet in a tight maze with the shotguns only mod turned on.

 

[flashy-cat]

The article on Macrumors mentions that this cersion VR support.


THE FAQ on the Apple App Store says it does not support VR.

Any more-knowlegble people who can chime in on the matter?

View attachment 1823778

You're really wondering which source to believe lol?

 

[McG2k1]

I'd give them maybe $10 but I'm not giving them $30 for a 30 year old game. Nostalgia be damned.

Yeah that’s a pretty outrageous price tag. put that $ into frostpunk or some other amazing current game.

 

[smirking]

Spent many hours with this on my Performa 5200. Got pretty frustrated with cd-rom loading time and never solving the puzzle...

Heh, that’d be back before the days when you could go on Youtube to find an online walkthrough to help you whenever you got stuck.

If you were lucky there’s be a USENET group for the game that had FAQs that included some common stuck points of the game.

And then sometimes there'd be the odd printed book that would get published in lieu of the Youtube walkthrough.

 

[dmr727]

And add an online mode for multiplayer arenas! Let's meet in the tight maze with the shotguns only mod turned on.

Flame thrower baby!

 

[Aichon]

To those asking if this is a different version of the game, yes. It's basically a fully rebuilt remaster using a modern game engine, modern graphics, modern sound, with modern quality of life improvements, and so on. To list off a few key features:

• Significantly improved graphics and audio (e.g. ray tracing, spatial sound, re-recorded sound and music, etc.)
• Optional puzzle randomization (i.e. codes and combinations change in each playthrough)
• Support for VR...on PC, if you pick up from Steam or GOG
• Localized for a number of additional languages
• Freely explore/walk around (I suspect point-and-click remains an available option, just as it was in realMyst)

The trailers also appear to show many of the features that were first added in realMyst, such as weather mechanics, day/night cycles, and an additional Age (i.e. world to explore) that players can access near the end of the game. I haven't seen any of those confirmed in the game's details, but I see no reason why they'd not include them, since this seems to be a definitive version of the game.

EDIT: Checked some forums, and it seems my assumption was wrong. So far as I can tell, this version does not include the Rime Age from realMyst, nor can I find any references to day/night cycles or weather. Sounds like it tries to keep true to the original.

 

[michaelant]

Wake me up when I can play Myst on my Apple Watch. We need more versions of Myst in more places. M1 Myst, pfft.

 

[randyhudson]

This game was nothing but static images and pre-rendered video sequences. There's absolutely no reason why a game that just plays back videos would have caused "noisy fans" to turn on.

I feel sorry for the folks who fall for this marketing garbage and buy a game expecting it use even 1% of their hardware.

"AMD FidelityFX"?? Which M1 Mac comes with AMD GPU?!?

 

[Adreitz]

This game was nothing but static images and pre-rendered video sequences. There's absolutely no reason why a game that just plays back videos would have caused "noisy fans" to turn on.

I feel sorry for the folks who fall for this marketing garbage and buy a game expecting it use even 1% of their hardware.

Congratulations, you weren't paying attention.

This is a complete remake with realtime 3D graphics, not just some minor update to a 30-year-old slideshow game.



[Edit]
That said, I wish Cyan had been more ambitious with this remake. It's maybe more accurate to describe it as a modern reproduction. The designs, layout, and puzzles will be almost identical to that 30-year-old game. While it hits the nostalgia button for a lot of people, I don't think this game will have much impact in bringing a new generation into the Myst universe because the design is so dated.

The original Myst was groundbreaking for its time, but a modern gamer won't be able to escape noticing all the ways the design was limited by the technology of the time. Everything is just too small and too "just so", as if someone made a papier-mache model of a world. Even just considering Myst island, this was supposed to be Atrus and Catherine's home, where Sirrus and Achenar grew up. But there is nowhere for them to live. Each building is a single tiny room and the island itself would have gotten washed away in the first storm that hit it. Everything there was built for a single purpose, being delivering a clue or serving as a gateway to a different age. It's just not natural or realistic (even in the fantastical sense of realism that the later games in the series had).

I really want to see Myst writ large, with a scale, detail, and ambiance that match its epic premise.
[/Edit]

 

[Aichon]

This game was nothing but static images and pre-rendered video sequences. [...] I feel sorry for the folks who fall for this marketing garbage and buy a game expecting it use even 1% of their hardware.

The game was that...back in 1993. Today, however, it's being rendered in realtime at 4K with optional raytracing as you, the player, freely traverse the terrain.

Any more-knowlegble people who can chime in on the matter?

The Steam and GOG versions support VR, but not for macOS. VR support is only available in the PC versions.