Real Myst fans rejoiced when Cyan announced that their realMyst: Masterpiece Edition puzzle game was coming to the Nintendo Switch. The original Myst game launched on Mac in 1993, with the Microsoft release only released in 1994. It was a puzzle adventure game like no other, with no combat at all.
I first played the original Myst in 1996 when it came to the PlayStation 1. Since then, I’ve been hooked on every Myst game since then. While collecting the franchise on every platform, I also made every endeavour to buy and read the Myst books.
For that reason, I was excited to play realMyst when it released on the Switch. Does it live up to expectations? How does it compare to the original realMyst release in 2000? Find out in my realMyst: Masterpiece Edition review for the Nintendo Switch below.
| Platform reviewed: | Nintendo Switch |
| Release date: | 21 May 2020 |
| Price: | £16.99 / $19.99 / R309 |
| Genre: | Adventure, Puzzle |
| Players: | 1 |
| File size | 3GB |
| Developer: | Cyan Worlds |
| Publisher: | Cyan Worlds |
Contents
realMyst: Masterpiece Edition Story
Real Myst fans will recall the original story that started it all. You wake up on a mysterious island, with no indication of why you’re there or what to do. From the moment you step foot on the mystical land, the puzzle game begins. It’s up to you to determine what had happened in the world.
As you discover books with game story lore and find strange devices that are locked, you come across two men trapped inside different books. They each request you to find linking books, where different colour pages are located. By inserting the missing pages into their books, you can free them. Who you release is up to you.
From that point forward, your mission is to travel to other ‘worlds’ through linking books and find the missing pages. You can only obtain them through solving the many puzzles in the worlds. In the end, the entire first island is unlocked. Furthermore, you need to choose who you will release while discovering a further twist in the tale.
We won’t spoil the adventure game story for anyone who hasn’t played it yet. realMyst adds a sixth world that wasn’t available in the original Myst game. In our realMyst: Masterpiece Edition review for the Nintendo Switch, the story element is definitely the most exciting aspect. Cyan Worlds are masters at storytelling.
Gameplay
Playing realMyst: Masterpiece Edition
The original Myst puzzle game was a point-and-click adventure. As the term implies, you would point where you wanted to move and click to go there. The still images were of high quality, although many consider its successor, Riven, to be better.
realMyst: Masterpiece Edition brings new gameplay into the mix. You can now move around with free movement. The only clicking you’ll perform is on the books and puzzle segments.
The gameplay is relatively easy. Simply move around, click on objects and solve the puzzles. Sure, this may be an oversimplification. Yet, there’s no reason for you to be concerned about too many button commands.
The puzzle system
The puzzle element of realMyst: Masterpiece Edition is another area where the adventure game excels. While you may think you’re an expert in puzzle games, realMyst will challenge everyone. Sometimes solving the puzzle is as simple as finding a page you missed on the floor. Other times, you’ll need to explore various parts of the islands to uncover the secrets.
It’s undeniable that the puzzles are really challenging. There are very few gamers that play it that haven’t needed help to complete the game. Thankfully, Cyan Worlds had provided an in-game help guide. Not only will it answer your questions, but it will also give you the answer to puzzles if you search hard enough.
Therefore, the puzzle element gives the gameplay section a great score in our realMyst: Masterpiece Edition Switch review.
Replayability
You may wonder why you would play the game again after completing it. Well, you may want to try to play it a different way. Or, see if you can remember how to solve all the puzzles without help.
There are three main endings, depending on your final choice. Once you accept one ending, you’ll need to play the game again for the other two. There is a way to unlock all three endings with one play-through. I’ll leave it to you to figure that out.
How realMyst: Masterpiece Edition looks
Unlike many old games ported to the Switch these days, realMyst: Masterpiece Edition presents updated graphics for the Nintendo Switch. Gone are the stale old pixels and in comes the new modern images. Whether you play on the Switch’s screen or on an HD TV, the graphics perform marvellously. It may not contend for awards with the AAA titles of today, but it’s still beautiful to look at.
Cyan World has even updated the real-life motion video cutscenes. It shows how much effort the developer put into bringing realMyst: Masterpiece Edition up to standard. Furthermore, the animations look great and there is no glitching between cutscenes and movement like the original had.
What we really enjoyed for our realMyst: Masterpiece Edition review is how Cyan Worlds incorporates scenes and images into the puzzle aspects of the adventure game. You need to pay complete attention to everything around you. Miss one small detail, and you’ll be stuck on a puzzle for hours.
How it sounds
The sound in realMyst: Masterpiece Edition is just as essential. Some puzzles require you to listen to sounds to solve them. Moreover, the sounds and music in the game are improved over the original and sounds amazing on the Switch. We recommend wearing headphones while playing the puzzle game for the ultimate experience.
realMyst: Masterpiece Edition – Final Verdict
As revealed in our realMyst: Masterpiece Edition review, the puzzle adventure game isn’t a straight port from the original. It brings updated graphics and sound to the table. The puzzle elements really make the story shine, and playing on the Switch is amazing. We’d even go as far as saying that the Nintendo Switch is the best platform for the game.
In conclusion, realMyst: Masterpiece Edition is worth buying.
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