Myst-a-likes?

[Apelsin]

Hello everybody!

 

I am in need of some assistance in locating some good games that resemble Myst and Riven.

 

The reason for this search is that my mother's birthday is coming up, and the Myst-series were the only games she ever had any interest in. She would talk about them excitedly and rushed to the computer whenever she thought she had figured out a puzzle she had gotten stuck on.

 

I also remember how much fun it was sitting by her, exploring these strange, eerily empty worlds together even if the puzzles were often way over my young little mind.

 

So, I would like to see if I could find her a new game along these lines as a small extra gift for her birthday.

Do you guys know of any similar titles? Are the later games in the Myst-series any good? 

[toblix]

I loved all the Myst games, though Riven and Myst 3 are my clear favorites. I can't remember playing any Myst clones that came anywhere close. The Journeyman games were cool, but I think those have probably aged worse.

[Lu]

Yea, I'm of similar mind as Toblix on Myst. Nothing else is quite like it.

 

Has anyone ever played Uru and is it any good?

[jmbossy]

Miasmata is alright, though it isn't even close to the level of awesome the first Myst sits atop.
 

[Sno]

Uru is pretty good, yeah. It's kind of clunky and clumsy in spots, and it's clearly hacked together from a failed MMO, but some of the ages are really cleverly designed, and there's some fun exploration of that fiction. It's a good Myst game, i'd definitely recommend it.

I'm another big fan of the Myst series here too, Riven is phenomenal.

As for other Myst-likes, there's Jonathan Blow's upcoming thing, i guess. Starship Damrey on the 3DS is also a bit of a Myst-like thing, but it's quite short and quite easy.

I don't know, it's honestly a bit of a dead genre, isn't it?

I keep hearing that Fez is secretly a game about Myst-style puzzles, i should probably play that at some point.

Edit: Isn't Miasmata really more of a survival horror thing?

[jmbossy]

I keep hearing that Fez is secretly a game about Myst-style puzzles, i should probably play that at some point.

Edit: Isn't Miasmata really more of a survival horror thing?

 

 

Fez isn't really all that like Myst, but I guess i can see similar philosophies in puzzle design.

 

And yea, Miasmata is sort of Survival Horror...

Though, that isn't really a good comparison either... It's its own thing, but if you're starved for a myst-alike it can fill a bit of the same holes.

Edit: And yes, I'm fully aware of how poorly those sentences were structured.

Edited June 6, 2013 by jmb

[TheLastBaron]

I was doing a bunch of Greenlight last night and one game was basically Myst.  It might have even used the term Myst-like in the description.  I votedit up so I should be able to find it.  The one thing though is it said it was focused on puzzles and not on story.

 

Edit:  "The Five Cores is a Myst-like game in real-time 3D on PC. You have to resolve various logic-based puzzles. This game focus on the puzzles, not the story. "

[juv3nal]

http://kairo.lockeddoorpuzzle.com/

Kairo is pretty Myst-like

[dibs]

Maybe try The Room on iOS?

[Merus]

The Rhem series is not anywhere near as pretty (the fourth game is still using the Myst-like movement system of basically static images) but in my opinion it's got much better puzzle design. Instead of the ages of the Myst games, it makes the entire environment an interconnected jumble and part of the fun is teasing out where you can and can't go and in what directions. It clears the bar that all good games of this format do, of making sure there's plenty of viewpoints that connect together in intuitive ways - there's nothing worse than clicking on something and not being able to work out which way you moved - and having the puzzles be clearly presented with an underlying logic. They're just... really hard.

 

I think also Antichamber and possibly Portal might scratch that itch.

[Roswell47]

I haven't played Myst but I've heard from others who've played Kairo that they share similarities. I have played Kairo though and I liked it for the most part.

[juv3nal]

Maybe try The Room on iOS?

Oh yeah, forgot about that. That's totally myst-like and great.

[toblix]

I would say it isn't Myst-like at all, but I guess that just goes to show how many wonderful aspects these games have, that we can appreciate them in so many different ways! Okay, I get that the weird puzzle thing is Myst-like, sort of, but I find the fantastical environments and high level of immersion essential parts of the Myst experience. I also liked The Room and The Incredible Machine!

[eurotransient]

+1 to The Room suggested above.

 

I seem to remember that Return to Zork was more or less a direct rip off of Myst. I enjoyed it back in the day, but not sure how well it's aged. It certainly looks dated at this point, but it's only $2.99 on GOG.

[Tanukitsune]

I guess it depends on what you consider a "Myst-like" game. A first person adventure with a beautiful world to explore? One that's almost all about puzzles? Both?

 

But I'm also giving my vote for The Room. Is it playable on anything that isn't iPhone or Android?

[SecretAsianMan]

I was also going to suggest The Room.  It's a bit short but has some good puzzles that actually make good use of a mobile platform.  Also available on Android.

[eurotransient]

I guess it depends on what you consider a "Myst-like" game. A first person adventure with a beautiful world to explore? One that's almost all about puzzles? Both?

 

But I'm also giving my vote for The Room. Is it playable on anything that isn't iPhone or Android?

 

I seem to remember one of the podcast members (Remo maybe?) erroneously stating it was on Steam... but alas, nope! Just iOS and Android.

 

The Android version was part of a Humble Bundle, too. It was the bundle that included Plants vs. Zombies, Anomaly Korea, Another World and a couple other titles I don't recall. Too late to grab it now, obviously, but I often forget what I've accumulated through Humble Bundles.

[Salacious Snake]

+1 to The Room suggested above.

 

I seem to remember that Return to Zork was more or less a direct rip off of Myst. I enjoyed it back in the day, but not sure how well it's aged. It certainly looks dated at this point, but it's only $2.99 on GOG.

Return to Zork is super weird. For something that's aged a little better and is less confounding, I'd skip to the third of the graphical CD-ROM era Zorks and go with Grand Inquisitor.

I agree with toblix about the Journeyman Project games. Loved them at the time, but they've aged poorly.

Joke answer: The 7th Guest

[Berzee]

I've been playing a bunch of Nancy Drew games recently, and like Myst, they're first-person adventures on static screens which are full of obscure puzzles. They're probably not as difficult as Myst, and there is a wide range among the episodes in terms of tone, quantity of minigames, and how mechanically-oriented the puzzles are (some of the games focus more on word puzzles, some on weird gadgets, some on logic stuff, etc). There tend to be about 3-4 characters in the games for you to talk to, but they never ever leave their one in-game location (which is a lot weirder in a 1st-person adventure than a point n' click) unless it is to disappear entirely. =P So the worlds are a little less lonely than Myst, too. Your mom would probably say they're baby games, but I appreciate having some NPCs around to give you verbal hints and lighten the mood, and I still don't think I have beaten one without using UHS. =P

 

I admit that if you just see someone playing one for a little while or watch a short video, they may look kind of silly -- but they somehow manage to be a good silly, and none of them have had a cringeworthy moment so far (except in the puzzle design, which can occasionally give you a "WHY WOULD YOU PUT ME THROUGH THIS NONSENSE???" challenge).

[dibs]

Speaking of the Room, or a room I guess, there is a whole slew of room escape games on the web. I used to pick up some

Through jayisgames which reviews webgames. Might be worth a look through the keywords on that site. You again won't get the whole visual spectacular, but the puzzles in a lot of them are great fun.

[juv3nal]

Oh JiG. There are a ton of neat point n click flash games linked from there. Some highlights for me (which are not necessarily particularly myst-like but worth checking out regardless):
the series of games by Aztec
http://jayisgames.com/tag/aztec
the "core" series:
http://jayisgames.com/tag/jfeltham

oh man that's a blast from the past. apparently I emailed in to let them know about one of those Aztec games and have forgotten all about it.

 

edit: oh Neutral's escape games are pretty neat too:

http://jayisgames.com/tag/neutral

 

If you want to just check a single one out, skip the Christmas ones as they're kind of lighter fare.

[Jlam]

ASA: A Space Adventuer was very good (released in january 2013), and it's a slideshow game like Myst/Riven

http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/23855

I think it's on Desura now

[Apelsin]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I'll go through them and see if I find something she might like. Some of them (like Miasmata) might be a bit too game-y and horror-focused though.

[stateofpsychosis]

wow guys there are way way more myst clones out there than you guys think

 

like tons and tons more

 

My number 1 suggestion would be Lighthouse: the dark being.. they say it's horror but it's really not.. just enigmatic and a tiny bit creepy. Not like other horror games that have gore in them.

don't miss out on playing that gem 

 

the most myst like would be the schism games but they are a lot harder than myst (yes harder than myst) took me a decade to beat the first one

 

here's a list i made on another forum that i'm pulling here for ya

 

these are not in order by quality, the ones listed near the end are upcoming games that haven't been released yet, and I listed a handful of games that aren't puzzle games like myst (they have inventory based game play) but would be liked by fans of myst ex: return to mysterious island... most of these are myst clones though

 

the darkside of the moon haven't played it yet. it looks like one of the ones that has a big annoying frame around the window like the journeyman games.

aztec have it on the iphone. yet to have played it. it looks sort of like the first atlantis game.
egypt 1156 b.c. tomb of the pharaoh (the original version has that game time linked to the clock speed problem that makes the mouse move way too fast) never really liked this game anyways.
Iron Helix another one with an annoying frame around the game window. have it but haven't beaten it yet.
shivers 1&2 both great classics by sierra. not scary at all like the game suggests.
Cleopatra: a queen's destiny great game. very interesting. just wish it was longer.
Amerzone absolutely fantastic Benoit Sokal game. both stunning and very fun to play.
Drowned God My disk is scratched so I couldn't beat it, but the game seemed really good.
Morpheus fantastic game. highly recommend this one.
Gadget everyone seems to love this game. I found it too easy, but it's highly rated.
Sentinel: descendants in time Definitely one to play if you're looking for a myst like game. extremely hard though.
all of the journeyman project games (obviously) great games I just always hated the damn frame they put around the game window. and having to use the arrows to move rather than the mouse is a bit annoying.
Myst URU if you haven't played that of course.. that IS a myst game though  loved it. although this game just like myst 5 is an example of how much better pre-rendered graphics look than 3d. seriously, cyan go back to pre rendered. this 3d graphics don't come close.
The Five Cores (the system requirements are lies! it won't work unless you have a shader model 4.0 graphics card) can't play it until i upgrade my computer.
Titanic: adventure out of time this one is really interesting and immersive but there's a lot of dialogue in the game which can get a bit tiresome and you can run out of time in the game.. this is unlikely to happen though. i beat it on the first try myself.
reah definitely recommend it. it's very odd but enjoyable.
rhem 1-4 (of course) love all of these games. if you haven't played them yet do yourself a favor and pick them up. you can play them in any order. it doesn't matter.

Alida: the enigmatic giant also a great game. there are some really tough puzzles in it. there's an audio puzzle in it that's really annoying in it though so be prepared for that. the story was kind of stupid though. a giant guitar? really?
journey to the moon this one was good but the other journey games were better, because the puzzles get a bit repetitive once you get to the moon.
return to mysterious island both this and the sequel below are both really fun to play. you can do a lot more with your inventory in these games like disassembling objects and whatnot.
return to mysterious island 2
mystery of the nautilus (get the iphone version since the pc version won't work) I really liked this one although it can be kind of hard at times. the iphone version is sadly missing a lot of the puzzles from the original game. it's like a cut down version of it. big fish games must have done this one. stop simplifying everything you tools 
secrets of da vinci the forbidden manuscript these next two games have extremely similar game play. I enjoyed both of them thoroughly. I recommend them both.
nostradamus the last prophecy
destination: treasure island is in the same vein as the mysterious island games. I found it to be a lot of fun to play. really got me into it.
physicus has educational elements but the game is fun to play either way... bioscopia was better though.
bioscopia this was my favorite out of the series but be prepared to learn about biology.
biosys (hard as hell since there's time in the game but totally worth playing no matter what) (must use windows 95 to run it.. use VMware player)
a warning about this game.. you have to feed your character, sleep, drink, manage the biosphere environments, etc.. but the game clock moves way way too fast so it really interrupts the pace at which and adventure should be played and enjoyed... but either way it's one of those games that has you enthralled by the mysterious, enigmatic game world. you still have to play it, but it's one of those game that you don't beat for 10 years 
mathica (german only/mac only but looks really good)
chemicus this is one from the series i haven't played yet. it's educational but if it's anything like bioscopia it's not so educational that it's not fun.
the sacred mirror of kofun this one can crash on certain systems. I haven't played much of it yet. it starts out on a boat. seems like a normal 1st person adventure though.
lightbringer (fantastic. takes place on mars) I give this one the highest rating i can give it. terribly hard but was it ever fun to play.
secrets of luxor it's a bit of a groaner puzzle wise but it's definitely a good one.
riddle of the sphinx Both of these 2 games are fanastic and should be near the top of your list. i liked the 2nd one ever better than the first but both were great.
riddle of the sphinx 2 the omega stone
ASA a space adventure fantastic. only thing is that i wish the game was a bit longer.
all of the Atlantis games are good
the Aura games are half decent though their stories suck hard
The crystal key the crystal key games are kind of par. they're not the greatest by any standard. the graphics in the first one are awful. 5 out of 10. worth playing if you're desperate. 
The crystal key 2
echo: secrets of the lost cavern this one is very enjoyable to play. more of a stoneage theme.
L-Zone this game is weird. I haven't gotten into it yet
Opsys this one is weird too. it has a strange VR system for most of the game that I kind of hate.

Chateau D'or

Comer this one looks strange. still haven't played it yet.

just heard about this one today:
Connections


another one i haven't played yet
Byzantine: The Betrayal


just heard about this one today as well
Slip Space: The Burma-Shave Analogy


9: The Last Resort
sort of a dark carnival type theme

another one i haven't played. it's gotten some pretty terrible reviews, but others seem to like it.
Celtica

 

Amber Journeys Beyond Great game. there's both a mac and pc version. old performa mac version I should say. it has a paranormal theme. I wouldn't call it horror. it has an interesting story too. very much worth playing. I think it was already mentioned

the lost crown a ghost hunting adventure haven't played it yet but it looks decent. i'd say this falls under horror more so than the last one. not sure if it's 1st person or 3rd.

Barrow Hill another horror title. I didn't find it scary at all. This one is alright. maybe 7 out of 10

Ether One This one is already out. easy to find. I'd like some opinions on it thought before I try it myself 

Miasmata this one you can buy on most of the game sites. I haven't tried it yet. I'd like to know more about if if anyone has 

Most of these haven't been released yet but mentioning them anyways for future reference

Obduction hasn't been released yet.. but it's by the guys who made myst. it's going to use the unreal engine I heard so it's probably not going to be compatible with shader model 3.0 cards. gotta have a decent computer for this one.

amarhys this is a french game that looks promising. Merci, l'immersion francais parce que je peux jeux cette jeu 

Coma: A mind Adventure this one looks good. I haven't played it myself. Not sure where to buy it actually. can't find a buy link on the developers website.. maybe it's not released yet. do NOT buy the one that looks similar from big fish games. that is a hidden object game :/

Dream by HyperSloth Games this one looks good as well. the game is still in development but you can buy it on steam right now.

Ages of Ilathid I think this is just a mod or a custom made age for myst uru. either way it looks really gorgeous.

Beyond Worlds another one that's still in development. it's got the steam greenlight so watch for it. It's a sci fi 


Aporia: Uncover the Mystery it looks like there's a free version of this right now. they must still be developing it or something and are trying to get people on board. probably just a demo.

Adam Syndrome Another one where i couldn't find a buy link on the developers website. anyways, looks like a noir mystery.

Thanaphobia another one that looks like it's still in development.

Routine this one looks really cool. nice sci fi graphics. Still in development by the looks of it but I could be wrong. I thought it was supposed to be released last year.


Reset Another one in development. don't know much about it.


Montas it looks like they're building this one with occulus rift support. the site says it's coming out any day now. you can pre-order it on steam. don't know much about the game though.


Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture it's probably all relgiousy which isn't everyone's taste. not sure if it's out yet.

Prominence I can't wait for this game to come out but I've been waiting for it forever now so don't hold your breath. it's sci fi and looks really cool.

 

 

so there you have it. the genre isn't dead at all.. Even the folks who made myst are making another one right now called Obduction

[stateofpsychosis]

you should take a look at the forum where i originally posted these as well because I didn't mention all of the ones other people had mentioned in the forum

 

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/best-indie-obscure-myst-clones.85744/

 

oh and don't forget about the 5 sequels to myst

riven, exile, revelations, end of ages, and uru (riven is my favorite)

 

Those are only the ones I remember as well above.. I'm always discovering more too. Right now I'm going through all of the mac games I can find that are myst clones... Most of them work better on PC ironically