Summary
Mystis an iconic graphic adventure game that was first released in 1993 on Mac OS before coming to Windows the following year. The game was a huge success, becoming the best-selling PC game of all time - a title that it held untilThe Simswas released and eventually exceeded its sales figures.Myst’s success was largely down to its memorable main island, which looked incredible for the time, and its well-designed puzzles that were smartly integrated into the environments.
Mysthas had a plethora of remasters and re-releases over the years, with each one bringing with it a wave of new players.Mystfans who are itching for some more tricky puzzle challenges should consider checking out these other excellent puzzle games.
Updated on June 10th, 2024 by Russ Boswell:Myst is still one of the most impressive and difficult-to-navigate puzzle games ever created. Even players in the modern age are hopping into Myst to challenge their brain and see how far they can get without using hints or a guide. There have been a handful of games similar to Myst over the years, with some taking direct inspiration from the classic title. There have been a slew of great puzzle games that have been released as well. To better showcase some of thebest games like Myst, the following list has been updated with additional entries and information.
1Riven
The Sequel to Myst
Rivenis an obvious choice for this list, as it is the sequel toMystand was made by the same development team.Rivenwas released four years afterMystin 1997 and threw players onto a new set of islands for them to explore and gave them a plethora of new puzzles to solve.
Retrospectively, many people considerRivento be just as good, if not better, thanMyst- though this was far from the case at the time.Rivenwas heavily criticized in 1997, as it featured a very similar brand ofpoint-and-click gameplaytoMyst, which many people felt had become outdated. However, for those happy to embark on another retro adventure akin toMyst,Rivenis a standout choice.
An Escape Room With Substance
The Room
Fall into a world of bizarre contraptions and alchemical machinery with The Room, a BAFTA award-winning 3D puzzler from Fireproof Games. Follow a trail of cryptic letters and solve many unique devices in ever more extraordinary places, on a time-spanning journey where machinery meets myth.
Mystis a much more expansive puzzle experience thanThe Room, giving players multiple areas to explore and a massive map to remember.The Roomis contained, putting players into a room, usually with a large puzzle box or device to solve. It’s not nearly as explorative as Myst, but it’s a blast for players who enjoy puzzles. It even comes with an underlying storyline that players can unravel, with multiple games in the series featuring elaborate puzzles that should provide hours of brain-bending entertainment.
3Quern – Undying Thoughts
A Modern Puzzle-Oriented Game Heavily Inspired by Myst’s Puzzle Design
Aside fromRiven,Quern - Undying Thoughtsoffers the closest experience toMyston this list. The game’s similarities are immediately apparent from its visuals, soundtrack, and sound effects, while the style of puzzles also shares many similarities withMystand the aforementionedRiven.
Quern – Undying Thoughts can get tedious at times, with much of the runtime being spent working out where the puzzles are rather than how to solve them - though it’s still anexcellent puzzle gamethat mostMystfans will love.
4Obduction
A 2016 Adventure Game From Myst’s Development Team
LikeRivenandMyst,Obductionwas developed by Cyan Worlds (formerly known as Cyan). The game begins with the player being transported to an unknown location and tasks them with solving a range of tricky puzzles to find their way home.
Obductionstruggled to reach the heights ofRivenandMyst, but it was still relatively well-received, exemplified by its matching76 critic score and 7.6 user score on Metacritic. LikeMyst, a virtual reality version ofObductionis available, letting players get up close and personal with the environments and puzzles.
5The Witness
Puts Players on a Beautifully Designed Island Packed with Line Puzzles and Secrets
The Witnesshad a ton of hype behind it leading up to the game’s release, largely thanks to its designer and director, Jonathan Blow, who is best known for his work on the revolutionary indie gameBraid.Thankfully, 2016’sThe Witnessdidn’t disappoint.
The WitnessechosMystby putting players on a beautifully designed island that is filled to the brim withdifficult line puzzles to solve. The inherent restriction of line puzzles may make the game seem one-dimensional at first; however, the game’s puzzles soon show their worth, thanks to their tremendous variety and depth. Moreover, as players progress through the game, they will start to realize that there’s more to the island than first meets the eye, and the true brilliance ofThe Witnessunfolds.
Call of the Seatakes players back to the 1930s and puts them in the shoes of Norah Everhart, who is traveling to a mysterious island to search for her missing husband. The game tasks players with solving a number of puzzles, which don’t quite reach the heights of those inMystbut are still mostly fun and rewarding to solve nonetheless. The game’s story does a great job of enhancing the experience and ends on a thought-provoking note.
7RiME
A Third-Person Adventure with Myst-Like Environmental Puzzles
RiMEis yet another game on this list that strands players on a mysterious island. The adventure puzzle game is split into several large levels and features a recurring spirit that acts as a guide.RiMEdifferentiates itself from most of the other entries on this list with its third-person perspective, though its emphasis on environmental puzzles is reminiscent ofMyst. RiMEwas well-received by critics, exemplified by its82 Metascore on Xbox One.
Like its critically acclaimed predecessor,The Talos Principle 2strikes a wonderful balance between complex puzzles and even more complex philosophical questions that are sure to give players at least one existential crisis during its runtime.
AlthoughThe Talos Principle 2’s core gameplay doesn’t stray too far from the original, the sequel adds several interesting features to the mix, such as new puzzle mechanics and the freedom to explore stunning areas like New Jeruselum and interact with NPCs there.
What Remains of Edith Finchis a first-person exploration game that is often unofficially referred to as a “walking simulator,” a style of game that - as the name suggests - generally tasks the players walking from area to area as a story unfolds around them.
However, this tag seriously undermines how creative and varied the gameplay inWhat Remains of Edith Finchis, as it throws all sorts of gameplay mechanics at the player over the course of the story. The game never gets too challenging, but the variation in its gameplay - along with the stellar story - ensures that it remains engaging from start to finish.What Remains of Edith Finchis a great choice forMystfans who would like an adventure game that focuses more on story than puzzles.
