Cyan Porting Myst to iPhone
posted August 20th, 2008 11:45 PM EDT by arn in Featured, Upcoming Games
Touch Arcade forum user Cougarcat let us know that Cyan has quietly announced that they are porting Myst to the iPhone.
This is a small project that probably a very few of you know about. We are porting Myst to the iPhone. Ok, before some of you start groaning, this is an outside funded project that is keeping a few developers employed… but it is really more than that. It is an interesting and fun project. This is also a very small team with three of us (which includes Derek, Rand (not Randy) and myself).
For those not familiar with Myst, the game was first published for the Mac in 1993 and was both a critical and commercial success. While technologically rather simple from today’s standpoint, the game’s graphics and soundtrack were remarkably immersive. The game starts you on a strange island where you must explore your surroundings, solve puzzles and figure out the backstory.
Myst was recently ported to the Nintendo DS platform, and the following trailer provides a look at the DS version of the game:
August 20th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Neato.
I’ll buy it just for nostalgias sake….
I’d LOVE LOVE LOVE to see Riven or Exile on the iPhone. Hopefully that’s in the pipe down the road. The device can certainly handle it…
August 20th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Oh wow, this is really, really cool!!!! These kinds of games will be an awesome fit!!! Make some original games, too, Cyan!!!
August 21st, 2008 at 12:03 am
I quite enjoyed Myst back in the day. The trailer brings back memories.
August 21st, 2008 at 12:17 am
Now here’s my question. Are they porting Myst or RealMYST? I’ve completed Myst, I love it, and I appreciate it as a classic and a work of art, but I also got a copy of RealMyst a while back and I have to say I like it much more.
August 21st, 2008 at 12:26 am
I’d imagine it’s the original hypercard game. I’m not sure the iPhone has quite enough horsepower to handle realmyst….
August 21st, 2008 at 12:30 am
anyone notice with DS how the top screen basically does nothing the whole game? Just sits there displaying “Myst.” What a waste. >:[ How about a map drawn as you progress? There’s a lot they could have done there and didn’t.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:31 am
MYST is one of my very favorite games. And I have an interesting MYST story from not too far back.
I’ve been re-playing it on the PSP of late. It is one of the most atmospheric games I’ve encountered.
I can also recommend The Book of Atrus, a sort of set-up novel that’s a great read.
August 21st, 2008 at 2:58 am
I have fond memories of standing next to the Cyan booth at MacExpo UK about 15(ish) years ago… People were in awe of Myst, and quite rightly so, it was a revelation.
I’d love to have this classic on my iPhone!
August 21st, 2008 at 3:09 am
Have a look at The Making of MYST, a video that accompanied the original CD release of the game. Found it on a web page here.
Quite the memories.
August 21st, 2008 at 4:08 am
I played all myst episodes and loved them all! I am happy to hear that Cyan is working on some stuff for my latest apple device, but honestly, don’t we remember pretty much all of the myst puzzles, at least remember them when looking at it again? Why not come up with some new episode (even though I admit it would be hard to think of another one)
August 21st, 2008 at 7:05 am
Holy F***!!!!!!!
How… did….
I had a kinda half asleep dream last night of playing myst on my iPhone.
That is mental….
Should I use this newfound app detecting power for good…. or evil?
August 21st, 2008 at 7:44 am
I think RealMyst is possible…. That’s an antiquated title, itself.
August 21st, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Sweet, I haven’t played myst since my 486/66 computer days. I will buy.
August 21st, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Awesome! I think they could do realMyst if they wanted. Riven would be nice, too. But it would just make the download size > 500 MB!
I would buy Myst in a heartbeat, as I don’t have an old iMac on which to play the original anymore, and I’ve been wanting to play it again. Myst V was pretty lame, but Myst IV was awesome!
Best thing about Myst: The whole soundtrack was produce using a MIDI keyboard connected to a Mac Classic!
August 21st, 2008 at 1:27 pm
@Jeff Geerling: Looks like a Mac SE or Mac SE/30, actually.
August 21st, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Well, I hope this version goes a lot better than what happened to the DS version:
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/adventure/myst/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review
With the better screen in the iPhone than the DS, it could be really good, unless they compress is badly. They just need take more time to make the touch interface more user friendly for a small screen and a good note taking system.
August 21st, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Now if only someone would port Manhole!!!
August 21st, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Myst has been released, redone, and rereleased WAY too many times. Port Riven, which was infinitely better than Myst, or make another game in the series specifically for iPhone. Since URU has now failed twice, it’s not like CYAN has anything better to do. But it’s definitely time to let the original Myst die already.
August 22nd, 2008 at 6:13 am
Riven shipped on four or five CDs. That’s maybe 2.5 - 3GB of data, right off. Would be a hefty download.
I actually think MYST had more “charm” than Riven. Obviously it’s more primitive a game, but better graphics don’t always make for a better game.
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:31 am
@blakespot:
The screen on an iPhone is a fear deal smaller than the content on the screen during Riven. I’m sure the downsize of content would shave a large chunk off the of the game size… Same goes for exile which is a larger game, but even higher res than Riven…thus more size savings.
the iPhone is 480×320, Riven video is 640×480.
In any case, I’m sure they could manage if they really wanted to.
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:31 am
fair*
August 24th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
@ blakespot: Right you are! I haven\’t seen the video in a while… and I forgot that when the game was released, the Mac Classic was a relatively new Mac still! Myst was the first computer game I ever played—and I absolutely loved it!
@ Ryan: I think they could also take out bits of Riven video for the iPhone; a lot of the time you were on trams and such things, and I thought it was often just a waste of time to have to have so many videos! (Zip mode was a life saver!).