Today, I finally did something I’ve been meaning to do for years. Something that, time and again, has slipped out of my grasp for one reason or another. Today, I have finally beaten Myst.

Myst and I go way back. It’s one of those games that’s captivated my imagination, on and off, since its release over twenty years ago. It’s also been tantalizingly out of my grasp for much of that time. I can’t fully recall, but for one reason or another I didn’t play it when it originally came out. Maybe it was my family’s lack of computer (we started with Windows 3.1), or the fact that I wasn’t big into PC gaming yet. But for the longest time, all I could remember about the game was an image of a rocket ship, perched on its side and shrouded in mist. I even forgot the game’s name.

That’s the one.  A;though I seem to remember more fog. (via Let’s Play Archive)

Aside: for those of you who don’t know, Myst was a point-and-click adventure game released back when CD-ROM drives were first becoming popular. You wander through scenic vistas, solving puzzles and using books to travel to other fantastical Ages. The graphics were pre-rendered, with live-action actors spliced in from time to time. While they may not have aged well, they were amazing at the time. You wander these places largely alone, with no direction or tutorial to point you in any sort of direction.

Years later, with appropriate Internet access, I rediscovered the game. I even came across an old copy in the “free” bin at my local library. I was elated! I rushed home, plugged it in to my laptop and… discovered it was incompatible. Apparently my version of Windows was too new; but hey, I got a cool strategy guide as well, so that had to count for something, right?

Eventually I did find a copy of Myst: Masterpiece Edition that would run on my computer. But for one reason or another, I can’t remember if I ever beat the game. Then the discs went missing, never to be found again. I also received a copy of Myst III: Exile as a birthday present, but got stymied in the puzzles, and have also never completed it. Such was my lot in life, it seemed.

But then I picked up yet another copy, realMYST, during the (still ongoing) GOG Summer Sale and finally sat down to play it. And guess what? I finally worked my way through it! Not only that, but I managed to play and finish a game I bought! I do remember the game being more difficult, however. Maybe it’s just that I’ve played it before and thus have some recollection of what to do with the puzzles. Or maybe I’m just older now, and the logic seems less obtuse. It was fun to have to keep notes on a scratch sheet, though. A real blast from the past.

If this was a review, I guess this is where I would say you should definitely check out Myst. If you haven’t already, that is. But this post was not really a review, is it? It was more of a look into the past, a brief overview of my interactions with a game over the years. I’m not sure it’s what I had in mind when I started, but then again, I’m not sure what I set out to say. If you take anything away from this post, I guess it could be this: Myst is a fun game that still manages to hold up after two decades. It can be beaten in about a day, and if you decide to play it, do yourself a favor and avoid walkthroughs. Take the time to enjoy the virtual sights and sounds.

Now, on to Riven!

Repent! The hour of doom is at hand! Creeping through the darkness, They will come. Come for your wallet. Come for your free time. Come for your self-discipline. It is fruitless to resist! Join Them, for this is the season of our undoing!

In other news, there’s a bunch of video game summer sales going on right now.

I’ve written about this before, and if you’ve read my past musings on the matter of deep discounts and bundle sales, especially when combined with limited durations, you may realize how tough this time of year can be for my budget. To make matters worse (in a wholly “first world problem” way, I will readily admit), there are not one, but two different gaming services having sales right now. With discounts anywhere from 50% to 80% off. That’s danger territory for me, as it’s much easier to drop a couple bucks on something that looks slightly interesting than it is when at full retail price.

Oh, and to make matters worse, one of my friends got me a Steam gift card for my birthday. Cursed be his name, vile black-hearted enabler.

It is interesting, how different companies take different approaches to the same basic idea. Steam sticks with their usual method, having daily featured deals supported by shorter duration flash sales and community-voted specials. It’s a tried and true method, and oh boy does it work. I haven’t spent that much more than my gift card so far, but the week is young.

GOG , on the other hand, has done something interesting. They have two featured bundles every day, and then a bunch of two-hour deals running concurrently. But they’ve thrown in a twist: you can see what games will be selected for the two-hour deals before they go on sale. It’s quite effective at bringing you back to the site several times a day. I have noticed them start to repeat, though, which kind of cuts back on the “I must buy this now” effect.

What have I written about today? I don’t know. The afternoon got away from me, and not just because I kept checking sale pages. I also binged on some video games, thank you very much. And yes, I’ve been buying stuff. Not too much, so far, but then again I’m not exactly keeping meticulous records. I am at least trying to resist buying games that my computer can’t run. After all, if a game is popular enough to go on sale once, it will likely happen again further down the line. You know, whenever I finally get around to upgrading/building my own PC.

Whenever that may be.