With the proper technique, a speedrunner can reach the ending cutscene of classic adventure game Myst in a blindingly fast minute and 45 seconds.
I’ve always been a fan of speed runs of games, whether they’re the type that makes you feel worse about yourself as a gamer or the type that just breaks your brain. This Myst speedrun isn’t really either one of those, though – it’s just a video of somebody who has this game down to an absolute science.
The video is admittedly a bit on the old side of things, but it’s been making another pass around the internet lately. So, if you’ve never seen it before (I certainly hadn’t,) now’s your chance. Besides, even if you have seen it before, it’s still pretty darn impressive to watch one of the classics dominated so quickly.
When you think about it, adventure games like Myst are pretty ripe for speedruns. There’s no need for twitch reflexes or uber-precision glitching – all you need is an inside knowledge of the game front to back and a steady mouse-clicking finger with which to use items really, really fast.
I have to admit, though, I was kind of a bit disappointed to not see the player go to any of the different Ages. Doesn’t that miss the whole point of Myst? Admittedly, however, I don’t think I ever solved any of the game beyond just randomly clicking around the island when I first played it as a kid, so this guy shows me up right off the bat.
It’s a bit embarrassing, really.
(Via RockPaperShotgun)
Published: Nov 19, 2010 03:51 pm