United Developers subsidiary MacPlay today announced the release of realMYST, a real time 3D version of the legendary game of exploration and puzzle solving.
Developed by Cyan and published for the PC by Ubi Soft, realMYST has been sought after by Mac fans since its release. Although Cyan made clear its desire to see a Mac release of the game, Ubi Soft’s reluctance to publish a Mac version itself put those plans on indefinite hold until this past January, when Mac game publisher MacPlay announced plans to publish the Macintosh version itself.
Gamers familiar with the Myst series up until now know that it’s more or less a point and click adventure — each frame is rendered as a series of still images depicting the scenery, with some live-motion video, animation and puzzles thrown in for good measure. realMYST updates the original game in the Myst franchise with a real time 3D engine that enables users to explore the environment the way the designers originally wanted the game to be seen — seen in a way that wasn’t possible given the technological constraints of the day.
Users can explore with total freedom, and watch 3D effects along with environmental changes like day turning into night, and weather changes like sun and rain.
realMYST is available now from the MacPlay Web site for US$29.99. Ask for it at your favorite Mac software retailer — CompUSA, Fry’s Electronics, Micro Center, Apple.com and Amazon.com carry it.