Pyst

Pyst
Developer(s) Peter Bergman
Publisher(s) Parroty Interactive
Distributor(s) Mindscape
Platform(s) Mac OS, Windows
Release date(s)
Genre(s) Adventure, Parody
Mode(s) Single-player
Distribution CD-ROM

Pyst is a computer game published in October 1996.[1] It was created as a parody of the highly successful adventure game Myst. Pyst was written by Peter Bergman, a co-founder of the Firesign Theatre, and published by Parroty Interactive.[1][2] The parody features full motion video of actor John Goodman as "King Mattruss", the ruler of "Pyst Island". Versions of the game were produced for both the Windows PC and Apple Macintosh operating systems. Parroty Interactive is now defunct, and the game is not currently in publication.

Overview

The basic concept of Pyst was to show what Myst Island (from the best-selling game) would look like after four million people (players) had visited and "explored".[1] Pyst Island is full of litter, most of the buildings are ruined, and graffiti reveals secret doors and solutions to puzzles that challenged players in Myst.[3][4]

Pyst utilizes three-dimensional graphics, animated drawings, and pre-recorded video and audio. The game also includes an original song, "I'm Pyst", performed by Goodman.[2] Gameplay is a simplified version of the playing-style used in Myst. The game consists of a series of pre-rendered, interactive visuals of Pyst island locations. Unlike Myst however, there are no real puzzles to solve. The player simply explores a setting, and then moves to adjoining locations at will.[5]

A planned sequel, "Driven" (an allusion to the Myst sequel Riven), was included on CD-ROMs of later Parroty Interactive games, including the "Pyst Special Edition" re-release of the game.[1] Driven was graphically more advanced, and allowed greater movement. The full game was never released however, and work on the project ended with the demise of Parroty Interactive.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Business Wire staff (October 21, 1997). "Parroty Interactive Launches PYST Special Edition". Business Wire. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Schwartz, Bruce (October 10, 1996). "Seeing through the 'Myst'-tique 'Pyst' pokes fun at hit CD-ROM". USA Today (Gannett Company). ISSN 0734-7456.
  3. ↑ Eng, Paul M. (October 21, 1996). "Myst Gets Dissed on CD-ROM". Business Week (Bloomberg L.P.). ISSN 0007-7135.
  4. ↑ "Myst and Riven Humor". Retrieved January 8, 2008.
  5. ↑ Oldfield, Andy (November 18, 1996). "On the Pyst; CD-Roms". The Independent (London) (Independent Print Limited). ISSN 0951-9467.

External links