Playing a 25-Year-Old Myst Game (and the Importance of Gifts)

The year was 2005… or perhaps 2004. Maybe even 2006. I’m not entirely sure. All I know is that it was my birthday, and I had invited my friends over for a fun time.

Naturally, turning 10 (or, again, 11, or something) meant there was one thing that mattered more to me on my birthday than anything else: getting presents from my friends. And for those of you who don’t know, this was right around the time that I became friends with David Silbert, founder of The Punished Backlog. Yes. We go back that far.

David generously picked out a gift for me. It was Myst III: Exile. As I opened it, I remember him saying, “It’s a good game! You’ll like it.”  

There was just one problem: I had never played or even heard of Myst III, let alone, presumably, games called Myst I or Myst II. The box showed a lonely looking castle on an island and bragged of puzzles. It looked nothing like the other games I was playing, like Mario Kart or Lego Star Wars. My brain simply couldn’t comprehend Myst III: Exile.

Thus, with a heavy heart, I am admitting to our fearless leader today, April 1, 2026, that I have never played Myst III: Exile.

…Until now.

This past week, spurred by a gaming confessions prompt by another editor at The Punished Backlog, Sam Martinelli, I decided enough was enough. I dug up the old PlayStation 2 from my parents’ house, rediscovered the game collection, and, to my astonishment and joy, Myst III: Exile was still there. 

I ordered a few replacement cords and a new memory card, rigged it to my 65” 4K TV, and, finally, I was playing the oldest game in my backlog, a birthday gift two decades in the making, and building the perfect prank on David to celebrate April Fools’ Day here at The Punished Backlog.

And David… Consider this a thank you note.

Without further ado, 20-ish years later, I invite you to join me in a present-day playthrough of Presto Studios and Cyan Worlds’ 2001 game, Myst III: Exile.

Thrust into Action

Myst III: Exile does not wait around. I guess that makes sense, given that it is Myst III. Everything I needed to know going into this game probably happened in Myst and Myst II. Or at least I assume so. Anyway, I enter this world and meet Atrus, who appears to hold a special power in his new home, Tomahna. This must be who the Exile in Myst III: Exile is. It looks a lot like the southwestern U.S. desert, which is one of my favorite places in the world. This could be a nice life.

Alas, it is not to be, as while Atrus is showing me a magical item, the Releeshahn Book, a mysterious man that I can only assume is a caveman appears out of nowhere, firebombs his house, and disappears with the treasure. Moments later, I am in a distant land, following this magical caveman, trying to get the book back. From this point on, it is puzzle-solving time as I embark on a series of tasks that make me realize that Myst III: Exile walked so The Witness could run.

It is refreshing to see a game drop you right into the thick of it like Myst III: Exile does. There is no tutorial, no long conversation offering up everyone’s backstory. This game is ready, set, go. A relic of a simpler time.

Old Is Not Always Gold

Despite my pleasure at the quickness with which Myst III gets going, the gameplay itself is, for lack of a better word, dated. The player cannot move freely through this world — everything is point and click. While somewhat frustrating, this traversal does move fairly quickly for a game of its age. 

A greater concern for me is tracking my progress. I am moving fairly swiftly around the island to track down my nemesis and retrieve the Releeshahn Book from him. As a result, I find myself very quickly getting lost. The controls are a little tedious, leading to accidental targets at times when I am thrust in a different direction. I’m frequently disoriented. (Funnily enough, Myst III: Exile was published by Ubisoft and Cyan Worlds, the former of which is now infamous for over-telegraphing on maps in their games.)

At the same time, these limitations allow the game to focus on the task at hand. All I know is that I have to get into a door where my enemy waits to retrieve the Releeshahn Book. In a modern era of games that are stretched to the brink, Myst III: Exile reminds me of my childhood days of playing a game for one objective: to beat it. It lacks fluff and it is tedious, but it is focused — all the foundational pieces of a good game.

In a lot of ways, it feels like a game you’d play at the school library computer. Myst III: Exile encourages you to think before you move, while also daring you to explore on a whim. Even though it’s a single-player game, I can see a way that it could be played as a co-op affair with some friends as you work together to unravel the mystery of this island. So many games these days fundamentally isolate you as a player; Myst III: Exile almost begs for collaboration.

A Testament to Friendship

After more than 20 long years, it feels as though my journey in Myst III: Exile has only just begun. I am not sure when I am going to finish this game, but I hope to someday solve its mystery and retrieve the Releeshahn Book for Atrus. 

As I help this video game NPC with this task, I am reminded of the strength of friendship. It took me two decades to finally play this game, but what makes this great is that in those two decades, I have maintained a friendship with David that has only gotten stronger as the years go by, with video games and writing (especially about gaming) becoming a core component of our relationship. It is funny that such a minor thing as an old birthday gift can circle back to remind you of the things that matter in life.

It is also a funny thing that this discovery came right in time for April Fools’ Day so that I can break the news to David that I am finally playing his birthday gift to me in the funniest possible way: a shadow drop article on his very own website! (Special shout-out to another Punished Backlog editor, Amanda Tien, for being in on the prank when I pitched her the idea, encouraging me to write it, and editing this!)

With that being said, I’ve been reflecting on this game and what it means to me to play it now. I’ve decided to take writing this article as a lesson. Life is hard. But if you take the time to hold on to those close to you and make memories with them, you never know how and when they’re going to come back to surprise you in the way Myst III: Exile has for me this week. Instant gratification isn’t always the way to go — sometimes, waiting 20 years for something to pay off as a prank is just what we need in this life. 

So, go out there. Break into those backlogs. Play the gifts you never got to. I can promise that you won’t regret it.

Happy April Fools’ Day from me and The Punished Backlog, and happy gaming!

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Myst III: Exile, developed by Presto Studios and Cyan Worlds, Inc. and published by Cyan Worlds, Inc. and Ubisoft, originally released on May 8, 2001, for PC and Mac, then a year later for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is currently available on PC and Mac via Steam for $14.99, or in Mark’s parents’ storage for free on PlayStation 2.