Customer Reviews
Wo...... 
2006-09-05
I've been playing this game since I was...lets see here...seven I think. I'm now fourteen, and have started this game over numerous times, and only beat a year ago. It is one of my favorite games of all time, with some of the most beautiful music ever produced, and amazing visules. I haven't played the first two, or the last two, but I just ordered "Myst" and "Riven", and I can't waite.
The best of the Myst series! 2006-07-16
I have played all of the Myst games 1-5 and believe that Exile is by far the best of them. I loved the variation in the ages, the story line, and the puzzles. I felt Riven was too difficult and became frustrating because there were puzzles that required going between ages. Exile was up to Myst standards as far difficulty, but wasn't so difficult that it was frustrating or I felt the need to constantly resort to hints to figure parts of it out.
As with other Myst games, the amount of interaction that you get with other people is very limited and most of the game is completely solo, so if you like more interation, the Myst series isn't for you. Still, I would encourage you to give it a try. Of the series, Exile is the game I would most reccomend for first timers. While there is something to be said for starting at the beginning, I think it is also possible to play Exile as an independent game and be completely satisfied with the amount of knowledge you have on the Myst history, where playing Riven, Revelation, or End of Ages might seem unfulfilling without first reading up on Myst or playing the original.
Challenging and entertaining. 
2006-06-19
The third installment in the Myst series brings us yet another adventure into the beautiful and enchanting worlds of Atrus's creation. The story begins in Tomahna, a tranquil world where Atrus and his family now reside. Upon Catherine's suggestion, you wait inside the study for Atrus's return. Once your old friend arrives, he discusses his plans for the D'ni and the newly created Age of Releeshahn. However, his dialogue is cut short when a strange-looking intruder warps into the room, steals the Releeshahn Book, and immediately links away using his own linking book. Determined to recover the stolen book, you follow the wild man and link to J'nanin, the Lesson Age.
As you try to recapture the Releeshahn Book, you must once again use your wits to solve the puzzles that Saavedro has placed before you. Though it would seem that Saavedro is clearly your adversary, as you move throughout the Ages linked from J'nanin and explore your surroundings, untangling the various challenges he has constructed, you gradually begin to piece together this tortured man's story and understand his motives. It's an unfortunate story that began with Atrus's malicious sons, Sirrus and Achenar, before Atrus had learned about their treacherous nature. I thought this made for a great plot since it ties in with the previous Myst games and actually makes you sympathize with the "villain."
Throughout your quest, you'll travel to four main Ages, each with a unique environment, music, and set of puzzles. In the first three Element Ages, to which you can travel in any order, your essential goal is to find that world's unique symbol and bring it back to the Lesson Age. Voltaic is the Age of Energy, where you'll need to harness and channel power to a particular part of the island. Amateria is the Age of Dynamic Forces, in which you will need to finish a circuit of track in order to ultimately find the symbol. The structures and puzzles of this Age make it feel like an amusement park, and it's a fun world to explore and interact with. Edanna, the Nature Age, was definitely my favorite world. This scenic Age is teeming with life, and your job here is to discover how the plants and animals interact and respond to various stimuli. Once you've discovered the three symbols, you will unlock the fourth and final world: Narayan, the Age of Balance, where you will need to solve the glyph puzzle and finally face off with Saavedro.
As before, the controls are simple - you use the mouse to control your movement and interact with your surroundings. The puzzles are still pretty challenging, requiring a good deal of patience and experimentation. In a game that focuses so much on keen observation of the sights and sounds of your surroundings, it's particularly important to have a game that excels in both its graphic presentation and its soundtrack. And Myst III does not disappoint. The graphics are fantastic, making the worlds really come alive with awe-inspiring splendor. The music and the sounds are likewise amazing. The soundtrack really fits well with the Ages and the story. And the main theme just rocks!
My only real complaint is that I wish the game were longer. Nonetheless, Exile is a remarkable sequel in the Myst series, and if you enjoy a good challenge (and have a lot of patience), you should give this game a try.
Continues the tradition 2006-04-20
Blowing away the previous competition with it's eye popping slendor, Myst 3 continues the proud tradition of combining the beauty, grace, and mystery Myst has become synonomus with into a new experience...Yes, the format is the same, and the story does feel lacking at times, but so does all myst stories at times, being essentially a story that unfolds to the player in his or her own way..One thing the new developers should have concentrated more on was the sense of history and intruige that initially sucked in most of the players, this game compensates too much of that for simply a gorgeous looking game through and through..
Cool 2006-04-19
I think this is a very fun game. It used to be my favorite in the series. Now realMyst is my favorite, so I will rate this game a four star. I like the puzzles you have to solve. It's realy interesting.
Myst:: Exile to the world of nausea 
2008-06-28
I had only been playing the game for a few minutes when I got dizzy and had to stand over the toilet until the feeling of nausea left and I stopped feeling like I was going to blow my lunch out of this world. I played Myst and I thought it was really good. I tryed to play Riven but I coudn't get it to start, so i skipped ahead to Myst Exile. The way your cursor moves in the game sort of gives you the illusion that the screen is concave and the way you move about made me get motion sickness and i am fine on roller coasters. Though my stomach couldn't take it i will admit that the graphics are pretty good and plot line made sense and the concept of going to the other worlds is pretty cool. If you think you can stand it then i would recomend it.
Stunning Myst Scenery with terrible plotline and unsatisfying ending 2007-09-18
I'm a big fan of the Myst/Riven/Uru serries, but in myst 3 they tried to add an in-depth plotline with characters you couldn't interact with. The point is the characters and plot they added made the game seem korny. And Exile was painfully shrot. I think there were only three or four worlds. The game ended and I sat there wondering if I skipped something, I didn't. Out of all of them, Riven has been my favorite. It's a beast though, like 7 disks or something. Anyway, I didn't care for what they did with exile, and the reward for solving stuff wasn't that great either. I wanted to scream durring the bounce-the-sunlight-off-the-flowers puzzle!!! Myst V better not be the last installment, cause it was pretty lame too. The serries is great though.
Excellent game, satisfying endings 2007-07-31
I just re-played Exile, and have come to appreciate this game more than before. While it is an off-shoot of the Myst series, it is still an excellent game for many reasons.
The storyline makes sense, unlike some games I've played. Poor Saavedro- you can't help but feel sorry for the guy. Those hoodlum sons of Atrus ruined Saav's world- he's lost everything, including his wife and small daughters...and he's out for revenge. To do this, he steals a linking book to another world, hoping Atrus will chase after him. Luckily, it is you who ends up in the chase- and the game.
Saav takes you through the uninhabited worlds Atrus created to teach his sons. Once you solve the worlds and collect what you need, you can then access Saav's homeworld. Along the way, we see pictures depicting the boys' atrocities (nothing gross or graphic) and videos he made, telling us about the horrors he's been through.
Basically, there are 5 areas, however the 5th one is much smaller and is where the game ends. From the main area, you will solve puzzles to access different worlds. And, there's plenty to keep you busy.
The puzzles are medium to hard, however they make sense- much more than most of the new games that have come out since Exile. Several are devilishly hard, I'll admit, but not impossible. I completed the game several years back without a walkthrough- something I rarely do with more modern games. Most experienced gamers won't need more than a prod or 2, in the more difficult puzzles.
The 3 teaching worlds you visit are impressive. My favorite is Armateria- a huge pinball machine. Thunder, lightning, blue glowing crystals at sunset...great mood setters. Too, when the crystal balls smash apart (because you don't have the puzzle set correctly) they explode into wonderful shards that fly everywhere! And, the ride when you've solved Armateria is well worth the effort.
The graphics are lovely and do not disappoint. There's good detail and nice use of color. There is one area that is rather dark and can be confusing due to all the foliage. Still, it is not that difficult to find your way. I like the 360* view. If this makes you dizzy, right click to hold the picture, then point and click to move.
The voice work is excellent and actors are used, not CG figures. That really makes a difference, in my opinion. The actor portraying Saavedro does a fantastic job as the half-crazed antagonist. The other 2 characters are Atrus and Katherine, both performed well. There's good use of costumes and staging, too.
The music and sound effects fit nicely and do not distract from the game. There's lapping water sounds, wind, insects, etc., that add richness to each setting.
The ending is very satisfying. All too often now, games have really poor endings. Exile has several and you should try EVERY possible combination of actions you can think of. There's at least 4. Be sure to save to that you can reload and try them all!
Exile has no foul language, inappropriate behavior, or violence. One heartless ending even carries with it an admonishment from Atrus.
Exile is certainly worth playing. Take your time, wander, take notes...and enjoy.
Great graphics, but that's about it 
2007-01-22
I will be one of the few people to write a negative review about this game. I tried to play this game several times, and all to no avail because it made me dizzy and nauseous, literally -- due to the way the graphics were constructed. Yes, the graphics are very well done and colorful. But as you move through the realm in 1st person, you have to constantly click through the land, go back and forth, clicking to look around in all directions, which gets annoying after a while. It seems like the very point of this game is to only look around. While the game encourages a real-world feel in the 1st person perspective, you cannot easily turn your head to look around, so you have to click away. This game offers a 360 degree panning option, where you can look in all directions with "more ease". But this just makes matters worse because the view constantly sways back and forth as you move the cursor and it made me dizzy. It's the same feeling as when you're trying to read while in a car.
And besides that, the gameplay is lonely. I found no satisfaction going through a colorful fantasy world with no one to talk to, looking at everything but not being able to examine and trying by myself to figure out what all those creatures and objects were. When playing a game, I prefer a more realistic environment. Anybody can "make up a world" if they use their imagination. But it's more difficult, I think, to create something closer to reality that's involving and realistic.
too easy 2007-01-09
Compared to Riven, EXILE was simple. Maybe the authors wanted to ease up after stumping the world with Riven's super hard puzzles. Answers in EXILE required searching rather than logic.The key was in finding things rather than figuring things out. But we liked the crazy guy. He made us laugh. He was nuts and had a permanent bad hair day. May he rot forever.
