TITLE
Lost to the Ages
AUTHOR
Emily Yoshida
PUBLICATION
Grantland
YEAR
2013
ARTICLE TYPE
Article
FROM THE ARTICLE
Few are chosen. Fewer succeed. Journey now to an island world surrealistically tinged with mystery … where every vibrant rock, scrap of paper, and sound may hold vital clues to your unraveling a chilling tale of intrigue and injustice that defies all boundaries of time and space. Only your wits and imagination will serve to stay the course and unlock the ancient betrayal of ages past.You are standing on a dock beside the jutting masts and crow’s nest of a sunken ship, water lapping calmly under your feet. A hill rises in front of you, with what appear to be two giant gears perched atop it, and a short concrete staircase curves up the side. To the left, you see a Greek-looking dome structure made of marble, and, as you turn 360 degrees to see your surroundings, there’s not a soul in sight. You take a step forward. And another step. Everything is disarmingly still, save for a pair of seagulls flying overhead in the hazy marine layer. You make your way up to a walkway running parallel to the water and see a path constructed of what looks to be railroad ties leading up past the dome and toward another classical edifice. Lying to the side of the path is a weathered piece of paper. You pick it up.
Catherine,
I’ve left you a message of utmost importance in the forechamber beside the dock. Enter the number of Marker Switches on this island into the imager to retrieve the message.
Yours, AtrusFor the 6 million–odd people who have played Myst since its release 20 years ago, these images are as embedded in their memories as those seven immortal opening notes of Super Mario Bros. It’s more than a beginning, it’s a Pavlovian bell that tells your brain it’s time for an adventure. But in 1993, it was even more than that: Myst, it was said, was wiping the slate clear for a completely new direction in gaming.
GAMES MENTIONED
Myst
Riven: The Sequel to Myst
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Jon Carroll
Rand Miller
Robyn Miller
Edward Rothstein
ALTERNATE LINK
Archived Copy @ Internet Archive