Perfect list. Golden Elevator is legit the only environmental visual in all of OG Riven where, after playing new Riven, I went "eh, it looked better in the original"
@@Dustin-Garner It's so much creepier in the FMV too, like it's this glistening golden death Tardis that gloops out of the liquid with that ominous little twirl it does. Gehn in his Midas wannabe phase. Makes you wish they had the original film still, I really just want that remastered to 4K.
I'm going to preface this by saying this is exactly the kind of video we need more of! It's definitely up there in my ranking of every youtube video on the Myst series. As a lore nerd who's read the books, I have a tiny correction to make. I can absolutely see how you'd not know this if your only introduction to the D'ni world is Myst 5 though, but all the locations in that game you listed as "K'veer" are actually on Earth, more specifically the D'ni cavern a few miles beneath New Mexico. K'veer itself is a small island on a lake within the cavern where Atrus was trapped during Myst and Riven, and is the intro location for the first few minutes of Myst 5 (likely hence the confusion). The Great Shaft itself connects D'ni with the rest of Earth. I don't know if this is explained in Myst 5, but its creation is basically the inception point for the entire Myst story, hence the epic music and probably why they felt they needed to include it in the final game. It's probably a little underwhelming encountering it without knowing this! Also, fun fact: Tomahna is also on Earth, hence why the player just shows up in Myst III/IV rather than having to link there. As this all takes place in the early 1800s Spanish Empire, there's a ton of real world implications in this that the games (and books) sadly don't explore. Honestly, Uru (which you can get for free as Myst: Online) is worth playing just to explore the D'ni cavern, which is such a central place in the Myst lore and visually such a distinct age, despite being on Earth. It's a shared MMO instance in Myst: Online, so you'll probably run into a few people while exploring who could actually show you around. I even ran into a poetry reading there once. And it's really cool you managed to get so deep into the lore of Riven without having read the Book of Atrus. I think it's a testament to the strength of the game that it makes sure to give you almost every important piece of relevant information right in the game, despite the book having been written to lead into it. Though, one moment I remember from the book though that could have been a neat inclusion to Riven itself, is that Catharine is an immensely better age writer then Ghen and had he just worked with the native peoples of Riven, taught them the Art and treated them as equals, they would have been able to escape the dying age together *without* all the fancy mechanical contraptions he needed to compensate for his poor writing skills.
Thank you for the detailed comment! A couple others have pointed out my mistake with K'veer, but thank you for explaining the lore behind it. I did actually play Myst 5 for the first time in order to make this video while I have played the others many times, so that led to my lack of knowledge regarding it. I knew Tomahna, D'ni, and K'veer were all on Earth, but I didn't actually know the difference between them and because the beginning of Myst 5 says K'veer, I assumed that entire location was K'veer. I haven't read the books, but I really want to now! It's really exciting to learn about the deeper lore. In regards to my knowledge of the Riven lore, I definitely learned a lot when I was looking up various aspects of the elevators. I wanted to fit in as much as possible that I found considering the new Riven was coming out soon. One day I'll play Uru as well (and maybe discuss the elevators). Thank you again for the support! I don't know if you saw my newer video on the Riven elevators as well. It was less supported by the algorithm, but I do a more in-depth analysis comparing the two versions.
Loving the video, and seeing all these cool elevators. Also loving some of your memorable quotes! “Next is another elevator from Spire: the fog elevator. I named it as such because it travels through the fog.”
Also love the “only elevator in the series that X” variations. Only plant elevator, only horizontally-moving elevator, only hexagonal/triangular elevator, etc. Very tempted to rank *these*, now.
This might be the nerdiest piece of myst fan content I've seen in ~25 years of online fandom :) I love it though, the way you present it all is really engaging and fun!
The elevators in the Great Shaft rank pretty highly for me because the location is straight out of one of the Myst novels, The Book of Ti'ana, which spends some time on the Shaft's troubled and controversial construction - seeing it brought to life on screen almost a decade later was a wonderful surprise! Myst V unfortunately is much more of a sequel to Uru than to any of the other numbered Myst games, as it picks up both plot threads and literal repurposed Ages originally created for Uru. Uru can be kind of a pain to play, especially with some of the physics-based puzzles, but it has some incredible Ages that really feel like Cyan was firing on all cylinders (as well as its own assortment of locations that first appeared in the novels.) I'd say it's worth the effort, if you can find the time.
Elevator #4 also has an extra feature in the original 2000 version of realMyst: It actually visually rotates to match where the tower is pointing, so each location has a different amount of turning depending on what you picked on the map.
@@TheJacklikesvideos It seems today you can only get the Masterpiece Edition (easily). Would you say that it does a good job of transmitting an authentic original experience?
@@Zet237yt Masterpiece edition is the one that is closest to the original. It is basically the exact same as the original, but with less compressed images. It's the one that I used in all of the clips in the video. I would definitely recommend that one if you are starting out. I would also personally recommend the original Riven over the new one (at least for playing for the first time). While Myst may feel a bit like a product of its time (not trying to put it down, I still think it's a phenomenal game), Riven 1997 completely holds up.
@@Dustin-Garner Thank you for your thorough explanation. I shall keep my eyes open for a sale on GOG or Steam. I'm craving games based on player knowledge lately (although I have little time to play them lol) and I thought why not finally give the Classic a go!
same. I will be the third (or more) to express this! I also had a personal vendetta against it, as everything else moved on its own, and I thought that I was misunderstanding something other than the proper way to interact with it...
I'm glad you left the Amateria ending a surprise. One of the most fun parts of what is by far my favorite age in terms of its design and personality. It's also nice to hear you complain about the same things I did when playing the game a decade later than I had first and realizing how poorly designed some of the puzzles were - unfortunately, including the ones in Amateria 😂
i love how you were talking about myst masterpiece edition and i was like "but wait, is Rime on there?" and immediately you came through with the answer i was looking for
Haha I had never even played Rime until I started making this video, then luckily I remembered "wait, Rime exists in some versions, I need to check if there's an elevator!"
i'm hoping for a followup video about the rest of the vehicles in the myst series, and I'm just imagining a phrase like "now everyone knows a vehicle is any rideable moving device that isn't an elevator" 😂
the great shaft and k'veer are two different places - k'veer is a building in d'ni, while the great shaft is part of the path from the d'ni to the surface :o
I have loved the Myst games for my entire life, and it's nice to see a breakdown of one of the most interesting facets of their design. Also, I agree with you that Riven still looks absolutely gorgeous.
What a wonderful nerdy video I loved to put an hour in! In defence of the Seam Puzzle Elevator: The lever looks different than the other two levers, as it has this additional metal rod/handle at the side. So there is at least somewhat of a hint, that it might work differently.
Fantastic idea, executed well. Until you said it, the importance of elevators in these games never crossed my mind. They had an elevator obsession and I sincerely hope that one day they will make a Disney-esque "Mystworld" somewhere for me to ride these elevators for real.
IIRC the balance puzzle in Amateria told you whether you were too heavy or too light, and thus allowed it to be used to figure out the weight ratio in something like 2 or 3 tries.
I remember buying my first computer in 1997, getting to understand the internet and getting hooked on AOL (and the chat rooms) but I wondered what else was out there. I went to the local computer store to get some sort of program on CD-ROM (Microsoft Office, I think) and saw this selection of games. I've always liked logic puzzles, deductive reasoning, exploring and drawing maps of places I've been, and enjoyed reading mysteries, trying to solve the puzzles before the protagonist in the novel. I saw the cover of "Myst" and it sounded just my speed, didn't seem like a game where I'd have to shoot everything into oblivion. A little island with interesting little places to explore. I never imagined there would be a sequel, but when I discovered that Riven existed, my imaginative world completely opened up. Now 27 years later, here I am watching an analysis of the elevators in the whole series. The Millers' collective minds have been my solace all these years. When Earth gets to be too much for me, I go to the realms of Myst...
By the way, in the Tree elevator in Myst, you don't have to use the button once you turn the gas off. The tree will descend below ground on its own, because the boiler is no longer generating the pressure needed to raise the tree.
Here after finishing the Riven Remake and I'll have to say, it's so great to be back in the series! Exile was my favourite game, because it was the first one I got to play and somehow understood what was going on.
In the Riven remake things have changed, including elevators. Maybe you should do a follow up video containing the differences as well some thoughts on the elevators in Uru and it's two expansions: To D'ni and Path of the shell.
I was wondering where the classic Myst Observatory Tower elevator would go! Discovering that one was very satisfying along with the tree elevator. Now you have to do one with all the rides/vehicles. I personally would put the classic Selenetic Mazerunner at #1 as long as the ride is I love some of twists and turns and the speeds it goes towards the end😂🙌🏾🔥
@@Dustin-Garner I’ll be honest…I did NOT have the headache that most had when I played it. I had the Prima Strategy Guide that I would read all the time (mostly because The Stranger had a cool backstory and narration in there). Still have that mazerunner directional sequence in my mind. 🤣🤣
Not surprised my two favorites are in the top three (fire hydrant easter egg?), and the sing-song squeak of the door to the watchtower elevator is forever burned in my memory. But disqualifying the wahrk gallows right out the gate? Heartless!
NEW RIVEN SPOILERS SPOILER ALERT On the bright side the new Riven has a wahrk gallows that would make the list. (And yes, I will be making a follow-up video where I talk about the elevators in Riven 2).
Putting the Amulet Elevator at 13 instead of top 3 or even top 1 is a crime against humanity. More seriously, amazing video, well done! As a huge Myst fan, I love that there's so much personality and mysticism even down to the elevators. People who don't know the series must think of us as crazy hahaha, to be able to make a compelling 1 hour video about them.
I'd love it if next you did one on the different rides from all the myst games (i.e. 'marble' ride from Amateria, trams and wood cart from Riven, mazerunner from Myst 1, etc.)
It is pretty remarkable how much better Riven is than every other game in the series. The original was magic and excellent design, but then the sequel somehow managed to dramatically surpass it. Then 3 was enjoyable but perfunctory and stupid, 4 was a bit confused but passionately THE MOST, and 5 was what would result if you asked Gehn to make a video game.
I don't understand how a game can be as good as Riven. Every time I think about it, it just feels like too much of a real place/story to possible have been created. That being said, despite its flaws, I absolutely love Exile. I consider it my favorite in the series, just because Riven transcends my ranked list of the games. Replaying Revelation infuriates me due to how long it takes to move around and interact with things. I played 5 for the first time just to make this video, and it just felt so different from anything else in the series that I don't even know what to do with it in my head. I completely agree that it feels like Gehn made it.
Incredible analysis. I love how you took such a goofy concept and made a real deep look at gameplay/story overlap and character moments. From memory, there are only about 4 elevators in the whole of Uru and I don't think any are particularly interesting. There's one (Gahreesen) that I would notably put at the bottom of the entire series because in the multiplayer version it had a tendency to dump you into the floor and force you to start the whole age from scratch, repeatedly until it luckily worked every so often.
Wonderful all around! Though I would argue that the Bird from Edanna is effectively an elevator, in that it takes a person from one predefined location to another predefined location, mostly vertically. Similar to the leaf but grander and with more of a path. It's kind of mindblowing the level of detail the ages are written to if you think about it. Or rather if you believe the worlds exist before they are connected via linking book out there in the Myst multiverse, how vast the multiverse must be to have this kind of required interaction be a natural consequence of random evolution, then cherrypicked by writing the linking book with something written along the lines of "There must be a bird that carries a cage from the lowest part of the gigantic tree, to its nest in the upper reaches". It's a deep shame we haven't seen these kinds of things explored more fully in the Myst universe. It's an ocean of possibility if you think about it.
If I included the Bird, that would mean I would also have to include the Riven maglevs, the Riven minecart, the Amateria ball, etc etc. That's why I defined the elevators as I did, as platforms that mainly move up and down. I'd probably include the bird in a vehicle ranking video (that I'm absolutely not promising to make). I completely agree with the breadth of the linking concept, it's fascinating.
not watching this right now because I don't want the spoilers, but leaving you a comment anyway because this is the first time I've felt like my reccommended really "got" me
Yes! Have you ever seen the Riven documentary? They show clips of how they captured that video. It's really cool. ruclips.net/video/JumtB_YY2I4/видео.html
Curious about if the Riven Remake recently released, the trapeze elevator might qualify now. It now has a platform you get on. Which might make it meet your criteria.
I will be making a follow-up video discussing the elevators in new Riven. There are at least five new ones (yes, including the gallows), and all of the others have interesting changes from the originals.
Great Video, very entertaining! Quick question: What about the the maze runner in Selenitic? That goes up and down at the beginning of the maze, would that not qualify as an elevator with lateral movement?
Great question! I disqualified it and other similar devices (the submarine in Riven) due to it not being on a linear track. The path of the mazerunner branches laterally.
I had a random thought the other day that there should be an easter egg in the new Riven that happens incredibly rarely: when you're walking into the jungle there's a chance that you happen upon the little girl, except instead of a 3D rendered character, it's the creepy video of her from the original. She's the only real human in the game.
I'm almost finished with the game, and there's at least five! And not only that, every one of the ones that were in the original have some notable differences. I will be making a follow-up video.
Excellent! I haven't made a ranked list about it, but I wrote up a silly "roll dice to make a device Atrus would build" game that amounted to "Generator, Tape Recorder, Clock, Lock, or Elevator". (Or you could roll Feature Creep.) :D
As far as Uru goes, I don't know if you knew, but Cyan gave up trying to keep it running officially some years ago and released it as open-source. You can play it for free if you wanted to - I can't remember any particularly exceptional elevators (a lot of them are pretty basic, similar to the D'ni shaft elevators), but there are several more hexagonal ones with assorted sneaky tricks to them in Kadish Tolesa, and technically, by the rules you established at the beginning, I think Eder Gira would have forced you to say a geyser is a kind of elevator. :D
While I did see that one being referred to as an elevator in some places online, I considered it more of a staircase (or maybe a spiral elevator). While it does lift you up without you having to walk, there's no platform that is rising along with you. It kind of just shuttles you up. I guess the case could be made, but I didn't think it fit my definition well enough.
What I meant was the leaf was the elevator. I mentioned the trapeze for context because it brings you down after the leaf brings you up, but I didn't mean for it to be part of the ranking.
Time for you to play Uru, I think. It has... between four and ten elevators depending on how you count some edge cases in Kadish Tolesa. Two in Gahreesen, one in Teledahn, zero to six in Kadish Tolesa (I'd say one, personally), one in Er'cana. There's also Jalak which is entirely elevator but it's Jalak lol.
Do you have to push the button to ride the tree elevator on Myst Island down to the room with the Channelwood book? I don't remember doing that; I would always just turn the gas completely off, then run out behind the cabin & hop on when it got to ground level & let it take me the rest of the way down.
i think i would put the channelwood elevators lower than you did, purely due to the fact that--unlike most elevators in these games--you have to manually close the door to these elevators in order for them to work. that detailed caused me problems similar to what you experienced with the steam puzzle elevator when i played through myst.
Without watching this video and without thinking about it too hard, here's my ranking: 1. Rime 2. Myst 5 Descent 3. Spider Chair 4. Survey Island Underground (above lava)
The note you made about the Amateira Fulcrum Puzzle being one of only 2 puzzles that needed information from another age - What about the Selentic age tram-ride? while you /can/ brute-force it, the puzzle relies on you learning the sounds for north/south/east/west from the Mechanical Age's Fortress Rotation Simulation.
You are completely right, that one slipped my mind. It's even more egregious because you can't go back to Myst or Mechanical unless you've solved the puzzle. I think a lot of people just end up mapping it out.
@@Dachusblot That's true too. I think I didn't think of those because it always felt to me that it's assumed you go to Spire and Haven before you go to Serenia, though I guess it's theoretically possible to go to Serenia first.
To me, the Selenetic maze puzzle *also* teaches you what the sounds mean. IIRC, on the first move, you can only go north; and so you learn the associated sound. Then you can choose between north, south or west; but you came from the south, and the sound is different, so you learn the sound for west. And so on! Though there's certainly an argument to be made that you might completely miss that the sounds mean something, and learning them on Mechanical is the nicer way to go about solving the maze.
You don't need to learn the sounds from mechanical. At the first few stops there is only one direction to go so you can deduce which directions go to which sounds. Dead ends help you deduce the other sounds.
I must admit I have to disagree with your first few elevators. The whole point of the slow elevators in Exile was to keep you from brute-forcing the answer. Complaining that it keeps you from easily solving the puzzle without figuring out the rules is kind of silly. The complaint that the clues are where the guy leaving you the clues lived before he solved the puzzles is also kind of a silly argument; especially since all the games had clues in the home world that helped you for the age you were in (such as the maps of channelwood that tell you were the levers are to open the stairs ;-). It's like complaining Atrus' journals are all in the library. The lever with the handle on the side is of course a set-lever. You just never saw one before. Complaining it didn't work like the others even though it was clearly a different shape with two separate controls (the big bar and the thinner wire) going down is just because you're not as old as Myst. :-) It's like complaining you didn't understand where the match goes because you never saw a boiler before. The nature of adventure games is that you need outside information to solve them. Considering Tomana was not written into existence, the entire elevator *and* swinging bridge were kind of weird choices. :-) I'm pretty sure the Great Shaft elevator has a 3rd person view is so you know just how *big* it all is. Otherwise, a pretty solid review. :-)
strong disagree with your definition of "good puzzle design" and the steam puzzle elevator. subverting mechanical expectations is what makes MYST puzzles a good challenge. it reminds me of the levers in the clocktower 221 combo puzzle where the measure of intelligence is how long it takes you to figure out you're not pulling the lever correctly leaving the puzzle unsolvable. if you could swear you've got it powered but it isn't working, you should try using it differently. similarly with your next complaint about relevant information being elsewhere. typically these puzzles are solvable on their own, but much easier if you pay attention to things in other areas. this rewards paying attention and holistic thinking. consider the directional chimes used in both the fortress and minecart. the minecart is designed well so it can be navigated and solved even if you haven't been to the fortress. but if you do them in the other order, it essentially shortcuts you through the minecart by saving you the process of deductive logic, but only if you pay attention.
![Cursed Belt Weaving, Curseder Belt Tapestry & Cursedest Legitimately Obtained "INFINITY CHEST"! [4K]](/img/1.gif)
I'm so glad someone else has thought about this
Please make a Myst franchise is genius video pleasepleaseplease
Of all the things I expected from this video with close to 2300 views - a comment from hbomberguy wasn't on my list
this feels like the type of video I’d find you commenting on lmao
@@LittleWeevil he made a patreon exclusive myst video that was really good
You know a channel is underappreciated when it gets a comment from hbomberguy with a dozen likes and 4 replies.
"Why would I ever watch an hour long video about elevators in the Myst series???" - Me, an hour ago
OK, that made me spit coffee. Accurate.
Seems like we all did the same thing.
i have a fondness for phrases i'm confident have never been spoken before, such as "unlike the fulcrum puzzle i discussed two elevators ago..."
Perfect list. Golden Elevator is legit the only environmental visual in all of OG Riven where, after playing new Riven, I went "eh, it looked better in the original"
There's something about the anticipation and the way the light shines off the gold that wasn't transmitted to the new one.
@@Dustin-Garner It's so much creepier in the FMV too, like it's this glistening golden death Tardis that gloops out of the liquid with that ominous little twirl it does. Gehn in his Midas wannabe phase. Makes you wish they had the original film still, I really just want that remastered to 4K.
I'm going to preface this by saying this is exactly the kind of video we need more of! It's definitely up there in my ranking of every youtube video on the Myst series. As a lore nerd who's read the books, I have a tiny correction to make. I can absolutely see how you'd not know this if your only introduction to the D'ni world is Myst 5 though, but all the locations in that game you listed as "K'veer" are actually on Earth, more specifically the D'ni cavern a few miles beneath New Mexico. K'veer itself is a small island on a lake within the cavern where Atrus was trapped during Myst and Riven, and is the intro location for the first few minutes of Myst 5 (likely hence the confusion). The Great Shaft itself connects D'ni with the rest of Earth. I don't know if this is explained in Myst 5, but its creation is basically the inception point for the entire Myst story, hence the epic music and probably why they felt they needed to include it in the final game. It's probably a little underwhelming encountering it without knowing this! Also, fun fact: Tomahna is also on Earth, hence why the player just shows up in Myst III/IV rather than having to link there. As this all takes place in the early 1800s Spanish Empire, there's a ton of real world implications in this that the games (and books) sadly don't explore.
Honestly, Uru (which you can get for free as Myst: Online) is worth playing just to explore the D'ni cavern, which is such a central place in the Myst lore and visually such a distinct age, despite being on Earth. It's a shared MMO instance in Myst: Online, so you'll probably run into a few people while exploring who could actually show you around. I even ran into a poetry reading there once.
And it's really cool you managed to get so deep into the lore of Riven without having read the Book of Atrus. I think it's a testament to the strength of the game that it makes sure to give you almost every important piece of relevant information right in the game, despite the book having been written to lead into it. Though, one moment I remember from the book though that could have been a neat inclusion to Riven itself, is that Catharine is an immensely better age writer then Ghen and had he just worked with the native peoples of Riven, taught them the Art and treated them as equals, they would have been able to escape the dying age together *without* all the fancy mechanical contraptions he needed to compensate for his poor writing skills.
Thank you for the detailed comment! A couple others have pointed out my mistake with K'veer, but thank you for explaining the lore behind it. I did actually play Myst 5 for the first time in order to make this video while I have played the others many times, so that led to my lack of knowledge regarding it. I knew Tomahna, D'ni, and K'veer were all on Earth, but I didn't actually know the difference between them and because the beginning of Myst 5 says K'veer, I assumed that entire location was K'veer. I haven't read the books, but I really want to now! It's really exciting to learn about the deeper lore. In regards to my knowledge of the Riven lore, I definitely learned a lot when I was looking up various aspects of the elevators. I wanted to fit in as much as possible that I found considering the new Riven was coming out soon. One day I'll play Uru as well (and maybe discuss the elevators).
Thank you again for the support! I don't know if you saw my newer video on the Riven elevators as well. It was less supported by the algorithm, but I do a more in-depth analysis comparing the two versions.
This is what RUclips was made for.
Amazing how you made an entire video just for my Myst fangirl ass, personally ❤
Any time! ❤
This video really elevated my mood.
Never thought about the sheer volume of elevators in these games. Love this!
I think about it too much
Loving the video, and seeing all these cool elevators. Also loving some of your memorable quotes!
“Next is another elevator from Spire: the fog elevator. I named it as such because it travels through the fog.”
Also love the “only elevator in the series that X” variations. Only plant elevator, only horizontally-moving elevator, only hexagonal/triangular elevator, etc. Very tempted to rank *these*, now.
This might be the nerdiest piece of myst fan content I've seen in ~25 years of online fandom :) I love it though, the way you present it all is really engaging and fun!
That is such an honor. Thank you for enjoying!
Thanks for making it! Would love to see an update or add-on for the Riven Remake too :)
@@thepurpleriv I just released one! I hope you enjoy it as well :) ruclips.net/video/52UafIW8gBM/видео.html
The elevators in the Great Shaft rank pretty highly for me because the location is straight out of one of the Myst novels, The Book of Ti'ana, which spends some time on the Shaft's troubled and controversial construction - seeing it brought to life on screen almost a decade later was a wonderful surprise!
Myst V unfortunately is much more of a sequel to Uru than to any of the other numbered Myst games, as it picks up both plot threads and literal repurposed Ages originally created for Uru. Uru can be kind of a pain to play, especially with some of the physics-based puzzles, but it has some incredible Ages that really feel like Cyan was firing on all cylinders (as well as its own assortment of locations that first appeared in the novels.) I'd say it's worth the effort, if you can find the time.
I do really want to read the books!
@@Dustin-Garner I've been saying I'll read the books for ages.
This is quality content! :-)
Elevator #4 also has an extra feature in the original 2000 version of realMyst: It actually visually rotates to match where the tower is pointing, so each location has a different amount of turning depending on what you picked on the map.
I think the original does that too!
this is an completely batshit crazy video and I absolutely love it exactly for that reason
I have never played a Myst game. After watching this video, I am eager to play them one day.
You are in for a wild ride my friend
i recommend the originals. prerendered stills and live action FMV hold up much better than modern engine models and rendering.
@@TheJacklikesvideos It seems today you can only get the Masterpiece Edition (easily). Would you say that it does a good job of transmitting an authentic original experience?
@@Zet237yt Masterpiece edition is the one that is closest to the original. It is basically the exact same as the original, but with less compressed images. It's the one that I used in all of the clips in the video. I would definitely recommend that one if you are starting out.
I would also personally recommend the original Riven over the new one (at least for playing for the first time). While Myst may feel a bit like a product of its time (not trying to put it down, I still think it's a phenomenal game), Riven 1997 completely holds up.
@@Dustin-Garner Thank you for your thorough explanation. I shall keep my eyes open for a sale on GOG or Steam. I'm craving games based on player knowledge lately (although I have little time to play them lol) and I thought why not finally give the Classic a go!
Would kill for a remaster of Myst III: Exile... not likely to happen though. But man, riding the marble coaster in VR would be amazing!
Informative, creative, visionary, beautiful, innovative. Truly this is a work of art, keep up the good work.
Thank you so much!
A+ Content
Engaging, interesting, and fun! Yep, I watched the whole thing and would do it again
Man what a nice video!
I had the exact same problem with the steam elevator in Myst 3. It feels so validating to hear someone else complain about such a specific thing lol.
It's very infuriating
same. I will be the third (or more) to express this! I also had a personal vendetta against it, as everything else moved on its own, and I thought that I was misunderstanding something other than the proper way to interact with it...
I'm glad you left the Amateria ending a surprise. One of the most fun parts of what is by far my favorite age in terms of its design and personality. It's also nice to hear you complain about the same things I did when playing the game a decade later than I had first and realizing how poorly designed some of the puzzles were - unfortunately, including the ones in Amateria 😂
I did that age first, and I was sitting in the dark with a big screen TV. It was amazing.
thank you algorithm for showing me this.
I can't believe I watched the whole thing... Who am I kidding, I'm a Myst turbo nerd. Of course I watched the whole thing, and a good thing it was.
Thank you for enjoying! Being a Myst turbo-nerd is a very enriching lifestyle
I don't know anything about Myst, but this is a really COOL video!
Thank you!
Ahh, that's the RUclips content I've been looking for
i love how you were talking about myst masterpiece edition and i was like "but wait, is Rime on there?" and immediately you came through with the answer i was looking for
Haha I had never even played Rime until I started making this video, then luckily I remembered "wait, Rime exists in some versions, I need to check if there's an elevator!"
i'm hoping for a followup video about the rest of the vehicles in the myst series, and I'm just imagining a phrase like "now everyone knows a vehicle is any rideable moving device that isn't an elevator" 😂
Vehicles get into even worse gray area, I'd have to figure out whether a bird counts
@@Dustin-Garner uh oh 😭
the great shaft and k'veer are two different places - k'veer is a building in d'ni, while the great shaft is part of the path from the d'ni to the surface :o
Finally someone did it. Always wondered no-one rated the elevators in myst. Thank god.
It had to be done
I have loved the Myst games for my entire life, and it's nice to see a breakdown of one of the most interesting facets of their design. Also, I agree with you that Riven still looks absolutely gorgeous.
What a wonderful nerdy video I loved to put an hour in!
In defence of the Seam Puzzle Elevator: The lever looks different than the other two levers, as it has this additional metal rod/handle at the side. So there is at least somewhat of a hint, that it might work differently.
Fantastic idea, executed well. Until you said it, the importance of elevators in these games never crossed my mind. They had an elevator obsession and I sincerely hope that one day they will make a Disney-esque "Mystworld" somewhere for me to ride these elevators for real.
I absolutely loved playing the new Riven 2024 re-release
Oh wow. Only just learned that you can enter the whark elevator from the forest side.
Yeah, it's super well-hidden! I don't think you can do it in the new one though.
IIRC the balance puzzle in Amateria told you whether you were too heavy or too light, and thus allowed it to be used to figure out the weight ratio in something like 2 or 3 tries.
I remember buying my first computer in 1997, getting to understand the internet and getting hooked on AOL (and the chat rooms) but I wondered what else was out there. I went to the local computer store to get some sort of program on CD-ROM (Microsoft Office, I think) and saw this selection of games. I've always liked logic puzzles, deductive reasoning, exploring and drawing maps of places I've been, and enjoyed reading mysteries, trying to solve the puzzles before the protagonist in the novel. I saw the cover of "Myst" and it sounded just my speed, didn't seem like a game where I'd have to shoot everything into oblivion. A little island with interesting little places to explore. I never imagined there would be a sequel, but when I discovered that Riven existed, my imaginative world completely opened up. Now 27 years later, here I am watching an analysis of the elevators in the whole series. The Millers' collective minds have been my solace all these years. When Earth gets to be too much for me, I go to the realms of Myst...
There's just something so magical about the games. They really take you to another world.
This is the kinda content we need right now. Thank you.
By the way, in the Tree elevator in Myst, you don't have to use the button once you turn the gas off. The tree will descend below ground on its own, because the boiler is no longer generating the pressure needed to raise the tree.
Thank you for the information! I think I just got excited and pressed the button thinking I needed to
Here after finishing the Riven Remake and I'll have to say, it's so great to be back in the series! Exile was my favourite game, because it was the first one I got to play and somehow understood what was going on.
In the Riven remake things have changed, including elevators. Maybe you should do a follow up video containing the differences as well some thoughts on the elevators in Uru and it's two expansions: To D'ni and Path of the shell.
I made a follow up containing the differences in the Riven remake! ruclips.net/video/52UafIW8gBM/видео.html
Wow! Love the ranking and all the additional comments and context. Very well produced, thank you. Would love to see more!
Thank you for watching!
Nice video! Brings back so many memories. Riven's golden elevator remains one of my favorite moments in gaming history.
I had no idea i needed this but this is amazing! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for this, you beautiful soul😊
I was wondering where the classic Myst Observatory Tower elevator would go! Discovering that one was very satisfying along with the tree elevator. Now you have to do one with all the rides/vehicles. I personally would put the classic Selenetic Mazerunner at #1 as long as the ride is I love some of twists and turns and the speeds it goes towards the end😂🙌🏾🔥
Wow, you may be the first person that I've heard praising the Selenitic mazerunner. I'm not promising a vehicle ranking, but it did cross my mind.
@@Dustin-Garner I’ll be honest…I did NOT have the headache that most had when I played it. I had the Prima Strategy Guide that I would read all the time (mostly because The Stranger had a cool backstory and narration in there). Still have that mazerunner directional sequence in my mind. 🤣🤣
Not surprised my two favorites are in the top three (fire hydrant easter egg?), and the sing-song squeak of the door to the watchtower elevator is forever burned in my memory. But disqualifying the wahrk gallows right out the gate? Heartless!
NEW RIVEN SPOILERS SPOILER ALERT
On the bright side the new Riven has a wahrk gallows that would make the list. (And yes, I will be making a follow-up video where I talk about the elevators in Riven 2).
Putting the Amulet Elevator at 13 instead of top 3 or even top 1 is a crime against humanity.
More seriously, amazing video, well done! As a huge Myst fan, I love that there's so much personality and mysticism even down to the elevators. People who don't know the series must think of us as crazy hahaha, to be able to make a compelling 1 hour video about them.
Riven is one of the best games ever made. Easily at least number five on my personal favorite games list. For reasons.
I'd love it if next you did one on the different rides from all the myst games (i.e. 'marble' ride from Amateria, trams and wood cart from Riven, mazerunner from Myst 1, etc.)
It is pretty remarkable how much better Riven is than every other game in the series. The original was magic and excellent design, but then the sequel somehow managed to dramatically surpass it.
Then 3 was enjoyable but perfunctory and stupid, 4 was a bit confused but passionately THE MOST, and 5 was what would result if you asked Gehn to make a video game.
I don't understand how a game can be as good as Riven. Every time I think about it, it just feels like too much of a real place/story to possible have been created. That being said, despite its flaws, I absolutely love Exile. I consider it my favorite in the series, just because Riven transcends my ranked list of the games.
Replaying Revelation infuriates me due to how long it takes to move around and interact with things. I played 5 for the first time just to make this video, and it just felt so different from anything else in the series that I don't even know what to do with it in my head. I completely agree that it feels like Gehn made it.
"a bit confused but passionately THE MOST" is the best description I've heard of Myst 4 yet.
Incredible analysis. I love how you took such a goofy concept and made a real deep look at gameplay/story overlap and character moments.
From memory, there are only about 4 elevators in the whole of Uru and I don't think any are particularly interesting. There's one (Gahreesen) that I would notably put at the bottom of the entire series because in the multiplayer version it had a tendency to dump you into the floor and force you to start the whole age from scratch, repeatedly until it luckily worked every so often.
Wonderful all around! Though I would argue that the Bird from Edanna is effectively an elevator, in that it takes a person from one predefined location to another predefined location, mostly vertically. Similar to the leaf but grander and with more of a path.
It's kind of mindblowing the level of detail the ages are written to if you think about it. Or rather if you believe the worlds exist before they are connected via linking book out there in the Myst multiverse, how vast the multiverse must be to have this kind of required interaction be a natural consequence of random evolution, then cherrypicked by writing the linking book with something written along the lines of "There must be a bird that carries a cage from the lowest part of the gigantic tree, to its nest in the upper reaches".
It's a deep shame we haven't seen these kinds of things explored more fully in the Myst universe. It's an ocean of possibility if you think about it.
If I included the Bird, that would mean I would also have to include the Riven maglevs, the Riven minecart, the Amateria ball, etc etc. That's why I defined the elevators as I did, as platforms that mainly move up and down. I'd probably include the bird in a vehicle ranking video (that I'm absolutely not promising to make).
I completely agree with the breadth of the linking concept, it's fascinating.
@@Dustin-Garner Ok but for real, a vehicle ranking would be rad
hey let me get the aux
"this isn't the elevators again is it?"
... maybe
got so excited seeing this video suggested, really good!!
This is great!
not watching this right now because I don't want the spoilers, but leaving you a comment anyway because this is the first time I've felt like my reccommended really "got" me
All hail the almighty algorithm! Dunno how I got here, but this is some quality content : )
love how they took the crater island - golden dome walkway entirely out in the remake.
now this is good content
Great video - did you not know that you can follow the person who scurries away and watch them take the maglev off the island??
Yes! Have you ever seen the Riven documentary? They show clips of how they captured that video. It's really cool. ruclips.net/video/JumtB_YY2I4/видео.html
It's about time!!
Curious about if the Riven Remake recently released, the trapeze elevator might qualify now. It now has a platform you get on. Which might make it meet your criteria.
I will be making a follow-up video discussing the elevators in new Riven. There are at least five new ones (yes, including the gallows), and all of the others have interesting changes from the originals.
Genius content. Do more Myst and Cyan content
Great Video, very entertaining!
Quick question: What about the the maze runner in Selenitic? That goes up and down at the beginning of the maze, would that not qualify as an elevator with lateral movement?
Great question! I disqualified it and other similar devices (the submarine in Riven) due to it not being on a linear track. The path of the mazerunner branches laterally.
@@Dustin-Garner ah, fair. Thanks 😄
53:50 let's not forget the little kid in the jungle, probably the worst jumpscare in the series
I had a random thought the other day that there should be an easter egg in the new Riven that happens incredibly rarely: when you're walking into the jungle there's a chance that you happen upon the little girl, except instead of a 3D rendered character, it's the creepy video of her from the original. She's the only real human in the game.
@@Dustin-Garner oh god yes.
It's funny, because nothing specific about it says 'scary,' but I absolutely jumped out of my skin.
There's... at least two new elevators in Riven 2024. (The gallows is one one of them)
I'm almost finished with the game, and there's at least five! And not only that, every one of the ones that were in the original have some notable differences. I will be making a follow-up video.
Excellent! I haven't made a ranked list about it, but I wrote up a silly "roll dice to make a device Atrus would build" game that amounted to "Generator, Tape Recorder, Clock, Lock, or Elevator". (Or you could roll Feature Creep.) :D
As far as Uru goes, I don't know if you knew, but Cyan gave up trying to keep it running officially some years ago and released it as open-source. You can play it for free if you wanted to - I can't remember any particularly exceptional elevators (a lot of them are pretty basic, similar to the D'ni shaft elevators), but there are several more hexagonal ones with assorted sneaky tricks to them in Kadish Tolesa, and technically, by the rules you established at the beginning, I think Eder Gira would have forced you to say a geyser is a kind of elevator. :D
Tree elevator ROCKS!
I think you forgot one: the twisty plant elevator in Edanna!
While I did see that one being referred to as an elevator in some places online, I considered it more of a staircase (or maybe a spiral elevator). While it does lift you up without you having to walk, there's no platform that is rising along with you. It kind of just shuttles you up. I guess the case could be made, but I didn't think it fit my definition well enough.
Myst made me into an elevator foamer and aficionado of blue backlighting
FINALLY
Gehn's Great Golden Elevator has always been weird to me. Sure it's pretty, but why is is so extravagent? Why is the inside of it so shabby looking?
You said you wouldn't count trapeze, but you included the plant with the trapeze.....
What I meant was the leaf was the elevator. I mentioned the trapeze for context because it brings you down after the leaf brings you up, but I didn't mean for it to be part of the ranking.
@@Dustin-Garner o7
Time for you to play Uru, I think. It has... between four and ten elevators depending on how you count some edge cases in Kadish Tolesa.
Two in Gahreesen, one in Teledahn, zero to six in Kadish Tolesa (I'd say one, personally), one in Er'cana.
There's also Jalak which is entirely elevator but it's Jalak lol.
I guess you and I can be buds.
I guess so
Do you have to push the button to ride the tree elevator on Myst Island down to the room with the Channelwood book? I don't remember doing that; I would always just turn the gas completely off, then run out behind the cabin & hop on when it got to ground level & let it take me the rest of the way down.
This is an .... interesting list.
peak internet
i think i would put the channelwood elevators lower than you did, purely due to the fact that--unlike most elevators in these games--you have to manually close the door to these elevators in order for them to work. that detailed caused me problems similar to what you experienced with the steam puzzle elevator when i played through myst.
Understandable. You have to close the door to the Library Tower Elevator on Myst Island too.
Without watching this video and without thinking about it too hard, here's my ranking:
1. Rime
2. Myst 5 Descent
3. Spider Chair
4. Survey Island Underground (above lava)
I did not have a problem with Exile's clues in one age for another. I think because I took an explore first approach.
Most of these elevators feel like dangerous safety violations. I'm sure each of these have injured someone at least once.
Technically the Golden Dome Elevator is two different elevators that run on a single track
The Tomahna elevator better be near the top.
Edit: What the fuck
The Great Shaft is not in K'veer... its miles and miles away. In fact it might actually be closer to Tomahna than K'veer!
I've been a Myst fan for decades and some of these didn't even register as elevators.
The "woman" you see after the golden elevator is known as one of Gehn's scribes, and it is actually a man.
Conclusion: Riven!
The note you made about the Amateira Fulcrum Puzzle being one of only 2 puzzles that needed information from another age - What about the Selentic age tram-ride? while you /can/ brute-force it, the puzzle relies on you learning the sounds for north/south/east/west from the Mechanical Age's Fortress Rotation Simulation.
You are completely right, that one slipped my mind. It's even more egregious because you can't go back to Myst or Mechanical unless you've solved the puzzle. I think a lot of people just end up mapping it out.
You also need information from Spire and Haven to solve a couple of the last puzzles in Serenia, if I recall correctly.
@@Dachusblot That's true too. I think I didn't think of those because it always felt to me that it's assumed you go to Spire and Haven before you go to Serenia, though I guess it's theoretically possible to go to Serenia first.
To me, the Selenetic maze puzzle *also* teaches you what the sounds mean. IIRC, on the first move, you can only go north; and so you learn the associated sound. Then you can choose between north, south or west; but you came from the south, and the sound is different, so you learn the sound for west. And so on!
Though there's certainly an argument to be made that you might completely miss that the sounds mean something, and learning them on Mechanical is the nicer way to go about solving the maze.
You don't need to learn the sounds from mechanical. At the first few stops there is only one direction to go so you can deduce which directions go to which sounds. Dead ends help you deduce the other sounds.
You forgot Uru.
I must admit I have to disagree with your first few elevators. The whole point of the slow elevators in Exile was to keep you from brute-forcing the answer. Complaining that it keeps you from easily solving the puzzle without figuring out the rules is kind of silly. The complaint that the clues are where the guy leaving you the clues lived before he solved the puzzles is also kind of a silly argument; especially since all the games had clues in the home world that helped you for the age you were in (such as the maps of channelwood that tell you were the levers are to open the stairs ;-). It's like complaining Atrus' journals are all in the library.
The lever with the handle on the side is of course a set-lever. You just never saw one before. Complaining it didn't work like the others even though it was clearly a different shape with two separate controls (the big bar and the thinner wire) going down is just because you're not as old as Myst. :-) It's like complaining you didn't understand where the match goes because you never saw a boiler before. The nature of adventure games is that you need outside information to solve them.
Considering Tomana was not written into existence, the entire elevator *and* swinging bridge were kind of weird choices. :-)
I'm pretty sure the Great Shaft elevator has a 3rd person view is so you know just how *big* it all is.
Otherwise, a pretty solid review. :-)
strong disagree with your definition of "good puzzle design" and the steam puzzle elevator. subverting mechanical expectations is what makes MYST puzzles a good challenge. it reminds me of the levers in the clocktower 221 combo puzzle where the measure of intelligence is how long it takes you to figure out you're not pulling the lever correctly leaving the puzzle unsolvable. if you could swear you've got it powered but it isn't working, you should try using it differently.
similarly with your next complaint about relevant information being elsewhere. typically these puzzles are solvable on their own, but much easier if you pay attention to things in other areas. this rewards paying attention and holistic thinking. consider the directional chimes used in both the fortress and minecart. the minecart is designed well so it can be navigated and solved even if you haven't been to the fortress. but if you do them in the other order, it essentially shortcuts you through the minecart by saving you the process of deductive logic, but only if you pay attention.
but i definitely understand the emotional scarring and personal grudge of the particular puzzles that you get hung up on.
1 hour 3 minutes 32 seconds of my life lost, never to be regained
Good
I thought you were supposed to brute force the Ameteria weight puzzle solution 🫠
Me too originally