Editing Pyst

{{short description|1997 video game}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox video game
| image = Pyst cover.jpg
| developer = [[Parroty Interactive]] <br> Bergman-Stallone <br> Entasis
| publisher = Palladium Interactive
| writer = Peter Bergman <br> Peter Murietta <br> [[Philip Proctor|Phil Proctor]]
| designer = [[Peter Bergman (comedian)|Peter Bergman]]
| composer = Steven Stringer <br> Mike Sansonia
| platforms = [[Mac OS]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]
| released = {{video game release|NA|October 30, 1996<ref>{{Cite web |date=1997-02-27 |title=Online Gaming Review |url=http://www.ogr.com/news/news1096.html |access-date=2023-04-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970227065725/http://www.ogr.com/news/news1096.html |archive-date=February 27, 1997}}</ref>}}
| genre = [[Adventure game|Adventure]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
}}

'''''Pyst''''' (stylised as '''''PYST''''') is an adventure [[PC game|computer game]] released in October 1996.<ref name="BusinessWire19971021" /> It was created as a [[parody]] of the highly successful [[adventure game]] ''[[Myst]]''. ''Pyst'' was written by [[Peter Bergman (comedian)|Peter Bergman]], a co-founder of the [[Firesign Theatre]], and was published by [[Parroty Interactive]],<ref name="BusinessWire19971021" /><ref name="schwartz">{{cite news | title = Seeing through the 'Myst'-tique 'Pyst' pokes fun at hit CD-ROM | work = [[USA Today]] | publisher =[[Gannett Company]] | author = Schwartz, Bruce | date = October 10, 1996 | issn = 0734-7456}}</ref> with Bergman, Stallone, Inc. as co-publisher.<ref name="BusinessWire19971021">{{Cite press release |title=Parroty Interactive Launches PYST Special Edition; New Special Edition of PYST Includes a Module of Driven, a Sneak Peak Parody of the Eagerly Anticipated Riven – Sequel to MYST |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Parroty+Interactive+Launches+PYST+Special+Edition%253B+New+Special...-a019903274 |date=October 21, 1997 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317035818/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Parroty+Interactive+Launches+PYST+Special+Edition%3B+New+Special...-a019903274 |archive-date=March 17, 2018 |publisher=Business Wire |via=[[The Free Dictionary#The Free Library|The Free Library]] |access-date=November 26, 2019}}</ref> Mindscape began distributing the game on August 20, 1997.<ref name="BusinessWire19970508">{{Cite press release |title=Mindscape & Palladium Interactive announce partnership; Mindscape signs exclusive deal to distribute Palladium Interactive CD-ROM/Internet products including Family Gathering, Wishbone & PYST |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Mindscape+%2526+Palladium+Interactive+announce+partnership%253B+Mindscape...-a019384849 |date=May 8, 1997 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116082109/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Mindscape+%26+Palladium+Interactive+announce+partnership%3B+Mindscape...-a019384849 |archive-date=November 16, 2017 |publisher=Business Wire |via=The Free Library |access-date=November 27, 2019}}</ref> 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 [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] [[Personal computer|PC]] and [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] [[Macintosh]] operating systems.

Parroty Interactive was a division of Palladium Interactive, whose other brands included Ultimate Family Tree and Palladium Kids.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Newest Parody – The X-Fools – Takes Comical Look At Little Green Men And Government Cover-ups. – Free Online Library |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Newest+Parody+--+The+X-Fools+--+Takes+Comical+Look+At+Little+Green...-a019801945 |date=October 1, 1997 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107112340/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Newest+Parody+--+The+X-Fools+--+Takes+Comical+Look+At+Little+Green...-a019801945 |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |website=The Free Library |access-date=May 26, 2019}}</ref> Parroty intended to create ''[[National Lampoon (magazine)|National Lampoon]]''-esque<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 5, 1998|title=Company's Spoof of Microsoft: Microshaft Winblows.(Originated from San Jose Mercury News, Calif.)|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-20112728.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008194628/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-20112728.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 8, 2016|newspaper=Knight Ridder/tribune Business News|last1=Wasserman|first1=Elizabeth}}</ref> "humorous CD-ROMs, web sites and other forms of interactive comedy".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://pyst.com/BehindtheScenes/ |title=Palladium Interactive: Behind the Scenes |date=December 22, 1997 |access-date=September 11, 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971222124140/http://pyst.com/BehindtheScenes/ |archive-date=December 22, 1997}}</ref> This title served as Parroty's debut game in the interactive parody space, which would be followed by games such as their ''[[Star Wars]]'' parody ''[[Star Warped]]''.

==Development==
The basic concept of ''Pyst'' was to show what Myst Island (from the best-selling game) would look like after four million people (that game's players) had visited and "explored".<ref name="BusinessWire19971021" /> ''Pyst'' developer and comedian [[Peter Bergman (comedian)|Peter Bergman]] wanted to give ''Myst'' players the ability to "'experience the island in a whole new light".<ref name="BusinessWire19971021" /> Palladium President Ed Bernstein wanted the game to be a "transformative work that moved way beyond ''Myst''", in order to avoid copyright issues with ''Myst'' publisher Broderbund, on the grounds of the new game being a parody work.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Popular-Myst-Proves-Fair-Game-for-Parody-2963172.php|title=Popular 'Myst' Proves Fair Game for Parody|access-date=September 11, 2016|date=1996-10-10|first=Laura|last=Everson|work =[[San Francisco Chronicle]]}}</ref> A spokesman from Broderbund said the company was unfazed by the project, commenting: "We've seen imitators and they usually just give us a good chuckle".<ref name=":1" /> Bergman discovered that the sense of comic timing he had for his live shows couldn't be replicated in the digital realm, and he had to adapt accordingly.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/creatingdigitalc00john|url-access=registration|title=Creating Digital Content|last1=Rice|first1=John|last2=McKernan|first2=Brian|date=January 1, 2002|publisher=McGraw-Hill|isbn=9780071377447|language=en}}</ref> Firesign Theatre website ''Firezine'' said that the game was illustrative of Bergman's ability to "survey America's culture and obsessions like a maniacal monitor reflecting the absurdness of it all, while casting his iconoclastic eye to read the entrails of the present coarse and our delirious future".<ref name=":3" />

Bergman collaborated with David Ossman, Phil Proctor, Melinda Peterson, sound designer Ted Bonnitt and other players from his ''Radio Free Oz'' show to produce the game. In addition, he hired Mike Sansonia to create the game's music, while Ted Bonnitt directed mouth-sound-effects artist Fred Newman to record voice tracks to blend with recorded sound effects. The effect was to create a sound design with distinct, comedic character.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.firezine.net/issue1/fz1_05.htm |title=FIREZINE #1: Bergman Gets PYST Off |website=www.firezine.net |access-date=September 11, 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010127163600/http://www.firezine.net/issue1/fz1_05.htm |archive-date=January 27, 2001}}</ref> [[John Goodman]] plays "King Mattruss", the ruler of "Pyst Island". The 2004 book ''Game Work: Language, Power, and Computer Game Culture'' noted that this was an example of the then-recent trend of famous actors starring in digital movies within games.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/gameworklanguage0000mcal|url-access=registration|title=Game Work: Language, Power, and Computer Game Culture|last=McAllister|first=Ken S.|date=January 1, 2004|publisher=University of Alabama Press|isbn=9780817314187|language=en}}</ref> Goodman and Bergman had worked together in radio, while Goodman also had appeared on the ''Proctor and Bergman Comedy Service'' series prior to ''Pyst''.<ref name=":3" /> The game also includes an original song, "I'm Pyst", performed by Goodman and written by Bergman.<ref name="schwartz" /><ref name=":4" />

===Release===
Before the game's release, Bergman and the Parroty Interactive marketing department were both secretive about game-related information; Bergman said that this was unusual experience for him.<ref name=":3" /> The game was originally planned for release on October 15, 1996.<ref name=":3" /> Released for Christmas 1996, ''Pyst'' remained on the CD-ROM best-seller list through 1999, according to the ''Official Millennium Survival Handbook''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mocDD2SFyZMC|title=Official Millennium Survival Handbook: Don't Wait Till the End of the World to Get It|last1=Bergman|first1=Peter|last2=Samson|first2=David|last3=Rudnitsky|first3=David A.|date=February 1, 2001|publisher=SP Books|isbn=9781561719952|language=en}}</ref> The game was "highly successful";<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.firesigntheatre.com/fstonweb/cosmik_firesign/ft-act1.html|title=Firesign Theatre Interview (Cosmik Debris)|website=www.firesigntheatre.com|access-date=September 11, 2016|archive-date=April 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410165941/http://www.firesigntheatre.com/fstonweb/cosmik_firesign/ft-act1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> in 1997 Palladium's vice president of marketing Rob Halligan said that ''Pyst'' was "tremendously successful last Christmas and continues to sell well".<ref name="BusinessWire19971021" /> A [[Mindscape (company)|Mindscape]] press release issued through ''[[Business Wire]]'' said the game was the "top-selling parody product of 1996", selling over 200,000 copies worldwide.<ref name="BusinessWire19970508" /> There was a website extension to the game, which allowed players to further interact with the game by "download[ing] updated video and audio clips and chat[ing] with other ''Pyst'' aficionados",<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Labriola|first=Don|date=March 1, 1997|title=You've obsessed over Myst, now chill out with Pyst.|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-19135477.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008194555/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-19135477.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 8, 2016|journal=Computer Shopper}}</ref> the game being the first product by Palladium to include [[Dial-up Internet access|dial-up access]] to [[AT&T WorldNet Service]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Palladium+Interactive,+Publisher+of+the+Blockbuster+Parody+PYST,+Inks...-a018845421|title=Palladium Interactive, Publisher of the Blockbuster Parody PYST, Inks Deal with AT&T WorldNet Service; Beginning with PYST, Palladium to Utilize AT&T WorldNet Service on all its CD-ROM Products. – Free Online Library|website=www.thefreelibrary.com|access-date=September 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151206075506/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Palladium+Interactive%2c+Publisher+of+the+Blockbuster+Parody+PYST%2c+Inks...-a018845421|archive-date=December 6, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hal Josephson, executive producer for ''Pyst'', said that there were few business models at the time for how to make money online.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K-JUAAAAMAAJ&q=%2522Pyst%2522+%2522myst%2522|title=Communication Arts|date=January 1, 1997|publisher=Coyne & Blanchard|language=en}}</ref> In 1998, after Parroty's acquisition by The Learning Company, Palladium founder and chief executive officer Ed Bernstein said that "it was a fun business, but not terribly lucrative".<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Learning-Company-Acquires-Again-Palladium-makes-2975919.php | title=Learning Company Acquires Again / Palladium makes genealogy software | date=December 1998}}</ref>

==Plot and gameplay==
[[File:Pyst gameplay.png|thumb|left|King Mattruss ([[John Goodman]]) in a hot tub in "The Love Cabin".]]
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''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Myst Gets Dissed on CD-ROM|date=October 21, 1996|work=[[Bloomberg Businessweek|Business Week]]|publisher=[[Bloomberg L.P.]]|issn=0007-7135|author=Eng, Paul M.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dpwr.net/illustrated/humor.php|title=Myst and Riven Humor|access-date=January 8, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041028235721/http://www.dpwr.net/illustrated/humor.php|archive-date=October 28, 2004|df=mdy-all}}</ref> ''Pyst'' utilizes three-dimensional graphics, animated drawings, and pre-recorded video and audio.

Gameplay is a simplified version of the playing style used for ''Myst''. The game consists of a series of pre-rendered, interactive visuals of Pyst Island locations. With Bergman's "seal of disapproval", the concept is that the familiar ''Myst'' locations have been vandalized by millions of virtual players who have been trapped on the island, having "giv[en] up on trying to finish the damn thing", and as a result have trashed the space, while a shady entrepreneur has built a "Dorian Grey money-making scheme".<ref name=":3" /> Unlike in ''Myst'' there are no real puzzles to solve. The player simply explores a setting, and then moves to adjoining locations at will.<ref>{{cite news | title = On the Pyst; CD-Roms | work = [[The Independent]] (London) | publisher=Independent Print Limited | date = November 18, 1996 | author = Oldfield, Andy | issn=0951-9467 | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/on-the-pyst-1353005.html}}</ref>

The game does not feature the ''Myst''-style point-and-click interface. Instead, the players are shown an image on a postcard with four arrow keys, on the edges, that players click to change the image on the postcard.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.a-for-adventure.com/gamereview.php?id=224 |title=A for Adventure – Pyst |date=July 16, 2004 |access-date=September 11, 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040716125204/http://www.a-for-adventure.com/gamereview.php?id=224 |archive-date=July 16, 2004}}</ref> The player moves through the scenes clicking the lateral arrow keys; clicking the upper and lower arrow keys two postcards are shown for every scene, all featuring a special Pyst currency in a stamp, stylised as "5<small>F</small>".

==Critical reception==
The game received mixed reviews. While noted for its novelty as one of the first parody video games, ''Pyst'' was seen as not living up to its full potential as a parody of ripe and timely subject matter and was criticized for lacking in gaming content, being more of an interactive story than a game.

''Electric Playground'' praised the game for having a "cheeky attitude and an irreverence" not found in the source material.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elecplay.com/pc/pyst.html |title=Pyst |publisher=Electric Playground |date=January 9, 1997 |author=Shipper, Shawn Douglas |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970804202944/http://www.elecplay.com/pc/pyst.html |archive-date=August 4, 1997}}</ref> ''Hop on Pop: The Politics and Pleasures of Popular Culture'' wrote that ''Pyst'' challenges the central conceit of ''Myst'', whereby the "untouched landscape" navigated by a "lone trailblazer" is reimagined as a popular, commercialised tourist attraction.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_u5Pqx1DBkgC|title=Hop on Pop: The Politics and Pleasures of Popular Culture|last1=III|first1=Henry Jenkins|last2=McPherson|first2=Tara|last3=Shattuc|first3=Jane|date=January 1, 2002|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=978-0822327370|language=en}}</ref> ''PC Primer'' thought it was "side-splitting" and "light-hearted".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rollanet.org/~pcprimer/prime292.html |title=Pyst |last=Creighton |first=R.L. |date=1996 |website=PC PRIMER |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970606133349/http://www.rollanet.org/~pcprimer/prime292.html |archive-date=June 6, 1997}}</ref> ''MacGamer'' gave it the distinction of being the first parody video game, and deemed it a "mildly amusing, short-lived parody with no gaming component".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.macgamer.com/features/?id=585 |title=Pyst |publisher=MacGamer |date=January 23, 2003 |author=Kotas, Wojciech |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030123095712/http://www.macgamer.com/features/?id=585 |archive-date=January 23, 2003}}</ref> ''Electric Games'' unfavourably compared it to an older, and in its opinion better, parody entitled ''Mylk'' due to the latter being free and having gameplay.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.electric-games.com:80/reviews/pyst.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020616185606/http://www.electric-games.com/reviews/pyst.html|title=PYST|date=June 16, 2002|website=Electric Games|archive-date=June 16, 2002|url-status=dead|access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref> ''Computer World'' thought that the game offered salvation to the multitude of players who remained perpetually stuck on Myst Island.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_zoRFtRiLmtAC|title=Computerworld|last=Enterprise|first=I. D. G.|date=December 16, 1996|publisher=IDG Enterprise|language=en}}</ref> The ''Sunday Mirror'' thought Goodman was "at the core of the game".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hancock |first=David |title=Playing Games Is a Serious Business |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-61160184.html |date=November 24, 1996 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008195135/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-61160184.html |archive-date=October 8, 2016 |newspaper=[[Sunday Mirror]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The ''Daily Mirror'' thought it was a good alternative to those stumped by ''Myst'', describing it as "not really a game but...a lot of fun".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hancock |first=David |title=Watchdog Bytes; Games Face Scrutiny from Film Censors |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-61281879.html |date=November 16, 1996 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008195143/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-61281879.html |archive-date=October 8, 2016 |newspaper=[[Daily Mirror]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref> ''Salon'' said the game "cheerfully capitalizes on that frustration" of playing the mysterious and elusive ''Myst'', and added that the "emergence of full-scale parodies" like this was a sign of the video game industry's "arid decadence".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://salon.com/media/media2961021.html|title=Pysting in the Wind|last=ROSENBERG|first=SCOTT|date=February 4, 2005|website=Salon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050204010830/http://salon.com/media/media2961021.html|archive-date=February 4, 2005|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>

''Electronic Design'' called the game a "wacky parody" that reimagines the well-known island as something out of an industrial nightmare.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M2hJAQAAIAAJ|title=Electronic Design|date=January 1, 1996|publisher=Hayden Publishing Company|language=en}}</ref> ''In the Eyes of the Setting Sun'' deemed it "satirical",<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bP6_DAAAQBAJ|title=In the Eyes of the Setting Sun-|last=Madsen|first=Christian|date=July 4, 2016|publisher=Writers of the Apocalypse|isbn=9781944322151|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=November 2019|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bP6_DAAAQBAJ}}</ref> while ''BusinessWeek'' thought all of Parroty Interactive's work was "hilarious".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k7yZAAAAIAAJ|title=BusinessWeek|date=January 1, 1998|publisher=McGraw-Hill|language=en}}</ref> ''Billboard'' found it to be funnier than ''Myst'' and "all-too-short".<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xwkEAAAAMBAJ|title=Billboard|date=October 26, 1996|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|language=en}}</ref> ''Plotting New Media Frontiers'' thought that the existence of parody games demonstrated that "generic conventions are well established and part of the culture associated with computer game playing", citing ''Pyst'' as a prime example.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Vered|first=Karen Orr|date=September 1, 1997|title=Plotting New Media Frontiers: Myst and Narrative Pleasure|journal=Visual Anthropology Review|language=en|volume=13|issue=2|pages=39–47|doi=10.1525/var.1997.13.2.39|issn=1548-7458}}</ref> ''[[Computer Shopper (US magazine)|Computer Shopper]]'' said the title was "no-holds-barred" and "pulls no punches" in its odd sense of humour, and deemed it a favourable alternative to those who were annoyed by ''Myst''{{'}}s "inscrutable puzzles".<ref name=":2" /> ''CD Mag'' thought the game was "somewhat witty".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cdmag.com/articles/018/149/starwarped_review.html|title=Star Warped|last=Radcliffe|first=Doug|date=August 20, 1997|website=CD Mag|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031106083518/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/018/149/starwarped_review.html|archive-date=2003-11-06|url-status=dead}}</ref> Emil Pagliarulo of ''The Adrenaline Vault'' saw ''Pyst'' as an example of how Parroty Interactive made games that were "completely original simply by capitalizing on unoriginality".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.avault.com/reviews/review_temp.asp?game=warped&page=1|title=Star Warped|last=Pagliarulo|first=Emil|date=August 4, 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041231134640/http://www.avault.com/reviews/review_temp.asp?game=warped&page=1|archive-date=2004-12-31|url-status=dead|access-date=September 12, 2016}}</ref>

''[[PC Gamer]]'' said that ''Pyst''{{'}}s two main problems were that it was not funny as a parody of ''Myst'', and that it was not so much a game than a "series of rendered slides in sequence".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/saturday-crapshoot-pyst/|title=Saturday Crapshoot: Pyst|last=Cobbett|first=Richard|date=January 7, 2012|website=PC Gamer}}</ref> ''[[Giant Bomb]]'' writer Alex Navarro thought he had not enjoyed the game's humour in his youth as he had not played ''Myst''; he retrospectively claimed that the game was "not a very good parody".<ref>{{cite web | access-date=September 11, 2016 | url=https://www.inverse.com/article/12380-where-are-the-funny-video-games | title=Where Are the Funny Video Games? | publisher=Inverse | date=March 4, 2016 | author=Wilbur, Brock}}</ref> K. R. Parkinson of ''[[Adventure Gamers]]'' wrote that the game "ultimately comes up lacking in its attempt to lampoon its best-selling target of derision".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/25423 | title=Pyst | publisher=Adventure Gamers | author=Parkinson, K. R. | website=www.adventuregamers.com | date=June 20, 2014}}</ref> ''BrutalMoose'' felt the game was a good idea wrapped up in a bad execution.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://central.tgn.tv/video/brutalmoose-suffers-through-pyst-for-his-fans/ | title=BrutalMoose Suffers Through Pyst For His Fans | publisher=TGN | date=2015 | language=en-US | access-date=September 11, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919133707/http://central.tgn.tv/video/brutalmoose-suffers-through-pyst-for-his-fans/ | archive-date=September 19, 2016 | url-status=dead}}</ref> A reviewer from ''[[Game Revolution]]'' gave it a scathing review, deeming it "pathetic".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/pyst|title=P.Y.S.T. Review|website=www.gamerevolution.com|access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' described it as a "pretension-busting romp through a ripe-for-puncturing cult classic", comparing it to ''[[Mad (magazine)|Mad]]'' magazine's ''201 Min. of a Space Idiocy'' parody of ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|A Space Odyssey]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ew.com/article/1996/10/18/pyst | title=Pyst | publisher=Entertainment Weekly | date=October 18, 1996}}</ref> ''PC Multimedia & Entertainment'' initially thought the game was a "stupid idea", but upon playing it found it to be a "very funny multimedia presentation".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pcme.com/multimed/pyst/pyst.htm |title=PCM&E Review – PYST |date=January 27, 1999 |access-date=September 11, 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990127120608/http://www.pcme.com/multimed/pyst/pyst.htm |archive-date=January 27, 1999}}</ref> ''The Daily Pennsylvanian'' concluded their review by saying that while ''Myst'' sucked the player in, ''Pyst'' "just plain sucked".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kaufthal.com/portfolio/pyst.htm|title=tv2|website=kaufthal.com|access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref> Andy Oldfield of ''[[The Independent]]'' thought the game was merely a "series of puns and visual gags", not a proper parody.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/on-the-pyst-1353005.html|title=On the Pyst|website=[[Independent.co.uk]]|date=November 18, 1996|language=en-GB|access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref> ''HardcoreGaming101'' felt the game only had 30 minutes of gameplay.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/myst/myst6.htm|title=Hardcore Gaming 101: Myst|website=www.hardcoregaming101.net|access-date=September 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220161230/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/myst/myst6.htm|archive-date=December 20, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Legacy==
The game is considered by many to be the earliest parody video game and the first parody of the ''Myst'' series,<ref>{{Cite news|date=September 21, 1997|title=PLUGGED IN: BIZ BYTES.(Business)|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-83941845.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008195426/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-83941845.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 8, 2016|newspaper=Daily News (Los Angeles, Ca)}}</ref> but a free "homage" game entitled ''Mylk'' was created by Bart Gold using [[Macromedia Director]] and released earlier.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bartgold.com/Home.html|title=Bart Gold|website=www.bartgold.com|access-date=September 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918192225/http://www.bartgold.com/Home.html|archive-date=September 18, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Mylk''{{'}}s PC version was by Wayne Twitchell.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|url=http://mystjourney.com/myst/writings/pyst.php|title=Pyst Mocks Myst – MystJourney|last=Demetrian|first=Ovi Jr.|website=mystjourney.com|access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref> The plot of this game involves a "dairy cow fall[ing] through a crevice to a ranch".<ref name=":1" /> ''Stories in Between: Narratives and Mediums @ Play'' listed ''Pyst'', ''Mysty'', ''Missed'', and ''Mylk'' as four parody games based on the ''Myst'' series.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_2Td68XQE5MC|title=Stories in Between: Narratives and Mediums @ Play|last=Davidson|first=Drew|date=January 1, 2008|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=9781435720800|language=en}}</ref> ''The Mysterious World of Missed'', or ''Missed'', was developed by Jason Bloomberg.<ref name=":6" /> ''100 Videogames'' noted the success of ''Myst'' is "best demonstrated by the amount of parodies constructed of it".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SuInAQAAIAAJ|title=100 Videogames|last1=Newman|first1=James|last2=Simons|first2=Iain|date=June 4, 2007|publisher=BFI|isbn=9781844571611|language=en}}</ref> Danielle Rosen of ''Built To Play'' thought the game was a predecessor to exploration video games like ''[[Gone Home]]'' and ''[[Dear Esther]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://builttoplay.ca/features/2015/6/11/playing-the-part-the-evolution-of-actors-in-games|title=Playing the Part-The Evolution of Actors in Games|access-date=September 17, 2016|archive-date=September 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918005125/http://builttoplay.ca/features/2015/6/11/playing-the-part-the-evolution-of-actors-in-games|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A demo of the planned sequel to ''Pyst'', ''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.<ref name="BusinessWire19971021" /> ''Driven'' was graphically more advanced and allowed greater movement. The full game was never released, however. Palladium Interactive was bought by [[The Learning Company]] in 1998, who proceeded to dissolve Parroty Interactive before the title was finished.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://videogames.laurelgreen.com/parody/pyst/|title=Review: PYST – Video Games|date=August 20, 2012|language=en-US|access-date=September 11, 2016}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19980526001235/http://www.pyst.com/ Archived home page]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19970514114358/http://www.pyst.com/Parroty/pyst.html ''Pyst'' page on Parrot Interactive website]
* [https://archive.org/details/pyst_b-roll ''Pyst'' electronic press kit video]
* {{IMDb title|id=0158870}}
* {{MobyGames|id=/pyst}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=CuQzAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Pyst%22+%22myst%22 Computer Gaming World review]

{{portal bar|Video games}}
{{Myst franchise}}

[[Category:1996 video games]]
[[Category:Adventure games]]
[[Category:Classic Mac OS games]]
[[Category:Myst (series)]]
[[Category:Parody video games]]
[[Category:Parroty Interactive games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]
[[Category:Video games set on fictional islands]]
[[Category:Windows games]]