Customer Reviews

Myst III: Exile (Original Score)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Composer Jack Wall took over scoring duties from Robyn Miller for Myst III, and although he takes the music in an entirely new direction, the main Myst jingle is still in there. But it's now evolved into something a whole lot more involving and effective.

Replacing the eerie, isolated atmosphere of Riven are a huge orchestra, angelic children's choirs, seductive string solos and the ever intriguing duduk, probably the coolest sounding musical instrument ever. Listening to the score to Myst III is like being taken thru dozens of different moods and feelings. It's an experience on its own. You'll feel power, sadness, loneliness and love.

It's not just limited to the game either. Myst III is strong enough to stand on its own and will surely one day be performed as an opera. The CD went out of print pretty quickly but I implore you to find a copy pronto. It lasts for 57 minutes and contains 30 tracks. Tho it's a shame that the unused tracks and the awesome music for the Myst III trailer are not featured, tho they are available from Jack Wall's website.

The music of Myst III perfectly captures the mysterious essence of the game. Some pieces are a slowly flowing vision of dark beauty while others are metallic and ominous. Jack Wall, the composer, masterfully mixes Arab, African, Chinese, and Western themes and then adds the final cavernous echo with synthesizers and other sound effects in the background. The result is an impressive collection of atmospheres that gives life to the meticulously crafted worlds of Myst. Jack Wall's score is complex and intriguing. Its use of multiple instruments and styles makes it difficult to classify into any one genre. The music simply is Myst; haunting, serene, silken, and lonely.

I thought the original Myst soundtrack was pretty good. It was ambient and moody, and it was different from my other soundtracks. It stood out.

Then came along the Riven soundtrack, which quickly became a constant on my CD player. It was even more in-depth than its predecessor. The music was more rich, more full. It was just a better soundtrack.

And then came along Myst III: Exile. And I can honestly say that this soundtrack absolutely blows the other two out of the water.

Now don't get me wrong. I loved the soundtracks to Myst and Riven, but Myst III: Exile is better than both of them combined. The songs are more vibrant, for example; Jack Wall, who wrote the score, not only used the usual synthesizer type music, but he also incorporated an actual orchestra into the piece as well. This is most certainly evident in the first two tracks on the CD.

If you liked the Myst soundtrack and the Riven soundtrack, you will definitely appreciate (and not to mention LOVE) this soundtrack. The only thing I didn't like about this CD was the little "tag-on" song at the end - Track 30. This is a vocal piece (a bonus track as it says on the back of the CD case), and it is reminiscent of the pop-vocal songs that are so popular today. In this case, however, it is not a great track.

But this one teeny tiny little thing does not detract from the overall greatness of the CD. It is easily skippable, and once you have done it umpteen times, skipping Track 30 become second nature.

I received the soundtrack with the Collector's Edition of the game, and I must say that, like the soundtracks to Myst and Riven, I can't get enough of it. The theme (which you can download at mp3.com) is great, but there is a song (with lyrics) called "Exile" that really is so cool. If you listen closely, you can hear bits of the main theme throughout the song. The music of Myst and Riven were an integral part of my experience with the games--both while I was playing them and just to listen to at other times. At times, I was really creeped out by the game just because of the music. I haven't been able to play the game yet (it requires a better video card than I have), but I am sure it will have the same effect and I'm really looking forward to it!

Although Jack Wall composed this soundtrack instead of Rand Miller, it truly lives up to its standards.

I highly reccommend this cd, especially if you liked the soundtracks for Myst and Riven.

As the series shifts both designers and producers (the series creator, Cyan, Inc. is now just licenses it.), the music also shifts. Unlike the Myst and Riven soundtracks, composed and produced by Game Designer Robyn Miller, composer Jack Wall was hired to write the music for Myst III.

I hadn't planned on purchasing this CD, however it came with the Collector's Edition of Myst III, and now having it, I wouldn't regret such a purchase. This is the first game of the series, and perhaps one of the only games in existance, which features music performed by a full orchestra. Wall uses it to his full advantage, and seemlessly integrates it into the ambient music he performed himself electronically. The music fits very well with what Robyn composed for Myst and Riven, with several layers more depth. While Robyn's music had a decidedly more straight-forward, Jule-Vernean feel to it, this incorporates a decidedly Greek or Arabic style into it. Considering what one will know of a main character's origins in the Book of Atrus, it is very appropriate. This in and of itself would be a 5 star review, however the last track, a solo vocal piece much like modern pop music, brings the rest of this otherwise instrumental album down.

I've downloaded all the mp3's available from the Myst III site at Mp3.com and after sampling what they have to offer (especially the main theme and a song called 'exile' with astounding vocals and pieces of vaarious myst songs all the way through it) I've decided that this is one cd that I will definately buy.

Myst 3 fans, i recommend getting the collectors edition as you get Myst 3 and this cd as well as a pewter of that cute mouse like creature and a Making of Myst CD (which was an intresting addition to the first Myst collectors edition) and it doen't cost much more than the price of the cd combined with that of the actual game.

The Myst 3 Soundtrack is definately worth getting, no excuses. Just check the 5 star rating if you're not sure.

This CD is well worth the buy, especially as a companion to the game. The music is haunting and joyous, the perfect sound for the right place in the game. The music in the game can be easily heard, and, if you've played the game, you can really see where the music is placed in the game while listening to it.

The long version of the "Main Theme" is not heard in the game, just a shorter version at the end. This song was not very appealing to me, as it just didn't have the same feel as the other songs. "Opening Titles" is a shorter version of this with a little bit of a different instrument mix. This is heard at the beginning, and you can definitely tell where Atrus is supposed to be talking, because that part is just repeated verses. "Atrus' Study" is the music heard while in Atrus' study. This sounded more familiar, because the same song without the percussion is used for the J'nanin Theme, omitted from the soundtrack (probably because of the similarity). "Saavedro Enters" is the short cue heard when Saavedro enters the study and sets it on fire.

"Saavedro's Theme" and "A Heartbeat Away" are mainly heard while searching for a way to get into the observatory, and have a similar tense but almost serene feeling. "Saavedro's Lair" has a more tense, echo-ey feeling to it.

"Theme from Amateria" sounds almost ambient, but strong. You can almost see a vision of the purple clouds and ocean with the red pagodas and the store. "Libra's Lever" is more serene sounding; it almost sounds like you've solved something and are ready to move on. "The Spider Spinner" is more ambient, and you can almost hear the water rippling in the background. "The Wheels of Wonder" is very haunting; it's my favorite piece in the game. You hear it when you're solving the final two puzzles in Amateria.

"Theme from Edanna" is a little bit more fun-sounding. It sounds almost sunny. "Deadwood Ridge" is a little bit more ambient, and sounds more like the Nature Age. "The Swing Vine" has a nice violin solo, with some Edanna-like background. "The Forest and the Swamp" sounds almost like you're about to emerge from the darkness into the sun, with not much of a melody, but many joyous sounding background sounds.

"Theme from Voltaic" has a nice melody, and there are many background noises that definitely make it sound like the Energy Age. There is some background singing, also. The background noises and melody are almost haunting, but some part of the whole thing almost makes you want to get up and move around. "The Airship Chasm" is a little bit more ambient; there's a background noise that you can really hear in the game. Because of that, you can positively identify the music from that part of the game. The beginning melody of "Energy Island" made me skeptical that this was from Voltaic, but I soon recognized the rest of it.

Many of the Narayan songs are a lot like each other, and they're hard to place in the game. "The Confrontation" is from when you finally confront Saavedro on Narayan, he realizes that you're not Atrus, and threatens you. It almost sounds blank without him talking, but the different instruments at different times tell his emotions while talking. This one is actually pretty good. The same case with "He Sees Hope," which is from when Saavedro sees that Narayan is still alive, but then realizes he needs your help to get to it. The piece ends with a bit on confusion, then anger. "Let Me Go!," "You've Been Followed," "Into Oblivion," and "All is Lost" are haunting, with a feel of despair and anger, and it bothers me that I cannot place these in the game. "Trapped" is from when you trap Saavedro, and you can completely feel the despair. "The Tide has Turned" has a feel of despair and anger from Saavedro, but it shows your power over him also. "The Dilemma," also known as the main Narayan theme, is from when you decide what to do with him. It has the same feeling as the previous song, plus a bit of puzzlement, and those feelings grow greater as the song plays longer. "All is Well, my Friend" does not portray that all is well, and I know I heard it in the game, I just can't figure out where. "Going Home" is a nice piece for when Saavedro rides joyously to the alive Narayan.

This is a great buy, especially if you have played the game. There is a bonus track, but it does not add anything to the soundtrack, although it is a nice song. I recommend this CD to everybody who has beaten Myst III: Exile, and maybe those who haven't but like this genre of music. Jack Wall also wrote the Myst IV: Revelation Soundtrack, which is wonderful as well, but unfortunately Amazon doesn't sell it!

This is a beautiful and colorful soundtrack to go with the beautiful and colorful worlds of Exile. I love the addition of wind and strings to the usual synthesizer music, which was great by itself but better with real instruments. It always fits the mood of the environment perfectly, and is noticeable without being obtrusive. It's one of the things that I love most about the game itself, and I love having the soundtrack to listen do while I draw. It's quite inspiratinal.

ummm.. WOW.

I bought this expecting it not to be as good as the first two soundtracks, but man was I wrong. Jack Wall crushed the accompishments of the first two.

This is probably the absolute best ambient disk I have ever listened to.

The Exile Soundtrack CD encompasses the musical themes from all the ages of Exile: Tomahna, Jnanin, Amateria, Edanna, Voltaic, Narayan, and back to Tomahna (in that order). Melodies are so haunting that they seem more like mantras than music. Its 30 tracks remind you of every aspect of your Exile gaming experience. Even if you haven't played Exile, its music is enticing.