10 Video Games That Were MASSIVE Jokes

5. Pyst

pyst gaming
Parroty Interactive

Any natural beauty spot or set of astonishing ancient ruins wants to be careful word doesn't spread; it's only a matter of time before overtourism robs them of their charm, thanks to an inundation of day trippers and tat merchants.

This is the problem Parroty Interactive chose to indirectly explore with Pyst, their 1996 send-up of the wildly popular Macintosh adventure Myst. One of the big reasons the Millers' fantasy CD-ROM flew off the shelves was its eye-watering pre-rendered locations - eye-watering for 1993, at least. Would the gorgeous locales of the isle of Myst look quite so pretty after being trod all over by several million point-and-clicking players?

In a word, no. Pyst depicts the setting overran with litter, buildings in tatters, and with graffiti revealing solutions to the world's arcane puzzles scrawled all over the shop. Presiding over the world-wonder-turned-tourist-trap is King Mattruss, portrayed by a shirtless John Goodman, no less.

Driven - the sequel to Pyst - was also in the pipeline, but Parroty's new parent group The Learning Company deemed it a joke too far, and dissolved the entire satirical division before it annoyed Myst fans even further.

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.