The Green Myste
from Rusty Axe Games

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Many, many moons ago, a game called Alternate Reality was released for the Atari 400/800 system. Years later, Dungeon Master was released for the Atari ST computer system. Both games were role playing games (also known as “dungeon crawlers”). Those games were unique at the time because they were different from the Ultima series and other similar games because of the 3D representative world. In Dungeon Master, you collected a party to join you on the quest. Both were addicting games and fun for the whole family. I’ve searched for years for a game similar to Dungeon Master for the Pocket PC and never found one… that is until now.

The Green Myste isn’t new, it’s been out since 2003. It just hasn’t received the hype that many other games have seen in the past. That doesn’t mean it’s not a great game or that it doesn’t deserve the hype. The Green Myste was four years in the making. It is just as complex as Dungeon Master ever was (if not more complex). Keeping in mind that this game runs on a Pocket PC with limited resources, the graphics represent that fact. As much as we’d love a full blown game with stupendous graphics, RAM wasn’t cheap until just recently. Nevertheless, The Green Myste easily scratched the Dungeon Master itch that has been nagging me for years.

The game controls are very simple, yet sometimes confusing. Technically, you only have two buttons plus the D-Pad to control the game. There isn’t support for the stylus anywhere within the game. This was done to actually make the game easier to play. I see the programmers reasoning in deciding upon that issue. The game is played in landscape mode. Immediately after installing the game on the device, you will see another window beneath the install window. That will allow you to select the buttons on the left or right side while playing the game. This is helpful for the left handed players in the world (such as myself). The default is with the buttons on the right, with is perfect for me! Once that’s selected, the installation window will close.

When you start the game, you will see an animated opening scene. It tells a short story and you’ll begin your quest. The game starts in town with the option to load a game, begin a new one or to quit. Using the D-Pad, select the option and press the Action button. Essentially, the button above the D-Pad is the menu button and the button below is the action button. If the buttons don’t work on your device, reset the unit and use File Explorer to navigate to the installation folder for the game. You will find a utility called SETKEYS. Run this application and press the buttons you want to use as the Action and Menu keys. Remember to use the upper and lower buttons, not side by side buttons. It will be saved so you may play the game. I found this was required to play the game on the HP Jornada 568 devices.

Upon the start of your quest, you may find yourself wandering the town. In the lower right hand corner, you’ll see an orb that is mapping out your movements. An arrow always points north. Wandering the city, you may feel lost. There are shops and taverns to be found. You will meet up with others who are interested in joining the quest. Up to two additional people can join your group. Be cautious, you don’t want to be outside at night. Make sure you are indoors during the nighttime hours. If you are lucky enough to have a lock pick, or someone in your group who can open the sewer door, you’ll be on your way. As for movement, you can move ahead or backwards by using the D-Pad. A sidestep motion can be done by pressing backwards along with either left or right at the same time. You may turn left or right and then continue on in that direction. Do not worry about going around the trees or bushes, you will walk right by those (as well as any people who might be about). You do however have to maneuver around the buildings. Doors with signs above the doors are places of business. Those may be entered. However, doors without signs usual tell you to leave them alone.

Upon entering the sewers, you’ll find yourself beneath the city. Be careful and armed for the dangers that await you. Since you start with only 33 gold pieces, buying armor or weapons may be tricky. Selecting the right people to join you on your quest can help. Any battles will start immediately. You will be switched to battle mode and just hope you don’t die. If you are lucky, you can retreat from a battle, however the monsters do try to lock you in place so you cannot move. In combat you can hold down the attack button to "charge up" your accuracy and damage. Press left or right while holding down the attack button to only charge up accuracy or damage respectively. I’ve only been playing the game for a few days, but so far I’ve found it to be exciting and adventuresome.

The game offers full sound effects, such a birds in town and other various town noises. The graphics change depending on the weather. You’ll even feel the lightning in the air. The text that must be read during the game is a little tough to read on a small screen. Once you get used to the font, it becomes a little easier. I wish there was a way to change to an easier to read font. The control buttons are easy to master, since there are only two buttons to worry about. Just remember one is the menu and the other is the action button.

For those individuals who want to get started on the action right away, don’t worry. They knew you’d be anxious to get started. If you select LOAD at the beginning, you can start out in one of several locations, including the sewers already outfitted with your party. You may find yourself unprepared for what is waiting for you.

Hints are available on the website if you get stuck. Trust me, there are moments where you WILL get stuck! The game offers many hours of enjoyment (or frustration). It all depends on your addiction to dungeon crawler type of games. It’s fun no matter how you look at the game. Saved games can be swapped between devices too, so you can share your adventure!

Check out the Green Myste and download a trial version. There is also a version available for Windows PC, available on the RustyAxe website. The Green Myste sells for $24.99 and will offer many hours of enjoyment.

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Special thanks to Lennard from Rusty Axe Software for providing us with a full version to review.
The game was tested on a variety of devices from a Verizon Samsung i700 Pocket PC phone (running WM2003),
HP Jornada 568 (running PPC2002), iPAQ 3955 (running WM2003)
and the Verizon XV6600 (running WM2003 SE).
The graphic screenshots used for this review were taken from the PC version of the game.