Long before the worldwide success of Myst, Cyan was already exploring mysterious worlds, labyrinthine tunnels, and inscrutable puzzles through their series of children’s games:
The Manhole, Cosmic Osmo, and Spelunx.
More toy boxes than full-fledged games, these remarkable programs would lay the foundation for what was to come for Cyan.
Released for Macintosh in 1988 as Cyan’s first game, The Manhole was a revolutionary experience designed to take advantage of the then cutting-edge Hypercard platform. Originally designed as an “interactive book” for children, what emerged was a one-of-a-kind interactive experience for all ages, and a magical start to Cyan’s game-making journey.
The Manhole: CD-ROM Masterpiece Edition was a remake of the original released in 1995, following the success of Myst. It introduced full-color graphics with lush illustrations by Chuck Carter, along with additional characters, voice acting, and sound effects.
BUY THE MANHOLE: MASTERPIECE EDITION:
Cover art for the Japanese CD-ROM release of The Manhole.
Cover art for Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel.
Released in 1989, Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel was an evolution of Cyan’s love of story and deliberate worldbuilding. Unexpected discoveries and interactions elevated Cosmic Osmo’s universe, allowing players to fly Osmo’s ship to various planets and explore their secrets.
Buy Cosmic Osmo on steam:
Spelunx and the Caves of Mr. Seudo, released in 1991, was a HyperCard point-and-click game that had players exploring a series of winding caves. Not unlike Myst would do two years later, Spelunx dropped the player into it’s world with no context: A door, leading to an elevator, leading to a corridor, encouraging you to explore and examine.
Like hidden edutainment, many of the puzzles in Spelunx encouraged problem-solving and critical thinking—you could learn stop-motion animation, or even how to maintain a terrarium.
Cyan would go on to release a full-color version in 1993, following the release of Myst.
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Cover art for Spelunx and the Caves of Mr. Seudo.
