Riven

As a huge fan of the original game I was amazed by the remake: a fresh takes on several existing puzzles, *new* puzzles that fit the atmosphere of the original game, and an environment that exceeded all my expectations of fidelity for a 3D environment - the sense of realism the original stills gave was retained even in 3D, which is a hard feat even for newer games to pull off. My only two criticisms were the characters: they were flat, both the animations and some of the new voice performances (for all I love Rand, his original performance of Atrus was better - also the model needed to be more emotive), and also the new fissure fast-travel system - it wasn't all that fast, and while I found the lore additions fascinating and the globe rotation mechanic intriguing I didn't think the music blended well (I listen to the original soundrtack all the time and the fissue music feels out of place by comparison - not bad, just mismatched) and I felt the globe rotation was unnecessary. Overall the new fissue felt very Obduction-like, not as much Riven-like. Criticisms all said, I still *loved* this remake; I will be playing it again once I forget how to do half the puzzles, and I loved the lore additions, both novel (e.g. the powermarbles in the fissue) and additions from the novels. I specifically want to call-out Anna's portrayal; the one character model that I thought was believably emotive, and the actress did an amazing job making me feel the emotions in her lines as well - exactly how I'd imagine Anna sounding after walking Gehn out of the volcano at the end of her book.

I would like to recommend to anyone who loves the Adventure Game genre that you purchase and play the new Riven, just released back in June. And for anyone who played and loved the 1997 version, you will find the remake, fully rebuilt in Unreal Engine, to be as good or better across almost every dimension. While still being very faithful to the original, some logical changes were made, and with some solid additions to the worlds and to gameplay which give it new life. Cyan is and still is a small, indie game developer, and relies on word of mouth to be seen in a very crowded field of titles -- especially on Steam. I bought it here hoping Cyan would get a better cut of the sale price than at Steam, but I'm a little surprised that there's not more discussion around it here. So give it a go! Players familiar with the original are cautioned to try to take your time, savor getting reacquainted with an old friend, and play through the game as if you had never played it before, or you will probably miss stuff you don't want to miss.

A gorgeous remake of one of the best games of all time! This is a masterpiece and it's not just a great puzzle game because Cyan is the master of full immersive environmental world building. Every view is a work of art and the environmental sounds add to the ambience of the world. It's not just seeing the most realistic waves of water moving and lapping up against the shore but hearing the water, wind and insects that make it feel so real and serene. And the puzzles, they are not just puzzles for puzzles sake. They have an environment purpose adding to the lore of the inhabitants of this world. Cyan has also changed many of the puzzles and added new places so this is more than just a remake. Old and new players alike can feel like it is all brand new. Even though I give it 5 stars it's not perfect. A few of the 3D characters are poorly done and off-putting, taking us away from the realism that Cyan so meticulously created. There are a few glitches from time to time and it can run a tad hot that I am sure future upgrades or patches will resolve. Now please remake Myst 3!

The Riven of 97' was a work of art and Cyan have done it again. The level of craft and love put into this remake is impeccable. The changes made are thoughtful and respectful to the spirit of the original, while simultaneously diving into new territory that put me in shock, awe and delight. It's wonderful to know original creatives such as Richard Vander Wende (art/design) and Robyn Miller (music) were able to return for this version. And inspiring to see new voices such as Eric Anderson and Hannah Gamiel innovate and lead the way forward with their vision. Cyan continues to prove that interactive media is capable of the level of craft, care, artistry and thoughtfulness that we expect of literature/film. May they continue to flourish.

Ever since my school days I've enjoyed the Myst series. Oh sure back then I wasn't patient or smart enough to really figure the game out. However now, even if I haven't finished the whole series, I have beaten the first three. Myst has received many remakes in the past, and Riven never did. It got re-released, and that's great, but a full remake using modern tech never seemed to happen. "The Starry Expanse Project" (Which IS credited here), handed everything over to Cyan to help start the official remake. Now the game is out, and what was old is new again. I'll start by saying that the character models, while 3d, are MUCH better than the Myst VR remake. Still not the strong point of the game, but it allowed them to keep the voice of Ghen intact, something I'm thankful for. The models didn't rip me out of the game like Myst VR's did at first. Howevever when there's no characters around or close, the game graphically shines. It's amazing to be able to say that Riven 2024 in real time looks identical fidelity wise (and higher resolution to boot) as the '97 original in all the best ways. This game is unbelievable in terms of visuals, especially considering the budget price tag. Robyn's soundtrack is also here in full effect, and the sound design as like in '97 cannot be topped. Some of the puzzles have been changed (For the better, in my opinion on at least one of them) and the new stuff added gives Riven even more of a sense of having been lived in. I won't spoil in case a newer Myst fan is just getting into this series and plays the classics first, but my face lit up and I was stunned as a dream of a decade for me, and 27 years for people who played the game at launch, finally was realized on the exploration front. There's a few flaws that could use a patch (one character I had movement tearing on their model, but it wasn't screen tearing), but it's still an amazing experience for the price.