Riven (1997)

I am writing this review as if I'm writing it back in 1997, on game's launch date. Review in the context of 2022 will be at the end of this essay. Released four years after the original Myst, in 1997, it really showed the immense leaps the gaming technology was taking. It still keeps the point-and-click core of the original, but the graphic are improved tenfold, almost resembling real life. The transit videos and animations suffer from lower resolution, but keep in mind that this game was a killer app back in the day, released on 5 CDs, so they had to make some compromises. This is the first game of the series that had real "bad" ends, of which there are a few, adding to the realism of one's choices. You really feel the pressure of the decisions you have to take, some of them with "fatal" consequences. The story really engulfs you, making you gradually discover what a monster the main antagonist is, basically the judge, jury and executioner of his islands. And he can hurt you too, you can feel it, you always look behind, when walking around. There are some really cruel things he does, but that's to be discovered by playing the game. Now, let's talk in a 2022 perspective: graphics are a bit outdated, but still hold well, if you think about this game as a slow-pace adventure/discover/puzzle game. The resolution of the in game videos is low, a pity given that they are amazing, as ideas. For modern gamers, the point-and-click controls may be frustrating, but there is a "zip" setting, allowing you to move faster through already visited places. Conclusion: this game is all about story and character discovery. If you really like mystic stories with a sense of awe and danger, set up in idyllic places and with hard but logic puzzles to solve, this is the game for you. If not, you can always try Syberia 1 and 2. And remember: The ending has not yet been written.

Riven looks fine even by today's standards, it's timeless. Myst did not age well in terms of gameplay, Myst is the inferior game here. It was ok, but it felt like you're messing with stuff in an Amusement Park. In contrast, Riven's islands were interconnected and coherent. It's the epitome of thinking, and it's probably the only game that is based on the premise that 99% of people just see stuff but do not notice them. And in this game one who cannot observe, but simply sees, and is unable to perceive what he/she sees, cannot perceive and distinguish the difference. One simply cannot exist. In this game, I think that the words of the great Dutch artist M.C. Escher fit perfectly: "I doubt if the public will ever understand, let alone appreciate, the amount of mental gymnastics that has preceded the construction of such an image".

The game is great for people that really like riddles, and spending lots and lots of time to figure out what to connect with what and what next. In other words, the game is not for everyone. Not for the impatient, and not for those that are reluctant to take notes during the game. The graphics is beautiful, but in very low resolution (compared to current typical screen res'). The way of controlling the character needs some getting used to but it's OK for this kind of game (all you see are animations, and photos (sometimes with moving parts), and you navigate by clicking the side where you want to rotate or walk, and the photo is then replaced by a new one). The story told by the game is not very interesting, in my opinion, but it's enough to catch you. The best part of Riven are the riddles, and I guess that's what was the authors' intention. The riddles are sometimes really complicated and sometimes rather simple. Some of them are local, you just solve them and go along, and some of them are more global, which means you need to see a lot, possibly return multiple times to the same place, to finally figure out what's your objective here and how to complete that. I give 5 stars because the game was really entertaining, but I must say that I wouldn't be able to finish it without a small hint or two, easily found in the internet.

I used to sit in front of my Windows 98SE computer and play this game for hours on end. Trying to best myself every time a puzzle can upon me to solve. I admit I tried to solve this game without the Plimus' Walkthrough, but I was so lost without it, I had not a clue as to how to complete this massive game within this ENCREDITABLE life-like and surreal world created within one of the most breath-taking worlds ever created through the world of computer enjoyment.

I played the original Myst Masterpiece in th late 90s: my first ever computer game and fell in love with the adventure game concept. Riven takes up where Myst left off with vastly improved graphics. This is a great game, wonderful scenery and some challenging puzzles. I have since read the Myst novels which adds a dimension to the game playing.