Riven (1997)

Riven is nothing more than amazing. Just recently I caught myself musing about the lack of aesthetics in games. It seems a little weird that we have so many games like Crysis; visual spectacles that invests billions of polygons in rendering somewhat unimaginative and ugly environments. Where are the games about beautiful worlds that you explore at a calm pace? The answer is Riven. After playing through the game I find myself wanting to pack my bags and go jumping into the one way linking book to get there. The world is beautifully rendered, even passable by modern standards and stretches huge expanses which takes hours to explore even if you ignore the puzzles. When I first booted it up I found myself doing just that. Wandering through the surreal landscape admiring the view. Eventually I turned to the puzzles and much to my delight, they were mostly logical yet seamlessly integrated into the world. There were only a few spots were I flicked to a walkthrough from frustration and even then it was rarely the puzzles fault; I had somehow missed a lever or button. Riven is what Myst wanted to be. It took the story and concept and expanded it exponentially, creating a rich, surreal environment that is full of life and dare I say it, believable. The puzzles seem natural and don't break the flow of exploration. My only problem is that GOG doesn't stock Myst 3 yet.....

This game features the most Immersible environment and storyline that i have seen in a game. On top of this the world is photo-real, and remarkably detailed. The puzzles are weaved into the world, not out of place and obvious, like in Myst. You deserve to play this amazingly crafted masterpiece.

Finally I can play Riven again without switching between discs. The game is very large (especially for it's time) so they had to put it on 5 discs and it always got annoying switching discs between areas. This has always been one of my favorite games and now it runs faster and the graphics seem even slightly better :) Where Myst was lacking Riven more than made up for it. The puzzles are still challenging and get your mind working, but they are intuitive and not too difficult. This is one game where thinking ahead and writing down notes might actually help. If you love adventures or mysteries, you'll love this game! Still one of my favorites. Even if you're just a fan of the old point and click games this is a must have! The atmosphere alone is a good enough reason to get this game. Sometimes eerie, but mostly peaceful this is a gaming experience you don't want to miss. Now if GOG only added Cyberia 1 & 2, I would be a customer for life! :)

The thing about the Myst series is that while you are trying to figure out the puzzles and collect clues, the environment and artwork is so beautifully well done that you can look around and just enjoy being there even if you are stuck on a puzzle for a while. I have still yet to see games as beautifully well done since the Myst series and the music is just as awesome as the artwork. I Love the Myst games, they're a little fantasy, a little puzzle game, a little bit adventure and all with a great story line and great art. I even have the real book written by the Rand brothers and it's awesome too. They just don't seem to be making them like this any more but I am still looking!

I played this game back when it was a ton of discs that you swapped through as you played. A disc per island... So now, to have a digital copy where discs don't have to be swapped every time I travel is phenomenal. I originally hesitated at purchasing this, because I have a friend who bought a copy a while back and he said there was a glitch that made you skip pages on Atrus's diary, which really killed some of the immersion. However, I am happy to report that as of me playing it now that the bug must have been fixed in some previous updates, because everything is working flawlessly. Myst was great, but Riven took the whole series to another level. A level that, as far as I am concerned, has yet to be matched even in the later games. (except MAYBE Uru...) The immersion in this game is perfect. The sound effects, music, and world around you are superb. Turn off the lights when you play, maybe plug in some headphones, and enjoy the world that was so painstakingly crafted to be amazing. The puzzles are difficult. Not gonna lie. But, it's part of the Myst series, so that is to be expected. The beauty is that you can explore at your leisure, and the exploration MEANS SOMETHING. You are constantly connecting dots, finding places you didn't realize you could click to move, reading histories of the characters in their diaries or journals, and working your way through a labyrinth designed to push you to your mental limits. Also, if you haven't had the opportunity, I HIGHLY recommend fining and reading the Myst novels. They give background information which fills in so many gaps and makes you really appreciate the game you are playing. I can't give this game any less than 5 stars... It's what it deserves. It's what it has always deserved.