The most productive step about Riven is that you don’t need to know anything else to get started. You don’t need to have played the Myst games to start here (although I highly recommend the remaster, also from Cyan Worlds – it’s available right here), or the unedited Riven. You’re at a loss for words and you’re misplaced as the hero, and that’s part of what brings this global level to today – the discovery. Without ruining that sense of wonder and mystery, the big shocker is that a layout of islands is falling apart through unseen forces. Traditional civilization, which started using books as a medium between the worlds after settling them. Naturally, with so much energy, it’s rife for abuse, and your good friend Katherine is swept up in the middle of it all. Using these types of books, you set out to save him, but can you cross the generations?
Starting from the year you start, trapped behind the rusted bars of the cage, you’ll find that Cyan Worlds has recreated those Hollywood-quality semi-animated pictures you should have seen way back in 1997, though now is completely explored in an exploratory 3-D universe. Unedited operates from a single CD-ROM (effectively – 5 of them. It luckily came out on DVD an hour later), one of the earliest video games to do so, although you played between flat panels with smart animations. Traveled (over 4000 in total!) to deliver the moments between dates. On those panels you will solve complex puzzles that will constantly provide you with some MacGuffin to solve subsequent puzzles. Now you’re free to roam around on this remake, looking at those 2D parts from all angles, thanks to the full conversion to Unreal Engine 4. If you’ve ever wondered what the texture of the giant sword is, without any delay you start looking at the field to the left of the cage, it seems like you are now welcome to get up and personal.
Certainly one of my favorite parts of Riven (and the Myst layout for that matter) is that there is such a tremendous amount of lore to explore. Pulling the chain on a golden scarab beetle causes its wings to become visible, inside which a small circle with a graffiti appears. Peeking inside one finds a tapestry that tells the story of the main antagonist and his approach to power. Likewise, your personal journal entries add up to an admirable offering of knowledge, revealing much more. The best secrets are always right in front of you, and even more so when you say “Oh, of course!” Then sometimes, before even looking at the answer, you knew it was there. All of those puzzles are deeply rooted in trivia, so don’t expect Monkey Island non-sequitur pully chickens right here. They’re not simple by any means, and arguably more difficult than its predecessor Myst (a lot of untouched puzzles were added to this model), but they never feel unfair. Take your thinking hat with you.
To help you solve your puzzle, you pick up a pocket book. You can take a screenshot at any time, and then go back to that display screen and annotate it. This is extremely useful, as you can briefly reference puzzle parts from another room, or re-reference symbols without needing to write them into a reserve in the real world. This entire layout is deeply connected to secrets that you will discover throughout the generations, so it is admirable to take a picture of something that you think might be useful to refer to then.
As I discussed, the unedited game used old full motion video cut into stills for the backgrounds, although it also had a full team of actors to bring the game up to date. Not all of these actors are still with us, but they’ve been surprisingly introduced in the game to date/ I won’t say more without spoiling some incredible surprises, but suffice it to say that if you did the unedited you would You will be amazed at what the Karenge Cyan team has achieved here. I don’t know how else they would have done it, yet it couldn’t have been cheaper or simpler to produce incredible effects. For those moments where I shouldn’t be intense, you’ll get the occasional untouched face. Those actors and actresses do an incredible job bringing the game up to date, and are a welcome boost to the realm of Riven.
Riven also supports VR straight out of the box, if you’re equipped for it. It’s a whole different pleasure, and now with the tactile parts of VR, it’s more immersive than ever. The puzzles are the same, but being able to reach out and touch them is another thing. As a little non-spoiler example, if you first read about one of the most primary characters, Riven, you see 5 beautiful golden beetles in a chamber. Drawing a story with a circle causes the beetles to spread their wings, revealing a small magnifying glass. Inside you’ll see a beautiful vignette that highlights parts of the story. Clicking on the story is something different, and when you do the wings become absolutely noticeable. Doing it the VR way, slowly stretching them noticeably as you progress the story, opening wings just as quickly as you kill them. With the ability to do it in VR…just wow.
One of the most important things to note if you’re unfamiliar with Realms of Myst and Riven is that these games have historically not been straightforward. You can and almost certainly will be able to solve most of the puzzles when you stumble upon the solution or it eventually comes to you, however when you liberate multiple islands you are free to explore the area. . You’ll be constantly visiting them all, so don’t expect the game to save your hand and guide you from A to B. Explore, hurry up into the world around you, and learn that the huge door you encountered almost at the beginning certainly hasn’t been noticeable for a very long time. It additionally means that you would like to be able to see the monolithic structure that you want to succeed in, but it doesn’t take a little longer to get there. This is a different time of puzzles, and one that may require perseverance, for better or worse.
The optical upgrades are probably the most noticeable of this era and probably the first thing you’ll notice is that admirable attention was paid to audio. This is an important quality of the area, and the staff at Cyan Worlds clearly agree. The voices of the actors and actresses are incredible, the ambient pitch of the field blares in the background, and the song (which is more brassy than Mist) has never sounded better. I’m not sure if there will be a re-recording, but it’s as warm and welcoming as I remember, perfectly encapsulating the pitch for this game.
So much of Riven is about standing on a rock, looking out into space, and questioning how you get to a section. It’s about pulling levers, pressing buttons, learning symbols and uncovering secrets. Each puzzle tells you something about the whole story and the people in it and the ability to put stock, in that quest. Sure, it’s gorgeous and feels fantastic, however it’s no longer the stage that will keep you hooked. Wrong, the hidden playground that Cyan Worlds has created will keep you occupied for 15 to 20 hours as you try to figure out everything there is to do with it. Seeing how much love and focus they put into this masterpiece, it’s great to enjoy everywhere once again.
Ron can also be a fourth level Lightless Belt with master rank in the Matsumura Seito Shorin-Ryu, Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do, Common Tang Soo Do Alliance, and World Tang Soo Do Federation. In his quest to become an all-round warrior he also ranks among various other types.
Ron was married to gaming development writer Laura Burke for 28 years. They have 3 dogs – Pazuzu (Irish terrier), Ate, and Calliope (each an Australian Kelpie/Pit Bull mix), and an axolotl named Dagon!
When Riven was first released in 1997 it was promoted as a gorgeous piece of art. Now almost 30 years later, Cyan Worlds has returned to that world, bringing it in line with modern requirements using the gear of these days. Once again, they have created a gorgeous piece of artwork, and a global utility that is once again being discovered everywhere. It will take a look at your thoughts, it is a dinner party on your visuals and ears, and if you enjoy deep puzzles, this is a game you absolutely cannot skip.
Unless otherwise noted, the product in this article was provided for review purposes.
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