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Riven

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: April 26, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Riven is a fun game, and you have to be observant and have a good memory to beat it. Some things are a little too hidden - the only reason I found one thing is because I read the cheat book (shh! don't tell!) The one big difference between this and Myst, I'd say, is that while I found Myst peaceful and tranquil in it's loneliness, this one was almost creepy. You know there are people there, but they shut the door on you and you're constantly going into dark, dank rooms that, frankly, creep the living daylights out of me. It was also easier to get from world to world than Myst - I still have to look in the cheat book for Myst to get off the main island. (No, shut up! I know I'm stupid!) Overall, a really good game, but don't play it after seeing a scary movie or at 1 A.M. You'll constantly be looking over your shoulder for some native with a knife.

"Riven": An Even More Engaging Experience

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: January 08, 2002
Author: Amazon User

"Riven" is a continuation of the popular role-playing game, "Myst." I didn't think it could outdo its predecessor, as most sequels are never able to quite live up to the original. But "Riven" more than met that task. In fact, "Riven" so surpasses "Myst" in scope, storyline and task that it's almost boggling.

The game opens with you returning to D'Ni again after transporting through the linking book in the Library on Myst Island. The ever-knowledgeable Atrus, played by Rand Miller, thanks you for coming back and says he needs your help. And from then the race is on: You need to find his wife Catherine who is trapped in a prison somewhere on the Riven Age. Her captor turns out to be Atrus' father, Gehn, a madman who wants to destroy his own son. Along the way, you encounter people, puzzles, awesome creatures (like Sunners and Wahrks), and dazzling special effects.

Just like on Myst Island, the clues you discover on the five islands in Riven are what reveal the story to you. "Riven" is increasingly more complex than "Myst" in that regard. Everything is just bigger and, in my opinion, better. The graphics have improved tremendously; the Quicktime videos used for all the animations in the game are improved; the puzzles are harder and are more integrated into the storyline than ever before; and there is actually character interaction in this game - much more so than simply meeting people through Prison Books, like in "Myst."

"Riven" is definitely habit-forming. The first time I played it, I ended up just walking around and looking at everything before I decided to actually begin my journey on rescuing Catherine. When you step out into the open a few minutes after the real action begins, the sense of "this is gonna be bigger and more immersive than Myst" sets in.

I cannot say enough positive things about "Riven." I end up playing it more than "Myst" and have sometimes preferred it over "Myst III: Exile." To say I am fascinated with everything on those five islands is an understatement. I sometimes with I could actually go to the Riven Age and explore; that's how seriously disturbed I really am!

In short, if you love the "Myst Phenomenon," get "Riven." "Riven" improves upon pretty much everything that made "Myst" such an awesome success. Let it capture your heart and your imagination like it did mine.

Warning to all: runs only on out-of-date systems.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: June 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I can't comment on Riven itself but I can comment on the misleading marketing. I have a Mac operating Mac OS 10 on a PowerPC chip. The system requirements list only "PowerPC" as required. But in fact Riven only operates under the "Classic" environment which means Mac's running 10.2.6 or LESS. Buyer beware.

Same is true on my Dell running Windows XP --Riven only runs on older systems (e.g.,Windows 95). Again, buyer beware.

Adventuring ain't for loners

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 11 / 17
Date: January 08, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Others have commented on the richness of the sound score, the sumptuousness of the graphics, and the immersion the puzzles provide for you. All true. But I find people's devotion to Riven and its predecessor a bit overblown.

There are design faults here that should be pointed out. The 'slide-show' effect when moving probably does allow sufficient computer memory for photo-realism while standing still, but it compromises the realism that the producers were otherwise attempting. Besides that, it's simply annoying. Some have said that it adds a certain elegance to movement throughout the game, but I don't like seeing my surroundings 'melt' away as I move through them. Nor do I like sterile, empty environments. Oh sure, it all adds to the 'creepy' vibe the producers were hoping for, but a universe which is largely uninhabited is mighty boring after a few hours. I wanted wayyyyy more interaction with people than I got here.

I also wanted to understand why I was doing what I was doing. Oh I could solve the puzzles, given gobs of time and guesswork, but at the end I found the plot rather too spare for the amount of work invested. If I'm going to spend weeks solving puzzles, I better understand more at the end of the story than at the beginning. I'm not altogether sure that happens here. The universe here, for all of its graphical excellence, left me hungry for more. Clearly, this is an entertainment crafted by fine artists rather than fine writers. If you're happy with that orientation, you'll be overjoyed with the final product. But if, like me, you want a game to surround you with an active, vibrant plot revealed by characters of substance, Riven isn't much of an adventure.

The Great Escape

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 23, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Imagine what it would be like to be the only living intelligent being in a strange and mysterious world and the only tool you have to discover it's secrets and get back to your own world is your grey matter. One of the best things about this game, aside from absolute non-violence, is that you cannot be hurt or killed and have to start over. You can explore to your hearts' content and never fear anything. It certainly is extremely challenging and requires intelligence and reasoning. It is not a game for the average person. It has been a year since I finished the challenge and I still miss the adventure. I have yet to find anything as satisfying and enjoyable.

A quest for the mind.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: July 24, 2000
Author: Amazon User

When you first play Riven, you know your in for an experience unlike any other. Sound that moves with your location; music that calmly plays or alerts you, where ever you are. And puzzles that will haunt you until you finish the game. Riven is not a game for people who just like to have action on the screen, it's for people who like taking time and figuring out puzzles. Given some puzzles can be odd and down right hard, but if you look what is given to you, you'll soon realize it's easier than it is letting on. Besides the puzzles, the amount of things you can do in the game are just breathtaking, with many options for you to fool with and gain access to a new path, or block one completly. The pre-rendered graphics are greatly enhanced this time around, with amazing 3D visuals and a plethora of movies. It feels so life like and natural, you'd swear you were their. From the cone trees of Myst, to the lush forests of Riven, it's a big step in computer gaming. So basically, if your a puzzle fan, get this, it maybe your hardest conquest yet.

riveting

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: October 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Without a doubt, this is the best computer game I have ever played. The plot is complex and absorbing, the virtual world of Riven is so fantastically crafted and exquisitely detailed that it is almost hard to believe. Do yourself a favor and skip the hint books--process is the whole point of this game. Take the time to be intrigued by this strange and beautiful place. Pick up clues, keep your eyes open, and watch the puzzle pieces slowly begin to connect. These days, when there is so much violence in computer games, Riven is refreshing and striking in its artistry. Getting through it is a real mental achievement. As a sequel, Riven is much better than Myst...and that's saying something.

Probably the best game I've ever played.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: April 10, 2000
Author: Amazon User

In both Myst and Riven you are dropped into an alien world with no idea what is going on, what you are supposed to do, or how to start "playing." The best you can do is stumble around and try to figure out what happened to you -- which puts you directly into the character the game designers created. The incredible graphics and sound of this game (DO play with the best headphones you have if you don't have fantastic speakers) divorce you from the real world and draw you into Riven -- you can be paralyzed with fear, incredibly nervous, or totally overjoyed within seconds of starting play. The emotional effect this game had on me is shocking -- there were points when I was so scared I had to turn the sound off and remind myself that I was not, in fact, about to be eaten. Riven is different from myst in that there are animals and people -- you are not the only thing alive in this world (save those two butterflies in Myst, it was just you). None of these animals (or people) attack you -- there's no fighting in this game -- but their presence creates a feeling of danger as well as eerieness that myst lacked. Later on you do have the opportunity to interact with people, and you can die -- but, as in Myst, in these later stages it is not too difficult to pick the correct action. The puzzles are harder than those in myst, but less arbitrary; luck plays a smaller part, and logic a larger one. It is possible to get incredibly frustrated, or stuck in the position of going over the same ground dozens (or hundreds) of times and not seeing anything new; when this happens, take a long break. The answers are never too hard to find. The details and story are much richer than in myst, and the world is much more explorable; there are a couple of notable exceptions, however, when I would have killed to be able to explore further in a particular direction. There are a couple of misleading dead ends as well, but for the most part the puzzle design isn't too cruel. As with Myst, play with everything and write it all down; Riven gives you the added bonus of being able to see and understand the people who inhabit its world and apply this reference to the puzzles.

Simply terrific

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: June 06, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I don't play computer games. Like, at all. Except for Myst, and now Riven. They are intelligent, require thought, and immerse you in a fascinating world of the Miller's imagination. I was delighted with Riven, but I was having a hell of a time getting through it - and my partner was stuck too - then we started playing it together. My intuition, his straightforward logic, and our mutual enjoyment of the glorious world of Riven - not only did we get to play a terrific game, it helped us see the strengths of our differences! Challenging, clever, overwhelming graphics and so-realistic sounds, the world of Riven is addictive in the best way. Only problem is, there's no room for a sequel. Rats.... but I would recommend Riven and Myst to any thinking adult who just doesn't understand the appeal of those mindless 'shoot 'em up' computer games. This one's different. This one is terrific. Buy it, play it, live it.

Beautiful graphics, frustrating game

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 14
Date: March 07, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I totally agree with the person who wrote: "If, like me, you want a game to surround you with an active, vibrant plot revealed by characters of substance, Riven isn't much of an adventure."

I can't find adventure in this game at all, just frustration. There's nothing to do but gather hints and eventually free a missing person. Be prepared to walk around beautifully designed landscapes devoid of life, feeling VERY lonely - a feeling that is strongly supported by sounds and music. You encounter a few creatures on your path, but you can't communicate with them. You are supposed to learn about and to use an "alien technology" all by yourself. So you push buttons and pull levers someplace, and if you're very smart or very lucky, you find out exactly what they do - probably on one of the other islands.

I find this game very frustrating. I wish there was something elso to do but walk around the same places over and over again in search of the tiny hint I MUST have overlooked - because otherwise I wouldn't be stuck, right? Even the most breathtaking sights become boring after two dozen times.

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