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A thinking game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: August 30, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I can't recommend this game enough. You walk away smarter.

If you like a game with a lot of action forget it. If you like to feel like you accomplished something, this is the game for you.

It's predecessor Myst was excellent preparation for the type of game this is. There is no "Action" per se, just clues and objects to work through. You don't get killed, you don't get points. You do however get an appreciation for how intricate details can be interlinked.

Imagine that you end up in a land, where you have to put together the pieces to figure out what happened. This is both Myst and Riven.

If you play Myst first, it will help you understand what this is all about. I recommend it highly. It will give you a sense of what you are looking for and why. Myst was a land where you realized that two brothers had done something and were trapped in books for their efforts. Their father and mother also were elsewhere and looking for one another and had left clues in this same area. Your assignment is to piece together, what happened and use your gut feel on how to act in regards to that. There are in fact 4 possible endings to Myst.

In my opinion and from what I have seen at home, unless you have a very analytical child, this will not hold their interest. This is an adult game and not from the perspective that you are protecting the child. I honestly think this would be an excellent assignment for a child to hone their thought processes on. However the lack of action and need for real thinking most children will think of as work, not fun.

Put on your thinking caps and dive in.

I'm waiting for the next one.

Amazing...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 25, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I can sum this game up in one word...AMAZING! The graphics and worlds are unbelivable. There is no violence, or anything like that in the game. Don't worry about difficult controls either. All you need to know is just how to point and click. The plot is great and you'll find yourself begin to be pulled into the world of Riven. You may want to play the game before you buy it.Some of the puzzles may be a little hard. OK!what am I saying!I couldn't beat it without a guide. Lots and lots of fun.

Setting the standard

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: May 19, 1998
Author: Amazon User

Now, I never played Myst (my old computer couldn't handle it), so I write this review not to compare the two games. Rather I write simply to say that I believe this game to be one of the most fascinating digital entertainment experiences of my life so far. The graphics are undeniably beautiful, the music invigorating, and the puzzles fascinating, engrossing, and sometimes even sensual. But to stop short and merely comment upon the production values and basic game play would be to miss the larger point. The creators of this game had a vision. They are artists with something to say, something to show. The game is not merely a beautified jigsaw puzzle, but an expression of a vision of the world of literature, art, culture, and video games. It carries within it the pain of creation, the self-consciousness of expression, and a small piece of the meaning of life. If, someday, interactive multimedia replaces the cinema as medium of choice for popular entertainment, Riven will be considered one of the first mature examples of the art form.

Very disappointing

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 19, 1997
Author: Amazon User

Riven sets high expectations, and doesn't deliver. The main problem is that the core technology is about 4 years old, and feels like it. In the meantime between Myst and Riven, two major technologies have come out that show the inadequacies of the Myst technology. First is the panoramic view technology that was used in Zork: Nemesis and the recently released Zork: Grand Inquisitor. Being able to look 360 degrees around you was a major improvement over the Myst engine, and Riven's pseudo-panoramic views are not as immersive. Second, the Quake engine by id software proved that you can have a great game with less-than-Myst-quality graphics, and still have an immersive world. What Quake offers is the ability to see a point in your environment, go there, and look around from that point of view. Too many times in Riven I wanted to explore over rocks, or in a crevice, and found myself unable to get there, because like in Myst, the Riven creators selectively rendered individual scenes of the world. So, those are two personal grievances based on the level of sophistication of the Riven engine. How about the gameplay? Here again, Riven fails to deliver. From bugs in the programming (which the patch fixed), to obscure and hard to see hotspots, the game doesn't even live up to Myst's level of enjoyable gameplay. At some points the game devolves to nothing more than "Click every pixel in the image, because something must be clickable". Also, the game's story seems to have less human involvement than the last game. In Myst, even though you didn't see many people the game had an intriguing story line. After quite extensive playing of the Riven game, and solving many puzzles, I was frustrated by the lack of human intrigue. The people that you do see (at least up 'til the point I stopped playing) run away, or just don't talk. The pacing of the game just feels wrong, because it doesn't give you enough intrigue to hold your interest - just a lot of pretty machines and animals and scenery. Add to all this the fact that you have to swap CDs quite often during the game, and the game ends up being more trouble than it's worth. If you haven't tried it, go out and get Zork Nemesis. It's a much more involving story, and the gameplay is much better.

Wow! Wow wow wow wow!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: August 08, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Myst set the stage for dozens and dozens of adventure games, and with such an act to follow Cyan had a difficult time topping themselves. But amazingly, they did...

Riven picks up exactly where the Myst left off. You are in the chanber with Atrius and he sends you to Riven to try and trap his father and rescue his wife and the people of the land. Unfortunately the moment you arrive in Riven you have your trap book taken from you and embark on an island hopping trip to try and recover it and confront Gehn once and for all.

The thing that makes Riven so beautiful is that there are living creatures around you now. You can walk around one corner and see a frightened group of villagers runing away from you and hiding, you can catch a child peeking out at you from around a corner, bugs crawl on the walls, and large sea mammals bask on rocks at the beach.

Turn the lights off, crank the speakers up, and play riven... you'll find yourself lost in the world of puzzles, of frightened natives, politics... and everything else. Myst was groundbreaking because it was so unique, and Riven is likewise because its ALIVE. Probably the most alive game I've ever played.

Dysfunctional family as backdrop for greatest game ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: August 21, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Players of Myst very likely felt a bit disappointed by the end of that first chapter as many unanswered questions loomed: What is D'ni, and why can't I explore it? Where is the camera-shy Catherine? Who is this great foe that Atrus speaks of? Why can't Atrus take the time to get his nose out of the tome he's writing in and offer his savior a bit more than mere access to the places I've already been? How did I supposedly stumble across the book that delivered me to Myst in the first place? What's with the guy falling through the stars in the beginning? WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

True, the ending of Myst is a bit disappointing. Nothing is resolved, other than the freeing of a man whom you didn't otherwise know was trapped (I presumed him dead), and the subsequent removal of his sons' opportunity for liberation. We feel cheated, like the whole experience was nothing but a shill to divert our attention and whet our appetites for the main course.

Ladies and gentlemen, the main course:

The title itself has a variety of meanings: On the surface, it is the name of the age in which you will spend much of your journey. But the age itself consists of a land that is literally riven - between two separate cultures (i.e. the D'ni and the Rivenese), within those cultures (e.g. the Rivenese and the Moiety), cosmically, politically, geologically and even seismically. This as an example of the game's many layers barely scratches the surface - we've only mentioned the title here, folks.

Riven picks up exactly where Myst left off. Still toiling with his nose in that mysterious book (pun intended), Atrus speaks to you in that same ruin-riddled D'ni cavern. He says very little, but alludes to the basic component of your mission - free the previously unseen Catherine, trap the aforementioned greater foe, Gehn.

Immediately it is established that Riven is not as insular an experience as its predecessor and the game wastes no time in immersing you with a sense of danger as you make enemies and arouse suspicion in your only friends immediately upon your arrival. As you travel through the environs of Riven (which seem, and are, far more vast than any you've encountered in Myst), there are constant reminders that you are not alone and that, in fact, you're very likely being watched.

By whom? By Atrus' arch-nemesis, of course, Gehn (players of Myst who may also by chance be fans of Greek mythology will appreciate the not-so-subtle allusions to the house of Atreus, putting to rest any questions pertaining to our protagonist's name as phonetically similar to our infamous Theban friend). It should be mentioned here that actor John Keston does a fantastic job rounding out the shrewd character of Gehn. A far cry from the impotence of our nemeses on Myst (marked in part by their imprisonment but also by their tendency to come unhinged), the unflappable Gehn seems (and in many ways is) omnipotent. The design is such that his presence pervades the game even when not present, which makes the long wait in actually meeting the man all the more anticipated.

The most impressive achievement of Riven is the design of the game, which can perhaps best be described as putting the player into the role of archeologist. Advancing in the game requires much more than a random array of unrelated logic tests. Rather, every puzzle in the game serves as a piece of a larger puzzle - the story and the world it takes place in - which, in turn, is quite necessary to debunk in order to crack the two rather daunting puzzles in this game. The game's creators have done much more than create a game here - they've created an entire culture (two of them, actually). They've layered into it history and politics in such a way that makes for a very convicing artifice. Anyone remotely familiar with non-Western cultures will, I think, be baffled by the creators' ability to structure these fictitious cultures so convincingly (the creators' use of the number five as an integral part of the D'ni was brilliant as this tends to serve as a 'magic' number carrying a multitude of meanings cross-culturally). It's what makes the game last, even after repeated walk-throughs.

The only criticism I've heard with regard to this game is that it is very difficult and very slow (with regard to action, not software performance). Indeed, if you'd rather punch holes in aliens, you're better off with Duke Quakem Nine - it will require far fewer brain cells to hack through, and I'm sure it will be action-packed. Otherwise, I think you'll find Riven a satisfying, thought provoking, and even rewarding experience; akin to reading a good book, but one in which you get to take part! What fun!

More challenging than Myst or Myst3 Exile

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: October 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I enjoyed Riven more than any computer game I have ever played, even more than Myst, RealMyst, and Myst3 Exile. The puzzles in Riven were more challenging to me and the entire experience was an exercise in mental endurance, because playing it without a hint book requires patience, persistence, and thoroughness. Upon completion I felt a tremendous amount of satisfaction! I believe games like this, that require you to use deductive reasoning, common sense, and powers of observation, hone one's mind into a sharper tool. Plus, the graphics were most enjoyable. Some of the other reviews I read mentioned boredom and loneliness, which goes to show you that the saying, "different strokes for different folks" is so true. I was NEVER bored or lonely. The very detailed and beautifully rendered scenes inspired in me both peacefulness and euphoria at the same time, and were incredibly enjoyable. And no, I was neither smoking nor drinking anything to feel this way! I recommend this game to all who enjoy being tested and have the mental stamina to stick with problems until they are solved!

A game ahead of its time.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 28, 2002
Author: Amazon User

First of all, I would like to point out that I did not play Myst, the first game in the series. I at first was afraid that I would be left confused and in the dark, but the game explains everything you need to know. What I'm trying to say is that, you don't HAVE to have played Myst before Riven (though I suggest it strongly).

The game's graphics, first of all, are impossibly real. Everything looks almost like a photograph, from the stone cliffs, to the iron railings on the stairs, to the various transportation rides around the age of Riven.

The game is a puzzle game; it is not easy. It is not the kind of game you will sit down at and simply beat. It took me at least six hours without the strategy guide. Just for reference, if one goes through the game and does the ABSOLUTE minimum, i.e. already knows some of the codes and knows exactly what to do when and where, the game will still take about and hour and a half.

The gameplay itself, aside from being beautiful and challenging is an extremely easy to use, idiot proof interface of "click where you want to go." The game is a masterpiece, what more can I say?

Everytihng a sequel should be.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 22, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Riven: The Sequel to Myst has everything you would expect in a follow up to the original game: stunning graphics, difficult puzzles, and a better ending.

Having had a significant amount of time between the release of MYST and Riven, the developers took the game to another level. Picking up where MYST left off, the adventure in this beautiful world begins with no more insight than knowledge you gained from solving the first game. (Please note that while this is a sequel to MYST, completion of the first game is not required to play Riven.)

Although the underlying story and game functionality are basically the same, you will find more puzzles, more tricks, and a more difficult challenge. And, when you get frustrated, you will have as much fun exploring the world and listening to the music as when you reach the "end."

I would be remiss if I did not suggest the original MYST game and the novels that provide background into the D'ni civilization.

"Tight Lines!"

~..~..~.. ><((((*>

Beautiful, Mysterious, Challanging Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: June 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

What I have to say has already been said before, so I'll be breif. Besides the graphics, challanging games and what not there were two things that I really like about this game. One is that you can play in many different ways. A friend of mine started playing this game about the same time as I did. Instead of exploring and not trying to figure anything out until hitting a brick wall like I did, he focused all his energy on the first thing he found. The other thing I liked is how attached you become to the characters. Now, this isn't provided much in the game, especialy if you haven't played Myst, so if you play it I would suggest reading the books or just looking up information online about the character. It makes the game much better. Even without that though it's a wonderful game.

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