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MYST-ified by Riven

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 07, 1997
Author: Amazon User

Riven is probably the best game that will grace computer screens for a long time. Cyan, Inc. has done a superb job on Riven and the four year wait for us fans was worth it. A lot of time and effort has been put into Riven and it shows:
The amazing graphics and realistic textures along with superb ambient sounds and haunting music all add to its overall excellence. Riven is a continuation of the Myst storyline, but can be played without having played Myst though the experience for Myst fans might have more meaning as they will understand what is going on a bit better.

The graphics in Riven are the result of a lot of hard work, including trips to New Mexicoto photograph, among others, adobe buildings for textures in the game, some of which ranged in size from 60 to 100 Megs. Also, new graphic technology called Shaders, created by Lume, Inc. were used to create the fabulous shadows and water movements in Riven. The video in Riven is seamlesly integrated into the still images in the game, and they are not grainy at all. The full screen animation in some parts of Riven is astounding, making the player feel like they really were riding the MagLev or the Mine Cart. Many players might get frustrated with the puzzles on Riven but it has to be realized that, unlike the puzzles in Myst, those in Riven are not contained, you will have to visit more than one of the 5 islands in Riven to solve a puzzle in most cases. The puzzles are not as hard as some claim, if you pay attention to all that is around you and think of things as being interrelated you will have an easier time with them.

The one thing that I really like about Riven is its realism in terms of the graphics, they really add to the immersive environment that Riven is. Also the fact that codes change for each new game you play..so the one from your old game to open this or that will not work in your new one. I have to admit however that swapping CD's was a bit annoying as it breaks the spell that Riven weaves on the player each time the CD must be changed. Some might ask why so many CD's and why aren't they used in order..This is because there is a common thread that links all in Riven and it is the number 5 (It is Gehn's 5th Age), hence 5 Islands, 5 CD's etc.

Riven is certainy worth your money as it is something that, like a book, can be opened again and again...there will always be something new to discover in Riven.
As the D'ni would say: Kehnehm'neah lohnehm Riven. That's: You are empty, discover Riven.

Too opened-ended for most.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Riven looks like Myst. Riven sounds like Myst. Riven plays like Myst...sort of. The producers emulated Myst in almost every way but they decided to change one important thing: they made it more open-ended. In Myst, you start on a small island, told what to do (collect pages) and have unlock other areas to proceed. In Riven, you are dropped in large area of five interconnected islands with only the vaguest idea of what to do. To find your way on your own requires a meticulous manner and loads of free time. My advice is spend a reasonable amount of time then use a walkthough as needed.

A technical note: I could not this running in Windows 2000. Riven requires Apple Quicktime 2 to run and after installing that I could get the sound to work. It may have a conflict between Quicktime 2 and Quicktime 6/iTunes also installed. The game ran fine on Windows 98.

Enjoyable, frustrating

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: September 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I told myself I was NOT going to use any hints to solve Riven. Actually I got through most of the game without hints. But then I got frustrated and finally gave in and got help. Riven is perhaps the most difficult of the Myst series. The one critical puzzle involving coded locks was so difficult that after finding the solution online, and realizing I had been on the right track towards the solution, still there was no way I would have cracked the full code, even though I had deciphered some of the code on my own. As with other Myst games, there was also one important area that I didn't find on my own, because I didn't click around enough (a small and non-obvious hot spot). There are fewer ages in Riven than in the other Myst games, and about 95% of the game consists of finding your way around the islands that make up the first age. In that respect it is a different game experience than the others. The prerendered point-and-click interface is much like the original Myst.

Imaginative and sophisticated, better than Myst

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 08, 2000
Author: Amazon User

At the time I was engrossed in this game, I had a horribly flawed computer, and with constantly having to switch among five CDs and pray that the game wouldn't crash, it wasn't the pleasant experience that it should have been. I heartily recommend Riven even if you have never played Myst. The puzzles are easier, but still challenging, and the story has more depth and complexity. Your goal is to unravel the secrets of a island community which appears to be dominated by someone using high technology to appear as a god to the natives. Anthropologists will especially enjoy this. The lavishly rendered environment is the star of this game, and just exploring the nooks and crannies of rain forests, dark grottoes, and buildings is enjoyable. Don't despair if your progress comes to a screeching halt; for example, if you're in the forest, and looking at an animal carving, remember that the answer is right under your nose! (that's my only cryptic hint for you.) I much preferred how the puzzles in Riven were generally based on the natural features and creatures of the islands, or related to the native culture, rather than the abstract exercises which dominated Myst.

Fabulous

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 28, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I'm not a gamer but after Myst and now Riven, I'm hooked!! Great game! Requires powers of observation, jotting down notes, and even some "nudges" along the way. Loved it!

The most intriguing game I have ever played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 08, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Being one of the older members (late 50's) I found this game to be a real challenge. Firstly I had to establish where I was. Then go everywhere & look a everything. I had the most fabulous time travelling on the trams, working out the puzzles and just tripping around.
I did not want it to finish!
I think it is better than Myst - but different, better than Exile (I felt Exile was too short).
The graphics were really good. What else can I say but it was surpurb. Thank you.
I would love to find another game similar to Riven

Curiosity

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

John Hodge wrote '...mine is the generation that travels the world in search of something we haven't tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite, and never outstay your welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience, and if it hurts, you know what, it's probably worth it.'
This is the perfect thesis for 'Riven'. The sequel to the ground-breaking game 'Myst', 'Riven' finds you once again with Atrus, the man you rescued in the 'Myst'. He has a new mission for you. Capture his evil father in a prison book, rescue his wife, Catherine, and open the star fissure. There are a few problems. First off, finding Atrus' father is harder than it sounds; second Atrus may be holding back information from you; and third, Catherine is considered a goddess, what has her time away from Atrus done to her?
When you first find yourself in Riven, an Age made up of five islands you are imprisoned, your prison book stolen, and no clues but what you find in Atrus' journal. The first island requires you to think like an archaeologist, find the clues and discover the true nature of Atrus' father's work. The second island requires you to find unusual links between the animals and the villagers. While at the same time learning all about the reclusive villagers themselves. On the third island you must work a complicated set of levers, pipes, and more levers to gain access to Atrus' father's abandoned lab. The fourth island is an enigmatic challenge that will unlock the mysteries you've gathered clues on thus far. And the fifth island requires you to face Atrus' father, Catherine, and determine the fate of the people of Riven.
It is a marvelous chase, hours of puzzle-working, and about three stenopads of notes. The five-disc 'Riven' makes 'Myst' looks like a baby toy. Fantastic graphics, marvelous sound, and a world where everything nothing is useless and everything is a clue.

EXCELLENT

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've never been able to figure out how to play MYST. I wouldn't say that I am exactly computer savvy though. Riven was an excellent surprise. I got it because of all the excellent reviews. The images are so beautiful. The only problem with this game is that it cannot be uninstalled from your harddrive, and it takes up a LOT of space. I don't think they've come out with a patch for it yet. I can still give it five stars though.

Not my favorite puzzle/adventure game.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: June 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This may just be my personal preferences, but here's what I think about Riven.
The graphics are beautiful, stunning even...but not as beautiful or stunning as those in, say, The Legacy of Time.
The puzzles are thought-provoking, but they can sometimes be difficult or impossible to understand simply because you don't know what you're looking for: there's no internal logic to the puzzles. In, say, the 7th Guest each puzzle has a clear goal, and a clear set of rules/guidelines/parameters.
The worst problem, though, is that it's lonely. I just find myself wishing for more people.
My recommendation? Borrow it from a friend or rent a copy from a video game store to see whether you enjoy it before you purchase it at full price.

Second great installment in the Myst saga

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: May 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I tell you this, the creators of Riven sure did their homework in the four year gap between the original Myst and Riven. The graphic improved drastically, meaning whatever computer you were running the original Myst in '93/'94 (Myst first appeared on the Mac in '93, then the PC the following year) would probably not be adequate to run Riven. Certainly Myst had made even greater improvements in the graphics department since Riven, like the 360 degree panning feature for Myst III: Exile, and even more photo-realistic graphics and animation for Myst IV: Revelation, but even for 1997 standards the graphics to Riven still hold up, although it's rather obvious the graphics looks a little more pixelated during some of the animated scenes (like when you take a ride on the cable car, probably to keep the animation fast without slowing it down for the computers of the time). But for the most part, the graphics seem so realistic you almost feel like you're there. Of course the big pain is this game consisted of 5 CD-ROM discs, which you have to swap every now and then, it's too bad they didn't have an install feature where you could install all five discs on to hard drive and only need to use one disc to play the game (like the much maligned Schizm: Mysterious Journey, a game from Poland that's very much like Myst, which had five discs in the CD-ROM version, and you had the option for full install so you didn't have to keep swapping discs).

It's agreed by most everyone that Riven is more difficult to solve than the original Myst. The puzzles often don't seem obvious, and there are some puzzles that can be frustrating, like the marble puzzle, which you have to solve in order to gain access to the domes found on Riven. Or the animal puzzle, which you'll find a bunch of stones in this one room with animal symbols that you have to push in the right order to go to another world. On the original Myst, after you won it, Atrus tells you that his wife Catherine has been taken prisoner, and on Riven, you're supposed to find and free his wife, taken prisoner by Atrus' father, Gehn. Also it looks like a different guy was playing Atrus on Riven from the original Myst, in fact it was none other than Myst creator Rand Miller who plays Atrus on Riven (as well as Myst III and IV, though I hadn't played Myst V, so I can't tell you about the game or the characters), although I'm uncertain who played Atrus on the original Myst. I really love the ambient music that goes with this, not to mention the beautiful scenery found throughout.

Although a bit tricky in places, you're certain to enjoy this game if you're in to Myst.

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