Riven is a hard game to grade. At once the Magnum Opus of Cyan, a gorgeous gem from a bygone era whose lovely art direction and vibrant world still hold up today, and a bastard hard game that doesn't even really let you explore multiple worlds like the first Myst did. Oh, it has multiple islands, each with its own biomes and complicated interactions, but that's not quite the same, especially when some of the minor locations are very small and spare.
Still, there's something to be said for atmosphere, and Riven is one of the few Myst titles that really tries to create a creepy feeling of constantly being watched, never being safe, right from the opening when you start out trapped in a cage and witness a minor civil war happening right in front of you in a language you (probably) don't understand. (Two of them actually, though I was never quite nerdy enough to outright learn D'ni, just to look up translations online.)
And what it loses in variety it makes up for in depth; its singular, interconnected world means that as a player you're rewarded for really getting into the subtleties of what's going on, paying attention to environmental clues and clever telegraphs. The series' signature diaries are in rather short supply, so eyes and brains remain paramount throughout, with a fascinating world that rewards both. And I appreciate that the lengthy roller-coaster minecart rides between islands can eventually be skipped if you've seen them one too many times and want to switch discs already.
Which brings us, finally, to the difficulty. The game isn't that bad until you hit one of two major puzzles and stall out in a screeching, smoking halt. While the fire marble dome might be the more infamous of the two, as a young man I could never figure out how to get down from the gallows after riding them up, and so had to look up the D'ni numeral system to to solve the Moiety stones, since I couldn't get back to the school house. Happily, both can be bypassed through just looking up the solutions online... but that takes some of the fun out of it.
Finally, I appreciate the character work. I appreciate the way no one but the leads speak English (something the rest of the series largely ignores) so you have to pay attention to expression and gesture, and the actually fairly subtle performances. And where the previous title had two obvious, fairly-underdeveloped villains, Gehn is a complicated man still ultimately beyond saving.
In the end, while done in a style that has since fallen by the wayside, I do think Riven holds up fairly well, and given the modern trends of "open world" games and "walking simulators," I actually think many modern gamers might appreciate what it has to offer more than they'd expect. If you've never tried, or if its reputation has scared you off, give it a whirl.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
Riven is a hard game to grade. At once the Magnum Opus of Cyan, a gorgeous gem from a bygone era whose lovely art direction and vibrant world still hold up today, and a bastard hard game that doesn't even really let you explore multiple worlds like the first Myst did. Oh, it has multiple islands, each with its own biomes and complicated interactions, but that's not quite the same, especially when some of the minor locations are very small and spare.
Still, there's something to be said for atmosphere, and Riven is one of the few Myst titles that really tries to create a creepy feeling of constantly being watched, never being safe, right from the opening when you start out trapped in a cage and witness a minor civil war happening right in front of you in a language you (probably) don't understand. (Two of them actually, though I was never quite nerdy enough to outright learn D'ni, just to look up translations online.)
And what it loses in variety it makes up for in depth; its singular, interconnected world means that as a player you're rewarded for really getting into the subtleties of what's going on, paying attention to environmental clues and clever telegraphs. The series' signature diaries are in rather short supply, so eyes and brains remain paramount throughout, with a fascinating world that rewards both. And I appreciate that the lengthy roller-coaster minecart rides between islands can eventually be skipped if you've seen them one too many times and want to switch discs already.
Which brings us, finally, to the difficulty. The game isn't that bad until you hit one of two major puzzles and stall out in a screeching, smoking halt. While the fire marble dome might be the more infamous of the two, as a young man I could never figure out how to get down from the gallows after riding them up, and so had to look up the D'ni numeral system to to solve the Moiety stones, since I couldn't get back to the school house. Happily, both can be bypassed through just looking up the solutions online... but that takes some of the fun out of it.
Finally, I appreciate the character work. I appreciate the way no one but the leads speak English (something the rest of the series largely ignores) so you have to pay attention to expression and gesture, and the actually fairly subtle performances. And where the previous title had two obvious, fairly-underdeveloped villains, Gehn is a complicated man still ultimately beyond saving.
In the end, while done in a style that has since fallen by the wayside, I do think Riven holds up fairly well, and given the modern trends of "open world" games and "walking simulators," I actually think many modern gamers might appreciate what it has to offer more than they'd expect. If you've never tried, or if its reputation has scared you off, give it a whirl.