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0 I already checked out Myst, and now I’m exploring its cult classic sequel, Riven! This remake did come out in 2024, and Is out on the Steam Store, for £31.49. But if you do wish to pick both remakes up for one deal, then it will cost you £53.54.
The theme with books kinda reminds me of the movie Inkheart.
Gameplay
Riven picks up right where Myst left it, with the player being asked to go to the actual world of Riven. A place that holds a man who is looking to do harm to others called Gehn. Besides, actually getting context for why we are in Riven. The player must navigate and explore the areas, which in turn will hopefully lead them on the correct path. From what I could understand, my main goal, or what I made my main mission, was to light marbles from each of the gold domes. As I said, you have to work out a lot on your own. Most of your time spent playing Riven will be travelling across the 5 islands using new information to help move forward. I would say in some weird way that Riven is a lot less puzzle-focused and more observational compared to Myst.
A useful tool the player will have in Riven is the notebook, where all the screenshots you take are kept. Additionally, you can write down notes on the screenshots to help with remembering key information. This becomes vital, since we are always travelling between islands to use the new information that we have uncovered. Overall, Riven will require you to be a lot more open to finding smaller details, instead of being actual brain smart. As most of the time I would unlock stuff without thinking.
Graphics & Audio
Much like its predecessor Myst, the visuals were updated in the best way. The lighting and visuals are simply superb and look brilliant overall. I also suffered no frame rate issues or general bugs, which surprised me considering how good the graphics look. However, compared to Myst, I feel that the design of environments got a little boring after a while. Although it makes sense that, unlike Myst, you’re in one Age and not going to multiple, I feel that most of the areas felt very samey. I also didn’t notice the music as much in Riven, and seemed to fade into the background rather than accompany different areas and scenes well like it did in Myst.
Longevity
I beat Riven in a little over 10 hours, with me reloading to get one or two extra endings. The length of the game can vary depending on how well you are with fine details. And if you aim to unlock 34 achievements, with a couple being linked to different endings and a couple of secrets. With Riven, I did have to also crack the ol’ pen and paper out to keep track of some information. Despite being able to write in the notebook, this was I needed to remember symbols, which you can not input.
Final Thoughts
I think I preferred the world of Riven as a whole compared to Myst. Exploring multiple islands, that are all interconnected offers a much more natural flow, rather than going back to a hub world. But Myst’s puzzles felt a little better. Riven, does provide a lot more story, and emphasis on exploring but a lot of the time this can become quite jarring to play-through. In the end though I did have fun and I can see why both Myst and Riven are loved. The animal totem puzzles was the one that probably ruined my mood the most.
I will be giving Riven the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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