To borrow a phrase from another review I read, Riven is less a puzzle game and more of an archaeological expedition. This made it very boring to play as my younger self, but it set the stage for an absolute treat of an experience as I returned to it later in life.
Simply put, I couldn’t really figure out how to do anything. In Riven, particularly near the beginning, there were relatively few mechanical devices to click on and interact with, and the objects that could be interacted with didn’t make it obvious what they did or were useful for. But beyond that, there was just so much more to the game itself – to learn, experience, and understand.Īs a child I played Myst far more than I played Riven simply because – as I’ve mentioned – my puzzle solving ability was largely non-existent at that age. There were more images (with a higher fidelity), more video (now often full-screen rather than relegated to a small box), more dialogue, more locations, more lore, and so on. It was once-again on the forefront of graphics in computer games.
So, what exactly does “more” mean? On a technical level, an easy way to express it is that where Myst came on a single CD-ROM Riven was 5. More than just “holding up” like I have said for Myst, Riven is one of the best puzzle games I’ve ever played. If I were to play the games without context, I would have assumed there was at least one or two entries worth of refinement between them. Not only in how much more Riven is in just about every way, but also in how the Cyan team were able to deliver a sequel so far advanced from the original and and still absolutely nail it. The difference between Riven and Myst is remarkable. For additional context, first check out my Thoughts after playing Myst – I’ll be referencing Myst a lot.