When Riven was first released in 1997 it was heralded as a majestic piece of art. Now almost 30 years later, Cyan Worlds returns to that world, bringing it to modern standards using the tools of today. Once again, they’ve created a majestic piece of art, and a world worth exploring all over again. It’ll test your mind, it’s a feast for your eyes and ears, and if you enjoy deep puzzles, it’s a game you absolutely cannot miss.
Riven Remake revives an almost forgotten genre in style, offering one of the best first-person adventure games ever in a modern setting while staying extremely loyal to the roots of the original game.
I was obsessed with the Myst series growing up. Myst was the first time I remember sitting down at the computer to play a game (with my parents sitting beside me on fold-up chairs), before that it was gaming consoles and platforming. When Riven came out it was beyond the expectations set by Myst, everything was worn and detailed even from those tiny 608x392 pixel images.
27 years later and this remake comes out and blows away all of my expectations out of the water! Everything is still worn and lovingly crafted and even more detailed at 4K resolution! The one thing I was most surprised by was this wasn’t just a simple remake, many areas and puzzles are shifted or reworked! So it was wonderful to not simply be on autopilot solving puzzles, but like a brand new player I had to work out the solutions all over again! Most are excellent reworkings while keeping the core of the puzzle intact.
There’s honestly very little that’s a misstep in this Riven! I would say the biggest flaw in this version is how people are rendered and presented. It makes sense with the move to full 3D and VR that the original FMVs couldn’t be adapter nor reshot for the remake. But I wish that the people weren’t so staunchly placed in the Uncanny Valley! There’s something strange about the rendering/textures and the animations (especially with Ghen’s guard and the finale) seem very disjointed. I only mention it because the world is so realistic and detailed, having the people being so much less so really places a giant spotlight on it.
But still, that issue aside, Riven is well worth it for new and old players (old players that keep an open mind)! It’s just such an incredible game that pays loving tribute to the original while also forging its own path!
Imagine you listened to a record as a child (some 27 years ago) and you noticed that it contained the most beautiful and immersive music, inspite of the record having scratches on many parts that hindered fully enjoying the music. But you listened to this record again and again, because you understood that it is enchanting like no other music that has been composed before and ever since afterwards. And now, 27 years after you first listened to the record you can listen to it again. But this time with all the scratches and flaws being removed, revealing now its full beauty. Riven is my old record and I can't stop being captivated in its world which I visited a long time ago. And I want to return to this world time and time again. The remake of Riven proves that computer games are more than just ... games. They form the worlds that we take inspiration from. And which become a part of us ... now and forever.
The Riven remake makes its return to the scene with absolute pomp, proving once again how much the journey is more important than the destination. The graphic modernization is illustrious and of absolute caliber, as well as everything else, elevated to the asymptote of wonder. It could involve both long-time enthusiasts and newbies.
I’ve often marveled at an idea as familiar as “books transport you to other worlds” transforming into narrative game experiences where you rarely encounter another soul, but a rich tapestry of actions, consequences, and interactions unfolds through your exploration. Yet, Riven has always accomplished this. I’ve been fortunate to replay most of the series with a newcomer, and that sense of wonder absolutely survives as the games age; this new version is worthwhile and definitely the most beautiful way to experience it.
The remake of 1997’s Riven is intensely mind-blowing, allowing players to finally move forward in a 3-D environment without clicking through the static screens of another era. But the hyperrealistic graphics strained my three-year-old video card, which kept taking me out of the experience.
Para a galera que gosta de animes e games, comprei um game portátil muito top, com + de 10mil jogos de vários consoles... nostalgia e emoção pura hahaAntigamente, na minha época eram so aqueles mini games com o joguinho da cobrinha kkkkkkkHoje em dia é outro mundo, tudo top... Comprei na Tiquinho De Cada!
****/products/video-game-portatil-tiquinho-de-diversao-jogos-retro-console-portatil-jogos-classicos-gameboy
The terms "remake" or "reimagining" elicit eye-rolls as, often, they're nothing more than cash grabs banking on a fanbase's nostalgia. They may be prettier, higher resolution, and capable of running on more powerful machines, but they don't normally add anything to the game.
When I heard Riven was being remade, I was incredibly hesitant. In 1997, Riven was a masterpiece of environmental storytelling. Its visuals, plot, and puzzles were heralded as pushing the success of Myst forward. But why, after all these years later, did we need to return to the islands of Riven?
It turns out that returning to Riven is not just a fantastic way to revisit a game I loved; it's also an altogether new game. The puzzles are redone, the story is expanded, and for a game that had a story tied together with small hints, Riven's remake builds more on those tiny elements of lore and rewards those whose curiosity drives them to piece things together.
The visuals are stunning, as usual. That Cyan, a small developer in Spokane, built this world so wonderfully is a testament to the team's passion and skill. This is a game to be pulled into, to experience, to live in. This is a remake, true, but one that was built from scratch and delivers more than its exquisite predecessor.
This is the most cryptic puzzle game I've ever played. Myst is a cakewalk compared to this. I didn't understand half of the story and I completely missed the point of it. The game loves to waste your time - waiting for the all the animations to complete - be it climbing, riding trams, submarines, mining carts, elevators, opening rotating domes - a large percentage of the game is just waiting for the same thing to happen as slow as possible. I'll never play this again.
Still completely illogical and frustrating to play despite no longer needing to swap CDs and being able to take screenshots. It's a visually gorgeous game, but it's a terrible puzzle game. There's way to much guesswork, too much noticing tiny details, and too little logic to solving the puzzles. Don't expect anything remotely similar to modern logical puzzle games like Portal, The Talos Principle, and The Witness.
Atrus' speech at the beginning... why was it changed? The suspense in what he said in the original was lost, given the dialog change. And then we pop into a world that is free roam, surely, but the mystery is gone. The real actors, gone. The puzzles have been changed, several to many of them. This feels like a fan remake, I'm afraid. I think a proper remaster would have been enough.
SummaryUncover a story of intrigue, betrayal, and a civilization teetering on the brink of collapse as you solve intricate puzzles to unlock the secrets of Riven. Built from the ground-up and expanded from the award-winning original game released in 1997.