dmarusz's Full Review: Riven: The Sequel to Myst for Mac, Windows
After the success of Myst, Cyan and Red Orb would be crazy not to make a sequel. So they did. Of course, if you played Myst, it was pretty much obvious that they were setting up a sequel anyway. They took Myst, included much the same plot and movement, and hyped up the visual and sound quality.
The end product is somewhat stunning on those standards alone. The visual display is excellent. The attention to detail on the sounds is exemplar. The story itself is a bit better, but nothing to jump head over heels over.
The story has you running off to a single age this time (see Myst review). This age is made up of 5 islands. You jump in and out of these islands to capture the bad guy. Each island holds information that will help you come closer to finding the truth and saving the day.
The makers of Riven went with a frame dependent view rather than the becoming popular panoramic view. I'm glad they did that. You lose the continuity some times and may not always have a good sense of direction, but the pure beauty they could impress upon each scene mixed with the clarity and feel is second to none.
Riven, as with Myst, has the feeling of safety as it is almost impossible to die. I tried as best I could. Some would say that this is a flaw. I rather enjoyed it. I never had to restart my game from the last save, and after all, this is a sleuth's adventure not an action game.
I would say that Riven does have some noticeable weaknesses. You're still all alone. They tried to improve this a little over Myst by once in a while showing an islander or two. They may even talk to you. The bad news is they don't speak your language and most of them run away from you. So, as opposed to being almost all alone in Myst, you are treated to being semi-alone when not feeling totally abandoned.
I tried learning the language and alphabet, but I only gained a minimal understanding. So many things are written in this foreign language on the islands, I think it would have been much more interesting if I could have interpreted it. The other puzzles are better than Myst, being easier to solve and more understandable. Although, the systems can seem a little obtuse from time to time. Riven follows Myst in giving you totally useless toys intermixed with important devices to keep you from solving things too easily.
On the whole, it would be hard for me (or anyone) to give this game a poor review. It is just so spectacular for the senses. Each frame could be a great screen saver. These guys are really perfectionists. However, there are still a lot of things to be worked on. If you like solving puzzles, this is a real treat.
Prepare to enter a world "torn asunder" by timeless, unresolved conflicts a world of incomparable beauty, intrigue, and betrayal. Prepare to go to Riv...More at eBay
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