Riven
is
a
remake
of
the
classic
1997
puzzle
game
from
Cyan
Studios.
This
new
version
began
life
as
a
fan-made
project
that
aimed
to
turn
the
original
Riven
into
a
full
3D
game.
Cyan
caught
wind
of
the
idea
but
instead
of
going
all
Nintendo
and
telling
Starry
Expanse
to
shut
the
project
down,
they
took
over
development,
turning
it
into
an
official
Riven
remake.
It
was
a
somewhat
divisive
move
as
Cyan
took
over
while
the
Starry
Expanse
team
who
worked
so
hard
had
to
move
on
to
other
things.
Cynically,
I
can’t
help
but
think
Starry
Expanse
was
given
an
ultimatum:
hand
over
the
project
to
Cyan,
or
Cyan
would
get
it
shut
down.

That’s
speculation
though,
and
perhaps
Starry
Expanse
were
happy
to
have
their
hard
work
made
official.
Whatever
the
story,
this
new
version
of
Riven
aims
to
bring
the
beloved
game
to
a
modern
audience,
but
in
doing
so
doesn’t
sacrifice
its
reputation
for
being
brain-meltingly
hard
at
times.
Changes
have
been,
of
course,
mostly
for
the
better,
though
a
couple
of
them
don’t
hit
the
mark.
Perhaps
the
biggest
indicator
of
whether
Riven
(2024)
is
worth
playing
is
whether
you
want
a
1:1
remake
because
while
it
does
stick
reasonably
close
to
the
original,
there
are
several
big
tweaks,
a
couple
of
removed
pieces
and
some
new
puzzles.

That
last
bit
is
happening
in
my
head
because
I
haven’t
played
Myst
in
several
decades.
With
the
benefit
of
hindsight,
jumping
straight
into
Riven
without
refreshing
my
memory
was
probably
a
terrible
idea.
However,
I
can’t
help
but
think
it’s
exactly
what
a
bunch
of
other
people
will
do
because
this
new
iteration
of
Riven
has
erased
a
chunk
of
its
name.
Riven:
A
Sequel
to
Myst
was
the
original
title
in
1997/
But
this
newly
minted
version
of
Riven
doesn’t
mention
anywhere
on
its
Steam
page
that
it’s
actually
a
sequel.
It’s
a
bewildering
decision.
I
can
only
assume
the
developers
want
to
avoid
the
trappings
of
it
being
a
sequel
for
fear
people
won’t
bother
with
it,
but
by
doing
so
any
newcomer
risks
feeling
like
they’ve
jumped
into
the
second
season
of
a
TV
show.
Perhaps
some
sort
of
recap
would
have
been
useful?

In
Riven’s
defense
though,
playing
Myst
will
only
slightly
help
with
the
sense
of
confusion.
Your
bewilderment
is
at
least
tonally
cohesive
with
the
game
since
the
main
character
is
also
puzzled
by
the
alien
world
he
finds
himself
in.
And
what
a
world
it
is!
Gone
are
the
original
game’s
admittedly
beautiful
static
images
that
you
clumsily
moved
between
like
a
picture
book
Now,
Riven
has
been
recreated
in
full
3D,
allowing
you
to
walk
around
freely,
just
like
in
any
other
game.
This
change
alone
is
dramatic
because
Riven’s
old
system
was
slow
and
awkward.
Now
though,
you
can
even
gently
jog
around
the
multiple
islands,
soaking
up
the
luscious
scenery
and
strong
texture
work.
This
is
a
terrific-looking
game,
although
sadly
the
old
FMV
sequences
starring
the
original
developers
have
been
replaced
by
far
less
charming
3D
models.

The
gorgeous
visuals
and
rich
atmosphere
are
important
because
Riven
wants
to
suck
you
into
its
world
and
its
alien
culture.
It’s
a
puzzle
game
at
heart,
an
often
ruthless
one,
but
what
makes
Riven
special
is
how
those
puzzles
are
built
into
the
world
in
an
organic
way
so
that
you
have
to
immerse
yourself
in
the
unique
world.
To
solve
the
puzzle
you
need
to
first
understand
how
Riven’s
world
works,
even
going
so
far
as
to
learn
its
numbering
system.

Instead
of
just
remaking
the
game,
the
developers
opted
to
change
some
aspects
of
the
original
design
with
the
goal
being
to
make
Riven
a
tad
friendlier
to
players.
For
example,
some
areas
are
now
locked
off
until
later
on,
whereas
originally
you
could
venture
across
almost
the
entire
world
which
also
meant
getting
involved
in
puzzles
you
couldn’t
actually
solve
at
the
time.
Now,
you’re
forced
almost
immediately
into
a
puzzle,
whereas
before
the
entire
first
half
of
the
game
was
devoted
to
a
slow
exploration
of
the
world
and
information
gathering.
There
are
some
entirely
new
puzzles
to
tackle,
while
others
have
been
tweaked
or
had
solutions
randomised.
A
few
changes
are
small
–
like
pulling
out
a
hinge
to
get
through
a
door
instead
of
crawling
under
it
–
while
others
are
much
larger
and
potentially
controversial.

While
it’s
certainly
easier
in
some
regards
than
the
original
Riven
ever
was,
this
remake
is
still
challenging.
Solutions
are
not
always
apparent
and
will
often
involve
doing
things
that
have
no
immediate
effect.
Riven
did
that
a
lot
in
1997,
leaving
you
pondering
whether
a
flicked
switch
actually
did
anything.
It
has
a
reputation
as
one
of
the
most
challenging
puzzle
games
ever
and
for
good
reason.
Unlike
classic
point-and-click
puzzlers
like
Monkey
Island
however,
the
challenge
came
purely
from
smartly
designed
puzzles
rather
than
massive
illogical
leaps
of
reasoning.
The
answer
might
not
always
be
in
plain
sight,
but
when
you
eventually
figure
it
out
it’ll
feel
immensely
satisfying.

There’s
even
a
handy
in-game
screenshot
system,
letting
you
quickly
review
things
and
even
add
notes
to
the
pictures
you’ve
snapped.
This
is
the
kind
of
game
where
you
need
to
pay
attention
to
everything,
learn
as
you
go
and
have
a
good
memory
because
quite
often
moving
forward
means
going
back
first.
A
pen
and
a
notepad
are
invaluable
tools
on
this
journey
which
is
a
really
cool
feeling
–
I
can’t
remember
the
last
time
I
felt
like
I
had
to
take
notes.
These
days,
puzzle
games
will
push
you
toward
the
answers
which
are
usually
nearby,
but
Riven
has
no
problem
with
making
you
explore
multiple
islands
to
find
an
answer.

Could
they
have
made
this
Riven
remake
easier
and
more
accessible?
Yeah,
there
are
arguably
a
few
features
that
could
have
been
added
to
make
solving
the
difficult
puzzles
easier
while
retaining
Riven’s
reputation
as
being
a
brain-buster.
An
optional
hint
system,
for
example,
could
have
helped
quite
a
few
folk
get
their
bearings
rather
than
running
headfirst
into
a
puzzle,
bouncing
straight
off
and
quitting
the
game
entirely.

Another
major
change
is
the
inclusion
of
VR
support
for
anyone
who
fancies
experiencing
Riven
in
the
most
immersive
way
possible.
I
didn’t
get
a
chance
to
test
that
though,
so
I
can’t
comment
on
how
well
it
works.
The
community
consensus
seems
to
be
that
it
works
quite
well,
but
it
also
takes
a
powerful
rig
to
handle
it.

If
you
just
wanted
a
visually
updated
version
of
Riven
that
can
run
on
modern
hardware,
this
remake
might
not
be
for
you
because
of
how
many
changes
have
been
made.
Purists
be
warned.
Personally
though,
while
I
played
Riven
waaaay
back
in
my
teenage
years
(and
had
to
use
a
guide
to
do
it)
I
don’t
have
enough
attachment
to
the
original
to
be
concerned
about
the
remake’s
purity,
nor
is
my
memory
good
enough
to
spot
every
single
new
addition,
alteration
and
detraction.

This
is
a
great
rendition
of
a
classic
game.
The
changes
are
so
seamless
as
to
be
mostly
unnoticeable,
the
new
puzzles
woven
organically
into
the
world
just
like
the
original
ones.
It’s
gorgeous
and
still
mentally
challenging.
It’s
the
tiniest
bit
easier
in
places
but
remains
a
puzzle
game
that
will
make
you
feel
stupid
until
everything
finally
starts
to
come
together.
And
who
doesn’t
like
feeling
stupid?