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Riven is a visual masterpiece. Set in a beautifully rendered world of still images and animated cut scenes, Riven takes you through an intriguing story and wonderfully creative places. Riven isn't just a pretty game though... it is composed of challenging (and often frustrating) interactive puzzles that must be solved to complete the game.
If you've played games like the 7th Guest, or Myst, you'll find Riven challenging. If you've never played any puzzle-based games before, you'll find Riven insanely hard. If you are not familiar with interactive puzzles, I would highly recommend starting with Myst. Not only is it easier and almost as beautifully rendered as Riven, but it'll do a great job priming you for the more difficult puzzles you'll encounter in this game.
While I cannot praise the creators of Riven enough for the depth of their creativity, I cannot recommend this game to just anyone. Riven is perfect for the avid puzzle solver, but much too difficult for the casual game player. Younger children (and most teens) may lose interest in this game very quickly, as the puzzles will often stop a player dead in their tracks until they can muster up the brainpower to figure them out. If you're looking for action, this isn't the place you'll find it.
On the other hand, Riven contains no violence, and is definitely a game that will make you think. You can't say that about many games these days, which is one of the reasons why this game is perfectly suited for a more cognitive crowd.
Riven gets four out of five stars because I believe that some puzzles may be out of the reach of most people without the use of a hint book. Regardless of this drawback, it's one of the best games in it's class... and I highly recommend it.
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Pros:1. Graphics that are fantastically detailed, intricate, and achingly beautiful. Some astonishing joy rides. Sound effects and music approach perfection.
2. Gameplay is wonderfully balanced. You are never bored, and only occasionally frustrated by the harder puzzles. All the puzzles are logical, and give you a great feeling of accomplishment when you solve them. There is a vast area to explore while you are figuring things out. You turn a corner, and startle mysterious creatures who are sunning themselves on a rock. You climb up another path, turn, and the view makes you gasp.
3. Riven creates a fantasy world that is alien; yet it evokes a sense of reality that is, in my experience, unparalleled in computer gaming. I wish I could find a way to live in Riven.
Cons:
1. If you like exploring new worlds by dashing through them and shooting things, you may find that the pace of this particular game is too slow.
2. While the storyline is intriguing, it is possible to nearly finish Riven before discovering the diaries that further explain the plot. I wish I had known more of the background of the story a little sooner in the game.
3. Riven is so immersive that you forget the everyday world. Your children will wonder why you haven't cooked dinner. Your friends will speculate as to why you have stopped answering the phone. Your spouse will become jealous of your relationship with a computer game (easiest solution: play it together).
Bottom Line: IMHO, this game is IT, the Numero Uno, the King. Nobody's made one better.
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... I had no clue what I was doing, was hopelessly stuck, and was in general LOST. But then the other day it started coming together for me. I started figuring out what I needed to do and what the nature of the puzzles were. They're not all in one place as in you have to pass one to get to another.Yes, the graphics are lovely, the sound effects are dead-on REAL, the music (when it appears) is fitting. But it's how different this is from everything else I've ever played! Though I was sooo lost at first, now I'm having a blast and don't want it to end.
To play Riven you have to be OBSERVANT, patient, and tireless. Don't be in a hurry to finish or you'll just get frustrated like I did and will give up before even getting into it. If that sounds like you then this game is IT. It works on your mind like few other computer games do and you really really have to think to get it.
If you like being around other characters, violence, and fast action, or archade style games, don't even spend a dime on Riven. If you like being able to completely explore a world without barriers save logistic ones, puzzle-solving, using your powers of observation then RUN and get this cuz you'll love it!
For those out there playing it or thinking of playing it, I recommend taking notes (you'll know when) and making several copies of games as you go. As in use your "Save as" command. Not like you'll get stuck irrevocably as in other games but it makes it easier to go back and look at something you missed as you proceed.
Minuses are that I wish there was more constant music in the background since it's lovely music. It seems to come and go when you enter certain area. And that the transitions from screen to screen were a bit smoother in places. But that's it. Reason I didn't give it 5 stars is cuz I'm not done yet :)
Honest reviews on Riven: The Sequel to Myst - PC/Mac
Riven is a worthy sequel to Myst, and takes the Myst "mystique" to another level with five new worlds and an expanded story line. The brilliantly realized environments and mood-setting soundtrack draw you in immediately and keep you there until the sun comes up. Riven is not for gamers with short attention spans--simply navigating and charting the accessible areas of the Age of Riven take patience and time, and solving what I would characterize as the two major puzzles requires all of the intelligence and tenacity one can muster. As some reviewers have said, having played Myst first is helpful background to have, but this is not because the puzzles of Riven are similar to those of Myst, but because Myst will acquaint you with how the creators conceive puzzles, and heighten your sensitivity to factors in the environment that bear noting and investigating. I gave Riven 4 stars, rather than 5, for two reasons: (a) one of the major puzzles is sound-based, and after some long and frustrating efforts at solving it on my own, I obtained some hints on the internet and found that the solution required matching up particular sounds from the game that, in fact, simply did not match up (at least not in the version that I bought); and (b) one other crucial clue is a tiny, blurry image. In these respects, I felt that the creators did not play fair. Two other points:(i) contrary to what some have said, it is indeed possible to lose this game and meet an untimely end, so be careful out there, and (ii) recognize that the CD-Rom version is on 5 discs, which need to be changed every time you travel from one world to another--if you have a DVD-Rom player, by all means spring for the DVD version, which consists of one disc.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Riven: The Sequel to Myst - PC/Mac
What more can I say that hasn't already been said about this incredible game. I'm not into computer games and only bought this because the store wouldn't give me a refund on a returned item. It sat on the shelf, unopened, for a month then I opened the box and my life wasn't the same for the next week (or so).The immediate thing I liked about Riven was its first person perspective no figure or character to control just an environment to explore as if you were really there. Secondly, there's no instruction or rule book. This game doesn't patronize the user you are dropped into a strange and exotic world and it's up to you to discover why you're there and what you have to do. It's this journey of discovery that's so addictive. The superior quality of the graphics and sound just add to the effect you MUST play Riven with the lights turned down and with a decent pair of headphones (I literally jumped out of my chair when my partner tapped me on the shoulder!)
I would also suggest avoiding the online hint sites the thrill of Riven is solving the puzzles after being stumped for hours when you crack the solution to entering the Moiety Age (Circle of Stones) it'll make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
If you read a lot, you'll love this game. It requires thought and concentration and patience take plenty of notes, examine everything, including the notebooks (there's a lot of reading in Riven). Those with short attention spans will get bored with Riven very quickly, but for me, I lived and breathed its world for hours (much to the annoyance of my partner). The solution to one of the puzzles came to me whilst shopping!
One final note play Myst first. It's a bit of a letdown after Riven, and it will prime you for this superior sequel.
Next up: Myst III: Exile I cannot wait!
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