User reviews

Riven is truly the most beautiful game I have ever played. The experience is almost spiritual in its depth. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous, and artistically designed down to the tiniest detail, and quality is high throughout. John Keston's performance as Gehn is very convincing and adds to the feeling of being inside a grand story. I would love to see a movie set in this world. The visual splendour surpassed 99% of the films out there.

The game is large, but I solved it over the course of 4 days, so it's not "huge" as advertised. My major gripe is that I would have preferred it to be twice as long. The puzzles are intelligent, and not arbitrary. Unlike many problem-solving games, a trial-and-error approach is almost useless in Riven. Only building an understanding of the world, together with some intuitive leaps of logic, will help.

Thoroughly recommended.

Riven was probably the best game I have ever played. The graphics and story really allow you to become part of that world. The puzzles, while hard, leave you with a great sense of satisfaction when you complete them, as the story can leap forward once you have finished them. I throughly enjoyed my visit to Riven.

It took me 5 years to finish Riven and even then I did use a walkthrough to get to the very end. In retrospect, the game is not really that big (compared to the sequels that would follow) but the puzzles are very hard and you'll be scratching your head for hours.

Unlike the original Myst, all of Riven takes place on one island so there is no hopping around in different ages. And what a beautiful place Riven is! It's the perfect place to be. Unspoiled, atmospheric, brooding, foreboding and a calming quiet broken only by the distant surf. The photo-realistic graphics have greatly improved since Myst and almost any one screenshot would make the most pretty postcard.

Robyn Miller once again does the music and it's that minimalistic and thinly melodic score the series used to have before Jack Wall came along in Myst III and changed all that. If you like that kind of thing then you should get the CD.

It may be 8 years old now and technologically primitive in comparison to a lot of newer games but Riven is still as hauntingly captivating now as it was then.

Graphics A Sound A- Gameplay B Lasting Appeal B

Riven has been the standard by which all subsequent adventure games have been judged, and so far none has been able to take the crown from this well-crafted, intelligent, strangely realistic work. Riven brings you into a logical, almost photographic, immersive environment in which all that is lacking is the feel of the trembling ground beneath your feet.... or the scent of the humid, air clinging to your sweaty skin as you climb paths and plumb depths to search out the lands puzzle-like controls in your quest to aid your friend, Atrus, in a desperate hour.

The acting is good to excellent. Keston was engaging, even intriguing! I wanted to hear more from him! Rand Miller's opening performance was quite moving. I don't think I want to know the person who could look into Atrus' eyes and deny his request. The other performances were pretty good. I liked the little girl & the moiety lady next best. I fully recommend this game to anyone and everyone, provided you are willing to think...

This game was great. A nice sequel to Myst. The detail was absolutely amazing. I can't imagine the frustration the crew went through to get it just right. But, like its predecessor, the ending was left wide open for another sequel.

OK, so Riven is not a movie. It's really a computer game. Nevertheless, it is still worth commenting about it since the movie scenes are also wonderful. First, the game. Yes, it is very difficult. The first time I played it I needed some help, and even the second time I found it difficult. However, you can go online to find some hints to help you complete the game. Trust me, it's worth the effort. Now, the movies. John Keston, the actor who portrays Gehn, does an excellent job. You learn so much about him before you actually meet him, and when you finally meet him, he fits the bill precisely. Also, when someone talks to you, be it Gehn, Catherine or Atrus, you feel like they're talking directly to you! You get a special feeling that not even most movies can deliver. Overall, I recommend this game in the best possible way!

Well, other commenters are certainly right - this is one hard game to beat!! I found the whole thing riveting, however; the graphics are superb and you feel as if you actually are in Riven while playing it. The story was excellent and the suspense caught on many times. You must play this game for yourself to experience the beautiful animation and intricately detailed scenes, it's just so wonderful. I can't wait to get the third game! And don't worry; it's not easy, but you can beat Riven without cheats or hints....it just takes a while that's worth every minute :).

We got Riven free when we bought our computer, and it didn't come in a box or a case, but just by looking at the pictures on the discs, I couldn't wait to play this game.

When I first started, I didn't even have a clue of how to get off the first island. But I soon began to understand the game, and I discovered more and more codes and secrets. But this game is so hard. Even with cheats, I had no idea how to play it. I can't even manage to get onto disc 5, which means there's a whole other area I haven't yet discovered. And what exactly is the aim of the game? To complete the puzzles? Then what? I am clueless.

This was the first computer game I ever played, and I thought the graphics were great. And they were! This game is really beautiful, both the settings, and the music, and everything else! The graphics are so good that the game seems real, and yet the whole idea of it is so surreal it's almost like a dream.

I recommend you try this but it is a lot more difficult than it's previous, MYST, and much more of a challenge...

Anyway, a good game, 10 out of 10!

After the success of the original "Myst" game changed the landscape of computer gaming, its widely-awaited sequel created an even more engaging atmosphere. The only trouble? It is difficult to the point of giving up on far too many occasions.

Basically, "Riven" follows the same point-and-click philosophy as its predecessor. You go around solving logic puzzles with the goal of saving Catherine (wife of age-writer Atrus) from the murderous Gehn.

In terms of overall imagination and scope, "Riven" is, dare I say, easily the "best" of the Myst bunch. The puzzles are more engaging than "Myst", and the game just has an epic feel to it. Every single different island, creature, or pathway one encounters in the game leads to an amazing discovery. At least at the outset, it is almost impossible to not get swept away by the atmosphere and become completely immersed in the gameplay.

The problem? Here it is: After playing all the Myst games through as a teenager when they first came out, I decided to tackle them all again and review them on Amazon this time. "Myst" was a grand experience, and so was "Riven"...until you actually have to begin solving the the mystery of the Golden Domes (which leads in turn to the infuriating dot-matrix puzzle). The difficulty level gets to the point where one most devote countless hours (and probably even some sleepless nights!) to wrapping one's brain around the mysteries. Unless you are fully, 100% committed to the game, you will waver at this point.

An easy "fix" for the difficulty problem would have been having the islands be a bit more accessible. Whereas in "Myst" the action took place in relatively enclosed spaces, "Riven" sprawls out over and incredibly large environment. Thus, a "discovery" on one island is prompted not only by the thought of "I know what this does now", but also "how the heck do I get back there?!". Not having to spend valuable time traipsing across the entire game would have ratcheted up the experience quite a bit (instead of dragging it down considerably).

What do you get when you combine brilliant graphics, intriguing puzzles, mysterious scenery, great acting, and watertight storyline? Riven: The Sequel to Myst.

I do not think I would be stretching a point in saying that this is the best game ever made. Truly. It is a good length, the puzzles are suitably hard, and the acting is superb (better than some movies I've seen). The sage Atrus made a great character, and the diabolical Gehn made a great villain.

The atmosphere in Riven was perfect as well. It's one of those things you can't quite put your finger on...spooky, shall we say? Sort of, spooky, beautiful, and ever-intriguing at the same time.

Cyan has conquered the gaming world. 10/10

We had just got our "PowerMac G3" (around 1998) and having two young sons, I saw a computer game shop and asked if he had any games for Mac, NOT Wolfenstein! He showed me this nice box with this stunning visual (The "Hive") on the cover. The rest as they say, is History... or Mystery 😜 I fell in love.

When it began, we had absolutely no idea what to do, never having played a computer game before, (barring Wolfenstein!) but you stumble upon the first Temple Island puzzle soon enough and figure out that it is VR. Not commonplace back then. Things were where they were supposed to be and remained where you left them. Things worked and they did so very logically! Yet magically! The 'magic' bit came in much later when one figured out what a linking book did, in terms of travel possibilities! We hadn't played Myst but it didn't matter. In fact, it's a better entry point!

What began to hit us right there, was the Graphics, the Art Direction, the Production Design, the Music and the Sounds! It blew our minds... from that "Prayer Room" onwards! (I'm a photographer and amateur musician, my wife is a graphic designer) We'd both interacted with many Creative people in the Ad World and in those days, Creative was the concept guy who was usually a writer and there was the Art Director who could be a graphic designer too! The sheer level of all round creativity on display in RIVEN is frankly, staggering!

The Miller brothers and a third genius who's name I can't remember right now, were mostly behind every aspect of it. How do you think up something like this?! It is totally original, engrossing and dazzling, all at the same time but the story is the backdrop, the most difficult and imaginationly challenging bit of it. (Pardon my English, I wish I could write!)

And then all else, from the Rotating Room with two fixed doors and five destinations. The cable car / roller coaster rides, the lift coming out of the water, the spinning domes, the number system, the ingenuity of each 'puzzle'... (Puzzle is too mundane a word...) The concept of the domes and the linking books, (to me,) fabulous as they are, were the least of it. It was however, HUGELY better than Myst.

Then there were the actors, the creatures, the steam powering everything, the pentagram... As we struggled with the mysteries, the level of creativity, ideas and visuals, would keep hitting us. How, in the mid to late nineties, did they create such a magical place based on real world elements?! The textures, the materials used... even today, the old RIVEN has a charm and feel that cannot be matched! Ever.

Cut to present day and RIVEN lovers have a contemporary version of the great game! I'm pretty old but I was as excited as a child! And it does not disappoint. It is FABULOUS. The animated characters are a big come down from real people, I mean, we are now in the time of Avatar 2, so despite budgetary constraints, they could have been a bit better. Even the two main animals are not as good but other than that, it is really excellent. Technically brilliant, no less. A RIVEN lovers dream come true. Plus some, a LOT actually!

Back then and now, (with today's level of 3D VR) and forever, RIVEN is a feat, a triumph! It's far and out, the best 'computer game' ever designed.

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Just like its predecessor, Myst.

The plot starts out really good. You are supposed to go to Riven to save Catherine, Atrus' wife, and capture Gehn. Doesn't sound too difficult, right?

Wrong.

The puzzles start out, one by one, innocently and politely asking you to solve them. As soon as you reach the other islands, something gets all screwed up and you find yourself approaching near impossible puzzle after puzzle. They get even tougher as you go on, which is pretty hard to imagine.

You are expected to figure out the D'Ni numbers when the only numbers you have is one to ten. It's impossible to figure it out since you've got to figure that if you turn the number five in D'Ni to the right and add a line here, then it's ten, and if you turn it to the right again and add a curved line here, then it's fifteen, and so on. Well, maybe not exactly like that, but it's pretty close. You get the point.

And that stupid machine toward the end! Put the marbles here... how do we know where to put them?

Once again, Cyan has baffled countless people while giving them good graphics and a really good storyline. The music intensifies the eerieness, as in the first game.

Play this game only if you're extremely devoted to the Myst series and you have a lot of time on your hands.

I started playing this game a couple years after it came out. I found it very difficult and couldn't get very far. I was annoyed by the multiple discs, something that was later remedied with a DVD version. I eventually forgot about it. Then the economy went sour a couple years ago and I found myself not being able to afford new games or afford to go on vacation anymore. I decided to pull out my old games that I never played or defeated. Riven was one of those games and I'm glad I finally finished it. Riven is very difficult at first and will frustrate people with limited attention spans. You are faced with constant puzzles and have to accept that you aren't going to figure them all out at first. Some of the first puzzles you encounter won't be solved until the end. The atmosphere of Riven is absolutely amazing, especially for 1997! It sucks you in and feels very foreign, but is awe inspiring. Just like Myst, Riven is full of strange sounds and beautiful landscapes. The music and sound effects make you feel like you are really there. This is definitely a game to be played with a nice sound system. The music isn't as memorable as Myst, but still better than most games of that time. This game is perfect for anyone who likes books, beautiful sceneries, complex mysteries, and the other Myst games. I hope you enjoy!

This one is a true classic. A great storyline, intriguing puzzles, and a solid fantasy world in the background, complete with an alien language that you can learn for extra enlightenment (but thankfully isn't necessary to complete the game). The live action elements fit in well, and the story is picked up right from the preceding Myst. Fun side areas and alternative endings add to the charm. If possible, get the DVD-ROM for best video quality. A keeper!

I first played RIVEN round about 1998 and was very impressed by the graphics . However it's not a game I'd play religously like CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER or CIVILIZATION or AGE OF EMPIRES for a couple of reasons

1 ) This a totally atmospheric game , perhaps too atmospheric . It has a extremely disturbing mood of a nightmare quality . I'd be in a sort of lighthouse location walking along a gantry slightly frightened of what I was going to meet around the corner . One of the previous comments referred to drugs , I agree the whole game has a surreal and ethereal quality but not in a good way

2 ) As many people have mentioned this game is just too difficult . In 1998 I had no access to the internet and couldn't download a walk thru / cheat and found myself endlessly clicking on every symbol I came across without any success . I never got out of the lighthouse location

I will congratulate the makers of RIVEN for producing such a unique game and judging by the comments on this page many people have enjoyed it but I found it far too difficult and more than a bit scary

when I got this game I thought that I would eventually get through it but i couldnt so i cheated...As i made my way through this game i realised that there is no way on earth i could have gotten close to beating this game. You have to be a complete genius to get anywhere. I know there are people out there that have finished this game without cheating. YOU PEOPLE ARE GIFTED!! Anyway besides that the graphics are great the scenery is outstanding. You get the feeling of entering another world a fascinating world. All up its worth getting but unless your extremely smart get the walkthrough it doesn't ruin the experience.

This game is a refreshing change of pace from the stab and slash, point and click genre. The movement could be more fluid, but the scenerary and graphics were fantastic.

It is very possible to get all the way through without cheating. But you must take notes along the way as to what happens when you do what. The game does not insert useless information. If you can interact with it - it is important.

Logic and deduction rules the day. Here's to a game that involve's thinking.

Normally, I'm a movie person. I takes a trully great video game to mkae me take notice. I like Myst, but I never thought too much of it. And know, Riven. This is with out a doubt the greatest game ever made. Every thing in it makes sense. Unlike many games, everything in this game is there for a reason. The puzzles don't seem like puzzels at all, more like realistic devices.

The plot is great, which is rare in a video game. Let me say that again, THIS GAME HAS A GREAT STORY BEHIND IT! I have read all the books, played all the games, I apsolutly love the story of Atrus and everything that goes wrong in his life.

Not to mention that this game is BEAUTIFUL! Considering that everything is prerendered, I understand that the graphics aren't that good. But man, you can't help but fell amazed by the way this game looks. An my computer is slow as crap, yet, somehow, THERE IS NO SLOWDOWN, AT ALL!

The game has some problems. It is REALLY hard. I have respect for anyone who can beat this game without a help guide the first time they play it.

This game is not for gamers who like fast action and ahave a lot of energy. The game's pace is very relaxed, not slow, just relaxed. You never have to worry about dying or time running out. I really wish I hadn't used the help guide because it kind of ruined the game a bit. I can't wait for Myst 3 or Myst Realtime.