Let's get Riven's best strength out of the way now - this game is gorgeous for 1997. The animations are smooth, the images and vistas are amazing, and the backstory is rich and the history meaningful. Why a 2?

Getting back to the concept that Riven is a game, Riven is chock filled with excessively cryptic measures, red herrings (that chair in the Temple) and "puzzles" that consist of throwing a monkey at a typewriter (those Boiler room pipes). Given that there are only two puzzles in the game, Riven requires a massive amount of exploration and understanding of the island, and even then the player might as well guess or go to a walkthrough to fully understand what's going on the first time (those marbles, those animals)

This was done well in the original Myst, as areas were contained and weren't overwhelming in their display. Riven will throw the player through the entire game, giving a grand vision of scale, and disappoint by simultaneously going through the solution in a few short steps and padding gameplay by having the character repeat slow animations, island travel, and everywhere in between without really knowing what to do and where to go.

Yes, the game has a puzzle and clues to put together, but there are far too many moments where the player is left scratching their head and just...keeps scratching their head. It only seems like a well crafted symphony of mystery if the player already knows the answer; more often than not players get extremely frustrated just moving around the island without a clue, not including the bad endings. Riven is honestly one of the most unintuitive games I have ever played - it's a shame given its grand reputation, sheer beauty and impressive story.