Review Gunkaloo 5/5 · Feb 14, 2024
A true joy to play
One of the best ever. A true joy to play again. A+ (Played originally in 1997)
Riven: The Sequel to Myst (1997)
Mac · PC (Microsoft Windows) · PlayStation · Sega Saturn · Windows Mobile
4.00 from 269 ratings
1086 members have it in their collection · 12 playing now · 503 backlogged · 145 wish listed
How long? Main story 4h · with extras 11h · 100% 5h (from 3 logged playthroughs)
Riven: The Sequel to Myst is a graphic adventure puzzle game developed by Cyan and released in 1997. It continues the story of Myst, following the player’s journey to rescue Atrus’s wife, Catherine, from a decaying world. The game features pre-rendered environments with complex, interconnected puzzles and minimal direct guidance.
Its visuals, sound design, and world-building were praised for their …
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Riven: The Sequel to Myst is a graphic adventure puzzle game developed by Cyan and released in 1997. It continues the story of Myst, following the player’s journey to rescue Atrus’s wife, Catherine, from a decaying world. The game features pre-rendered environments with complex, interconnected puzzles and minimal direct guidance.
Its visuals, sound design, and world-building were praised for their depth and realism.
Riven expanded on Myst’s narrative and gameplay scale, becoming one of the most acclaimed adventure games of its time.
Read less
Details
- Developers
- Cyan Worlds
- Publishers
- Acclaim Entertainment, Cyan Worlds, Enix, Mean Hamster Software, Red Orb Entertainment, SUNSOFT, Sega Enterprises, Inc., Tec Toy, Ubi Soft Entertainment
- Genres
- Adventure, Point-and-click, Puzzle
- Themes
- Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Science fiction
- Franchises
- Myst
- Series
- Myst
- Steam
- View on Steam
Release dates
- Oct 31, 1997 (Full Release) (North_America) Mac, PC (Microsoft Windows)
- Oct 31, 1997 (Full Release) (Europe) Mac
- Nov 30, 1997 (Full Release) (North_America) PlayStation
- Dec 23, 1997 (Full Release) (Japan) PlayStation
- 1997 (Full Release) (Japan) Mac, PC (Microsoft Windows)
- 1997 (Full Release) (Europe) PC (Microsoft Windows)
- Feb 1998 (Full Release) (Europe) PlayStation
- Feb 1998 (Full Release) (Australia) PlayStation
- Mar 1998 (Full Release) (Brazil) PC (Microsoft Windows)
- Apr 09, 1998 (Full Release) (Japan) Sega Saturn
- May 15, 1998 (Full Release) (Europe) Sega Saturn
- 1998 (Full Release) (China) PC (Microsoft Windows)
- 1998 (Full Release) (Brazil) Sega Saturn
- 2005 (Full Release) (North_America) Windows Mobile
Related
Bundled in
- Myst Trilogy (Mar 2002)
- Myst 25th Anniversary Collection (Sep 2018)
- Myst 30th Anniversary Collection
Remakes
- Riven (Jun 2024)
Ports
- Riven: The Sequel to Myst (Dec 2010)
- Riven: The Sequel to Myst (Jun 2025)
Featured in lists
Rating distribution
5 stars
104
4 stars
93
3 stars
44
2 stars
23
1 star
5
Community All Reviews Statuses
Review Mazinkaiser 2/5 · Jul 21, 2017
Riven - Beautiful Yet Baffling
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 …
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.