the soundtrack was sooo good in Riven, that i actually bought the CD of the soundtrack. still have it to this day

This is awesome. I'm currently replaying this now after 20 years!-at the part where I just read Catherine's diary. I'm blown away by how much I forgot puzzle wise, but also how incredibly designed the world is. The puzzles don't feel like 'gamey' puzzles. There is a certain natural quality about them that reflect the culture of the people and characters. As you figure out the puzzles I like how you gain more insight into the culture and why these 'puzzle' contraptions would exist. It all feels so natural. Also agree with your take on FMV -even modern games CGI can't compete with a live human actor. Great review!

"Riven isn't a sequel to Myst, it's Myst without limits." That's the best description I've heard, it's very accurate. I've seen in the video where Cyan talks about the making of, it definitely felt like that. I recently played Riven for the first time in years, and it was stunning as ever. I still feel like the visuals really hold up. When I was younger I wasn't as immersed in the story, but this time around I was stunned by how every single aspect of the islands felt like they intertwined with the story so well. It was such a wonderful experience to replay. I agree with the point and click still feeling really immersive. Have you heard of Neyyah? A solo developer is making a game that is clearly inspired by Myst and Riven, and it's point and click and looks amazing.

the pre-rendered environments in Riven STILL look better than the most triple A game that exists today, honestly.

I had exactly the same experience as you as a kid. Riven's atmosphere sticks with me even today. The colors, the sounds, the FMV. It was truly a masterpiece and I've dreamt of a VR version of this game even since I was a kid. Insanely psyched for the remake.

I was there for the original release of Riven, and yes, it is definitely a benchmark. It set the standard for integration of puzzles into the story and environment… not merely puzzles for puzzles’ sake, but artfully-crafted “friction” that enhances and propels the story.

This game is definitely an experience and even if you don't entirely understand the puzzles exploring the islands is so immersive the dated low resolution pre rendered state of the game never crosses my mind. I've been following the Starry Expanse project, a fan remake of this game, for years and it's pretty cool that that got integrated into the actual remake Cyan just announced for this game. Looking at how detailed the environments were it must have been a nightmare to bring it's visuals up to date and fully explorable in 3D. I can't wait to play that version of this game when it comes out.

Awesome video. The reason there haven't been a Riven remaster is that Cyan is unable to access the original sources for the game. It is a bit unclear what the real reason for this is. Either they lost the original files, or the file formats are so outdated that the software or hardware needed just isn't available anymore. There is a group of volunteers who are recreating Riven in real-time 3D with the support of Cyan, called the Starry Expanse project. They have been working on it for several years now and it is unclear whenever a playable version of the hand will be released.

They did such a good job with the lighting on the FMW characters matching it to the game scene.

I remember playing Riven (and Myst) when they just came out. I was in grade school, but between my dad and little brother and I, we slowly worked our way through the puzzles. Long before any walkthroughs were written. An amazing experience!

I've said this before, but the thing that always strikes me is how Riven's puzzles... Aren't really "puzzles". Everything has function in the world and you have no context for it. A puzzle in Riven isn't something like: You need to find keys to drive this car. A puzzle in Riven is like: You need to find keys to drive this car. Also you don't know what a car is, or how keys would be used to drive in it.

I just bought the hardcover that details the inspiration and production. I can’t wait for it to arrive (It’s called “From Myst to Riven”). Every year I remember this game at some point and watch a play through. It takes me back to such great times. I love the atmosphere and back story, the mystery and the world building. Imho, a masterpiece.

I personally LOVED Obduction in terms of story/environment/puzzle integration. I think it's on a similar level to Riven, and maybe even better in terms of game design. I'm SO EXCITED for Firmament because Rand Miller seems to think it's the best thing they've ever come up with.

I agree 100%, I LOVED Myst, thats why I got Riven later for my birthday. It was on a different plane. The graphics, the music, the designs, the mysterious lore. It was not just another game as we were used to, it was an experience, I was IN it, indescribable. I was too bit young and the Puzzles were a bit too hard, but still. I was never interested in monetary wealth, but then I wanted to become a billionaire, just so I could have the Riven world built, so I could go in it 😂. During lockdown I once saw it on Steam on my wifes PC (I don't play games or have Steam) so I played it through in two days. I had luckily forgotten many of the solutions so it look me a while. I was every bit as absorbed as I was then, when I finished it, I was literally a pile of tears. Together with the insane "parallel world nostalgia beauty" came a hefty pile of other memories and emotions about my parents and childhood. I could not handle it. Absolutely transcending experience. I will surely play it again at some point. ❤

Cyan just announced a Riven remake now. Looking forward to it. I really enjoyed all of them. I would love to see an Exile remake as it had some amazing locations... loved them all for different reasons. The only one I needed help with solving was Myst 4, it was really hard puzzle wise, but had the best engine of them all I felt with amazing locations.

I wasn't even born yet when the first Myst games were coming out but somehow I scored Riven from a shop as a kid in like 2010 and had no idea what was going on, but it still filled a special place in my memory. I came back to the whole series years later as an adult and absolutely loved it.

And they just announced that they are making an official 3D remake.

Riven is one of my favourite games of all time, and I only played it for the first time back in 2020, having never played any other games in the series at the time. I played it with my wife, half jokingly, so we could make fun of the archaic pre-rendered movie scenes. But that's not what happened. We ended up getting immersed within minutes. Before we knew it the entire night was gone playing the game and getting lost in it's world. We were blown away by how real it felt, how nicely integrated the puzzles were. We beat it within a few nights and it was one of the most memorable gaming experiences I've ever had. We've since played through most of the series, but none of them felt as immersive to me as Riven. I'm excited for the remake! I hope it captures the same magic as the original.

A great thing about riven is you can explore the entire age even if you don’t solve many of the puzzles.

Just finished the new myst game and I really like the free movment I had, Riven look amazing and the art and lights are stuning even in today's standerts. to make real life video interact with game 3D is an art. hope that CYAN worlds will make remaster to most games or new games.

One thing that rarely gets mentioned is the general sound design and foley. Like.. how satisfying is it to turn that creaking valve or hear the "chonk" when you finally pressed the right button and all the cogs and wheels spring into motion?! 😌

I never played Myst. I went directly to Riven and I was quite amazed 26 years ago now.

I have just discovered your channel and really, really, really, appreciate your love of RIVEN. I was 27 when the game released and knew within the opening moments that this was going to be a huge influence on future gaming. I was literally blown away by how immersive the experience was. And I like you was an immediate fan of the then unique use of FMV, which for me has never been equalled. At that time Gaming promised me a movie style reality, RIVEN, in my mind really delivered on this promise. I do hope that this beautiful game can be remastered...and yes I too thoroughly enjoyed just travelling around in the Cable Car😁👍

I do on a regular basis. Riven was my first (and my most favourite) game by Cyan when it was released 25 years ago. I still got my note book with all my first coloured puzzle drawings (and I always like to imagined this book is my personal Indy Jones mystery skribbled note book). I am hooked on all of their games since then. Of course it's worth to revisit Kathryn and the two freaky brothers from time to time. And finally I am a backer for the first time to their new game Firmament. ♫

Everything you mentioned was so spot on and makes Riven one of my favourite games of all time. Another thing that blew me away when I played it was John Keston's performance as Gehn. His acting is the finest I have seen in any game and made the stakes seem so much higher. Thank you for such a well done review!

Having each disk be a roughly circular island in the game was brilliant.

Riven - the often unsung hero, only now is it being recognised for the masterpiece it is. Still play it even after all these years, on my tablet, my phone, my laptop and my 3 PC's.. The music is incredible and fits the game perfectly.

Soundtrack is a work of art on its own. One of my favourite pc games ever. I also bought the music CD, but listen to the this as a form of relaxation and never tire of it. RIVEN is an all time classic.

I still own this. Can’t play it but it’s so nostalgic that I can’t get rid of it. I loved this when I first played this, I was blown away by the worlds, story it was fantastic. Was one of the best games I played.

I've been wanting to try Myst, and now I think I'll try Riven, too. It sounds like a game that doesn't sacrifice gameplay just so it can have a good story like so many modern games that "railroad" you into playing the game the way the story dictates.

They're currently working on a fully 3d remake. I can't wait.

Riven is my favorite even though I didn't get very far in it. I believe they're going to complete a full 3D remake like they did with Myst, and when they do I'm totally getting it. Just hope they let us walk around Tay (the cover of the game scene) instead of just look at it. ;)

I agree with everything you've said - Riven was actually the first proper home 'video game' I played (at 25) and it influenced me for life as a creator. (But ruined me for playing any other video game, ever!) It feels REAL, even though it's not 3D, and the soundtrack is the best ever, even 25 years later or whatever. Just an amazing marriage of music/score and imagery, story and puzzles. I actually played Myst later and it just wasn't as good. None of the games that came after matched it...Although Myst IV was pretty good. Riven was something special and much bigger than everyone who worked on it. I think they imagined a location that actually must exist somewhere. !!!

riven is the game the got me into pc gaming and the first game that ever made me feel like I was transported to another place - can't wait for the remake in vr !!

Played Myst and Riven as a family. I understand I'm not alone in that. We'd chat about what we think should be done next, or share thoughts on various mysteries. We started referring to them as Pissed and Driven. I try to think of any other time my entire family was sitting in the living room together, cooperating and sharing ideas and notes. I can't. There were other communal gaming experiences, but they were things like controller passing to take turns at levels or on deaths, or 1v1 experiences like Tetris, Dr. Mario or (my personal favorite of the Things Fall From The Sky genre) Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. But nothing that just fully occupied the brain space of my entire family for months at a time like Riven did. I remember the day we collectively worked out the number system in the game vividly. Once we thought we had it, we started trying to write as many numbers as we could using the system and realized we not only knew enough to understand what the game was presenting, but also that it was a fully functional numbering system that could be used to express any rational number. What a spectacular experience that I will treasure forever.

Super nostalgic game this and myst But especially Riven its atmosphere was something I realized was special even from the young age of 4-7ish watching my older brother play Riven and later myself

my favorite game. i thought computers were gonna elevate humanity during the days i was playing this game as it was a leap in that direction, next thing ya know, Grand Theft Auto is the trend and hardly anyone knows about Riven/Myst

Such a well blended environment, to this day I never got over the unintentional jump scare of the little girl at 4:38

I just played it and Exile again in the past few weeks. Even though I play Skyrim, Death Stranding, Witcher 3, and many others, these both held up well. I was totally engrossed and forgot the puzzles since I hadn't played since 2006. The animal Puzzle and the Fire Marbles are tricky.

The way Riven teaches you its number system is still the most clever thing I've ever seen in a game.

I think what is unique to this game is the design of things and the environment. The approach of the design is a unique mixture of real objects and fantasy in a way that is mindblowing. just look at the lab on the assembly island lab. The whark teeth lamps the tables the furniture in general... everything!

This game was the pinnacle of the genre, followed by Zork Nemesis. Stunning graphics, puzzles, music and atmosphere. Unfortunelly was my debut in adventure games circa 1997 and I was not able to solve it without a walkthrough.

my uncle had 5 cd's (pirated versions) of this game in his office, I remember playing for the first time with my cousins, it felt like I was in a movie finding a secret and looking at a world I wasn't supposed to see, the most magical experience of my life.

I'm actually visiting it first time right next week - and in VR to boot. Woot! gone are static backgrounds, I'm just stepping there. Myst and Obduction felt great too

The lever on the right in the first few scenes has major visual vibes of being a sprite, until one of the AMV characters USES IT.

Omg amazing. So many memories. This just popped in my head after 20 years. Such a beautiful game. I got stuck on the beach/pipes area. Ugh I wanna go back…

Riven has such a relaxing yet melancholy vibe. The ost and sound design alone are not just good by current standards, they're great.

I remember when I was 17 and playing this for the first time. Made in 3ds Max, my program of choice since 2000, still there. And the second time I played it a second time, solutions to button type puzzles were ACTUALLY DIFFERENT! Blew my mind. Don't know if it was a bug, but, def made it far more engrossing where your old notes were fully invalid! OMG! Learning that the hard way actually made the game all the more better. Loved knowing how new Quicktime was with Myst and then when Riven came out....well, Riven got me to spooge far better than my crush on the redheaded Ariana Grand (yes, actual name: second example of why I have such a weakness for natural redheads--ala Dr. Beverly Crusher) that worked at Staples when I did. I STILL have the CD of the Riven soundtrack and STILL LOVE it. And, further, the whole Maglev rides and such is what convinced me to take on CGI as a hobby and, well, I got some half baked projects half done that totally take artistic license an pay respect to Myst and Riven. GOD! I fell old. Born 1980. Myst was the first game I got for my first actual PC and then Riven. Nostalgia and then time just kills the euphoria, but not entirely.

Had the original and nostalgia got it on my Steam now! Agree with you assessment of this great game!

The answer is yes, even with the announcement of a remake in the works (from Cyan not the fan project).

Myst and Riven are two of the best games ever made

I’m definitely all for the pre-rendered environments than the 3D ones. As you mentioned the live action blends more seamlessly with the pre-rendered environments. Just imagine what they could do using the same design decisions from Riven but with the capacity to render at insane resolutions like 8k?!

I think the real difference between Myst and Riven is that Riven feels lived in. Myst had the bedrooms of Sirrus and Achenar and nothing else. The ages were puzzles, not puzzling places.

Short answer: Yes Long answer: Yes, go play Riven bro

Riven was my favourite game ever! Cyan is doing a full remaster for release sometime next year.

I do not understand why people find the fire marble puzzle so difficult. The game gives you the entire solution except for the color of one marble, but you only have two choices left so it’s literally a 50/50 of getting it right first try.

This is such a fantastic revisit to Riven. How do you feel about the announcement of the remake that Cyan just announced?

Honestly... hearing Riven is Myst without the restraints feels like a minus more than a plus, as the idea that I can solve every problem on an island with the stuff I have found already feels more attractive an idea to me than going around multiple islands trying to figure out when I finally have all the puzzle pieces together to figure it out.

Official 3D Riven in Development let's goooooo!

I’ve never played myst, but I found and old 5 dvd set case in our basement and am a little intrigued.

Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Yes, always.

Very well said. Good video. Good opinions. On a side note, Riven has one of the most immersive scores I've ever heard put in film or game ever.

Short answer: a resounding "YES!"

Here in 2024, in eleven days, the "Revisit Riven" takes another, wonderful, dimension ❤

I absolutely loved the cable car and travel scenes as a kid. The whole concept of that in a game that "looked realistic" was amazing to me. I think I solved one puzzle, but didn't really care. I might have to give it a crack.

As someone in 2024, I recommend playing riven in preparation for the remake. Hell, buy the old one even if the new one’s already out, it’s a legendary piece of adventure game history!

Great review Made me subscribe Cause no one talks about these hidden gems anymore One word to describe this game Out of this world As I remeber playing it Didn't wanna finish Didn't wanna leave the game's world And this how good the game was Immersive relaxing In your review I was waiting for you to mention the ost part Still ingering in my memory And whenever a game talk starts I always mention this game as one of the absolute best games then and to me till forever it will be Thanks alot for the nostalgia dose Wish you the best

A few weeks ago I played Myst (2021) and Riven, never having played either game before. Riven took a some getting used to. I initially found the fixed viewpoints and vagueness of how to do anything jarring and frankly off-putting (I kept wanting to look at things from perspectives that weren't available, for example), but after an hour or so of not having a clue where I was or what I was doing, I got pretty used to it and had a much better idea of how to interact with the game

This might be a good candidate for a VR remake.

Short answer: Yes Long answer: Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssss

I still don't understand how well they blended live action actors into the scenes seamlessly back then!

When I want to immerse myself into something that needs my full concentration (model making, etc.), I listen to Riven ost. 👍

And now a remake is announced :) I'm really looking forward to it.

cant wait for the vr port to finish and release its gonna be amazing

I've seen the evolution of games from dot tennis on a tv. I only played packman and tetris. Then, I bought Myst during a US long stay. It blew my mind and hooked a growing group of friends. Then it came Riven...some of the puzzles where too difficult, but who cared? The world construction is still one of the most beautiful in games! Still holds on! Because there where very good Artists making the virtual world. I'd love to walk Riven with a VR!

Riven is stupidly beautiful. It's drop dead Gorgeous. It age way better than Myst. I got downvoted for this on Reddit. I don't think I could ever get behind a 3D point and click polygonal point and click adventure game. Riven is lively as hell.

Riven is one of my all time favourite games so obviously I agree with everything. Also if you get it on GoG you don't have to go through the pain of changing CD three times when you make a misstep in the wrong place. :D (Also, if you're extra nerdy The Book of Atrus gives a bit more backstory into how things on Riven came to be :))

And now RIVEN is getting the update treatment.

Riven is one of the greatest games ever made... ...On the first playthrough. Once you know what the main puzzles are, even decades later replaying just feels like checking the boxes.

still have my old Riven CD rom also got it on steam in the 25th anniversary pack.

May I humbly announce: RIVEN remake in development.

One of my favorites videogame. I have the Sega Saturn version.

Looking at how the remake of Myst looks, I'm curious how Riven will look in a 3D environment.

I hear Cathode Ray Dude legitimately owns Riven, 3 times

the recently shown off remaster has brought me here

The game looks like they went to some remote islands somwhere and went around taking pictures.

I've been thinking of revisiting riven for a long time now, perhaps once I catch up on a couple of games I'll get to it. I've never been much of a pc gamer (I play mainly of PlayStation), very rarely get my laptop out as it. So probably a big reason I've never got back to it. If I start I'd probably get into it though. I love myst and riven though, they are a huge reason I love gaming today. I do own myst 3,4 and 5 but... I have never played them yet 😅

Last week Cyan posted a video on YT announcing the development of a 3D Riven, probably the result of onboarding the Starry Expanse project team members a couple of years ago. Since they are now busy with Firmament, maybe in a couple of years we will see the full real-time VR remake! We've waited 25 years, can wait a couple more... Forgot the link: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bdZ1lZmouNanm6c.html

Here's a tip for folks who love games like Myst and Riven for their puzzles mostly: try the RHEM games. They have less story and less astounding graphics, but oboy, the amount and intricacy of the puzzles is toppest notch - WAY higher than Cyan's. And they are all made by just one dude!

turns out you should just wait til 2024 and play Riven when its been released as a real time first person adventure instead of the old school still image version :D

I would LOVE to play original Riven with upgraded renders!

It's kind of weird. I'm a huge Myst fan but I didn't actually play any of the games on PC until late in the series. Myst on 3DO, Riven on PS1, Myst III on PS2 and Myst IV on Xbox. It wasn't until Uru and Myst V that I finally played on PC. Riven was special though, I couldn't stop playing. I literally wore out the optical drive in my Playstation.

Definitely, one of greatest video games and experiences!

Riven is king. The best of the series by far.

I don't think many people would think Myst is better than Riven. Also since when is 4:3 a "weird aspect ratio", it was the standard for ages and still feels home to me.

While Riven is definitely similar to Myst, in terms of difficulty and puzzle design it is dramatically more difficult. You can't solve the puzzles without immersing yourself in the world. It's the only way to connect the dots. Where as in Myst, you didn't need to do that. You'd just find the solutions somewhere on a wall, or the puzzle could be solved just by interacting with it

I'll Most certainly revisit Riven, and the sequels, provided the remasters get released on console. Play them all over again for the 3rd time. Absolutely loved this series. But alas, no mention of console release, so yeah

What a great video Blake!

I'm so psyched for the remake. Is there a more atmospheric game than Riven existing today? I submit that there is not.

Riven was a better game, but the nostalgia for the original is much stronger due to the fact that almost everyone had it. I don't remember very many people having Riven.