Riven: The Sequel to Myst

"An incredible successor"

In 1993, a small software company called Cyan released a game called Myst. They never imagined that their game would end up one of the best-selling games of all time...but it did. And most players were probably thinking, ''How could it get any better?''
Well, the sequel is here, and it certainly has.

Story: 10/10: Riven picks up where Myst left off. Atrus calls you back to his workplace, for he has a job for you. A very big job.
The book he writes in leads to a place called Riven, an age made by his father, who has been trapped there for 30 years. The age is very unstable, and has been broken into 5 islands. He writes into the book to keep it stable, but the age won't hold up for much longer.
Why send you there? Atrus explains.
You must go and save his wife, Catherine, who was tricked into going there before you came along. You must also get his father, Gehn, out of the way for good. He provides a book similar to the trap books from the last game. After you're done, you signal him. He also gives you a small journal, which will fill you in on some of the details. Sound easy?
After being sent to Riven, you are trapped in a cage, then released by a mysterious stranger, who takes your Prison Book. Great. Another chore on the list...

Graphics: 10/10: Well, Cyan put a lot more money into this game than the last one, and it shows. In some places, you won't even be able to tell you're playing a computer game. Really. From the rocky cliffs, to shiny metal domes, to chopped down trees, the Riven village (expect to see a lot more people than you did in Myst), and even the strange-looking creatures that make their home on Riven, it all looks perfect.

Sound/Music: 10/10: One of the best things in Myst was the music, providing a great atmosphere in all of the worlds you explored. Well, that hasn't changed a bit in Riven. As you explore a cave, you get this spooky sort of music. While you wander around the temples placed on the island, there's a mysterious feel to the music. And when there's no music, you can still hear the birds, the crickets, and all kinds of sounds that make it seem like you're really there.

Gameplay: 10/10: Movement in this game hasn't changed much since Myst. You're still only going through a series of images with your mouse pointer. With the Transition Mode on, however, you can get the feel that you're actually moving, turning, looking around, unlike the *ZAP* *ZAP* feel of Myst.
As you play the game, you'll be often interrupted with the prompt to change discs, as this game was so big it needed 5 CDs to hold it all! The CD-switching is my only real complaint, but if you get the DVD version, you won't have a problem.

However, the other part of the gameplay is where it really shines. The puzzles in this game are much better than the ones in Myst. The Myst puzzles, though challenging, were somewhat isolated from each other. In this game, the puzzles are connected, and you'll have to search every island for the clues to solve the big ones. And you'll have a lot of fun trying to find them.

Challenge: 10/10: Keeping in mind what I said above, there is quite a challenge in finishing the game. You are going to have to search every island for the clues to the puzzles. There's no other way. Expect to be kept busy for quite a while.
Another challenge I had in playing this game was trying not to play it. Even if you stop, you will keep coming back.

Replay Value: 10/10: The replay value has greatly increased since Myst. If you've played Myst, you probably remember the ''2-minute solution.'' None of that in this game. If you think you may know the major codes to end the game once you've finished, you'll be in for a surprise.
Many of the codes are set to randomly generate with each new game started. So if you want to finish, you'll have to play the whole thing again.
Of course, you probably would've wanted to do that anyway, right?

Rent or Buy: Do you even have to ask? You won't even be able to finish this in a rental. Definitely buy it.

If you want a game that'll keep you playing for hours, days, or even weeks, and will get you thinking a little (well, maybe more), you'll definitely want to get this one.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/16/01, Updated 09/16/01