Riven Reviews
It's a perfect remake of the original Riven! Simply marvellous!
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Riven Remake revives an almost forgotten genre in style, offering one of the best first-person adventure games ever in a modern setting while staying extremely loyal to the roots of the original game.
Review in Persian | Read full review
The new Riven is a polished relic from a bygone era when games were made very differently. And played very differently. It offers a very different experience to what's on the market today. I don't think it will be a bestseller, but it will certainly appeal to those who like to explore unconventional worlds and solve challenging puzzles. Plus, you can play it in VR.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
In conclusion, I can only add that Riven is proof of what can be achieved in the world of video games when you have a compelling story, exceptional design, engaging puzzles, and a thoroughly immersive world. This remastered version takes everything that made the original a classic and builds upon it, creating an experience that feels fresh yet, in a way, familiar. For both newcomers and longtime fans of the Myst series, this title is not just a journey through a beautiful world. It’s also an exploration of ideas, emotions, and the captivating narrative structure of a universe that resonates with players, no matter how much time passes. I highly recommend this game.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Riven is a puzzle game developed and published by Cyan Worlds, Inc. Following the events of Myst, a new adventure full of mysteries and intrigue begins. With a new quest and new puzzles, visit Riven, a mysterious world on the brink of collapse. Explore diverse environments and uncover the secrets of Riven.
I think I preferred the world of Riven as a whole compared to Myst. Exploring multiple islands, that are all interconnected offers a much more natural flow, rather than going back to a hub world. But Myst’s puzzles felt a little better. Riven, does provide a lot more story, and emphasis on exploring but a lot of the time this can become quite jarring to play-through. In the end though I did have fun and I can see why both Myst and Riven are loved. The animal totem puzzles was the one that probably ruined my mood the most. I will be giving Riven the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Riven does not try to modernize by chasing current trends, but instead prefers to preserve its original identity, refining it just enough to make it more accessible to modern audiences.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I understand that Riven will not appeal to everyone. The slow and methodical mentality will not suit those who want instant rewards in a short, casual time. Furthermore, if you do not like note-taking or you have a short attention span, this will not be for you! Yet, Riven is designed to consume and test you in equal measure. If you can give it the time it requires, the outcome is unbelievably positive. It will make you scream, shout, and want to quit. Moreover, the puzzles will push you to the breaking point. But this is half of the fun. It is this brutality and attention to detail that make it tick. Furthermore, the incredible world, stunning audio, and brilliant modern aesthetics ensure that you will not be disappointed. Accordingly, I love it and recommend grabbing a copy from the Xbox store!
If I had to choose how to play the Riven remake, I’d probably stick to the traditional screen version. The VR landscapes are gorgeous, but it’s clear the game was originally designed for 2D and only later adapted to VR, with all the limitations that come with that shift. What feels acceptable on a flat screen — not being able to interact with everything — becomes less convincing in VR, where you naturally want to touch and test every object. Frequent loading breaks the immersion and even affects pacing, sometimes discouraging players from tackling certain puzzles unless absolutely necessary. Still, it remains a compelling VR experience for anyone who wants to fully step into Riven’s world and immerse themselves in one of the most charismatic puzzle adventures ever made. Recommended.
Review in Italian | Read full review
What Riven did, and still does, is connecting all its puzzle pieces into a coherent world to explore and learn about. Not through someone telling you, but by stumbling about and being forced to learn its frame of reference. And in that regard, Riven is perhaps not the most taxing puzzle game out there, but it is still an amazing experience that will demand your attention to fully comprehend it.
For those who enjoy seemingly pointless wandering and endlessly searching for something that helps, Myst developer Cyan's Riven remake in 2024 is worth a look. Fans of the original from 1997 will be treated to a stunning and familiar surreal world, once again filled with obscure puzzles that, unfortunately, cannot be solved by digging into your traumatic core memories from back then. Myst and Riven enthusiasts will definitely have their work cut out for them, especially if they're used to solutions being within easy reach and the game almost pointing them out with fluorescent arrows. While I thoroughly enjoyed the new Riven, I anticipate that different groups will have varying grievances. Newcomers will likely struggle with the lack of a helpful hand, veterans will miss the FMV characters, and VR players will need an excellent memory. Riven is no easy feat—it's just a bit odd, but still quite enjoyable.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Overall, I loved this Riven. It’s stunning; the new and updated puzzles are brilliant and fun, the music is amazing, the sound design is flawless, and everything in it is so beautiful. I did have a little bit of an issue with the game running poorly and having to turn the graphics way down, and I also didn’t like the character models. But overall, the translation from an old-school point-and-click to an updated version of itself went rather splendidly. I never played the remake of Myst from 2020, but I’m thinking I might have to go back and do just that now that I have seen how beautiful the new Riven is.
Riven 2024 is a true labor of love, a direct result of fan efforts to render the game in a modern style. Character models, puzzles, and other touches have been dramatically streamlined, and barring a few hard knowledge checks, my time in Riven sped by. Graphics hiccups and captioning omissions are tiny blemishes on Riven’s triumphant return. I’ll be thinking of it, pun intended, for ages.
Playing Riven on a VR headset in 2024 gives us a glimpse into a bygone era of adventure gaming that trusted players to explore freely without being led by the hand. Fans of the original game will find much to love in this new version as seeing locations that were previously only static pre-rendered images come to life in VR is breathtaking. But for newcomers or modern audiences, Riven might be a tough pill to swallow.
Although a Remake, This version retains the core elements that made the original a classic, while introducing new content and enhancements that elevate the adventure to new heights. Riven remains an artistic masterpiece and a puzzle adventure game that still holds up and can compete and beat out even some of the newest titles of its genre.
Updated for modern systems, Riven reminds us why it's a classic adventure game. Perhaps a bit short now, occasionally obtuse in its puzzles, but still visually stunning and engaging.
With its lonely, other-worldly setting, interesting sci-fi and fantastical elements, and puzzling puzzles, the remake Riven is a game that feels incredibly faithful to the era in which it was created and should be a fantastic title for fans of the series and newcomers alike.
Riven is still one of the best puzzle games of all time, with challenging puzzles, an intricate plot, and a gorgeous world that all fold into each other in great ways. It's a wonderful experience, except for how slow it can be at points. As a remake, the full 3d movement and stunning new graphics add a lot, though replacing the FMV cutscenes with in-game cutscenes does pull away some of the game's original charm.
The Riven remake is an expert modernization and expansion to the original, bringing its gorgeous worlds fully to life.
Riven is for old and new players, offering new twists for players of the original while offering a deep and rewarding experience for newcomers. Riven has never looked better, and has finally received the remake treatment it has so rightly deserved after 27 agonizing years. Cyan has completed their arc of remaking their first two Myst games with incredible accuracy, care, and reverence, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. Riven is a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern realism to provide a puzzle adventure for the ages.