Ever since I used to be younger, I’ve been fascinated with each Myst and Riven. I by no means truly performed both, thoughts you; I used to be extra of a console child. However even then, I all the time felt an indescribable draw towards the PC classics. From an out of doors perspective, they appeared so unusual and alluring. Sooner or later, I virtually didn’t need to play them. I used to be comfortable to depart them as an everlasting thriller, puzzles that have been higher left unsolved.
I lastly broke that mindset due to developer Cyan Worlds’ new remake of Riven. The formidable undertaking takes the 1997 puzzle journey and offers it a contemporary makeover each on PC and VR. That final half was sufficient to make me chunk the bullet. If I already felt so engrossed by the Myst collection from afar, I needed my first actual dive into it to be as all-encompassing as potential. After loading it up on my Meta Quest 3, I’m concurrently kicking myself for ready so lengthy to attempt Riven and glad I did. The VR model is an astonishing journey that everybody ought to expertise.
The unique Riven is the sequel to 1993’s Myst. It’s a first-person point-and-click puzzle recreation the place gamers traverse a mysterious set of islands looking for the imprisoned Catherine. Truly liberating her is an advanced process. It requires traversing the islands and fixing generally obtuse puzzles strewn round them. Riven doesn’t clarify a lot; it’s as much as gamers to infer its inner logic by clicking on the whole lot they will. Those that have the brainpower to make it to the top will discover that they’re in a position to piece collectively a whole quantity system by means of cautious statement.
Cyan Worlds’ remake retains the unique recreation pretty intact, pumping up its visuals and permitting gamers to freely transfer. It’s a trustworthy undertaking — and that’s for the very best. Enjoying Riven in 2024, I’m utterly in awe of it. Even from its opening moments, it feels in contrast to something I’ve ever performed, A number of video games have tried to construct on the concepts of the Myst collection (this 12 months’s unbelievable Lorelei and the Laser Eyes involves thoughts) however nothing fairly captures its aura. I really feel a visceral sense of isolation, like I’m really trapped in some otherworldly universe I don’t perceive. It’s positively elegant; I’m unnerved and awe-struck in the identical breath.
That feeling is simply expanded in VR the place the remake really shines. The Meta Quest 3 allowed me to really lose myself on this planet of Rivenblocking out the skin world completely. I really feel the claustrophobia once I’m strolling by means of a slim pipe or the sense of unusual scale once I enter a jungle island and see what appears to be like like an unlimited pizza cutter lodged right into a wall to my left. I really feel like Alice after tumbling down the rabbit gap; the whole lot is splendidly unfamiliar.
I think about loads of gamers may wrestle with Riven‘s precise puzzles. At the same time as a seasoned fan of the style, I discovered myself scratching my head even when attempting to infer what I might work together with. A few of VR’s shortcomings rear their head right here. Often clumsy movement controls could make it difficult to spin wheels easily. It’s additionally the form of recreation that you just actually wish to take notes throughout, however which means always taking the headset on and off. A screenshot function helps take out that friction, but it surely’s all the time clear that the underlying recreation was constructed for PC first.
What’s so unimaginable about this model of Rivenalthough, is that you just don’t really want to play with the intention of beating it to get the expertise. The majority of my enjoyment got here from merely wandering across the odd world and bumping into fixed surprises. I jumped in my seat once I bought to the underside of an extended staircase solely to search out two large creatures that regarded like a cross between a pelican and seal. VR emphasizes moments like that much more by giving gamers an awesome sense of scale; they’re monumental!
I didn’t care about liberating Catherine a lot. I simply needed to the touch each swap, piecing collectively how its metallic orbs and steam-powered units labored. Tactile VR controls make that extra satisfying than ever, bringing the traditional point-and-click style to its logical conclusion many years later. That is the form of expertise VR was constructed for.
Whether or not you’re a longtime fan of the Myst collection or a complete newcomer, I urge you to provide Riven a attempt. It’s a daring, mystifying tone piece that also feels wholly distinctive many years later. That’s not nostalgia speaking; that’s coming from a brand new convert who’s nonetheless not finished wandering these islands like a wide-eyed vacationer seeing the Grand Canyon for the primary time.
Riven is offered now on PC, and it’s appropriate with VR headsets.
