Of all of Cyan's recent releases (starting with Obduction in 2016), Riven is, by far, the best 👏. Now, that's largely because the source material is a masterpiece unto itself, but what Cyan has done here is craft a perfect remake for old and new fans alike.

If you've never played the original, this will give you the same broad story on a modern engine with gameplay that reflects what has evolved over the last 25 years. Riven feels like Myst with the realism dialed up all the way. A highly dedicated team of people worked tirelessly to build a world and characters that exist and act for true-to-life reasons. While I wish more were done to implement interactivity with non-critical objects (like picking up a pen just to look at it, for example), you progress in this game by treating it like a real place and asking yourself what you would do if you were really there.

For series veterans, the changes in this version will literally delight you. I played in VR, and I gasped and stood in wonder on multiple occasions. I felt that a couple of times in Obduction, but it was a regular occurrence here. I wasn't disappointed that any specific thing wasn't like it was in the original, and I never once felt like anything was downgraded in translation. My simple but heartfelt message to the devs is, "You did it, you sons of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥! YOU DID IT!"

My hope is that Cyan looks at what they have in this spectacular achievement and carries over the best parts of what works into their future releases. Riven is a cause to celebrate and also determine how it differs from Obduction, Myst (2020), and Firmament.

(Now, at the end here I will say: If you also play in VR, you will likely have to fiddle with settings and things to get everything working smoothly. There are so many variables and software in-between your eyes and the game, anything in there could be at fault. I found that using my Quest 3 headset, I got the best performance by using the native Steam Link app. Using the Link Cable or Air Link resulted in absolutely horrible performance. But Steam Link gave me the same kind of experience I get with other PCVR titles. TLDR: Use the Steam Link app if you're using your Quest 3 for PCVR.)

Of all of Cyan's recent releases (starting with Obduction in 2016), Riven is, by far, the best 👏. Now, that's largely because the source material is a masterpiece unto itself, but what Cyan has done here is craft a perfect remake for old and new fans alike. If you've never played the original, this will give you the same broad story on a modern engine with gameplay that reflects what has evolved over the last 25 years. Riven feels like Myst with the realism dialed up all the way. A highly dedicated team of people worked tirelessly to build a world and characters that exist and act for true-to-life reasons. While I wish more were done to implement interactivity with non-critical objects (like picking up a pen just to look at it, for example), you progress in this game by treating it like a real place and asking yourself what you would do if you were really there. For series veterans, the changes in this version will literally delight you. I played in VR, and I gasped and stood in wonder on multiple occasions. I felt that a couple of times in Obduction, but it was a regular occurrence here. I wasn't disappointed that any specific thing wasn't like it was in the original, and I never once felt like anything was downgraded in translation. My simple but heartfelt message to the devs is, "You did it, you sons of bitches! YOU DID IT!" My hope is that Cyan looks at what they have in this spectacular achievement and carries over the best parts of what works into their future releases. Riven is a cause to celebrate and also determine how it differs from Obduction, Myst (2020), and Firmament. (Now, at the end here I will say: If you also play in VR, you will likely have to fiddle with settings and things to get everything working smoothly. There are so many variables and software in-between your eyes and the game, anything in there could be at fault. I found that using my Quest 3 headset, I got the best performance by using the native Steam Link app. Using the Link Cable or Air Link resulted in absolutely horrible performance. But Steam Link gave me the same kind of experience I get with other PCVR titles. TLDR: Use the Steam Link app if you're using your Quest 3 for PCVR.)