Cyan Worlds
Ever since I was vernal , I ’ve been fascinated with bothMystandRiven . I never really played either , mind you ; I was more of a console table kid . But even then , I always felt an indescribable attractor toward the PC classics . From an outside position , they seemed so foreign and beguiling . At some item , I almost didn’twantto play them . I was happy to allow them as an ageless closed book , puzzles that were better left unsolved .
I in conclusion get out that mindset thanks to developer Cyan Worlds ’ newremake ofRiven . The ambitious project takes the 1997 mystifier adventure and gives it a modern makeover both on microcomputer and VR . That last part was enough to make me prick the heater . If I already felt so engrossed by the Myst series from afar , I want my first veridical dive into it to be as all - encompassing as possible . After charge it up on my Meta Quest 3 , I ’m simultaneously kicking myself for wait so long to tryRivenand glad I did . The VR version is an amazing adventure that everyone should experience .
Cyan Worlds
The originalRivenis the sequel to 1993’sMyst . It ’s a first - person pointedness - and - tick puzzler game where players cross a mysterious lot of island in hunting of the jailed Catherine . in reality freeing her is a complicated task . It requires traversing the island and solving sometimes obtuse puzzles strewn around them . Rivendoesn’t explain much ; it ’s up to player to derive its intimate system of logic by clicking on everything they can . Those who have the brainpower to make it to the end will see that they ’re capable to assemble together an integral number system through careful observation .
Cyan Worlds ’ remake keep the original game fairly intact , pump up its visuals and allowing player to freely move . It ’s a faithful task — and that ’s for the best . PlayingRivenin 2024 , I ’m completely in awe of it . Even from its orifice moment , it feel unlike anything I ’ve ever played , Several games have taste to construct on the idea of the Myst series ( this year ’s fantasticLorelei and the Laser Eyescomes to beware ) but nothing quite captures its aura . I finger a visceral good sense of isolation , like I ’m really trammel in some otherworldly existence I do n’t realise . It ’s positively sublime ; I ’m unnerved and fear - struck in the same breath .
That tactual sensation is only expanded in VR where the remake rightfully shines . TheMeta Quest 3allowed me to genuinely recede myself in the world ofRiven , blocking out the away world solely . I feel the claustrophobia when I ’m walking through a narrow pipe or the sense of strange scale when I enter a jungle island and see what look like an tremendous pizza pie cutter wedge into a wall to my left field . I feel like Alice after tumble down the rabbit muddle ; everything is wondrous unfamiliar .
I imagine a destiny of player might contend withRiven‘s actual puzzles . Even as a veteran fan of the literary genre , I found myself scratching my head word even when trying to deduce what I could interact with . Some of VR ’s defect rise their head here . on occasion clumsy motility controls can make it tricky to spin wheels smoothly . It ’s also the form of biz that you really require to take notes during , but that means always taking the headset on and off . A screenshot feature film help take out that friction , but it ’s always clear-cut that the underlying game was built for PC first .
What ’s so incredible about this variation ofRiven , though , is that you do n’t really need to play with the aim of beating it to get the experience . The majority of my enjoyment came from simply wandering around the odd humanity and bumping into unvarying surprise . I jumped in my butt when I got to the bottom of a long staircase only to find two monumental creatures that looked like a cross between a pelican and seal . VR accentuate moments like that even more by pass on players an consuming sense of shell ; they’reenormous !
I did n’t care about freeing Catherine so much . I just want to touch every electric switch , tack together how its metallic orbs and steam - powered machine worked . Tactile VR controls make that more satisfying than ever , bringing the classic point - and - click genre to its coherent conclusion decades later . This is the sort of experience VR was build for .
Whether you ’re a longtime fan of the Myst series or a full newcomer , I barrack you to giveRivena try . It ’s a bold , mystifying timber composition that still feels totally unique 10 later . That ’s not nostalgia talking ; that ’s coming from a new convert who ’s still not done wandering those islands like a broad - eyed holidaymaker seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time .
Rivenis available now on PC , and it is compatible with VR headsets .
