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We get a close-up look at the interior of the Moiety "Hive" on Tay. It's smaller than I imagined, but densely packed with detail. An interesting change is that the linking book back to Riven apparently doesn't need a window-crystal; I guess the flaw really did lie with Gehn's writing, and not with the quality of the materials he was using to produce his books and ink. As for the Moiety daggers stuck into the central chamber, IIRC there was some lore detail in the walkthrough manual for the original that the daggers stuck into the wooden effigy statue near the link-in point represented Moiety agents killed by Gehn. If this is anything like that, then that means a _lot_ of dead Rivenese natives. (Also, who else thinks that the circular axes used by the Moiety guards look a bit like pizza cutters? I think you can see giant versions of them on the Village and Survey islands). Likewise, exploring outside of Gehn's outpost on 233 is a real treat. The presences of the Rivenese funerary totems there is a good bit of environmental storytelling; it shows just how many of Gehn's (presumably loyal) Rivenese subjects died on 233 to establish his base there, and Gehn's callousness in using their grave markers for firewood. The critter cooking in the parabolic solar oven (what you called a satellite dish) also shows how Gehn was quite self-sufficient living on 233. As for the burnt 234 book, we can only wonder if Gehn burned it because it was defective like so many others, or perhaps because with (he thinks) a linking book back to D'ni in his possession he believed he no longer needed such "flawed" creations (which says a lot about just how inauthentic his claims were about desiring to write a new Age to be a refuge for the villagers). Although we can see that he's already started writing 235, which is sitting on his desk where 234 was in the original. We can presume that 234 was burned only recently, perhaps during the time between when the player uses the Trap Book and when Gehn follows, since the linking window only winks out permanently shortly after the player opens it. Another neat details on 233 is the inclusion of carrying cases for Power Marbles, presumably to power the spherical furnace which energizes the linking book back to Riven. They are likely also on-hand in case Gehn succeeded in writing another age, so he could take them with to power a linking book back to 233. Also, the presence of the actual 233 descriptive book and what I presume are spare linking books. All under lock and key, of course, so no one who stumbled into his office could use, damage, or abscond with them (even if they somehow escape the cage first). The new holo-imager recordings in Gehn's quarters were also a surprise. Not only is this (I think) the first depiction of Ti'ana in the games (other than the occasional reference, like the gravestone in RealMyst), but her and Aitrus' recordings paint a picture of how Gehn ended up the way he did, if _this_ is what he's been ruminating on his entire adult life. Every time he had doubts about his "noble mission" to restore the D'ni civilization, he'd go back to rewatch the message from his mother and it'd steel his resolve. If, as Ti'ana says, her love and compassion took away the life that Gehn should've had, what else was he to become except for a cruel tyrant? Definitely agree that the holo-imager is a perfect place for a hidden recording. Cyan loves their easter-eggs. The Riven linking book on 233 linking back to Gehn's Lab on Crater island is a nice touch. After all, where else on Riven is he likely to go or spend any significant amount of time? We get a closer look at the inside of Catherine's prison, but there really isn't much there. Although before it was her prison, it served as Gehn's private quarters on Riven before he relocated to 233. The accommodations are quite spartan, but I get the impression that the security measures were originally intended to keep visitors _out_ rather than to keep anyone _in_ It's probably for the best that the Myst theme park attraction never got built. While I think it'd do really well, especially in today's environment of smartphones and QR-code easter-egg hunts, I'd rather the Myst IP stay firmly in Cyan's hands instead of the likes of Disney or Universal running it into the ground. The Cyan Logo being the ball in the center of the Star Fissure is a cheeky wink and nod at the player. Although the real lore question is how it got there, and why it seems to be anchored in place despite floating in the void without apparently being attached to anything. Awfully convenient for Gehn to have an object to rotate his constructions around. Although, as with anything involving the Star Fissure, one might as well chalk it up to the will of the Maker. And that's a wrap. I'll see you in Myst III: Exile!

34:00. He's so excited, and he just can't hide it! He's about to lose control and I think he likes it! Yep! I was quite excited too when I learned that was ANOTHER place you could now explore in this new game! Another wonderful run Winter. Glad you got to do this! I very much enjoyed this game too. I'll have to check out your other Myst game video when I get the chance :D

Dang, the story goes DEEP, and im a little interested to see how the story goes when I stream it myself. I just came by to say yo!

I always assumed the tram call buttons were a distance away from the stations for a worldbuilding reason: Travelers don't have to spend as long waiting if they can call the tram before they reach the station. This left me surprised why they moved them in the remake. My best guess was that they saw that aspect of the original confuse enough players (several let's players forgot that the first time they used one of those buttons, they saw it call a tram, and then couldn't figure out what the other ones did) that they decided the worldbuilding reason wasn't strong enough to keep it. But there being a technical reason that no longer applies explains it for sure.

45:10 In Myst 1, Atrus writes in one of his journals that he had trouble pronouncing her true name, so he just started calling her Catherine instead. As much as he doesn't want to be like his father, it can be difficult to fully escape such mentalities. Perhaps that is also why his sons turned out the ways they did.

Cyan has always been good with water effects. Even in the original Myst with its static images and grainy resolution, they put a lot of effort into selling the illusion through careful framing and audio cues. With their most recent releases all being real-time 3-D environments, they've only improved over the years. One subtle detail of the original animal puzzle is how the symbols subtly incorporated D'ni numerals into their designs. Obviously not relevant anymore with the Rivenese numbering system, but I thought it was a cool detail. Much like Atrus and Gehn's journals, there are a number of changes made to Catherine's journal in the remake. Besides the obvious changes to her handwriting to make it more legible, some clues are reworded to make their meaning more clear (like Catherine specifying Gehn's outpost on 233, instead of just his journal "in his office"). On the other hand, there are small alterations that change the color of the narrative: for instance, in the original Catherine is worried that the Moiety have cut vital ties with the villagers who have not openly joined them, while in the remake they're clearly still collaborating under Gehn's nose.

bro i played this game and fr this game needs some respect fr love the game and your yt bro bro!

It wouldn't be Riven if at least one crucial piece of the puzzle wasn't either broken, incomplete, or frustratingly obtuse to find. 😛 But seriously, the sixth totem is devilishly well-hidden. Not only is it found in a new addition to village, but the game has already thoroughly conditioned you to look for clues in sets of 5. By the time you realize that you're missing something, you've likely already walked past it several times already without even noticing. Technically, you can get down to the door on the lake floor during your first visit to the village if you enter at lake-level, since the bathysphere-locomotive is scripted to move about on its own and momentarily leaves the heating element which displaces the water active just long enough to climb down there if you hurry. However, without access into the village proper you can't redirect the steam using the wooden wahrk-vent, and you very likely haven't picked up the magic Moiety lens yet at that point anyway.

This definitely reminds me of how this puzzle felt for me while I played. I got so close to giving up because you feel like you did everything you possibly could, and then there's that ONE small details that suddenly opens up tons of possibilities. Look forward the big solve in the next one! I'll confess though, I never found the Fish painting until way after. I just assumed it was one of the things since it is the actual game logo, and I guessed the number (correctly on the second try) based on what info I had and it was just hurting my head trying to figure out two of those symbols on the new numbering system, so I guess it was slight brute force on my part, haha. In regards to the minecart and other things, yeah they could have done a better job here with sounds and the timing of the sounds. As you said, there is no delay on the return to Jungle Island for when the lift engages for it, a real loss of detail there. But also when the cart stops, it does not at all match up with the timing of the sounds like the original did, seems like laziness on their part, same with the tree elevator, the start and stop sounds don't match up correctly at all.

Little advice, or if you encounter a radio or a TV, turn them on. They all have something to show.

41:50 you can still do that, it's just the pressure plate you link in standing on top of now heh

39:54 ooh it's neat to hear this dialogue, the other playthrough I saw already had the book back before this point

You're very close to cracking the Rivenese numbering system. It can be tricky to intuit when the game has otherwise conditioned you to look for patterns of 5, but then you realize that the native culture would've _predated_ Gehn's arrival and the introduction of his pentameral obsession. Just have to find the last totem to crack the animal puzzle. Face to face with Gehn at last. I like the subtle changes to Age 233, like the critters you can see flying outside of the windows. The peculiar geography of the age has always been interesting, with the 'goblet rock' sea stacks implying that the water level of the surrounding ocean might've once been _much_ higher, and possibly acidic to have eroded entire mountains until only their peaks remained. Gehn is clearly not stupid, to have successfully written a functioning descriptive book, but his arrogance prevents him from seeing the big picture. That just because he _can_ write a feature into an Age, that doesn't mean he _should_ . Which is why Age 233 is unsuitable as a long-term habitation (his personal office aside), and is already showing troubling signs of instability.

I'm not sure why people are giving Firmament such flack. I very much enjoyed it! Compared to something like Myst 4, I felt NONE of the puzzles were tedious and with some observations and thinking, they were not bad at all to solve. Granted I could be better at solving puzzles as an adult compared to when I was a kid or teen, but still, if you thought logically, they were fairly easy to figure out even before solving them. I had a BAD bug/glitch in Ghen's age. When I had returned the third time after decided not to use the book the second time (meaning I arrived without the book like you did for the first time, second time I declined to use it, and third time I did use it). When he closed the book I magically ended up not just outside the cage as he was talking, but outside his dang place! Completely unable to interact with anything. I thought I was completely softlocked, and with where my last save was.... I was not too happy about that....... Luckily I quit, and reloaded from the autosave. I still ended up outside, but somehow I was able to interact with the linking book back to the lab, don't at all remember how I did. That could have ended up a lot worse....I hope they have fixed that by now.

The smaller waffle iron is definitely less intimidating than the original. I imagine that the "calibration" slider was added both to make the puzzle harder to brute-force, and to introduce a randomized element to each playthrough. For all of the original puzzle's 93.85 trillion _theoretical_ combinations, tying the marble's positions to Riven's geography ultimately meant that the solution was always the same. Also, I find it mildly ironic that for all the changes made, we still have to pixel-hunt for an easily-missed button to access the puzzle itself.

I imagine that the reason why the remake removes the hidden switch to open the Whark statue from the outside is to force players to visit all of the islands at least once. Speedrunners don't even have to go to Map Island in the original.

This puzzle I actually solved well before I ever figured out Tay's access puzzle. Man was that one giving me a run for my money! Definitely curious to see what happens next week, assuming it's then. The new way to access the marble puzzle is way cool. The only problem I have is them recycling the sound used for original Riven's access elevator and missing walkway section for the dome on Temple Island when you go up to it, and down from it. It doesn't fit, at all.

Knock knock. Lil dragons for snugs

Cringe

The light... I can see... the light. (I got flash banged when I watched this. Obligatory" MY EYES!" joke)

Seek psychological help.

Just the goofiest of guys.

Wish I could actually make it to some of your streams lol, typically happen while i'm at work

Who tf is this dude😮

Unexpected jump scares in non-horror games always get you.

What's that gamw

Ngl i feel like i couldn't play any horror game I'm too much of a scaredy cat lol

At first I thought you were a kobold 😭

1:00:20 wow, I didn't know about this

20:35 I was real worried you would leave without taking this path haha, glad chat was there for you

I really do think that Survey Island is where Cyan put the most effort into recreating iconic visual set-pieces from the original pixel-for-pixel; the jagged rocks, the golden elevator, the underwater throne, etc. Which is ironic, considering the changes that were made. I suspect that moving the location of the throne was as much a matter of making it physically fit into the island's 3D topography as it was including a new lock puzzle. I do miss the '3D Pin Art' of the map room from the original; changing the model map-islands to use rising metal blocks instead of manipulating Riven's weird water just doesn't have the same vibe. We are treated, however, with more up-close visuals of the Wahrk. Visiting Prison Island early was definitely a big surprise. Notably, you could've gone there at any time since accessing the Dome on Temple Island. Quite a change from only going there during the endgame in the original. Catherine's dialogue is also changed to give confused new players more direction as to what they are _supposed_ to be doing (i.e. recover the Trap Book from the Moiety to trap Gehn). We're even presented with a more up-close and detailed look at the stump of the "Great Tree" which the titular Prison is built upon, which is a nice world-building detail.

Haha! The way your face looked at 17:47 when you realized what the dome opened to was so perfect! Now that you actually made it here, I can tell you. When I first played the new Riven, I was totally taken back like you were when I saw how you just go in to the starry expanse just like that from Temple Island. I probably spent some time in there just admiring it. It was there how I learned that Prison Island can actually be the very first island you visit, and I took advantage of that. I LOVED that twist. I'm a guy who is also really big on sounds, so with this new game, there is one sound thing I absolutely LOVE in the new Riven. The "exterior/outside" sounds of the fire marble dome getting ready to close, which almost got no use in the original game (unless you closed it from the outside on purpose, but how many would do that?), gets used frequently in the new one. I've always loved that sound.

I feel like this DLC storyline is where GLaDOS' characterization went off the rails into something completely different, and it only gets worse with the later Portal tie-ins in other games like the Lego games for example

The ending to this game always made me so sad, especially as a kid. Maybe it's my fault for not liking to read much, but I had no idea the ending meant everything falling apart and the age going dark. I was just in complete shock and disbelief seeing what was going on after the fissure was opened. I had spent all this time, taking in all these environments of this age, everything all nice and bright and sunny, with a light wind, and then in the span of mere seconds it all becomes undone. I starting picturing those same areas such as the jungle and such all now dark and dreary. Such a weird feeling.

The furries have devolved.

That was a very good intro. Felt like it was a TV show opening

Dragon on an oil rig. Nothing bad can happen... Right

I love this game. The first time I walked under the oil rig and looked down during a storm and seen how big the waves where blew my mind. I have never been in the middle of the ocean so had no concept of how big they are. Like you hear there as big as a building but untill you see it you don't get it. ❤

no offense at all but ur character kinda looks like if one of those blue mfs from avatar had a fursona

This is awful. I just hung myself.

shame this only has 21 views , found u via utube shorts. love the model and ur reaction to this game so far .

18:21 This always upset me. One thing I always loved in the original Riven was that bridge. Simple yet the design always looked cool to me. I guess I can see WHY they went this way but....man. Still a shame to me.

Oh you like these games too? Awesome man! I've been a fan of them for many years now. Cool to find another fan!

Honestly one of my favourite games that I played, seeing your clips definitely makes me wanna play it again xD

Who is this little, cute dragon 😮

What no explosion darn.

this is (i think) called the total darkness event, and it is very scary. it is the only event that ive faced naturally in sandbox (without spawning it in). very scary.

I appreciate you taking the time to read aloud all the journals :)