This game is BRILLIANT. Unparallel atmosfere and immersion. In this sequel, Myst acheive another level of artistry and gameplay. The puzzles are great. The music and sounds are crazy!! IMHO this is the top-of-top adventure of all times. Number #1
I never played Myst prior to Riven. I remember playing this game when I was probably seven or eight, having absolutely no idea what I was doing or suppose to do. I just enjoyed exploring and playing with all the transports and gadgets.
Truly a masterpiece, a world that doesn’t force itself on you but allows you to freely immerse yourself in it at your own pace. I’ve never experienced a game quite like it, though I know personally it has inspired me as a game developer and other developers to build/create other such fantastic experiences.
I have two separate comments here: Firstly, this was my grandpa's favorite game and while neither of us knew any english at the time he still managed to beat it all on his own, while I would be drawing all the animals of riven any time I was visiting. Secondly, I love this concept of a video that isn't a speedrun but a "leisurely jog" that shows all the intended solutions in a fast and interesting manner, great video!
Kinda still blows my mind having just played it now for the first time. Despite the low video quality it's still very impressive in visuals and sound design. Truly iconic
"Riven likes to reward you for solving little increments of puzzles, with basically, nothing." No truer words have ever been said about this game and what's more insane is how that actually does become a positive. Sure Riven has "puzzles" but the thing I always took away from them was that they had actual function. Myst had puzzles that were obviously... Puzzles. And while the game narratively tried it's best to write some of the most absurd ones as some form of advanced "book related security system," some were on Resident Evil levels of "THE CREST GOES INTO THE DOOR AT THE POLICE STATION!" Uh-huh. Sure. Riven and it's puzzles all felt like they had a reason to be there. You weren't exactly "solving" anything half the time, you were trying to understand the functions of a society. Most of the time the game feels like you're being asked to drive a car without any knowledge of what are cars. The number system alone, the fact you learn it in a literal abandoned school, there are aspects of this game that modern games don't understand today.
Agree 100%, thanks for the really thoughtful comment. There’s something about the vibe in Riven that elevates the experience from simply checking off the boxes to feeling like you’re at a crime scene. Like, this all happened, and I’m just here trying to make sense of it...none of this was made for me. Which of course, it was, but. Yeah, masterful in the way it all comes together. =)
@@JordansExpeditions One thing I found Myst III succumbed to, and a more recent game called Quern, and even the 1st Myst actually is the crutch of puzzles existing because some figure who came before you is trying to "teach you lessons". It works obviously, but Riven somehow COMPLETELY avoided that, yes you're still "solving puzzles", and the "puzzles" are completely at home in the world like the OP stated, they all have a reason to be there. I adore this game. It's absolutely ingenious how the lore and environment is tightly interwoven with he puzzles. I found Obduction also did an excellent job at this, which makes sense as it came from the mind of Rand Miller, and I have VERY high hopes for their next game, Firmament.
@@JordansExpeditions I don't think Myst V is worth it. I haven't tried it yet, but Myst IV seemed like the last decent game in the series. The surrealistic worlds combined with real people is what made it interesting, Myst V does away with all that and uses 3D objects and characters that look low-quality and just "plopped" into the game, it doesn't look seamless or realistic. I would just read the books, play 1-3 - it may be worth it to try the new Myst with the old FMVs, the visuals have been dramatically reworked - maybe try 4, and forget about 5 altogether - it's not worth playing a mediocre quality game and ruining the experience, simply because it's part of the series. Obduction is completely unrelated to the Myst universe, so you don't even need to get through the entire Myst series to experience it.
Played Riven as a Kid with my Dad. He would be up countless nights until he broke and got the strategy guide. watched the whole video and your commentary does it more than justice. Riven should have been the final ending.
There's another hint for the fish. When you're in the village on the forest island, near to where you lower the submarine, there is a string of fish hanging on a post. There are only 5 animals you encounter in Riven, and 1 is the only number you haven't paired with an animal. So, by elimination you can associate #1 with the fish. Love your walkthroughs by the way. I've played this game a million times and still can't stay away. 😊
If you had multiple CD drives, you could put more than one Riven disc in, and the game would know that, and wouldn't ask you to swap discs. I didn't have FIVE drives, mind you, I had two, but if you were going back and forth between two places, it was so convenient.
"I lost weeks of my life playing this", wanting desperately to solve it, and then... one day I solved it finally, and wished I wouldn't, so I could l loose another couple of weeks... Wait, did I just say "I lost"?! NONSENSE! I was through such a breathtaking adventure, how one can possibly say it was a "lost" time?! And, oh, BTW: it was, for me, 25 yrs ago. ;-)
@@squamish4244 Aw, c'mon! What's a year or two between friends, eh? But then... yeah, it was '97 indeed (or '96?), and that makes me wonder how would you know... Am I missing something here...?
Great walkthrough. The balance between hint and solutions is done in a way that promotes exploration without huge delays in solutions. + for the graph paper and notation. Nice work!
Wow, I played Myst when it first came out. It was revelatory for me. Never played a shooter game after that, only puzzles. Tried to start Riven several times but couldn’t spare the time due to work and family. Now retired and was going to play it on iPad but saw your channel and decided, at 62, it was time to just watch you play through. Thoroughly enjoyable. I never even knew that 3, 4, and 5 had come out. Will watch your play throughs.
Yeah it totally is, haha. It was a really hard game to route to be watchably short but give a good idea of how the game was meant to be discovered. I tried anyway!
When I first played this game as a kid I didn't understand the plot, the world building details or anything. I just thought it was this weird creepy world with dudes in towers that made whistle noises, a cloaked ghosts running around in the underground of tunnels in that control island, weird children lost outside the city, etc. I never realized any of that had a purpose or significance which made the game so much more surreal. Watching it 24 years later I really appreciate how much subtle detail they put in to the world building to make the world believable.
Wow!! Surprising so much fun to watch. You never lost any enthusiasm during this whole playthrough, and this game is not easy. Thanks for taking me back in time bro!
Thank you very much Jordan, your excellent walk-throughs and insights have added a new dimension to my play-throughs of these wonderful games. Greatly appreciated! In short you ROCK :)
Thank you for taking the time to explore the areas and things that do not lead to the unraveling of specific puzzles but rather add flavor to the overall experience.
the countless hours i lost on these games ;D so much searching for sometimes not very obvious outcomes..... looking back it was a great experience but frustrating as well haha. seeing a walk through finally gives me closure haha
Beating myst and riven with my girlfriend back when they came out was so fun. Still have a sketch book full of notes, maps, glyphs which without notes it seemed impossible. Love the first 3.
Jordan, I really love these videos. I haven't played these games but they fascinate me. These videos have been really comforting as I moved to a new city and started at a new school.
Very nice and thoughtful presentation of a timeless classic here. I played Riven with my brother as a kid and last year decided to give it another go. Proud to say I was able to get through it all without looking anything up (brute forced the fish, however). Still, there is so much lore to be found - when I finally beat it and looked some things up I was very impressed by all the supplemental lore. So many ways of understanding this rich world that lead to ultimately being able to solve the puzzles. I distinctly remember the moment I realized beyond doubt about the animal shapes - chills, man! I am really looking forward to the "RealRiven" Starry Expanse project - so far it looks incredible, and the team has been working with Cyan under a NDA since late 2019. I expect that by now they are not too far away from wrapping it up. Thanks again for this retrospective, hope you have been well in the intervening years.
Thank you for this clear and concise walkthrough. I never got around to finishing it 20 years ago because it was my Uncle's property, and it takes a lot of time without help. And your commentary is intelligent and insightful; you picked up on many of the subtle nuances throughout the game, things most of us could probably sense but couldn't quite put into words.
I wish I could go back in time and play this again for the first time, and then remain there forever lol. No seriously, nostalgia is a powerful thing, especially when you're remembering a time when life literally was "the best" for you.
Great playthrough. I remember I could never solve these puzzles when I was a kid. Seeing it now makes me appreciate the art of this game even more. I would have never found most of these puzzles on my own. Too cryptic. A bit sad that you skipped many of the cutscenes as I haven't seen them yet. :(
Late comment, but thanks for putting together this really fantastic walkthrough and commentary. Riven was a game that I struggled with 30+ years ago. The place I got stuck was in the crater island, realizing I needed to make a u-turn and then close the doors after encountering the frog trap. Seeing you play through the game end-to-end, overlaid with running commentary connecting clues and written notes with puzzle solutions was cathartic. Thanks for helping me tie up a nerdy loose end for me. Now, to watch your other retrospectives.
I just played Myst remastered, and it was great to be able to watch this playthrough of Riven right after. Brings back lots of old memories of both! Thanks!
Wow! What a nostalgia trip that was ! Thanks for sharing! Two things I remember clearly about playing this game as a teenager : 1. I was amazed by the roller coaster ride at the beginning. 2. I was quite bummed out by not being able to explore Tay….I mean that was the front cover of the game 😢
Ah Riven, the game I loved to play when I was wee lad.. not understanding English, not understanding the game, but what a game it was.. eventually I did beat it but it took a really long time (years). My kid is 3 now... in a few years he should be ready to dive in another world.
Fun Myst lore: att 1:42:27 the photos on the wall are indeed Gehn's parents - Aitrus and Ti'ana (Anna). They are the main characters of the 2nd Myst novel "The Book of Ti'ana". A great read that really opens up the lore of this world and cemented me as a life-long Myst fan.
6 minutes in and I have already noticed you are far more snippy and sarcastic toward the game/player character/npcs than for your Myst video. I loved that one, and this one is even better. Good one, thanks!
I think it is ten bucks now. best ten bucks ever spent. great game. I too had played it when it came out. and launched my 3d animation career because of MYST 1. and I remember never finishing Riven because my one of my several CD roms was corrupt and crashed in the later part of the game. I remember having to constantly switch cd roms. must have gotten scratched. so was very pleased to see it online, and now play it with my children. I needed this refresher as there were several areas near impossible to know where to click to get passed the linear end points, frustrating for many people. great game but they could have made some doors easier to find.
I used this video to help me learn this game inside and out, and now I can finish it in under and hour. Not a speed run, exactly, more like an efficiency run with no mistakes
The most striking thing to me is how much agency the game expects the player to have, how much thought you would have to put into solving them the first time, sight unseen. Hiding subtle clues within the world of the game, without drawing undue attention to them expects such a level of maturity from the player and really contrasts with the simplistic way that most games hold your hand these days. Riven and Myst are great examples of an age of computer games that really produced some thoughtful, complex games which you really had to think about, and there's something melancholy that we don't see such games selling as well these days.
Finished Riven 2024 last week, was curious about original, you taught me a lot about the story I didn't grasp!. yeah I cant imagine swapping disks to switch islands lol.. This was so great, thanks!
Absolutely fascinating video, and a great watch. Myst and Riven were a bit before my time (I vaguely recall poking around on the island as a small child before getting bored), so it's pleasant to see how they were actually meant to be played. I was recommended this video by the Journal Updated podcast, so shout out to them. I doubt I would have seen it otherwise.
Looking over the cliff after the intro, you can see the body of the fallen guard. This is my favorite game ever and it was cool to revisit it. I remember staying up long nights trying to solve these puzzles. Oh, and loading the discs between islands...didn't mind it back then. It provided time for note taking and reflecting. I remember the artwork on the disc sleeves was so cool. Such a beautiful landscape throughout and the music too. Man, the live action people would startle me at times because they weren't there in Myst. I don't think it will ever happen, but it would be cool if this game received a makeover like Myst allowing for a 360 degree playthrough. Great video!
I appreciate the kinds words, thank you! Always question if it makes sense to have a face cam, I can see pros and cons, but if you liked it then it’s worth it to me. )
They changed the code to open the brass domes. on the plateau dome for me. Cross reference the cypher table at 1:20:56 with your game's version of the five figure code in Ghen's journal. My highest number was 18, but every video I watched showed 20 and 21. You sir have my subscription for giving me the tools to figure it out.
I absolutely love the "burn in" visual effect you get adding power to Ghen's linking books. It looks like the cliché "film burning up" effect, but seeing it in effective reverse looks awesome.
Fantastic playthrough. I only played Myst as a kid (though I remember Riven's very distinctive cover art), and hearing the way the story has expanded and the intricate triple puzzle the game leads up to is very fascinating. Grab a beverage, sit down, relax and enjoy -- indeed!
Thanks for this Jordan. I am impressed at how you got the idea to take notes; I'm now convinced that this is how the creators intended the game to be played.
Yeah, they did intend you to take notes. In the edition of the game I got back in the 90s the game came with a blank Riven book to take notes in it was your 'Journal'.
As a recent discoverer of the Myst franchise, this was an extremely beneficial watch. I had previously gone through Riven following a no commentary video longplay and didn't really understand what was happening. Your playthrough very clearly explains the logic behind the puzzles and has made me want to return to it for another playthrough. I see you've finally tackled Myst 4 as well which is great to see! I hope you also get to explore Uru and Myst 5 at some point because they're both great little expansions of the lore. Very much looking forward to watching the rest of your Myst franchise playthroughs too!
I must say a hearty Thank You from the opposite side of the gamer spectrum. I was in my late thirties / early forties when these games came out. I remember buying Myst and playing it for maybe 10 minutes before throwing my hands in the air. I did not get it _At_ _All_ -- and something told me that I wasn't going to -- so I never seriously tried. I'm sure I tossed that copy long ago. But I'm glad to finally have an idea what the hubbub was all about.
My sister and I absolutely love your playthrough! We beat the game, but a few of the puzzles we solved through trial and error. It was great to see what we missed! We're working our way through the Myst series and were thrilled to see that you have a video on Exile too! Also, your explanation of the D'ni number system was great!
Nice walkthrough with the use of chapters. I just finished Riven and am now just trying different endings. (I actually played Riven years ago but never really finished as I saw new stuff second go 'round). I hope you do the other Myst game walkthroughs as well as that's my next move. I picked up a Myst bundle package through Steam sorta recently so am working my way through them.
This is a lifetime game... There may be diferent ends and also diferent ways to get there. The jurney is the most important and is fascinating... Thank you!
You skipped it when you went back to Temple Island, when the temple doors were slooowly opening, Gehn was looking right at you in that imager cage (pulling a Great and Powerful Oz impression) before shutting it down. Sadly, he's split from his big, comfy chair before you get there. Still, scared the crap out of me when I first played back in the late 90s.
haha I had to listen to the "Whaaaat" multiple times around 1:10:06 (brilliant addition to the commentary). I have really enjoyed watching this. I stopped part way through because, even though I've beaten Riven on my own, it's been some years and with the remake coming at some point, I don't want to refresh myself on too many solutions. Long story short, my older brother got Riven for Play Station ages ago and I was probably 12 or 13 at the time. I never figured out the base 10 number system or gold dome stuff but I have seriously fond memories of playing Riven on winter afternoons in my parent's basement with the woodstove going. To be fair, I would only play Riven here and there since it wasn't my game or system to begin with. So in that sense, it's not like I really put the time into figuring out certain puzzles. Fast forward to 2015 and I decided to play it on Mac. I went five hours straight and solved everything on my own and it was unlike any experience before! I just had this immense drive to figure things out no matter what. The day after that, I did a second playthrough in about 2hrs and that weekend felt incredible to me! To this day, Myst and Riven are two of my all-time favorite games and I am beyond stoked that they've announced the remake!!! With how good Riven still looks, I can only imagine how mind-bogglingly amazing a modern take will be.
Definitely :) I am developing my own point and click games at the moment, you can find out more on instagram.com/DefyRealityEntertainment - the first game is called Neyyah :) I think my second favourite Myst game was Exile :)
I think one of my favourite places in Riven is definitely the jungle. Certain scenes used to freak me out as a kid too lol when i used to play it with my dad ... I'm keeping up to date with Starry Expanse too :)
Thanks very much for your playthrough! I spent some of today seeing if I could get the original Riven discs going on my antique PowerBook G4 running Mac OS X.4 (in the 9.2 Classic environment) and happily - with the occasional jogging of memory by skipping around your video - was able to get all the way through without any technical hitches. I think this is the first time I’ve played it in about the last five to ten years? Such a wonderful and elegant game!
This is possibly the best Let's Play I have seen on TH-cam, and I have seen quite a lot of masterclass ones such as MatthewMatosis'. You have an exceptional eye for environmental storytelling and conveying intricate details in an entertaining and concise way. I bought Riven over a decade ago and just finished it recently and this enriched the experience afterwards quite a bit.
I found Riven again in my game collection. All these quests, which i was so close to solve, i spent hours . . . i really like the lot back information around the quest you gave. . . Thanks Jordan
Many thanks Jordan for this great playthrough. It was quite a journey back in time and I loved that you even told the background stories about many aspects of the game. EDIT: I hope you find the motivation to do Myst 3, 4 and 5 playthrough aswell
Thanks for the vid, one of the greatest adventure/puzzle games ever made. My favourite puzzle (or information delivery device) of all time is the little hangman game in the classroom. It has it all: perfect integration with the lore and environment, it's also Gehn's propaganda and a hint to the gallows device... it just makes sense :) I will never forgive myself for looking up one spoiler (the small wooden spheres), it was so obvious in hindsight!
I remember playing this at my friend's house, three of us gathered around the computer taking turns being the one in charge of the mouse. We had to use a walkthrough that we printed off and at one point we missed a step and got incredibly lost. We backtracked and realized we'd missed a line that said "down the stairs and to the right". For ages that was a hilarious inside joke for us, any time we asked a question one of us would answer, "oh, down the stairs and to the right." One of those memories that stuck with me.
THANK YOU for this playthrough Jordan. I got Myst and Riven around -00 for my birthday when I was like 11 years old. The bundle included a cool Personal Journal for me to write down the clues and stuff. I didn't understand a thing. I just loved the scenery in combination with the sounds. I only wrote down two marble-stones in the journal. I've given the games a couple of tries over the years but never with greater success. Funny though, I still have the personal Journal and later it became my Dream Journal where I wrote down my weird dreams. Anyways, now, about 20 years later, I played through both games and even though I'm kind of disappointed in myself for not playing the games without any help, I'm very glad and relieved that I've completed them. They are truly something else. I told my mom, who got me the games for my birthday, and she remembered the games very well. Great video Jordan! Thanks again.
You were twelve. I was in my forties. I never got as far as you did in this game, but it was the most interesting game I ever played.I still have the packet with Myst, and five Riven disks.
Thanks for that Jordan! Thanks also for talking in a normal voice not *super* excited etc like so many people do (drives him *crazzeeee!*) I spent ages trying to do Riven way back when and recently decided to have another look now that it's available on Steam. I would NEVER have worked out the game- just not bright enough or maybe just not motivated enough BUT I LOVE the worlds and atmosphere. So thank you for the walkthrough, really enjoyed it. haven't realMyst atmosphere of the place. I Amy or may not watch the walkthrough, probably wait a bit thanks again
Brilliant, very entertaining with the way you presented it and explained all the puzzles, brings back memories when I first played this all them years ago. You should do the other games too.
I love how you took the notes on camera for this playthrough. You draw the straightest lines ever lol It was really nice that you explained a lot of the clues and everything to help make them understandable. I really enjoyed this one :)
Jordan - "The fan's turned off. Can we fit in there?" Me - "Haha No" Jordan - "Of course we can...doesn't make a lot of sense..." Me - "Yeah...would've NEVER figured that out..." lol
what a trip down memory lane, i got this on christmas 97 just like you (but a couple years older) but had the hardest time figuring out the final puzzle (to me, which was lining up the colors/islands...i couldn't really make out where the domes were with the imager). think I finally beat the game sometime a year later. watching this was a treat, thanks for sharing your playthrough! edit- also, really surprised how much of this game i'd remembered, as I haven't played in easily 20 years. such a fantastic setting and world Cyan created. Id love to see Riven get the Myst overhauls we've seen over the years, not sure why that's never happened!
Game felt so much different than Myst since the place is populated. I played this on PS1 on like 7 CDs or something. Now I'm playing it on my PC wireless in VR on a Quest 3. I can't believe it. I'm much less familiar with Riven than I was with Myst but it's still so crazy to be there.
First excellent walk through. I bought and finished all these games when they came out. My first adventure GAME WAS ADVENT An IBM mainframe Text based adventure GAME. then i played ALL THE INFOCOM text games GAMES ON A commodore 64, one OF MY favorite GAMES WAS obsidian had such cool cut scenes including a giant fire breathing spider robot at one point. I loved all these games and your awesome walk through is a great reminder. Lot of work so thank you. I also liked Time lapse and Rheah.
i have all the games so i went back and started from the beginning and god damn i learn new things everytime with this game ,i think just playing the game ya its puzzles but knowing what everything means it blows me a way for such an early game
I remember playing this as a young kid; I never understood what to do with the domes! I hated them since I was blocked in the game because of them, and didn't really know English since it was my 2nd language... I think I'll try this again, without tips, and I'll just have to crack the codes... For anyone curious, a full game without any walkthrough or hints took 1 year or 2; the guy played only Riven and on a daily basis... It's a ruthless game! Anyway, it's extremely fun to see all those contraptions again and again!
That was very well done and most enjoyable. I was grateful for the walk-through, because I gave up on the game, but I enjoyed Myst very much and always wondered what happened with Riven. Thankyou! I'm really glad you did that.
Never played this back in the day but I remember seeing it on shelves. The first game is a masterpiece, love going back through from time to time. One of these days I'll get around to playing this one.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video. I also got this game on Christmas of 1997 as a 9 year old. It took us a while but my dad and I beat it together. I think we may have cheated to solve the fire marble puzzle and/or the dome combination - I don't remember completely. This remains arguably my favorite adventure game of all time. Everything is just right - the atmosphere, the music, the puzzle difficulty, etc...You can tell the developers really put a lot of thought into creating this world for you to explore. IMHO, the other sequels don't hold up to the level of art encapsulated by the first two games in this series.
Thank you for all your time and effort to present this game. I did play Myst and Riven when they came out and I agree with all you say. I loved the game but I confess I had to cheat a bit with the puzzles but the graphics at the time were spellbinding.
I've played Riven many times. And I never clued in that one of the cave entrances looked like the frog. I just figured out the frog by accident I think back in the day.
I never played Myst 5, because i remember not wanting this series to end. In many ways this series inspired a lot of the photography that i currently do. Watched this since we're finally getting the remaster after all of these years. The way that you tackled the number system was interesting, i don't think i got the clue about 5 the first few times i played it. Will give it another go at some point, appreciate the way you explained a few things about the lore.
This game is BRILLIANT. Unparallel atmosfere and immersion. In this sequel, Myst acheive another level of artistry and gameplay. The puzzles are great. The music and sounds are crazy!! IMHO this is the top-of-top adventure of all times. Number #1
I never played Myst prior to Riven. I remember playing this game when I was probably seven or eight, having absolutely no idea what I was doing or suppose to do. I just enjoyed exploring and playing with all the transports and gadgets.
I love the notebook cam. Very good playthrough of a classic!
Truly a masterpiece, a world that doesn’t force itself on you but allows you to freely immerse yourself in it at your own pace. I’ve never experienced a game quite like it, though I know personally it has inspired me as a game developer and other developers to build/create other such fantastic experiences.
I have two separate comments here:
Firstly, this was my grandpa's favorite game and while neither of us knew any english at the time he still managed to beat it all on his own, while I would be drawing all the animals of riven any time I was visiting.
Secondly, I love this concept of a video that isn't a speedrun but a "leisurely jog" that shows all the intended solutions in a fast and interesting manner, great video!
The roller coaster also blew my mind has a kid! I remember riding it for like an hour 😂
Kinda still blows my mind having just played it now for the first time. Despite the low video quality it's still very impressive in visuals and sound design. Truly iconic
"Riven likes to reward you for solving little increments of puzzles, with basically, nothing."
No truer words have ever been said about this game and what's more insane is how that actually does become a positive. Sure Riven has "puzzles" but the thing I always took away from them was that they had actual function. Myst had puzzles that were obviously... Puzzles. And while the game narratively tried it's best to write some of the most absurd ones as some form of advanced "book related security system," some were on Resident Evil levels of "THE CREST GOES INTO THE DOOR AT THE POLICE STATION!"
Uh-huh. Sure.
Riven and it's puzzles all felt like they had a reason to be there. You weren't exactly "solving" anything half the time, you were trying to understand the functions of a society. Most of the time the game feels like you're being asked to drive a car without any knowledge of what are cars. The number system alone, the fact you learn it in a literal abandoned school, there are aspects of this game that modern games don't understand today.
Agree 100%, thanks for the really thoughtful comment. There’s something about the vibe in Riven that elevates the experience from simply checking off the boxes to feeling like you’re at a crime scene. Like, this all happened, and I’m just here trying to make sense of it...none of this was made for me. Which of course, it was, but. Yeah, masterful in the way it all comes together. =)
@@JordansExpeditions One thing I found Myst III succumbed to, and a more recent game called Quern, and even the 1st Myst actually is the crutch of puzzles existing because some figure who came before you is trying to "teach you lessons". It works obviously, but Riven somehow COMPLETELY avoided that, yes you're still "solving puzzles", and the "puzzles" are completely at home in the world like the OP stated, they all have a reason to be there. I adore this game. It's absolutely ingenious how the lore and environment is tightly interwoven with he puzzles. I found Obduction also did an excellent job at this, which makes sense as it came from the mind of Rand Miller, and I have VERY high hopes for their next game, Firmament.
@@gregkrazanski I def want to get through Myst 5 so I can pick up Obduction!
@@JordansExpeditions I don't think Myst V is worth it. I haven't tried it yet, but Myst IV seemed like the last decent game in the series. The surrealistic worlds combined with real people is what made it interesting, Myst V does away with all that and uses 3D objects and characters that look low-quality and just "plopped" into the game, it doesn't look seamless or realistic. I would just read the books, play 1-3 - it may be worth it to try the new Myst with the old FMVs, the visuals have been dramatically reworked - maybe try 4, and forget about 5 altogether - it's not worth playing a mediocre quality game and ruining the experience, simply because it's part of the series.
Obduction is completely unrelated to the Myst universe, so you don't even need to get through the entire Myst series to experience it.
I think the only comparable game today in 2022 is still Outer Wilds. That game is on Myst and Riven levels of amazing.
51:45 The Star expense team found a funny solution for that long bridge in the remake.
Played Riven as a Kid with my Dad. He would be up countless nights until he broke and got the strategy guide. watched the whole video and your commentary does it more than justice. Riven should have been the final ending.
There's another hint for the fish. When you're in the village on the forest island, near to where you lower the submarine, there is a string of fish hanging on a post. There are only 5 animals you encounter in Riven, and 1 is the only number you haven't paired with an animal. So, by elimination you can associate #1 with the fish.
Love your walkthroughs by the way. I've played this game a million times and still can't stay away. 😊
If you had multiple CD drives, you could put more than one Riven disc in, and the game would know that, and wouldn't ask you to swap discs.
I didn't have FIVE drives, mind you, I had two, but if you were going back and forth between two places, it was so convenient.
Have had this game since I was 7 years old. You opening the totem just blew my fracking mind.
So that's s 21:27 right?
Awesome playthrough, man! Very relaxing and nice to have on in the background!
Thank you!
a trick: watch series on kaldroStream. Been using them for watching a lot of movies recently.
@Princeton Lucian Yup, have been using KaldroStream for since november myself =)
I could really live here and be happy as long as I have all the modern creature comforts in my lockable hut.
I lost weeks of my life playing this, 20 years ago! Brilliant and beautiful game.
"I lost weeks of my life playing this", wanting desperately to solve it, and then... one day I solved it finally, and wished I wouldn't, so I could l loose another couple of weeks...
Wait, did I just say "I lost"?! NONSENSE! I was through such a breathtaking adventure, how one can possibly say it was a "lost" time?! And, oh, BTW: it was, for me, 25 yrs ago.
;-)
@@MrKotBonifacy 1997 and no mistake.
@@squamish4244 Aw, c'mon! What's a year or two between friends, eh?
But then... yeah, it was '97 indeed (or '96?), and that makes me wonder how would you know... Am I missing something here...?
Great walkthrough. The balance between hint and solutions is done in a way that promotes exploration without huge delays in solutions. + for the graph paper and notation. Nice work!
Wow, I played Myst when it first came out. It was revelatory for me. Never played a shooter game after that, only puzzles.
Tried to start Riven several times but couldn’t spare the time due to work and family.
Now retired and was going to play it on iPad but saw your channel and decided, at 62, it was time to just watch you play through.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
I never even knew that 3, 4, and 5 had come out.
Will watch your play throughs.
The iPad versions of Myst and Riven are pretty good honestly! But thank you, glad it was enjoyable :)
This brings back some very fond memories of playing Myst, Riven and the rest of the series. Thanks for this.
Beating Riven in less than 2 hours is sacrilegious.
Yeah it totally is, haha. It was a really hard game to route to be watchably short but give a good idea of how the game was meant to be discovered. I tried anyway!
24 years later I’m still working on mine
@@pimpinken8901 I gave up and will soon move on to the amazing Myst 3 and 4
When I first played this game as a kid I didn't understand the plot, the world building details or anything. I just thought it was this weird creepy world with dudes in towers that made whistle noises, a cloaked ghosts running around in the underground of tunnels in that control island, weird children lost outside the city, etc. I never realized any of that had a purpose or significance which made the game so much more surreal. Watching it 24 years later I really appreciate how much subtle detail they put in to the world building to make the world believable.
Wow!! Surprising so much fun to watch. You never lost any enthusiasm during this whole playthrough, and this game is not easy. Thanks for taking me back in time bro!
Thank you very much Jordan, your excellent walk-throughs and insights have added a new dimension to my play-throughs of these wonderful games. Greatly appreciated! In short you ROCK :)
Thank you for taking the time to explore the areas and things that do not lead to the unraveling of specific puzzles but rather add flavor to the overall experience.
This was absolutely my favorite Myst game. Thank you for the revisit and for all your behind-the-scenes info about its production!
the countless hours i lost on these games ;D so much searching for sometimes not very obvious outcomes..... looking back it was a great experience but frustrating as well haha. seeing a walk through finally gives me closure haha
Beating myst and riven with my girlfriend back when they came out was so fun. Still have a sketch book full of notes, maps, glyphs which without notes it seemed impossible. Love the first 3.
Jordan, I really love these videos. I haven't played these games but they fascinate me. These videos have been really comforting as I moved to a new city and started at a new school.
Very nice and thoughtful presentation of a timeless classic here. I played Riven with my brother as a kid and last year decided to give it another go. Proud to say I was able to get through it all without looking anything up (brute forced the fish, however). Still, there is so much lore to be found - when I finally beat it and looked some things up I was very impressed by all the supplemental lore. So many ways of understanding this rich world that lead to ultimately being able to solve the puzzles. I distinctly remember the moment I realized beyond doubt about the animal shapes - chills, man!
I am really looking forward to the "RealRiven" Starry Expanse project - so far it looks incredible, and the team has been working with Cyan under a NDA since late 2019. I expect that by now they are not too far away from wrapping it up. Thanks again for this retrospective, hope you have been well in the intervening years.
Thank you for this clear and concise walkthrough. I never got around to finishing it 20 years ago because it was my Uncle's property, and it takes a lot of time without help. And your commentary is intelligent and insightful; you picked up on many of the subtle nuances throughout the game, things most of us could probably sense but couldn't quite put into words.
This game was even harder than myst but I loved getting lost in it for hours. I LOVED the roller coaster.
I wish I could go back in time and play this again for the first time, and then remain there forever lol.
No seriously, nostalgia is a powerful thing, especially when you're remembering a time when life literally was "the best" for you.
I so agree.
Those are the neatest notes I've ever seen.
21:23 never found this button. I always go all the way around and arrive from Map Island from the other side and open the totem like that :)
Great playthrough. I remember I could never solve these puzzles when I was a kid.
Seeing it now makes me appreciate the art of this game even more. I would have never found most of these puzzles on my own. Too cryptic.
A bit sad that you skipped many of the cutscenes as I haven't seen them yet. :(
Late comment, but thanks for putting together this really fantastic walkthrough and commentary. Riven was a game that I struggled with 30+ years ago. The place I got stuck was in the crater island, realizing I needed to make a u-turn and then close the doors after encountering the frog trap. Seeing you play through the game end-to-end, overlaid with running commentary connecting clues and written notes with puzzle solutions was cathartic. Thanks for helping me tie up a nerdy loose end for me. Now, to watch your other retrospectives.
Thank you for the playthrough, nice job with video! I remember the game as a child. I was always a fan of myst.
I just played Myst remastered, and it was great to be able to watch this playthrough of Riven right after. Brings back lots of old memories of both! Thanks!
Wow! What a nostalgia trip that was ! Thanks for sharing!
Two things I remember clearly about playing this game as a teenager :
1. I was amazed by the roller coaster ride at the beginning.
2. I was quite bummed out by not being able to explore Tay….I mean that was the front cover of the game 😢
I am very much hoping that Tay is more explorable in the remake, for sure =)
Ah Riven, the game I loved to play when I was wee lad.. not understanding English, not understanding the game, but what a game it was.. eventually I did beat it but it took a really long time (years). My kid is 3 now... in a few years he should be ready to dive in another world.
Man I remember playing through Myst Riven and Exile with my dad when I was little. We'd take notes and stuff as we went and it was so fun.
Fun Myst lore: att 1:42:27 the photos on the wall are indeed Gehn's parents - Aitrus and Ti'ana (Anna). They are the main characters of the 2nd Myst novel "The Book of Ti'ana". A great read that really opens up the lore of this world and cemented me as a life-long Myst fan.
Yes! The 2nd book gets a little dry at times but I'm so glad it exists, I read it eagerly as a kid.
6 minutes in and I have already noticed you are far more snippy and sarcastic toward the game/player character/npcs than for your Myst video. I loved that one, and this one is even better. Good one, thanks!
I think it is ten bucks now. best ten bucks ever spent.
great game.
I too had played it when it came out. and launched my 3d animation career because of MYST 1. and I remember never finishing Riven because my one of my several CD roms was corrupt and crashed in the later part of the game. I remember having to constantly switch cd roms. must have gotten scratched. so was very pleased to see it online, and now play it with my children.
I needed this refresher as there were several areas near impossible to know where to click to get passed the linear end points, frustrating for many people. great game but they could have made some doors easier to find.
I used this video to help me learn this game inside and out, and now I can finish it in under and hour. Not a speed run, exactly, more like an efficiency run with no mistakes
Thank you so much for this playthrough, I really enjoyed watching your approach.
Thank you for this! I got stumped while playing and eventually gave up in frustration. Nice to see what I missed.
I NEVER knew about getting the colors from the viewing room where you can see the whark.
The most striking thing to me is how much agency the game expects the player to have, how much thought you would have to put into solving them the first time, sight unseen. Hiding subtle clues within the world of the game, without drawing undue attention to them expects such a level of maturity from the player and really contrasts with the simplistic way that most games hold your hand these days. Riven and Myst are great examples of an age of computer games that really produced some thoughtful, complex games which you really had to think about, and there's something melancholy that we don't see such games selling as well these days.
Finished Riven 2024 last week, was curious about original, you taught me a lot about the story I didn't grasp!. yeah I cant imagine swapping disks to switch islands lol.. This was so great, thanks!
Excellent playthrough mate. Watched this while sick in bed. As you felt about Riven, i felt about Myst as i'm a couple of years older. Thanks.
Absolutely fascinating video, and a great watch. Myst and Riven were a bit before my time (I vaguely recall poking around on the island as a small child before getting bored), so it's pleasant to see how they were actually meant to be played.
I was recommended this video by the Journal Updated podcast, so shout out to them. I doubt I would have seen it otherwise.
Looking over the cliff after the intro, you can see the body of the fallen guard. This is my favorite game ever and it was cool to revisit it. I remember staying up long nights trying to solve these puzzles. Oh, and loading the discs between islands...didn't mind it back then. It provided time for note taking and reflecting. I remember the artwork on the disc sleeves was so cool. Such a beautiful landscape throughout and the music too. Man, the live action people would startle me at times because they weren't there in Myst. I don't think it will ever happen, but it would be cool if this game received a makeover like Myst allowing for a 360 degree playthrough. Great video!
There is a small team working on a 3D conversion of Riven with the blessing of Cyan. No news in awhile but keeping fingers crossed!
Played this as a kid, without understanding a thing! But I loved clicking through the world, it gave me a very creepy vibe. I have to play it again!
You’re really entertaining to watch. You have a great camera presence.
I appreciate the kinds words, thank you! Always question if it makes sense to have a face cam, I can see pros and cons, but if you liked it then it’s worth it to me. )
@@JordansExpeditions Yeah! Go for it! 💯
They changed the code to open the brass domes. on the plateau dome for me. Cross reference the cypher table at 1:20:56 with your game's version of the five figure code in Ghen's journal. My highest number was 18, but every video I watched showed 20 and 21. You sir have my subscription for giving me the tools to figure it out.
This is an excellent walk through and commentary. Myst and Riven were so freaking cool
Thank you for including the notebook cam!
Whenever Atrus said "Thank God you've returned", I liked to pretend the character had walked back across from the other side of the room.
I absolutely love the "burn in" visual effect you get adding power to Ghen's linking books. It looks like the cliché "film burning up" effect, but seeing it in effective reverse looks awesome.
Fantastic playthrough. I only played Myst as a kid (though I remember Riven's very distinctive cover art), and hearing the way the story has expanded and the intricate triple puzzle the game leads up to is very fascinating. Grab a beverage, sit down, relax and enjoy -- indeed!
Thanks for this Jordan.
I am impressed at how you got the idea to take notes; I'm now convinced that this is how the creators intended the game to be played.
Yeah, they did intend you to take notes. In the edition of the game I got back in the 90s the game came with a blank Riven book to take notes in it was your 'Journal'.
Yeah the guide I believe had a note section as well
As a recent discoverer of the Myst franchise, this was an extremely beneficial watch. I had previously gone through Riven following a no commentary video longplay and didn't really understand what was happening. Your playthrough very clearly explains the logic behind the puzzles and has made me want to return to it for another playthrough. I see you've finally tackled Myst 4 as well which is great to see! I hope you also get to explore Uru and Myst 5 at some point because they're both great little expansions of the lore. Very much looking forward to watching the rest of your Myst franchise playthroughs too!
You and I are the same age and every single part of this playthrough I remembered just how cool this game was to play that Christmas week.
I must say a hearty Thank You from the opposite side of the gamer spectrum. I was in my late thirties / early forties when these games came out. I remember buying Myst and playing it for maybe 10 minutes before throwing my hands in the air. I did not get it _At_ _All_ -- and something told me that I wasn't going to -- so I never seriously tried. I'm sure I tossed that copy long ago.
But I'm glad to finally have an idea what the hubbub was all about.
That was very well done. Thank you. I played Myst when it first came out. loved it. started Riven but never finished it
My sister and I absolutely love your playthrough! We beat the game, but a few of the puzzles we solved through trial and error. It was great to see what we missed! We're working our way through the Myst series and were thrilled to see that you have a video on Exile too! Also, your explanation of the D'ni number system was great!
Thanks! I really enjoyed setting the camera up on a tripod to look down at the pad, had a ton of fun with that bit.
Nice walkthrough with the use of chapters. I just finished Riven and am now just trying different endings. (I actually played Riven years ago but never really finished as I saw new stuff second go 'round). I hope you do the other Myst game walkthroughs as well as that's my next move. I picked up a Myst bundle package through Steam sorta recently so am working my way through them.
This is a lifetime game... There may be diferent ends and also diferent ways to get there. The jurney is the most important and is fascinating... Thank you!
You skipped it when you went back to Temple Island, when the temple doors were slooowly opening, Gehn was looking right at you in that imager cage (pulling a Great and Powerful Oz impression) before shutting it down. Sadly, he's split from his big, comfy chair before you get there. Still, scared the crap out of me when I first played back in the late 90s.
i never really understood where he went when this happened. the fire marble domes are not powered so how does he get back to his office age?
haha I had to listen to the "Whaaaat" multiple times around 1:10:06 (brilliant addition to the commentary). I have really enjoyed watching this. I stopped part way through because, even though I've beaten Riven on my own, it's been some years and with the remake coming at some point, I don't want to refresh myself on too many solutions. Long story short, my older brother got Riven for Play Station ages ago and I was probably 12 or 13 at the time. I never figured out the base 10 number system or gold dome stuff but I have seriously fond memories of playing Riven on winter afternoons in my parent's basement with the woodstove going. To be fair, I would only play Riven here and there since it wasn't my game or system to begin with. So in that sense, it's not like I really put the time into figuring out certain puzzles. Fast forward to 2015 and I decided to play it on Mac. I went five hours straight and solved everything on my own and it was unlike any experience before! I just had this immense drive to figure things out no matter what. The day after that, I did a second playthrough in about 2hrs and that weekend felt incredible to me! To this day, Myst and Riven are two of my all-time favorite games and I am beyond stoked that they've announced the remake!!! With how good Riven still looks, I can only imagine how mind-bogglingly amazing a modern take will be.
I've watched this video about 4 times now. Best Riven video on TH-cam.
You are really kind, thank you =)
Great video! Definitely my favourite Myst game. Just finished it for the third time :)
Thanks man! I really hope we get to see a modernized version that more people can enjoy one day!
Definitely :) I am developing my own point and click games at the moment, you can find out more on instagram.com/DefyRealityEntertainment - the first game is called Neyyah :) I think my second favourite Myst game was Exile :)
I think one of my favourite places in Riven is definitely the jungle. Certain scenes used to freak me out as a kid too lol when i used to play it with my dad ... I'm keeping up to date with Starry Expanse too :)
Thanks very much for your playthrough! I spent some of today seeing if I could get the original Riven discs going on my antique PowerBook G4 running Mac OS X.4 (in the 9.2 Classic environment) and happily - with the occasional jogging of memory by skipping around your video - was able to get all the way through without any technical hitches. I think this is the first time I’ve played it in about the last five to ten years? Such a wonderful and elegant game!
There’s something magical about playing older games like this in the mode they were originally intended to be played in. The best kind of fun!
This is possibly the best Let's Play I have seen on TH-cam, and I have seen quite a lot of masterclass ones such as MatthewMatosis'. You have an exceptional eye for environmental storytelling and conveying intricate details in an entertaining and concise way. I bought Riven over a decade ago and just finished it recently and this enriched the experience afterwards quite a bit.
That is very kind of you to say, thank you!
I found Riven again in my game collection. All these quests, which i was so close to solve, i spent hours . . . i really like the lot back information around the quest you gave. . . Thanks Jordan
Many thanks Jordan for this great playthrough. It was quite a journey back in time and I loved that you even told the background stories about many aspects of the game.
EDIT: I hope you find the motivation to do Myst 3, 4 and 5 playthrough aswell
Thanks for the vid, one of the greatest adventure/puzzle games ever made.
My favourite puzzle (or information delivery device) of all time is the little hangman game in the classroom. It has it all: perfect integration with the lore and environment, it's also Gehn's propaganda and a hint to the gallows device... it just makes sense :)
I will never forgive myself for looking up one spoiler (the small wooden spheres), it was so obvious in hindsight!
I remember playing this at my friend's house, three of us gathered around the computer taking turns being the one in charge of the mouse. We had to use a walkthrough that we printed off and at one point we missed a step and got incredibly lost. We backtracked and realized we'd missed a line that said "down the stairs and to the right". For ages that was a hilarious inside joke for us, any time we asked a question one of us would answer, "oh, down the stairs and to the right." One of those memories that stuck with me.
THANK YOU for this playthrough Jordan. I got Myst and Riven around -00 for my birthday when I was like 11 years old. The bundle included a cool Personal Journal for me to write down the clues and stuff. I didn't understand a thing. I just loved the scenery in combination with the sounds. I only wrote down two marble-stones in the journal. I've given the games a couple of tries over the years but never with greater success. Funny though, I still have the personal Journal and later it became my Dream Journal where I wrote down my weird dreams.
Anyways, now, about 20 years later, I played through both games and even though I'm kind of disappointed in myself for not playing the games without any help, I'm very glad and relieved that I've completed them. They are truly something else. I told my mom, who got me the games for my birthday, and she remembered the games very well.
Great video Jordan! Thanks again.
Thank you so much for the comment! I think it’s pretty rare that anyone didn’t get SOME help, SOMEhow, so I wouldn’t feel too bad about it ;)
I loved playing Myst and Riven back then. Finished them both without help but it costs me many weeks.
You were twelve. I was in my forties. I never got as far as you did in this game, but it was the most interesting game I ever played.I still have the packet with Myst, and five Riven disks.
Wouldn't it be funny if they could fit the game on 4 discs but they did 5 just to fit the theme
Thanks for that Jordan! Thanks also for talking in a normal voice not *super* excited etc like so many people do (drives him *crazzeeee!*)
I spent ages trying to do Riven way back when and recently decided to have another look now that it's available on Steam. I would NEVER have worked out the game- just not bright enough or maybe just not motivated enough BUT I LOVE the worlds and atmosphere. So thank you for the walkthrough, really enjoyed it.
haven't
realMyst atmosphere of the place. I Amy or may not watch the walkthrough, probably wait a bit
thanks again
Love your dedication. Top 80 global MMORPG record holder here
Brilliant, very entertaining with the way you presented it and explained all the puzzles, brings back memories when I first played this all them years ago. You should do the other games too.
I love how you took the notes on camera for this playthrough. You draw the straightest lines ever lol It was really nice that you explained a lot of the clues and everything to help make them understandable. I really enjoyed this one :)
Jordan - "The fan's turned off. Can we fit in there?"
Me - "Haha No"
Jordan - "Of course we can...doesn't make a lot of sense..."
Me - "Yeah...would've NEVER figured that out..." lol
Thank you! I thought Riven specifically lends itself well to taking lots of notes. To be fair, it was graph paper ;)
what a trip down memory lane, i got this on christmas 97 just like you (but a couple years older) but had the hardest time figuring out the final puzzle (to me, which was lining up the colors/islands...i couldn't really make out where the domes were with the imager). think I finally beat the game sometime a year later. watching this was a treat, thanks for sharing your playthrough! edit- also, really surprised how much of this game i'd remembered, as I haven't played in easily 20 years. such a fantastic setting and world Cyan created. Id love to see Riven get the Myst overhauls we've seen over the years, not sure why that's never happened!
This is one of my favorite videos on TH-cam.
Game felt so much different than Myst since the place is populated. I played this on PS1 on like 7 CDs or something. Now I'm playing it on my PC wireless in VR on a Quest 3. I can't believe it. I'm much less familiar with Riven than I was with Myst but it's still so crazy to be there.
Riven will be taught in high schools 500 years from now. Nice playthru btw
I enjoyed your play through from a perspective of when you were a kid playing.
First excellent walk through. I bought and finished all these games when they came out. My first adventure GAME WAS ADVENT An IBM mainframe Text based adventure GAME. then i played ALL THE INFOCOM text games GAMES ON A commodore 64, one OF MY favorite GAMES WAS obsidian had such cool cut scenes including a giant fire breathing spider robot at one point. I loved all these games and your awesome walk through is a great reminder. Lot of work so thank you. I also liked Time lapse and Rheah.
i have all the games so i went back and started from the beginning and god damn i learn new things everytime with this game ,i think just playing the game ya its puzzles but knowing what everything means it blows me a way for such an early game
I remember playing this as a young kid; I never understood what to do with the domes! I hated them since I was blocked in the game because of them, and didn't really know English since it was my 2nd language... I think I'll try this again, without tips, and I'll just have to crack the codes...
For anyone curious, a full game without any walkthrough or hints took 1 year or 2; the guy played only Riven and on a daily basis... It's a ruthless game!
Anyway, it's extremely fun to see all those contraptions again and again!
That was very well done and most enjoyable.
I was grateful for the walk-through, because I gave up on the game, but I enjoyed Myst very much and always wondered what happened with Riven.
Thankyou! I'm really glad you did that.
Thank you so much! Really kind of you to say so, thanks for watching!
A good puzzle is it's own reward and Riven has a buffet of good puzzles.
Never played this back in the day but I remember seeing it on shelves. The first game is a masterpiece, love going back through from time to time. One of these days I'll get around to playing this one.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video. I also got this game on Christmas of 1997 as a 9 year old. It took us a while but my dad and I beat it together. I think we may have cheated to solve the fire marble puzzle and/or the dome combination - I don't remember completely. This remains arguably my favorite adventure game of all time. Everything is just right - the atmosphere, the music, the puzzle difficulty, etc...You can tell the developers really put a lot of thought into creating this world for you to explore. IMHO, the other sequels don't hold up to the level of art encapsulated by the first two games in this series.
Thank you for all your time and effort to present this game. I did play Myst and Riven when they came out and I agree with all you say. I loved the game but I confess I had to cheat a bit with the puzzles but the graphics at the time were spellbinding.
I've played Riven many times. And I never clued in that one of the cave entrances looked like the frog. I just figured out the frog by accident I think back in the day.
I never played Myst 5, because i remember not wanting this series to end.
In many ways this series inspired a lot of the photography that i currently do.
Watched this since we're finally getting the remaster after all of these years.
The way that you tackled the number system was interesting, i don't think i got the clue about 5 the first few times i played it.
Will give it another go at some point, appreciate the way you explained a few things about the lore.