Salon | 21st: Playing Riven

- - - - - - - - - -

T O D A Y

Let's Get This Straight
By Scott Rosenberg
Don't be shocked when you can't reach your online broker.

Riven rapt
By Laura Miller
How Myst and its new sequel won our hearts and minds.

Playing Riven
A guide for the perplexed

- - - - - - - - - -

T A B L E_T A L K

Apple's been in trouble before -- but are its latest woes terminal? Will Apple fold? Join the discussion in Table Talk's Digital Culture area.

- - - - - - - - - -

R E C E N T L Y

Reality Check
Scott Rosenberg on why digital-economy revolutionaries need to sober up
(10/30/97)

Will the Net spawn intelligent life?
Andrew Leonard on George Dyson's "Darwin Among the Machines"
(10/23/97)

Sliced off by the cutting edge
Second of two excerpts from Ellen Ullman's "Close to the Machine"
(10/16/97)

Elegance and entropy
Ellen Ullman talks with Scott Rosenberg about what makes programmers tick
(10/09/97)

Disappearing into the code
First of two excerpts from Ellen Ullman's "Close to the Machine"
(10/09/97)

- - - - - - - - - -

BROWSE THE
21ST ARCHIVES

- - - - - - - - - -

playing riven
______A__B R I E F__G U I D E__F O R__T H E__P E R P L E X E D

BY LAURA MILLER | Although Riven continues where Myst left off, it's not necessary to have played the first game in order to enjoy the second. The background information you need is relatively simple, although there's certainly the option of learning more about the imaginary worlds of Riven, Myst and the D'ni (a race of people central to the ongoing story) from various books and Web sites. The official Web site will point you toward some of that, and it also features a few informative, preliminary (but spoiler-free) puzzles in the form of journals.

The central character is Atrus (played, quite well, by Rand Miller, one of the two brothers who founded Cyan, the company that produced Myst and Riven). Atrus has the power to create island worlds (sometimes called "Ages") by writing books. He's had a lot of trouble with his immediate family -- his sons in Myst, and his father, Gehn, in Riven.

According to Atrus, Gehn is a dangerous character whom Atrus has imprisoned in the world of Riven. Unfortunately, Atrus' beloved wife, Catherine, has also been trapped on the island, which is threatening to disintegrate and has already broken up into five separate islands. Since Atrus has to keep rewriting the book of Riven in order to prevent the world from collapsing, he sends you, the player, to capture Gehn and rescue Catherine. At the beginning of the game, and again at two later points, you will come across journals that supply essential information and background on the main characters.

Unlike Myst, Riven's main action takes place in one age, and you can explore most of the game without using a linking book to travel to another. It's relatively easy getting from island to island using various roller coaster-style transport machines that offer some of the game's most enjoyable video sequences. Solving the early puzzles requires little more than common sense and some trial-and-error experimentation. My advice is to scrutinize the environs for hidden levers and buttons -- and always close doors that don't close by themselves. People who don't consider themselves good at puzzles may find this game more involving than Myst because they can master its initial challenges, although they may find themselves thwarted later on.

To solve the game's two major puzzles, you need to collect information on the various islands. Sounds are as important here as in Myst, and chances are that when you encounter something cryptic, it's a clue. If you get stuck, visit the Questing Riven Web site, a fan-generated discussion area that has a tiered hint section. The Riven Tips & Tech Board has another forum where desperate players post requests for tips, but it's less organized -- if you don't want to stumble on an explicit solution by accident, Questing Riven is safer. Yes, a few ingenious characters have published complete walkthroughs on the Web already, but I won't tempt you with their URLs. If you really want them, you can find them through the fan boards.

Take the manual's advice seriously, and play Riven with good earphones and in the dark if possible. The game's gorgeous, inventive visuals and evocative sounds and music will take you through jungles, mine shafts, caverns, villages, beaches and even underwater. You'll encounter beasts both familiar and very strange. The people you meet will, until much later, prove rather elusive, but you'll find intimations of their culture -- and a few crucial clues -- amid the stuff of their everyday lives. Last but not least, don't rush; once you're done, who knows how long you'll have to wait for the next installment?
SALON | Nov. 6, 1997

A L S O | Riven Rapt. How Myst and its riveting new sequel won our hearts and minds.

- - - - - - - - - -
Come to Table Talk's Digital Culture area and post your own queries and tips on Riven.