Riven: More Cryptic Than I Expected

Last year, I enjoyed a great timeless classic: Myst. This time, I decided to go ahead and play Riven, The Sequel to Myst. I knew, among other things, that Riven is considered the hardest episode in the Myst series, but I had no idea how that would translate in the game.

As I expected, Riven is an amazing game. Cryptic, but amazing.

I estimate that I’ve completed about 70% of the game, as I’ve just set foot on Prison Island.

It’s been a pretty hard journey up to now. I feel the puzzles are way, way harder than in Myst. It’s often hard to figure out what you’re supposed to do next every now and then. I had literally a ton of  those “Okay, what do I do now..?” moments.

I don’t mind guessing marble colors, that’s actually super compelling and totally in line with the kind of puzzle I expect from such a great game. However, the wooden eyes puzzle associating numbers with animals was a major issue for me and I honestly have no idea how I could have solved it without looking online. I understood we were dealing with numbers from 1 to 5 and animals, but I wasn’t able to properly identify the animals.

I’m looking forward to complete the game in the next few days. I don’t expect the last parts to be any easier than the rest of the game though!

Oh and don’t forget… always close the door behind you!