RIVEN

'''Riven''' is the sequel to the highly successful computer game ''Myst''. Directed by Robyn Miller and Richard Vander Wende and produced by Rand Miller, Riven was distributed initially on five compact discs and later released on a single DVD-ROM with a 14 minute making-of video. The ''Myst'' style of gameplay in which the player clicked on objects within prerendered still images and videos was maintained in this sequel, however it was enhanced with many animated scenes. It is widely regarded by players of Myst and other adventure games to be the most artistically beautiful and heuristically difficult game in the Myst franchise. A book called ''From Myst To Riven'' chronicled the game's development, with emphasis on the game's genesis stemming from the unexpected mainstream commercial success with ''Myst''.

Contents

Name

Story

Hints of D'ni

Ages

Riven in the rest of the Myst franchise

Production

Reception

See also

References

External links

Name

Riven is also the name of the Age in which the majority of the game takes place. In the ''Myst'' storyline this was the fifth Age written by Gehn, father of Atrus, and like all of Gehn's Ages is unstable and doomed to die. Gehn coldly refers to it as simply "The Fifth Age." The meaning of the English word "Riven", "violently divided, split, or torn apart", is applicable to the Age of Riven, which has been geographically split asunder by the instabilities inherent in all Gehn's Ages; the world is physically split into five separate islands, with a huge "star fissure" penetrating one of the islands; and the native inhabitants' society is similarly split into factions who either worship or despise Gehn.
The name "Riven" also demonstrates connections with the game's key numerological figure, the number five - the word "Riven" is five letters long, the "V" in the game's typographical presentation of the word is slightly larger than the other letters (when seen in-game or on its box art), "V" is the Roman numeral for five, and the complete title of the game, "Riven: The Sequel to Myst", is also composed of five words.
The number five in general is so significant to the game, that a whole (now-defunct) website was devoted in detecting references of five in the game scenery, scenario, even the title and the package itself [1]. For instance, even the bolts that are seen on the game's metal machinery have five-pointed heads, and there are five islands, and a base-twenty five (five squared) numbering system used by the natives. There is a five-doored rotating circular room that provides one of the game's puzzles, and the solution to one of the puzzles requires the sequential activation of five stone tablets in a designated order of sequence.

Story

Although Riven is the sequel to Myst, it ties up many loose ends in the novel, ''. Riven starts right where Myst left off, in the basement of K'veer in D'ni where Atrus remained imprisoned at the end of Myst. The player once again assumes the role of the Stranger, Atrus's friend. Atrus needs the Stranger's help, as his wife Catherine is trapped on the Age of Riven, written by his mad father Gehn who has proclaimed himself God of Riven and rules over its inhabitants.
Because Atrus is requesting that the Stranger link to Riven, free Catherine, and trap Gehn, he equips the Stranger with a Trap Book, a book that "appears to be a linking book back into D'ni" but is "actually a one man prison." Atrus tells the Stranger that he or she must trap Gehn in this book, find Catherine, and then "signal" him, and without much more explanation sends the Stranger into the dying world of Riven to accomplish these tasks.

The stranger proceeds to accomplish the tasks set by Atrus. Catherine is found on a small island in the 5th age, which is only accessible by a Linking book from Gehn's 233rd age (headquarters). Catherine is released and Atrus is summoned. Whilst summoning Atrus the 5th age begins to collapse. Catherine and Atrus escape into another age and the Stranger falls into the void.

Hints of D'ni

Riven is based on and expands the ultimate past and historical background of Myst, fully described in the two books (the third is Riven's sequel). Beyond language there is other information available to the player. Items such as Gehn's journal and his book in the laboratory explain more of Gehn's past and his relationship with his wife, Keta. Indeed, the presence of detailed written journals and of items such as the scientific apparatuses and the other personal articles contained in the lab has been viewed as one of the game's great strengths, providing subtle, nuanced clues that reward the perceptive, observant player, and can even justify repeat viewings of the game after completion [2].
The game introduces a great deal of information pertaining to the culture and language of D'ni. The D'ni language was first used in this game, both in written form and spoken by characters (such as Cho, a Rivenese person trained to speak basic D'ni phrases). The system of D'ni numerals and a system of symbols used for describing colors are also introduced, and it is necessary for the player to acquaint themselves with those systems and apply them in order to solve certain key puzzles.

Ages

Main articles: Ages of Riven

Unlike Myst, the point of the game is not to travel to Ages, solve puzzles, return to the hub, and then proceed. Rather than adopting that centrally-oriented approach of Myst, almost all of Riven's action takes place on the five islands of the Riven age. Most of the gameplay consists of solving puzzles in order to access new areas of the islands: bridges, maglevs and linking-books provide the players with that access to the areas they have not yet reached. Indeed, Riven being a game in the Myst series, the player will locate the tradmark linking-books which let him/her "''link''" to other worlds or ages.
Riven includes the following Ages:

★ 'D'ni' ('K'veer'), the starting Age. Atrus briefs the Stranger on the mission's purpose, as well as bestowing upon the stranger a journal and a prison book. The events in this age are entirely scripted, meaning that it is presented in the form of a video-sequence that the player passively observes.

★ 'Riven', or Gehn's 5th Age, where the main adventure takes place. It consists of five islands linked by a fast 'tram' system, in addition to other, less conventional transports.
The islands are:

★ 'Temple Island:' The stranger begins here and likewise experiences the principal end-games in this location. This island is actually comprised of three very close, adjacent isles, with short bridges facilitating pedestrian access between them. Several of Riven's landmarks reside on Temple Island, including an enormous golden dome divided in half, the gate room puzzle, the Temple, and the generator within said dome. It is necessary to activate the generator in order to power Gehn's 233rd Age books.

★ 'Jungle Island:' This island has several areas, including Riven's only settlement. It can be accessed by the tram (to/from Temple Island and to/from Plateau Island) and a mining cart (to/from Crater Island). After arriving from Temple Island, the Stranger is presented with several paths. The first fork leads either down to a tropical lagoon and part of the settlement or up to a rope bridge. One large axe and one very enormous axe sit embedded in the landscape surrounding the rope bridge. After crossing the bridge, there are three available routes, one providing access to the mining cart transport, one leading to the 'forest', the third allowing passage to a different part of the settlement. The forest holds several mysteries, including the island's dome and a trepidating symbolic "wahrk" tree-totem, while the settlement has a one-person submarine for transport across a shallow inland lake. Jungle Island also has the only access to Tay, the Moiety Rebels' Age.

★ 'Crater Island (Book Assembly Island):' Accessed by the mining cart from Jungle Island, this land is dominated by a large central lake with several rusted, industrial-looking constructions on the lake's edge. It is supposedly where Gehn conducts his experiments in Riven, and is the location of his laboratory. Also, a small 'ytram' (a frog-like creature) trap can be used by the Stranger sits in a cavern, as does the island's dome. Several essential clues to a "victory' outcome are found in the laboratory. The island's tram sits behind the laboratory and leads to the fourth Island.

★ 'Plateau Island:' The most complex island, Plateau Island has several unique features, but virtually no foliage. Two trams (also called "maglevs" or "magcars", referring to their magnetic levitation and propulsion technology) access the island, with the first coming from Crater Island and the second from Jungle Island. Upon exiting the tram on the left platform, the stranger, after climbing a flight of stairs, comes upon the first, and larger, of the two maps. (The large map covers over half the island, while the smaller is a petite grid no larger than a coffee table.) A small canyon-like pathway leads through the map to an elevator. The elevator takes the Stranger to the top floor, which houses the second map and the first map's controls as well as the island's dome. If the Stranger exits onto the tram's right-side platform, another, more ominous, elevator appears and takes the Stranger through a pool of Riven's unique water to a cave below. There, various monitors receive security feeds from cameras around Riven. The second tram can be found in the depths as well.

★ 'Prison Island:' Also known as 'Catherine's Island,' it is where Gehn has incarcerated Atrus' wife, Catherine. The land appears to be a gigantic tree trunk with a small path leading out to the dome. This small piece of land can only be accessed via a single linking book in Gehn's 233rd age. Very little can be explored, as it is impossible to see Catherine's cell (when freed, she immediately runs up to the Stranger and destroys the elevator's controls).
Two other, smaller ages are also in the game:

★ 'Gehn's 233rd Age': Gehn's home and headquarters, it is a small tower sitting atop a mountain. The terrain itself appears desolate, bleak and inhospitable, with yellow and red dominating the skies and no flora or fauna to speak of. However, the Stranger cannot venture outside the building and explore the environment. Only Gehn's small house can be examined. Gehn has several unique collectibles in his residence, as well as linking books to all five islands, including the only book linking to Prison Island. The Stranger arrives in a cell, and cannot escape until Gehn has been dealt with. Upon arriving, Gehn delivers a heartfelt, albeit fictitious, account of his changed ways.

★ 'Tay': The Moiety Rebels' Age can only be accessed by traveling a hidden passage in a Jungle Island cell. A puzzle, involving selecting the correct columns, reveals the Tay linking book. Similar to Prison Island and 233rd age, very little can be explored. The age itself, whether it's the surrounding cliffs, the inland lake, the cloudy skies, or the rebels' fortress (see game cover, above), can be simply described as gray and foreboding. After linking only a small room with a statue and ambush party can be accessed. Once the rebels ambush the Stranger, a boat ride across the lake reveals some of the environment. However, the Stranger regains control in a prison, and links from there to Riven after receiving his/her possessions. This world is the one originally displayed on Riven's box cover.

Riven in the rest of the Myst franchise

A large part of the novel '' takes place on Riven. The book is chronologically set roughly 20 years before the events in ''Myst'' and then bridges the gap between that game and ''Riven''. As a continuity, ''Riven'' could be considered a sequel to ''Book of Atrus'', providing closure to the inhabitants and protagonists.
The Riven Descriptive Book appears in Tomahna at the start of , but the black Gateway Image suggests Riven has been completely destroyed by that time (about ten years after the events in Riven). The Book is labelled with the D'ni numeral ''Five'', the first time the descriptive book's cover is clearly seen (as opposed to the linking books seen throughout the game of Riven), as Atrus is continually writing in the book during the Myst and Riven games.
Imagery and objects from Riven (most notably the Moiety dagger and the star fissure telescope) reappear in places in realMYST, and . The various animal symbols used in this game can be found in the floorboards of a room in .
At the end of , Atrus reveals that Catherine has taken Yeesha to Tay to unwind after the events of Myst IV's story.
On August 2, 2006 Robyn Miller announced (via his Tinselman blogRobyn Miller announces the online publication of the "Persistent Disparate Interchange" music video (accessed August 8, 2006)) the online publication of a music video for "Catherine's Freedom" (from the ''Riven'' soundtrack) called "Persistent Disparate Interchange". The film consists of old, uncopyrighted documentary footage that was compiled and edited by Justin Norman and Wesley Norman of the Shrieking Tree Web Factory.

Production

Cyan started working on Riven in 1993 right after Myst was released. As Myst soon showed out to be a huge success, they had the possibility of expanding from their previous four people team to a much larger crew of designers, CG artists, programmers, sound designers etc. The whole process took a whopping four years, which was an extremely long production period for a computer game at that time. No doubt, this was due to designers Robyn Miller and Richard Vander Wende, who were not satisfied unless everything was as good as it could possibly be. This resulted in an extremely high level of detail in the graphics, which the game is often noted for.

Reception

As it was a long awaited sequel to a best selling game, ''Riven'' sold very well upon release and like its predecessor received mixed reviews. Computer Gaming World claimed that it was the "same game with a new title" and that after the first few minutes of gameplay, the story was "thrown out the window" and interactivity is minimal. On a more positive note, they also said that the graphics were the best they have ever seen in any adventure game until that point.^[1]

See also

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References

1. "Myst Again", ''Computer Gaming World'' January 1998.

External links

★ Official Riven Website

★ Robyn Miller's Official Website

★ Robyn Miller's Blog

★ Richard Vander Wende's Official Website

★ Rand Miller's Blog

★ Riven Illuminated, a website showcasing many details that are unknown to most players

★ Riven Easter Eggs Revealed, a website dedicated to the Easter eggs in the game and how to explore them

★ Laura Miller's Salon review of Riven

★ (D)Riven - Wired Magazine's 1997 article about the creation of Riven

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