X
- E10+
- Cyan Worlds
- E10+
- Cyan Worlds
All Platforms
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 30 Critic Reviews
86
100% Positive
30 Reviews
30 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 30 Critic Reviews
86
100% Positive
30 Reviews
30 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jul 10, 2024
The puzzles remain as pleasantly headwrecking as ever, sometimes relying on noticing tiny details, other times requiring meticulous deductions based on trial and error. Few could blame you for sneaking the odd look at a walkthrough that at least points you in the direction of a solution. The developers acknowledge they’ve applied several tweaks to modernise the game. “This is not the same old Riven, but we hope you’re as surprised and intrigued by the new one as we were,” they say. On the evidence of my playthrough, you won’t mind getting stuck in this captivating prison with no hope of release.
Jul 7, 2024
Even in the era of remasters and remakes from famous studios, the updated Riven doesn't look like a gray mouse. It's a beautiful quest with a high-quality "facelift".
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 66 User Ratings
8.0
73% Positive
48 Ratings
48 Ratings
18% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
9% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 66 User Ratings
8.0
73% Positive
48 Ratings
48 Ratings
18% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
9% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
Aug 13, 2025
Riven is ultimately best game ever made. thanks for bringing it back to modern times.
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PC Jul 20, 2024
A beautiful world in which I got deeply immersed. Most of the puzzles are really well integrated into the world and the story. Difficulty level is sometimes a bit uneven, but it's all about curiosity, attention, and slow savoring - quite the opposite to how games and other kinds of entertainment work nowadays.
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PC Jun 24, 2024
The Riven remake makes its return to the scene with absolute pomp, proving once again how much the journey is more important than the destination. The graphic modernization is illustrious and of absolute caliber, as well as everything else, elevated to the asymptote of wonder. It could involve both long-time enthusiasts and newbies.
Jul 3, 2024
I’ve often marveled at an idea as familiar as “books transport you to other worlds” transforming into narrative game experiences where you rarely encounter another soul, but a rich tapestry of actions, consequences, and interactions unfolds through your exploration. Yet, Riven has always accomplished this. I’ve been fortunate to replay most of the series with a newcomer, and that sense of wonder absolutely survives as the games age; this new version is worthwhile and definitely the most beautiful way to experience it.
Jul 29, 2024
The game is not for everyone, but you have to take your hat off to a developer who doesn't compromise on their game design. There is a logic that you have to catch and you have to have the patience to let the game unfold. If you don't, Riven is not for you. If you have the patience, Riven is a fantastic adventure where the puzzles and the world are the star.
Jun 24, 2024
While Riven is difficult, Cyan Worlds has done a remarkable job remaking one of the most influential puzzle games of all time.
Jun 24, 2024
The remake of 1997’s Riven is intensely mind-blowing, allowing players to finally move forward in a 3-D environment without clicking through the static screens of another era. But the hyperrealistic graphics strained my three-year-old video card, which kept taking me out of the experience.
Jul 7, 2024
I was obsessed with the Myst series growing up. Myst was the first time I remember sitting down at the computer to play a game (with my parents sitting beside me on fold-up chairs), before that it was gaming consoles and platforming. When Riven came out it was beyond the expectations set by Myst, everything was worn and detailed even from those tiny 608x392 pixel images. 27 years later and this remake comes out and blows away all of my expectations out of the water! Everything is still worn and lovingly crafted and even more detailed at 4K resolution! The one thing I was most surprised by was this wasn’t just a simple remake, many areas and puzzles are shifted or reworked! So it was wonderful to not simply be on autopilot solving puzzles, but like a brand new player I had to work out the solutions all over again! Most are excellent reworkings while keeping the core of the puzzle intact. There’s honestly very little that’s a misstep in this Riven! I would say the biggest flaw in this version is how people are rendered and presented. It makes sense with the move to full 3D and VR that the original FMVs couldn’t be adapter nor reshot for the remake. But I wish that the people weren’t so staunchly placed in the Uncanny Valley! There’s something strange about the rendering/textures and the animations (especially with Ghen’s guard and the finale) seem very disjointed. I only mention it because the world is so realistic and detailed, having the people being so much less so really places a giant spotlight on it. But still, that issue aside, Riven is well worth it for new and old players (old players that keep an open mind)! It’s just such an incredible game that pays loving tribute to the original while also forging its own path!
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PC Feb 12, 2025
I played it in VR, and I finished without walkthrough :) * Play it in VR if you can! I switched back to 2D from time to time to read the journals, and it was a hard time to return to 2D :) + Beautiful graphics (with glitches). But still: top job + The world really wanted me to keep exploring. + Interesting story I guess.
+ Good that you need pen and paper to finish the game - No guide or sense as what to do next.
- Reading (too many) journals is very hard in VR. - Many dead ends. In the end I enjoyed Riven, but I won't play another game in the series.
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PC Jul 2, 2024
This is the most cryptic puzzle game I've ever played. Myst is a cakewalk compared to this. I didn't understand half of the story and I completely missed the point of it. The game loves to waste your time - waiting for the all the animations to complete - be it climbing, riding trams, submarines, mining carts, elevators, opening rotating domes - a large percentage of the game is just waiting for the same thing to happen as slow as possible. I'll never play this again.
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PC Jul 1, 2024
Still completely illogical and frustrating to play despite no longer needing to swap CDs and being able to take screenshots. It's a visually gorgeous game, but it's a terrible puzzle game. There's way to much guesswork, too much noticing tiny details, and too little logic to solving the puzzles. Don't expect anything remotely similar to modern logical puzzle games like Portal, The Talos Principle, and The Witness.
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PC Jun 27, 2024
Atrus' speech at the beginning... why was it changed? The suspense in what he said in the original was lost, given the dialog change. And then we pop into a world that is free roam, surely, but the mystery is gone. The real actors, gone. The puzzles have been changed, several to many of them. This feels like a fan remake, I'm afraid. I think a proper remaster would have been enough.
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PC Summary Uncover a story of intrigue, betrayal, and a civilization teetering on the brink of collapse as you solve intricate puzzles to unlock the secrets of Riven. Built from the ground-up and expanded from the award-winning original game released in 1997.
Rated E +10 for Everyone +10
Platforms:
- PC
- Meta Quest
- PlayStation 4
Initial Release Date: Jun 25, 2024
Developer:
Publisher: Cyan Worlds
Genres:
