Riven (Remake)

This week I’m taking a brief break from Final Fantasy XIV to do some puzzle solving in the Riven remake. I confess that I have never played the original Riven, nor have I played its predecessor, Myst, but the new remake felt like the perfect time to give these seminal puzzle games a shot. I’ve played about an hour so far and am kicking myself for not getting in on these games sooner, because it’s exactly the type of thing I love.

The beginning of Riven drops you onto a mysterious island filled with complicated puzzles blocking your way forward. The game gives little explanation and doesn’t hold your hand through a tutorial at all, which makes for a much more magical experience. So far I’ve greatly enjoyed the eureka moments of finally realizing how to solve a puzzle, oftentimes in a way that required a complete reframing of how I was tackling the problem. One such moment came when I was presented with a locked wooden door. I spent a lot of time trying to find a key before I realized I could just undo the hinges and push it open.

One of the great joys of playing puzzle games in my apartment is how much of a co-operative experience they are. My fiancee is also a puzzle fiend, and she might be enjoying Riven even more than I am so far. If you’ve never played a puzzle game that’s ostensibly single player with a loved one I highly suggest it. Like the saying goes, two minds are better than one, and having two perspectives on Riven’s puzzles is a great way to make the experience just a little easier. Not to mention is just nice chatting with someone and theorizing about what the hell is going on. For that reason, I expect a couple late nights on the couch will be in store this weekend as we unravel more of Riven. — Willa Rowe