<s>
Riven	B-Application
is	O
a	O
puzzle	O
adventure	O
video	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
Myst	B-Application
and	O
second	O
in	O
the	O
Myst	B-Application
series	I-Application
of	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Riven	B-Application
was	O
distributed	O
on	O
five	O
compact	O
discs	O
and	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
31	O
,	O
1997	O
,	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
;	O
it	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
on	O
a	O
single	O
DVD-ROM	O
on	O
August	O
17	O
,	O
1998	O
,	O
with	O
improved	O
audio	O
and	O
a	O
fourteen-minute	O
"	O
making-of	O
"	O
video	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
PC	O
versions	O
,	O
Riven	B-Application
has	O
been	O
ported	O
to	O
several	O
other	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
is	O
set	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
which	O
took	O
place	O
on	O
several	O
worlds	O
known	O
as	O
Ages	O
linked	O
together	O
by	O
special	O
books	O
,	O
Riven	B-Application
takes	O
place	O
almost	O
entirely	O
on	O
the	O
Age	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
,	O
a	O
world	O
slowly	O
falling	O
apart	O
due	O
to	O
Gehn	O
's	O
destructive	O
rule	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
began	O
soon	O
after	O
Myst	B-Application
became	O
a	O
success	O
,	O
and	O
spanned	O
more	O
than	O
three	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
visual	O
style	O
distinct	O
from	O
that	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
director	O
Robyn	O
Miller	O
and	O
his	O
brother	O
,	O
producer	O
Rand	O
Miller	O
recruited	O
former	O
Aladdin	O
production	O
designer	O
Richard	O
Vander	O
Wende	O
as	O
a	O
co-director	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Riven	B-Application
was	O
praised	O
by	O
reviewers	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
magazine	O
Salon	O
proclaiming	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
approaches	O
the	O
level	O
of	O
art	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
best-selling	O
game	O
of	O
1997	O
,	O
Riven	B-Application
sold	O
1.5million	O
copies	O
in	O
one	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rand	O
stayed	O
at	O
Cyan	O
and	O
continued	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
Myst-related	O
products	O
including	O
The	O
Myst	B-Application
Reader	O
and	O
the	O
real-time	O
rendered	O
game	O
Uru	B-Application
:	I-Application
Ages	I-Application
Beyond	I-Application
Myst	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
next	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
Myst	B-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
Myst	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Exile	I-Application
,	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Presto	O
Studios	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Ubisoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
Riven	B-Application
is	O
a	O
point	O
and	O
click	O
adventure	O
game	O
played	O
from	O
a	O
first-person	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
Riven	B-Application
has	O
an	O
optional	O
method	O
of	O
navigation	O
known	O
as	O
Zip	O
Mode	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
skip	O
to	O
areas	O
already	O
explored	O
,	O
but	O
may	O
cause	O
them	O
to	O
miss	O
important	O
clues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Riven	B-Application
has	O
more	O
complex	O
and	O
numerous	O
puzzles	O
than	O
its	O
forerunner	O
and	O
is	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
larger	O
virtual	O
world	O
for	O
players	O
to	O
explore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whereas	O
in	O
Myst	B-Application
the	O
objective	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
to	O
travel	O
to	O
different	O
Ages	O
to	O
solve	O
puzzles	O
before	O
returning	O
to	O
a	O
"	O
hub	O
Age	O
"	O
,	O
Rivens	B-Application
gameplay	O
takes	O
place	O
on	O
the	O
five	O
islands	O
of	O
the	O
Age	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rivens	B-Application
story	O
continues	O
where	O
Myst	B-Application
and	O
its	O
companion	O
novel	O
,	O
The	O
Book	O
of	O
Atrus	O
,	O
left	O
off	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atrus	O
needs	O
the	O
Stranger	O
's	O
help	O
to	O
free	O
his	O
wife	O
,	O
Catherine	O
(	O
Sheila	O
Goold	O
;	O
voice	O
by	O
Rengin	O
Altay	O
)	O
,	O
who	O
is	O
held	O
hostage	O
in	O
her	O
home	O
Age	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
,	O
which	O
is	O
slowly	O
collapsing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Her	O
captor	O
is	O
Gehn	O
(	O
John	O
Keston	O
)	O
,	O
Atrus	O
 '	O
manipulative	O
father	O
and	O
self-declared	O
ruler	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thirty	O
years	O
earlier	O
,	O
Atrus	O
and	O
Catherine	O
trapped	O
Gehn	O
on	O
Riven	B-Application
by	O
removing	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
linking	O
books	O
that	O
led	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
Age	O
;	O
the	O
last	O
book	O
to	O
be	O
removed	O
,	O
linking	O
to	O
the	O
Age	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
was	O
the	O
one	O
they	O
held	O
to	O
escape	O
Riven	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
belief	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
destroyed	O
,	O
they	O
let	O
the	O
book	O
fall	O
into	O
the	O
Star	O
Fissure	O
,	O
a	O
rift	O
leading	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
damaged	O
Age	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
into	O
a	O
mysterious	O
,	O
space-like	O
void	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Catherine	O
was	O
later	O
tricked	O
into	O
returning	O
to	O
Riven	B-Application
by	O
her	O
sons	O
,	O
Sirrus	O
and	O
Achenar	O
,	O
whereupon	O
she	O
was	O
taken	O
hostage	O
by	O
Gehn	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eventually	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
discovered	O
the	O
unharmed	O
Myst	B-Application
book	O
,	O
leading	O
to	O
the	O
events	O
in	O
Myst	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
,	O
Atrus	O
equips	O
the	O
player	O
with	O
a	O
trap	O
book	O
—	O
a	O
snare	O
that	O
functions	O
as	O
a	O
one-man	O
prison	O
,	O
yet	O
looks	O
identical	O
to	O
a	O
linking	O
book	O
—	O
and	O
his	O
personal	O
diary	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
diary	O
summarizes	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
events	O
leading	O
to	O
the	O
present	O
situation	O
;	O
Atrus	O
cannot	O
explain	O
in	O
depth	O
as	O
he	O
is	O
engaged	O
in	O
rewriting	O
the	O
descriptive	O
book	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
,	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
slow	O
its	O
deterioration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
must	O
enter	O
the	O
Age	O
with	O
no	O
way	O
of	O
leaving	O
,	O
as	O
Atrus	O
cannot	O
risk	O
sending	O
a	O
real	O
linking	O
book	O
to	O
Riven	B-Application
until	O
Gehn	O
is	O
safely	O
imprisoned	O
lest	O
he	O
use	O
it	O
to	O
escape	O
Riven	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instructing	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
capture	O
Gehn	O
in	O
the	O
trap	O
book	O
,	O
find	O
Catherine	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
signal	O
him	O
,	O
Atrus	O
holds	O
out	O
the	O
link	O
book	O
that	O
will	O
transport	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
Riven	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
there	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
explores	O
the	O
islands	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
,	O
eventually	O
discovering	O
Catherine	O
's	O
prison	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
also	O
travels	O
to	O
Tay	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Age	O
of	O
the	O
Moiety	B-Application
(	O
rebellious	O
Rivenese	O
under	O
the	O
leadership	O
of	O
Catherine	O
who	O
are	O
attempting	O
to	O
end	O
Gehn	O
's	O
tyrannical	O
rule	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
233rd	O
Age	O
"	O
,	O
Gehn	O
's	O
personal	O
sanctuary	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
meets	O
Gehn	O
himself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
the	O
decay	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
's	O
structure	O
,	O
the	O
only	O
way	O
to	O
clearly	O
signal	O
Atrus	O
is	O
to	O
bring	O
about	O
a	O
massive	O
disturbance	O
in	O
the	O
Age	O
's	O
stability	O
—	O
accomplished	O
by	O
reopening	O
the	O
Star	O
Fissure	O
,	O
which	O
Gehn	O
had	O
closed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
it	O
opens	O
,	O
Atrus	O
immediately	O
links	O
to	O
Riven	B-Application
to	O
investigate	O
and	O
meets	O
the	O
player	O
at	O
the	O
brink	O
of	O
the	O
Fissure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Depending	O
on	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
actions	O
,	O
the	O
ending	O
to	O
Riven	B-Application
varies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atrus	O
and	O
Catherine	O
thank	O
the	O
Stranger	O
before	O
linking	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
Age	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cyan	O
began	O
work	O
on	O
Riven	B-Application
in	O
1993	O
,	O
after	O
Mysts	B-Application
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Myst	B-Application
proved	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
popular	O
and	O
commercial	O
success	O
,	O
the	O
two	O
developers	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
expand	O
their	O
four-person	O
team	O
to	O
a	O
much	O
larger	O
crew	O
of	O
designers	O
,	O
artists	O
,	O
programmers	O
,	O
and	O
sound	O
designers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
spanned	O
more	O
than	O
four	O
years	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
a	O
much	O
larger	O
undertaking	O
than	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
;	O
Riven	B-Application
had	O
a	O
budget	O
of	O
between	O
US$5and	O
$10million	O
,	O
more	O
than	O
ten	O
times	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
developing	O
Myst	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
design	O
for	O
Riven	B-Application
stemmed	O
from	O
a	O
desire	O
to	O
create	O
something	O
different	O
and	O
more	O
dynamic	O
than	O
the	O
romantic	O
style	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Millers	O
met	O
their	O
co-designer	O
,	O
Richard	O
Vander	O
Wende	O
,	O
at	O
a	O
demonstration	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Digital	O
World	O
Expo	O
in	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
third	O
member	O
of	O
Rivens	B-Application
conceptual	O
team	O
,	O
Vander	O
Wende	O
ended	O
up	O
contributing	O
what	O
Robyn	O
Miller	O
described	O
as	O
an	O
"	O
edgier	O
"	O
and	O
complementary	O
vision	O
,	O
that	O
made	O
the	O
game	O
dramatically	O
different	O
from	O
its	O
predecessor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
Rivens	B-Application
development	O
,	O
publisher	O
Broderbund	O
was	O
facing	O
falling	O
revenues	O
as	O
development	O
costs	O
rose	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Broderbund	O
's	O
stock	O
dropped	O
from	O
$60	O
a	O
share	O
to	O
$22	O
in	O
1996	O
,	O
because	O
of	O
a	O
delay	O
in	O
the	O
publishing	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plan	O
had	O
been	O
to	O
ship	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
time	O
for	O
the	O
1996	O
holiday	O
season	O
;	O
Riven	B-Application
was	O
finally	O
published	O
on	O
October	O
31	O
,	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
though	O
Rivens	B-Application
sales	O
were	O
expected	O
to	O
be	O
higher	O
than	O
any	O
other	O
game	O
that	O
holiday	O
season	O
,	O
Broderbund	O
launched	O
a	O
$10million	O
marketing	O
campaign	O
and	O
developed	O
a	O
retail	O
marketing	O
partnership	O
with	O
Toshiba	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
in	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
the	O
topography	O
of	O
the	O
islands	O
was	O
originally	O
created	O
as	O
grayscale	O
images	O
,	O
where	O
brightness	O
corresponded	O
to	O
elevation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Softimage	B-Device
,	O
these	O
maps	O
were	O
turned	O
into	O
the	O
terrain	O
models	O
seen	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
other	O
objects	O
were	O
modeled	O
using	O
B-splines	B-Algorithm
and	O
NURBS	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
artists	O
took	O
hundreds	O
of	O
photos	O
of	O
wood	O
,	O
adobe	O
,	O
sand	O
,	O
stucco	O
and	O
other	O
materials	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
treated	O
in	O
Photoshop	B-Operating_System
before	O
being	O
mapped	O
onto	O
the	O
3D	O
geometry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rendering	O
was	O
executed	O
in	O
Mental	B-Application
Ray	I-Application
,	O
using	O
numerous	O
custom-made	O
shaders	O
to	O
produce	O
lifelike	O
lighting	O
,	O
water	O
and	O
landscapes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wireframes	B-Algorithm
also	O
served	O
as	O
a	O
guide	O
to	O
model	O
the	O
backgrounds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
total	O
Riven	B-Application
has	O
over	O
three	O
hours	O
of	O
video	O
and	O
almost	O
five	O
thousand	O
images	O
;	O
rendering	O
was	O
a	O
major	O
bottleneck	O
in	O
production	O
despite	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
18	O
dedicated	O
workstations	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Riven	B-Application
combined	O
the	O
pre-rendered	O
backgrounds	O
with	O
live	O
action	O
footage	O
,	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
increase	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
immersion	O
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Riven	B-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
any	O
of	O
its	O
designers	O
had	O
directed	O
live	O
actors	O
,	O
and	O
Vander	O
Wende	O
was	O
apprehensive	O
about	O
their	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rand	O
Miller	O
had	O
to	O
reprise	O
his	O
role	O
of	O
Atrus	O
from	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
even	O
though	O
he	O
hated	O
acting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Robyn	O
Miller	O
composed	O
Rivens	B-Application
music	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
later	O
packaged	O
and	O
released	O
by	O
Virgin	O
Records	O
as	O
Riven	B-Application
:	O
The	O
Soundtrack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whereas	O
the	O
music	O
to	O
Myst	B-Application
was	O
,	O
at	O
first	O
,	O
only	O
available	O
by	O
mail-order	O
from	O
Cyan	O
,	O
Virgin	O
Records	O
had	O
bought	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
release	O
it	O
initially	O
,	O
prompting	O
Miller	O
to	O
make	O
sure	O
that	O
it	O
could	O
stand	O
alone	O
in	O
CD	O
form	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gehn	O
's	O
theme	O
is	O
only	O
heard	O
in	O
its	O
complete	O
form	O
near	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
but	O
portions	O
of	O
the	O
melody	O
can	O
be	O
heard	O
throughout	O
Riven	B-Application
,	O
highlighting	O
his	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
Age	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimately	O
,	O
he	O
wanted	O
the	O
music	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
to	O
reflect	O
the	O
game	O
itself	O
,	O
which	O
he	O
described	O
as	O
having	O
"	O
a	O
familiar-yet-strange	O
feel	O
to	O
it.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Miller	O
described	O
his	O
biggest	O
challenge	O
in	O
writing	O
Rivens	B-Application
music	O
as	O
reconciling	O
the	O
linear	O
,	O
pleasing	O
construction	O
of	O
music	O
with	O
the	O
nonlinearity	O
of	O
the	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sunsoft	O
,	O
who	O
previously	O
published	O
Myst	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
,	O
were	O
initially	O
set	O
to	O
publish	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
version	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
in	O
PAL	O
regions	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
rights	O
were	O
later	O
picked	O
up	O
by	O
Acclaim	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
Corporation	O
were	O
in	O
talks	O
with	O
Sunsoft	O
in	O
regards	O
for	O
a	O
potential	O
conversion	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
to	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
Jaguar	I-Device
that	O
never	O
materialized	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
17	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
ScummVM	B-Device
added	O
support	O
for	O
Riven	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Riven	B-Application
was	O
generally	O
positively	O
received	O
by	O
critics	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
garnering	O
an	O
average	O
critic	O
score	O
of	O
83/100	O
at	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Myst	B-Application
or	O
Riven	B-Application
held	O
the	O
number	O
one	O
and	O
two	O
spots	O
on	O
the	O
PC	O
Data	O
sales	O
charts	O
from	O
June	O
1997	O
until	O
January	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
April	O
,	O
Riven	B-Application
had	O
sold	O
over	O
1	O
million	O
units	O
and	O
earned	O
$46.2	O
million	O
in	O
revenue	O
domestically	O
,	O
which	O
led	O
PC	O
Data	O
to	O
declare	O
it	O
the	O
fifth-best-selling	O
computer	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
between	O
January	O
1993	O
and	O
April	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
you	O
enjoyed	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
you	O
'll	O
thoroughly	O
enjoy	O
Riven.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
GamePro	O
said	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
retains	O
the	O
ambiance	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
but	O
new	O
features	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
increased	O
use	O
of	O
animation	O
and	O
live	O
action	O
footage	O
,	O
create	O
even	O
more	O
believable	O
environments.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reviewer	O
gave	O
it	O
a	O
4.5	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
in	O
graphics	O
and	O
a	O
perfect	O
5.0	O
in	O
every	O
other	O
category	O
(	O
sound	O
,	O
control	O
,	O
and	O
funfactor	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
predicted	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
both	O
surpass	O
the	O
expectations	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
fans	O
and	O
draw	O
in	O
many	O
new	O
enthusiasts	O
to	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Laura	O
Miller	O
of	O
Salon	O
declared	O
that	O
"	O
Art	O
 [ ... ] 	O
is	O
what	O
Riven	B-Application
approaches	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
praised	O
the	O
gameplay	O
as	O
having	O
"	O
a	O
graceful	O
elegance	O
that	O
reminds	O
 [ her ] 	O
of	O
a	O
masterfully	O
constructed	O
novel.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Macworlds	O
Michael	O
Gowan	O
highlighted	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
"	O
rich	O
,	O
engrossingly	O
mysterious	O
world	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
he	O
argued	O
that	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
its	O
storytelling	O
made	O
Riven	B-Application
"	O
more	O
like	O
a	O
good	O
novel	O
than	O
a	O
computer	O
game.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Nevertheless	O
,	O
several	O
publications	O
found	O
fault	O
with	O
aspects	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
gameplay	O
was	O
too	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
making	O
Riven	B-Application
the	O
"	O
same	O
game	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
title	O
"	O
;	O
the	O
magazine	O
also	O
criticized	O
the	O
minimal	O
character	O
interaction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gaming	O
magazine	O
Edge	O
felt	O
that	O
although	O
Riven	B-Application
was	O
a	O
good	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
solitary	O
atmosphere	O
and	O
lack	O
of	O
mobility	O
was	O
steadily	O
becoming	O
outdated	O
,	O
as	O
games	O
like	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
sacrificed	O
graphical	O
fidelity	O
for	O
an	O
increase	O
in	O
freedom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
long-time	O
players	O
of	O
the	O
Myst	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
Heidi	O
Fournier	O
of	O
Adventure	O
Gamers	O
,	O
felt	O
that	O
a	O
few	O
puzzles	O
were	O
too	O
difficult	O
;	O
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
,	O
meanwhile	O
,	O
believed	O
that	O
the	O
story	O
clues	O
were	O
too	O
symbolic	O
and	O
scant	O
,	O
which	O
made	O
following	O
the	O
plot	O
difficult	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
commended	O
Riven	B-Application
for	O
being	O
highly	O
accessible	O
to	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
rather	O
than	O
just	O
experienced	O
gamers	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
said	O
the	O
puzzles	O
,	O
while	O
an	O
improvement	O
over	O
those	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
were	O
still	O
not	O
well-integrated	O
into	O
the	O
story	O
,	O
making	O
them	O
feel	O
like	O
arbitrary	O
obstacles	O
to	O
progress	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
(	O
EGM	O
)	O
and	O
GamePro	O
both	O
positively	O
reviewed	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
port	O
,	O
remarking	O
that	O
Riven	B-Application
is	O
very	O
specific	O
to	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
taste	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
slow	O
pace	O
,	O
intricate	O
plot	O
,	O
vast	O
size	O
,	O
and	O
often	O
frustrating	O
set	O
of	O
puzzles	O
that	O
would	O
likely	O
infuriate	O
traditional	O
action	O
gamers	O
but	O
engross	O
the	O
more	O
patient	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kelly	O
Rickards	O
and	O
Shawn	O
Smith	O
of	O
EGM	O
argued	O
that	O
while	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
superficially	O
very	O
similar	O
to	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
subtle	O
elements	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
greater	O
amount	O
of	O
interaction	O
and	O
better	O
puzzle	O
design	O
make	O
it	O
more	O
appealing	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
anyone	O
with	O
an	O
open	O
mind	O
should	O
give	O
it	O
a	O
try	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
Broady	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
said	O
that	O
while	O
the	O
developers	O
had	O
done	O
the	O
best	O
they	O
could	O
with	O
converting	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
limitations	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
made	O
it	O
fall	O
far	O
short	O
of	O
the	O
PC	O
original	O
,	O
with	O
dithered	O
scenery	O
,	O
muddy	O
video	O
sequences	O
,	O
and	O
long	O
load	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
Playing	O
Riven	B-Application
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
is	I-Device
sort	O
of	O
like	O
watching	O
Star	O
Wars	O
on	O
a	O
13{{}}	O
TV	O
;	O
you	O
'll	O
get	O
the	O
point	O
but	O
you	O
're	O
definitely	O
missing	O
something.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Robyn	O
Miller	O
said	O
:	O
"	O
I	O
think	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
a	O
detriment	O
to	O
always	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
our	O
lives	O
,	O
be	O
creating	O
Myst-like	O
projects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
next	O
video	O
game	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
Myst	B-Application
franchise	I-Application
would	O
be	O
2001	O
's	O
Myst	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Exile	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
not	O
developed	O
by	O
Cyan	O
nor	O
published	O
by	O
Broderbund	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Presto	O
Studios	O
took	O
over	O
development	O
;	O
Ubisoft	O
acquired	O
Broderbund	O
's	O
entertainment	O
library	O
from	O
The	O
Learning	O
Company	O
(	O
formerly	O
SoftKey	O
)	O
and	O
published	O
the	O
Myst	B-Application
sequels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reviewer	O
from	O
Pyramid	O
#29	O
(	O
Jan./Feb.	O
,	O
1998	O
)	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
Myst	B-Application
,	O
and	O
now	O
Riven	B-Application
,	O
are	O
worlds	O
to	O
be	O
explored	O
,	O
with	O
complex	O
puzzles	O
to	O
be	O
solved	O
,	O
and	O
without	O
time	O
limitations	O
or	O
enemies	O
to	O
worry	O
about	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
Academy	O
of	O
Interactive	O
Arts	O
&	O
Sciences	O
 '	O
1st	O
Annual	O
Interactive	O
Achievement	O
Awards	O
,	O
Riven	B-Application
won	O
the	O
"	O
Outstanding	O
Achievement	O
in	O
Art/Graphics	O
"	O
and	O
was	O
nominated	O
for	O
"	O
Interactive	O
Title	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
and	O
the	O
console	O
and	O
computer	O
award	O
for	O
"	O
Adventure	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cyan	O
announced	O
plans	O
to	O
release	O
a	O
remake	O
of	O
Riven	B-Application
on	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
25th	O
anniversary	O
on	O
October	O
31	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cyan	O
said	O
the	O
game	O
will	O
feature	O
fully	O
explorable	O
3D	O
environments	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
similar	O
manner	O
to	O
the	O
3D	O
remake	O
of	O
Myst	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cyan	O
reached	O
out	O
to	O
The	O
Starry	O
Expanse	O
project	O
,	O
a	O
fan-driven	O
effort	O
to	O
recreate	O
Riven	B-Application
,	O
about	O
a	O
year	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
announcement	O
,	O
working	O
out	O
a	O
deal	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
members	O
of	O
that	O
team	O
to	O
use	O
their	O
efforts	O
within	O
the	O
remake	O
of	O
Riven''	O
.	O
</s>
