Riven: The Sequel to Myst
Riven: The Sequel to Myst
Riven: The Sequel to Myst, jeu d’aventure graphique de type point-and-click et réflexion/puzzle, a été développé par Cyan Worlds et est paru le 31 octobre 1997. Le titre a été édité par de nombreux partenaires parmi lesquels Enix, Acclaim Entertainment, Tec Toy, Red Orb Entertainment, SUNSOFT, Sega Enterprises, Inc., Cyan Worlds, Ubi Soft Entertainment et Mean Hamster Software. Il a été rendu disponible sur PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation, Sega Saturn et Windows Mobile, utilisant le moteur Mohawk.
L’intrigue fait suite aux événements de Myst. Après que l’Étranger a sauvé Atrus, maître des livres de liaison, de l’emprisonnement causé par ses fils, une nouvelle tâche se présente. Catherine, l’épouse d’Atrus, a été enlevée par Gehn, le propre père de ce dernier, qui s’est proclamé souverain de l’Âge de Riven et a mené ce monde à la ruine. Retenant Catherine en otage, Gehn espère qu’Atrus restaurera le lien vers l’Âge pour le libérer. L’Étranger est alors mandaté par Atrus pour se rendre à Riven et trouver un moyen de secourir Catherine. Le joueur pénètre dans un monde somptueux ravagé par des conflits incessants, peuplé de secrets et d’illusions, où il explore jungles denses, grottes impressionnantes et structures monolithes, s’appuyant sur sa déduction et son observation pour résoudre des énigmes et rencontrer des personnages mystérieux.
Le jeu propose des environnements pré-rendus avec des puzzles complexes et interconnectés, ainsi qu’une guidance directe minimale. La version originale conserve le style de jeu point-and-click et près de cinq mille images offrant plus de trois heures de vidéo animée. Les visuels, la conception sonore et la construction du monde ont été salués pour leur profondeur et leur réalisme, tandis que Riven étendait la narration et l’ampleur ludique de Myst pour devenir l’un des jeux d’aventure les plus acclamés de son époque. Une partie de l’histoire principale requiert environ neuf heures et demie, et un parcours complet environ treize heures et demie.
L’accueil critique s’est révélé globalement favorable, avec un score Metacritic de 83 et une note agrégée de 83,24. La presse a salué l’œuvre, comme le fait Just Adventure qui écrit : « It's not only phenomenal gaming, but it's a work of art. » Le magazine Quandary a confié : « I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was well worth the wait. It's a perfect game for fans of this type of adventure and deserves to be every bit as popular as Myst. » Du côté des joueurs, un commentaire sur Metacritic estime que le jeu « stands as one of the finest adventure games ever made, on par with its predecessor, 'Myst' », alors qu’un autre sur la même plateforme le qualifie « One of the worst puzzle games ever created back when guessing and checking every combination and spending 60 minutes backtracking and rotating CDs was consider… ». Sur Steam, un avis positif note que « Although pretty old-school, obviously, Riven features some of the cleverest puzzles I've come accross in any video game. Some of them are VERY hard, but never … ». Proposé à 2,46 EUR, Riven demeure une référence de son genre.
Médias
Avis des critiques et joueurs
Critiques de la Presse (Metacritic)
« It's not only phenomenal gaming, but it's a work of art. »
« I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was well worth the wait. It's a perfect game for fans of this type of adventure and deserves to be every bit as popular as Myst. »
« This game is a masterpiece and is worth every single penny. If you've been excitedly waiting for Riven, never fear, you'll love it. This game has proved itself in all aspects, the only way someone could not like it is because it's too intellectually challenging, or they simply don't like these types of games. »
« I really loved this game, even more than I enjoyed Myst, but I would advise adrenaline junkies to stay far, far away. »
« What I found was an extremely intelligent, involving quest through what is one of the best thought out, most beautiful worlds ever. If you're looking to test your brain, give Riven a try. Just remember, the world is a window into the psyche of the man who created it. »
« This game is so good that if I taught a class on interactive fiction I would use it as my example of how to create a great quality game. »
« That dazzling indulgence for your eyes, coupled with the all-consuming sound effects, make this such an enjoyable world to just wander through, never mind the gameplay! And yet, one must mind the gameplay, because incredible design and story work were put into the action, and you're going to have your work cut out for you. »
« While it may not be hailed as a classic, genre-defining game, Riven was a very strong sequel, a difficult thing to do considering the widespread popularity of Myst. »
Avis des Joueurs (Metacritic)
« I believe this game stands as one of the finest adventure games ever made, on par with its predecessor, 'Myst'. Furthermore, being a sequel, it manages to improve upon Myst in nearly every ****'s unlikely any other game from that period delivered puzzles as organic, immersive, and truly satisfying, at this level of quality. And even now, games like this are still few and far between. »
« One of the worst puzzle games ever created back when guessing and checking every combination and spending 60 minutes backtracking and rotating CDs was considered a good puzzle gimmick. Even if you made this game 5x better, it wouldn't be anywhere close to being as good as a modern masterpiece like Portal, The Witness, or The Talos Principle. »
« This game is a **** really feel like being in another time and place...great story line and graphics...puzzles are tricky and you gotta use your intuition heavily... »
« The sequel to the famous computer game Myst. I remember that when I first played Riven, the world felt tremendously immersive, despite being basically a slide show with a few animations. Unfortunately, some of the puzzles were so difficult and cryptic that I needed to look online for hints, which made me feel like a very stooopid person. I plan on essentially replaying this when the Starry Expanse Project is complete, which will convert Riven from a slideshow to a more fluid experience, just like what the game RealMyst did for Myst. »
« Play it with a friend. My brother and I did this during quarantine last year without a guide. It was absolutely nuts. We had limited virtual work, were stuck in the same house together, and had the most difficult puzzle video game before us. We had sheets of paper, OneDrive folders of pictures and conspiracies, and spent all day decoding numbers and fire marble coordinates. It was the perfect time to play this game with the pandemic among us. That being said, I definitely wouldn't have enjoyed this as much had I not been playing with someone else. I don't think I would have been able to do it myself without a guide. I believe the creators of this and Myst said that people enjoyed Myst more during playtests because they could bounce ideas off each other. This also applies to Riven and frankly, I think is essential. It's also the same reason I can only give the game a 9 out of 10. Everything is so good about it, but I'm sure I wouldn't feel that way if I did it all by myself. »
