The slow pace and still-by-still graphics of Riven: The Sequel to Myst may try the patience of those who like their games punctuated by gunfire. So think of Riven as cinema. Think of it as a book. Because although it's not for everyone, Cyan's offering blows away hyperviolent, visually repetitive games.
Riven is gamemaking at its most audacious. Visual and audio effects aside, the effort put into making the experience intellectually immersive is staggering. Because both the concept of Riven and its technical execution are so inspired, developers at Cyan seem to assume that you will play until you go blind. And if you hope to finish, you just might have to. The programmers have created a civilization, and then dropped you, the unwitting player, into it. You can never be sure whether a building is a temple, a control room, or a simple shelter, because everything has larger cultural significance. In one room, bronze beetles on the wall snap open to reveal Byzantine-style religious scenes: a book falling from the sky; a messiah figure casting his followers into an abyss. Acclimating to Riven is like learning to read - you must learn to synthesize the scattered symbolism of the game into a useful visual alphabet.
And even if you were to grow tired of the ponderous anthropology of the game, temptation is enough to win the war against your impatience. An enormous gold-domed observatory lies on the other side of a locked bronze gate, overhead walkways are just a few feet out of reach, and as you stand on one cliff top, unexplored buildings across the valley beckon through the haze. With its even pace, tireless perfectionism, and graceful flourishes, Riven heralds the aesthetic convergence of multimedia, cinema, and literature. It's a blockbuster and a page-turner rolled into one, but because there's no running time or page numbers, I'm still not sure how far I am from finishing.
Riven: The Sequel to Myst: US$50. Red Orb Entertainment: +1 (415) 382 4770, on the Web at www.riven.com/.
STREET CRED
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