History VideoGame / Riven

* TheRemake: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] In-Universe. As Cyan likes to blur the lines between fiction and reality, a presentation made at a Myst-related 30tn anniversary fan convention "revealed" that a review of "historical documents" showed discrepancies in the original "portrayal" of the game, such as the "existence" of [[spoiler:a physical torn iron plate with D'ni writing, thought to be Gehn's attempt to mitigate the destruction of Riven.]]

* YetAnotherStupidDeath: There are multiple ways to proverbially PressXToDie. For example, use the trap book right after regaining it, and [[spoiler: a pair of Moiety people get ready to burn the book, possibly discussing your stupidity for trapping yourself in it]].

* FanNickname: Gehn's Guard (the one you encounter at the very beginning of the game) was given the name "Cho" because of the first words he utters to you in confusion.

A fan-made UpdatedRerelease was in the works to recreate the game in a fully 3D engine, called [[http://www.starryexpanse.com/ The Starry Expanse Project]]. Unlike many large-scale fan works, this one had the blessing and cooperation of the original creators. Creator/{{Cyan}} ultimately hired one of the Starry Expanse team members and is currently working on an official 3D version of the game. They have said that this new version, now titled ''Riven: New Discoveries From the Lost D'ni Empire'', will expand on the game's lore and include new content that was not present in the original.

A fan-made UpdatedRerelease was in the works to recreate the game in a fully 3D engine, called [[http://www.starryexpanse.com/ The Starry Expanse Project]]. Unlike many large-scale fan works, this one had the blessing and cooperation of the original creators. Creator/{{Cyan}} ultimately hired one of the Starry Expanse team members and is currently working on an official 3D version of the game. They have said that this new version will expand on the game's lore and include new content that was not present in the original.

** Opening the Star Fissure before going to Tay: [[spoiler:falling into the fissure with an immediate NonStandardGameOver. It should be noted that technically this would produce a ''happy'' ending for the player character as they are returned to their home, as they did in the canon ending. But it means that Riven and everyone in it are doomed.]]

** The fire marble press requires you to place up to six colored marbles into a 25x25 grid. The number of combinations sits in the range of '''quadrillions'''. Technically, any entry with a specific marble and any other marble in their correct positions will grant access to the final stretch of the game, but that hardly makes a brute-force approach any more practical.
*** Knowing a few more of the criteria does narrow the number of possible combinations down from quadrillions to a "mere" 93 trillion and 850 billion possibilities.

* GuideDangIt: Multiple:

* GoBackToTheSource: [[spoiler: The Fissure on Temple Island]].

* SteamPunk: Since he doesn't have the materials for proper linking books, Gehn's Riven-made linking books are literally powered by steam.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Gehn is trapped and the people of the Age freed in Tay, the Stranger goes home, and Atrus and Catherine are reunited. But the Age of Riven itself dies, along with all of its animals, and it seems unlikely at that point that the Stranger and Atrus' family will meet again]].

A fan-made UpdatedRerelease was in the works to recreate the game in a fully 3D engine, called [[http://www.starryexpanse.com/ The Starry Expanse Project]]. Unlike many large-scale fan works, this one had the blessing and cooperation of the original creators. Cyan ultimately hired one of the Starry Expanse team members and is currently working on an official 3D version of the game. They have said that this new version will expand on the game's lore and include new content that was not present in the original.

** And the fact that Gehn uses juiced frogs as...[[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs inspiration]] in his writing.

At the beginning of the game, you meet Atrus again who assigns you to the age of Riven with the goal to capture Gehn in a book that was specifically designed for this task, and to rescue Catherine. Atrus opens the descriptive book to Riven and it soon becomes apparent that Riven is unlike the previous ages you have visited. The gateway image is badly distorted and it turns out Atrus is stuck writing in corrections to Riven's book to delay Armageddon due to Gehn's abysmal writing skills.

** Opening the Star Fissure before going to Tay: [[spoiler:falling into the fissure with an immediate NonStandardGameOver. It should be noted that technically this would produce a ''happy'' ending for the player character as they are returned to their home, as they are in the canon ending. But it means that the Ages are doomed.]]

* ShoddyKnockoffProduct: In universe, Gehn's descriptive books to ages are compromised by poor grasp of "The Art", enabling links to unstable worlds that eventually collapse. His books also require clunky external power sources. Poor quality book materials may be partly to blame, but Gehn's poor writing creates many of the problems. This is assuming a book even works in the first place. The 233'rd age was Gehn's ''first'' relatively successful book since writing Riven, though he still had a ways to go in learning The Art since his destination is very desolate and harsh, barely suitable for his new office.\\

A fan-made UpdatedRerelease was in the works to recreate the game in a fully 3D engine, called [[http://www.starryexpanse.com/ The Starry Expanse Project]]. Unlike many large-scale fan works, this one had the blessing and cooperation of the original creators. Cyan ultimately hired one of the Starry Expanse team members and is currently working on an official 3D version of the game.

* BatmanGambit: You have to pull off one of these to get the GoldenEnding. [[spoiler:Convincing Gehn that the trap book you brought is really a linking book to another Age requires you to enter the trap book yourself first in order for Gehn to believe you. Once Gehn himself puts his hand on the portal in the trap book, he goes in and you go out, trapping him instead. Notably, this plan could have trapped you forever instead if Gehn had caught on, so it relied entirely on him acting according to what you've learned about him.]]
* BeautifulVoid: Played with compared to the previous game. It's obvious that there are people living on Riven, and some of them are keeping careful watch on what you are doing, but all of them, for various reasons, avoid direct contact.

** Some of the details in the game can really go unnoticed. For example, on Jungle Island, knocking on the one accessible village door [[ArcNumber five times]] will rouse a response (albeit a frightened one) from the house's occupant.
** The combination to the telescope hatch is found [[spoiler: in Catherine's journal, which you pick up on Tay]], and if you use it and trigger the ending as soon as you get it, [[spoiler: Gehn shoots both you and Atrus]]. However, if you take that code back in time via an earlier saved game, another version of the ending is played where [[spoiler:nobody turns up.]]

-->[[spoiler: '''Gehn:''' My one wish before I die, would be to see [Atrus] assume some responsibility for his actions. Perhaps it will happen some day. In the meantime, you have my sympathies. *screen goes completely black*]]

-->[[spoiler: '''Gehn:''' I see you found the book. [[SarcasmMode Thank you for returning it to me]]. It seems ''however'' circumstances have changed. *Gehn shoots you*.]]

* LaResistance: [[spoiler: The Moiety.]]

* SpectacularSpinning: The pentagonal rotating room.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: As an important plot point, no less. Because Gehn taught himself the Art of writing ages, as a result his understanding of it is flawed. This is why Riven is falling apart at the seams and Atrus has to make edits to the Riven descriptive book to keep it going while the PlayerCharacter is in there.

** You can do the same as above, capturing Gehn but ignoring Catherine's rescue. How does it feel to condemn Atrus to [[spoiler:the futile task of keeping Riven stable, with his wife trapped in Riven?]]
** You can guess the combination code to the star fissure, or load an earlier save to input the code, before regaining your prison book. [[spoiler:Then you automatically jump into the fissure and chicken out of your mission.]]
* WellDoneSonGuy: There's a ''bit'' of dysfunction between Atrus and his father...

-> ''Thank God you've returned. I need your help. There's a great deal of history that you should know, but I'm afraid that... I must continue my writing. Here. Most of what you'll need to know is in there. Keep it well hidden. For reasons you'll discover, I can't send you to Riven with a way out, but I can give you this. It appears to be a Linking Book, back here to D'ni, but it's actually a one-man prison. You'll need it, I'm afraid, to capture Gehn. Once you've found Catherine, signal me, and I'll come with a Linking Book to bring us back. There's also a chance, if all goes well, that I might be able to get you back to the place that you came from.''

--> '''Catherine:''' You made it. But how'd you get past Gehn? '''He must really believe I've gone mad.'''

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Gehn.

* ItsAWonderfulFailure / MultipleEndings: Many. Some involve {{Nonstandard Game Over}}s.
** Opening the Star Fissure before going to Tay: [[spoiler:falling into the fissure with an immediate NonStandardGameOver. It should be noted that technically this would produce a ''happy'' ending for the player character as they are returned to their home, as they are in the canon ending.]]

* RealityWritingBook: The premise of the game.

* DiagnosisKnowingTooMuch: Gehn does this to Catherine, as the pieces for him to do so have fallen neatly into place: A splinter group of Rivenese, the Black Moiety, have, for the past 30 years, worshipped Catherine as a religious figure, and rebelled against Gehn, since they witnessed Catherine and Atrus defeating Gehn and trapping him on Riven in ''Literature/MystTheBookOfAtrus''. To him, when Catherine returned (because of Sirrus and Achenar sending her there as part of their evil plan), the Moiety's rebellion intensified, so Gehn had to keep her isolated for, ostensibly his own, their's, and her safety. Catherine even points this out when you meet her for the first time. However, it is strongly implied that Gehn is doing this as a way to suppress the populace, and to bolster his own beliefs that he's doing the right thing, further bolstered by the grandeur-inducing effects of his smoking-pipe extract:

* DevelopersForesight: Some of the details in the game can really go unnoticed. For example, on Jungle Island, knocking on the one accessible village door [[ArcNumber five times]] will rouse a response (albeit a frightened one) from the house's occupant.

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: The pentagonal rotating room.
** Gehn's fire marble domes spin as an external security measure, unlocked by timing its color symbol with a viewer.

* PlayingGertrude: Rand Miller as Atrus. To sound older, he attempted to affect a weary sounding voice in ''Myst'' and ''Riven''. He reverted to his more natural voice for ''Exile'' and ''Revelation''.

A fan-made UpdatedRerelease is in the works to recreate the game in a fully 3D engine, called [[http://www.starryexpanse.com/ The Starry Expanse Project]]. Unlike many large-scale fan works, this one has the blessing and cooperation of the original creators, so it has a better than average chance of eventually being released.