[Boneho Chane]

For a long time I've been searching for a game with the style, atmosphere, graphics, art, quality and overall fun of Riven. Obsidian had a lot of the quality and probably was the closest to what I'm looking for. I found a game called Divided on the internet that had a lot of the atmosphere and style of Riven, but not a lot of the fun and intrigue of Riven. The original Myst is a lot different than Riven and not really what I'm looking for. I'm playing Myst III. It's cool, but I'm not feeling the same Riven vibe at all. Any help?

[Fien]

Nothing compares to Riven and Obsidian...absolutely nothing. They are the very best.

You might like Zork Nemesis though, most Myst-fans do. If you don't mind dark and creepy. Other good scary ones are Dark Fall 1, Barrow Hill, Shivers and Amber. Non scary Myst-like games are Alida, Aura, Schizm, Timelapse, Riddle of the Sphinx.

[Thaurin]

The person that reviewed Myst IV: Revelation on this site thought it felt a lot like Riven. I wouldn't know.

One of the first things that struck me about Myst 4 is how much it felt like Riven

[Terramax]

Somebody please tell me will we ever get another adventure as beautiful looking as Myst IV: Revelations?

I was hoping Aura 2 would feed my craving but alas was a waste of time.

[crabapple]

Originally Posted by Thaurin

The person that reviewed Myst IV: Revelation on this site thought it felt a lot like Riven. I wouldn't know.

Myst IV was not much like Riven IMO. Although Myst IV had pretty graphics, the puzzles in general weren't as well designed. There were some real stinkers and some anachronisms that ruined the immersiveness for me.

Finding a game like Riven is very difficult. The two RHEM games had similar puzzles, but the graphics weren't comparable to those in Riven. I'm not just talking about the resolution, but the gameworld itself was more interesting in Riven. The RHEM games are more notable for their puzzles than for anything else, and may not be what you're looking for.

Alida remined me somewhat of Riven, though it still wasn't as lifelike and the puzzles weren't as good as in Riven.

Schizm may be the closest in terms of attractive graphics and atmosphere, and many of the puzzles are similar to Riven's as well. If you decide to try it, try to get the DVD version. The graphics are blurry in the CD version, at least one puzzle was removed, and some of the recorded messages that helped explain the story were also deleted in order to to squeeze the game onto 4 CD's.

The other games that Fienepien listed would be worth trying too. Especially Zork Nemesis.

[LuigiHann]

Myst 4 is more like Riven than the rest of the Myst series is. I agree that the puzzles aren't as great, but it really conveys the people-really-live-here vibe that Riven excelled at.

I'll be keeping an eye on this list too, although from what I've heard, the only game that's really like Riven is Riven. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

I had Obsidian on my wish list, but have never played it. Comparing it to Riven in this thread caused me to search for it online and I found a copy for $25. RAWK! I'm looking forward to this.

[Boneho Chane]

Well, it's definitely a lot different. But if you liked Riven then you should love it. I consider both Obsidian and Riven two of my favorite games of all time.

Thanks for the recommendations so far guys. These sound like games I'll be very interested in. I'm glad to hear Myst IV is more like Riven. After I finish Myst III, I'll be sure to get it.

[Risingson]

And Reah, if you want to look a near-parody of the Riven puzzles.

[dmeps]

Could "Reah" be likened to "Riven"? I mean, on its own merits, not considering it as part of the "Myst" saga...

[Terramax]

Originally Posted by Not A Speck Of Cereal

I had Obsidian on my wish list, but have never played it. Comparing it to Riven in this thread caused me to search for it online and I found a copy for $25. RAWK! I'm looking forward to this.

What? I bought the Myst 10th Anniversary DVD trilogy for $10 including postage!

Any any case I couldn't get into Riven. Having to go up and down the longest corridors/ paths I've ever had to face in an adventure was just unbearable.

Reah was a quirky game but it suffered from annoying FMV sequences EVERY time you turned left and right and the most irrating voice for a narrator. I wish I got far enough to experience the final location, that looked amazing on the box, but I really didn't have the energy. Being able to interact with a number of characters was entertaining enough.

[colpet]

Being a Riven fanatic myself, I'd say that the Rhem 1 (haven't played 2 yet), Obsidian and Alida were the closest experiences. I still have Myst IV on the go. I do not find it comparable to Riven.

[Melanie68]

Originally Posted by Terramax

What? I bought the Myst 10th Anniversary DVD trilogy for $10 including postage!

He got Obsidian for $25 which for that game is a terrific price.

[Christian IV]

RIVEN is such a classic, that is a hard call to find a similar game to it, hmmm

will have to think that one over.

[AprilLives]

The Riven vibe … haven’t found anything to compare with that deep sense of mystery. However, I recently played Darkfall 2, Lights Out. This game excelled in creating a mysterious mood. The basic maneuvering of the game is similar to Riven’s, although in Darkfall, getting from point A to point B is head bangingly frustrating, at times, and more difficult to solve than any puzzle. Despite its several flaws, I very much liked the mood, austere art, and music of Lights Out. I liked the puzzles, which were not at all like those in Riven. I think Darkfall creators have a lot of potential. They understand mystery really well.

[GhostPirateLechuck]

Return to Zork was the best of that mold in my opinion. That is, if you don't mind going back 10 years.

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Originally Posted by dmeps

Could "Reah" be likened to "Riven"? I mean, on its own merits, not considering it as part of the "Myst" saga...

No, I can't compare them very much at all.

[Terramax]

Originally Posted by Melanie68

He got Obsidian for $25 which for that game is a terrific price.

Oops!

Could Return to Mysterious Island or AGON part 3 be one worth looking at? They have that beach/ coast/ island vibe.

[Thaurin]

Interestingly, I found this IGN review for Myst III: Exile, and it got a... 2/10! The sub-title was "They still make these things?" Come on! Okay, so it is the PS2 version and that's not exactly Myst's target audience, but why do they have these reviews written by people that obviously hate the genre and are not afraid to say so? I'd thought better of IGN.

[crabapple]

Originally Posted by Terramax

Reah was a quirky game but it suffered from annoying FMV sequences EVERY time you turned left and right and the most irrating voice for a narrator.

I thought that guy was hilarious.
Though I wouldn't say Reah was like Riven, it might be worth a try for someone who enjoys games where you explore exotic worlds. There were a few stinker puzzles, but Myst IV had a few stinker puzzles too.