Info about Riven (1997):

Official game description:
_“My worst fears have been realized. The damage is more extensive than previously imagined. I must act while there is still time. I must find someone… to send to Riven.”_
Enter a deceptively beautiful world torn apart by age-old conflicts, where secrets lie hidden at every turn, and nothing is as it seems. Search through dense jungles, awe-inspiring caverns and monolithic structures. Use your wits and powers of observation to solve devious puzzles and find secretive characters. Only then will you learn the truth about this troubled land and its inhabitants. You must let Riven become your world— before an entire world is lost.
\-
Experience the beauty of _Riven_, released in 1997, featuring the **original point-and-click gameplay style**, with almost five thousand images and over three hours of full motion video.

Release date: Aug 4, 2010

Categories: Puzzle Solving, Point-and-click Adventure, Exploration, Environmental Storytelling, Non-linear Narrative, Atmospheric Horror (Light), Interactive Environments, Observation-based Gameplay

Feature scans:
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: Needs Improvement; summary: The game presents significant challenges related to complex mechanics and navigation, often requiring players to rely on external walkthroughs and guides. Technical issues further exacerbate the user experience, leading to frustration and disruption.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 30.0h
  - Story completion: 30.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct statements about the time taken to complete the game. The first quote mentions 14 hours to beat the game, the second quote estimates roughly 30 hours to finish the game, and the third quote reports 36.6 hours to finish the game on the first try. The fourth quote, in French, mentions 'une bonne cinquantaine d'heures,' which translates to 'a good fifty hours' of gameplay. These quotes provide a range of playtimes for game completion and story completion, which appear to be similar in this context. There is no direct evidence for typical session length or endgame hours, so those fields are set to null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game becomes fun within the first few hours as players explore and learn about the world, but this enjoyment is occasionally hindered by tedious puzzles and isolation.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Gaining knowledge and understanding of the world
  - Time to anchor: 2h 0m
  - Friction: tedious puzzles; isolation in the game world; require too much running around
  - Unlock drivers: exploring the islands; learning the number system; increasing understanding of lore and culture
  - Conditions: solo play; patience for puzzle-solving; interest in lore and culture
- Player Archetypes:
  - Nostalgic Adventure Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Nostalgia and appreciation for classic adventure games.
    - Playstyle: Explores surreal worlds and solves intricate puzzles, often reminiscing about past experiences with similar games.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Adventure genre fan; Myst fan; Old-school player
    - Reference games: Myst; Infocom classics
  - Hardcore Puzzle Solver (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of challenging and complex puzzles.
    - Playstyle: Takes on difficult puzzles, often using guides and taking notes to aid in solving them.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: Puzzle fan; Hardcore gamer
    - Reference games: Ico; Shadow of the Colossus
  - Frustrated Newcomer (no buy)
    - Motivation: Seeking enjoyable and less frustrating gaming experiences.
    - Playstyle: Struggles with difficult puzzles and may get frustrated with the game's mechanics or technical issues.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: Casual gamer; Newcomer
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Challenging and fair puzzles (weight 0.97): The game features a variety of puzzles that are tough but fair, integrated seamlessly into the environment. Players find satisfaction and joy in solving these thought-provoking and logical puzzles.
- Great game design and classic status (weight 0.63): The game is recognized for its great design and is considered a classic. It features enjoyable and rewarding gameplay, making it a definite 10/10 experience for many players.
- Immersive atmosphere and world-building (weight 0.6): The game offers an incredibly immersive experience with a richly detailed world. The atmosphere is captivating and draws players into its unique and engaging universe.
- Beautiful and impressive graphics (weight 0.59): The game is praised for its beautiful, imaginative, and stunning visuals. Even as a 20-year-old game, its graphics are considered impressive and groundbreaking.
- Rich lore and storytelling (weight 0.38): The game boasts a rich world filled with detail, history, and culture. The storytelling is well done, providing a deep and captivating narrative.
- Atmospheric and non-violent gameplay (weight 0.26): The gameplay is described as meditative, challenging, and atmospheric. It offers a peaceful and tranquil experience without violence.
- Stable performance on modern systems (weight 0.16): The game runs flawlessly on modern systems like Windows 10, with stable performance and no crashes. Detailed instructions are provided for running the game on these systems.
- Point-and-click mechanics (weight 0.12): The game uses classic point-and-click mechanics, relying solely on mouse controls. This makes it a traditional point-click adventure game.
- Reward progression (weight 0.11): The game offers a rewarding sense of progression. Players feel a sense of achievement as they advance through the game.
- Pleasure to play (weight 0.1): Players find great pleasure in playing the game, enjoying both the initial experience and replaying it. The game is enjoyable in its original form.

Common complaints:
- Save system issues (weight 0.31): The game has problems with its save system, including lack of auto-save, corrupted saves, and no saving functionality, which can be frustrating for players.
- Low resolution graphics (weight 0.23): The game's graphics are considered low resolution and dated, which can detract from the overall experience.
- Navigation is confusing (weight 0.16): Players often find it unclear where they can go, leading to frustration with the game's navigation.
- Lack of language support (weight 0.12): The game lacks support for certain languages, such as Chinese and French, which can be a drawback for non-English speaking players.
- Interactive elements are hard to see (weight 0.09): Some players have difficulty finding interactive elements in the game, which can lead to frustration.
- Game is short (weight 0.08): The game is considered short by modern standards, which may not offer enough content for some players.
- Pixel hunting moments (weight 0.08): Players have to engage in pixel hunting to find buttons and levers, which can be tedious and frustrating.
- Game requires patience (weight 0.07): The game requires a lot of patience and determination to progress, which can be a challenge for some players.

Gameplay feedback:
- Puzzle-solving adventure game (weight 0.35): The game is centered around complex and interdependent puzzles, offering a non-linear puzzle-solving experience in an adventure game format.
- Exploration-based gameplay (weight 0.29): Players engage in open-world exploration, interacting with various game environments and discovering new areas.
- Story-driven narrative (weight 0.26): The game features a branching storyline with environmental storytelling, creating a complex narrative told through the game world.
- Note-taking and observation (weight 0.26): The game requires players to take notes and recognize patterns, demanding a strong sense of observation to progress.
- Interconnected puzzles (weight 0.13): Puzzles are interconnected across different locations and communicated subtly through the environment, requiring deep understanding.
- Pre-rendered and static images (weight 0.12): The game includes pre-rendered scenarios and static image exploration, enhancing the visual experience.
- No death or dead-ends (weight 0.09): The game design ensures there are no lose-able situations, providing a stress-free exploration experience.
- Beautiful artwork and cinematic experience (weight 0.09): The game features beautiful artwork and provides a cinematic experience through its visual and narrative design.
- Non-violent gameplay (weight 0.09): The game focuses on puzzle-solving and exploration without any violent elements, offering a peaceful gaming experience.
- Multiple endings and save slots (weight 0.09): The game offers multiple endings and save slots, allowing players to explore different outcomes and progress at their own pace.
- Old-school mechanics (weight 0.09): The game incorporates old-style puzzles and mechanics reminiscent of classic adventure games.
- Minimal NPC interaction (weight 0.05): There is minimal interaction with NPCs, focusing more on exploration and puzzle-solving.

Performance notes:
- Compatibility issues on modern systems (weight 0.45): The game has various compatibility issues with modern operating systems, including Windows 7 64-bit and newer versions of Windows. Some users report needing to run the game in compatibility mode.
- Technical workarounds needed (weight 0.21): Users report needing various workarounds to run the game properly, such as using ScummVM for stable performance or specific key combinations for saving the game.
- Performance improvements on modern OS (weight 0.18): Updates have improved the game's performance on modern operating systems, including Windows 10. Some users report stable performance on updated systems.
- Frequent crashes (weight 0.17): The game frequently crashes, sometimes requiring workarounds like setting processor affinity. Crashes can also lead to game file corruption.
- Positive graphics feedback (weight 0.13): Despite some issues, many users praise the game's graphics and sound design, describing them as lush and convincing.
- Mixed feedback on visual quality (weight 0.13): Some users report that videos can look grainy and have different quality than still images, while others appreciate the graphical improvements and shaders.
- Specific platform performance (weight 0.11): The game plays beautifully on the Steam Deck but has specific issues on other platforms, such as fixed resolution on Mac and menu bar issues.
- Technical limitations due to age (weight 0.05): The game has some technical limitations due to its age, which can affect performance and compatibility on newer systems.
- System restart required (weight 0.04): The game requires a full system restart to exit properly, which can be inconvenient for users.
- Bugs in specific versions (weight 0.04): There are reports of bugs specifically in the Steam version of the game, which can affect performance and stability.
- Light performance on current standards (weight 0.04): The game has a light performance impact by current standards, making it easier to run on modern systems despite some technical issues.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for puzzle enthusiasts (weight 0.27): The game is highly recommended for those who enjoy puzzles, challenges, and exploration. It offers a unique experience that is particularly appealing to adventure game fans.
- Highly recommended version (weight 0.26): This specific version of the game is strongly recommended by players for its unique qualities.
- Consider the remake (weight 0.22): Many recommend trying the remake for a better experience, although some suggest playing the original version as well.
- Play Myst first (weight 0.17): Players are advised to start with the original Myst to better understand the series and enhance their overall experience.
- Use notebooks and hints (weight 0.14): Players suggest having a notebook handy to jot down important information and accepting hints if feeling frustrated to enhance gameplay.
- Consider newer versions (weight 0.11): Some players recommend skipping this version in favor of newer releases or considering the purchase of remastered or extended versions.
- Gameplay tips (weight 0.1): Players suggest saving the game before important story actions, avoiding guides, and closing doors after yourself for a better experience.
- Recommended for gaming history (weight 0.08): The game is recommended for those interested in gaming history and preservation, as well as fans of old-style Infocom games.
- Recommended despite technical issues (weight 0.08): The game is recommended for its premise and immersion, even though there may be some technical issues.
- Play without hints (weight 0.04): For a more immersive experience, players recommend avoiding hints and guides.
- Avoid Steam version (weight 0.04): Some players do not recommend buying the Steam version of the game due to potential issues.

Other player notes:
- Needs polish and newer systems (weight 0.06): Players expressed a desire for the game to receive updates and polish, as well as being made compatible with newer systems.

Emotions:
- Nostalgia (weight 0.19): Players experience nostalgia due to revisiting a beloved childhood game, recalling memories of playing it in the past, and appreciating its lasting impact and improvements over time. The connection to the Myst series and the game's history also evoke strong nostalgic feelings.
- Frustration (weight 0.18): Frustration stems from technical issues, high difficulty, unclear navigation, and challenging puzzles. Players also express annoyance with the lack of guidance, language support issues, and the game's performance problems.
- Admiration (weight 0.13): Players admire the game's advanced design, immersive atmosphere, rich environments, and unique puzzle design. The game's beauty, music, and complex universe are also highly appreciated.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.11): Satisfaction comes from solving difficult puzzles, figuring out secrets, and completing the game without hints. Players also feel a sense of achievement from overcoming challenges and understanding the lore.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Joy is derived from replaying a beloved classic game, sharing the experience with kids, and solving puzzles. The discovery and appreciation of the game's design also bring happiness.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Players enjoy the overall experience of the game, including the soothing environment and the act of exploring and playing. The positive experience and willingness to overcome challenges contribute to their enjoyment.
- Disappointment (weight 0.03): Disappointment arises from confusing puzzles, dated mechanics, and the lack of high-definition visuals. Players also express dissatisfaction with the remake's changes and unskippable credits.
- Awe (weight 0.02): Players are in awe of the game's immersive graphics, real actors, and the complexity and depth of the puzzles. The beauty of the game's atmosphere and sound also contribute to this sense of awe.
- Excitement (weight 0.02): Excitement is generated by the game's complexity and depth of puzzles and story. Hearing about potential remakes also adds to the excitement.
- Relaxation (weight 0.01): The game's peaceful and tranquil atmosphere provides a relaxing experience. Players find the environments soothing and calming.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Sadness comes from the belief that games as smart as this one don't get made anymore and the remake causing people to dismiss the original.
- Immersion (weight 0.01): The game's atmosphere and visuals create a deeply immersive experience. Players feel drawn into the game's world and environment.
- Loneliness (weight 0.01): The game's atmosphere evokes feelings of loneliness and eeriness, contributing to a sense of isolation.}