Re:Ask HN: Non-violent video games with great stories?
by track16 on Sunday June 05, 2022 @11:48AM
(#31632037)
I'm actually replaying Riven right now, and at least for me personally, I find it just as new and refreshing as it was so many years ago.
Riven and its siblings (Myst, etc) are the only games that I've ever had to take down written notes to plan how to approach and solve the puzzles. Riven is more than just a play-for-fun-with-no-benefit way to spend my time; it is an intellectual exercise.
Re:Ask HN: Non-violent video games with great stories?
by tsuujin on Saturday June 04, 2022 @11:14PM
(#31627664)
Riven is an absolute masterpiece in visual storytelling. I remember playing it when it came out and just being blown away by it.
Re:Ask HN: Non-violent video games with great stories?
by kelseyfrog on Sunday June 05, 2022 @02:46AM
(#31628644)
Riven and its predecessor Myst catapulted me into 3D modeling, graphics programming, and finally development in general. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing today if those games didn't plant a seed in my mind back then.
Outer Wilds excels with creative planets full of adventure, while Riven is a slow paced affair that is impressively dedicated to creating an intricate world wordlessly.
Without written aids ala the logs in Outer Wilds, gleaning insights from disparate information in Riven often means scrawling down notes & looking for patterns.
While I highly reccomend Riven for fans of the structure of Outer Wilds, Riven is now a dated game that operates at a glacial pace. I played it recently at a time that I was taking a break from more modern games and I think that did wonders for helping me adjust to its conventions & pace. If you give it a shot know that it'll demand your patience before it'll absorb you into its world.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=bsh_vyAfMuE