Riven PC Game Developer(s) Cyan Publisher(s) Brøderbund (PC, Mac) NA Acclaim (PlayStation) EU Sega (Saturn) JP Enix (PlayStation, Saturn) Mean Hamster Software (Pocket PC) Designer(s) Robyn Miller Richard Vander Wende Composer(s) Robyn Miller Platform(s) Mac OS, Microsoft Windows, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Pocket PC Release date(s) October 29, 1997[show] (PC/Mac) (Hybrid CD-ROM) NA October 29, 1997[2] (Saturn) Summer 1997[2] (PlayStation) NA December 15, 1997[2] (Pocket PC) NA December 20, 2005 Genre(s) Graphic adventure Mode(s) Single-player Rating(s) ESRB: K-A, E (re-releases) Media CD, DVD Like its predecessor, Riven is a point-and-click adventure game played from a first-person perspective. The player explores immersive, prerendered environments using mouse clicks for movement.[8] By operating mechanical contraptions and deciphering codes and symbols discovered in the surroundings, the nebulously explained goal can eventually be reached.[9] The cursor changes in appearance, depending on its position on the screen and what it is hovering over, to show what effect clicking will have.[8] To navigate the world, the player simply clicks in the direction they want to walk or turn. For instance, if the player positions the cursor hand near the right or left edge of the screen, it may show a bent finger, indicating that clicking will turn the camera 180 ° in that direction.[8] The cursor also changes in context to show when players can drag or toggle switches, or when certain items can be picked up and carried.[10] Such items can then be examined at any time,[10][11] and either reveal clues to puzzles or provide information on the game's setting and story. As in Myst, Riven has an optional method of movement known as Zip Mode, which allows players to skip to areas already explored, but may cause them to miss important clues.[8] Whereas in Myst the objective of the game is to travel to different Ages to solve puzzles before returning to a "hub Age", Riven's gameplay takes place on the five islands of the Age of Riven. Much of it consists of solving puzzles to access new areas of the islands, though players are also able to explore without fulfilling objectives.[11] Many puzzles' sole purpose is to advance the backstory.[1]
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