Riven
Riven box cover
Riven is the sequel to the highly successful computer game Myst. It was distributed initially on five compact discs, and was later released on a single DVD-ROM, along with a 14 minute long making-of video. The Myst style of gameplay in which the user clicked on objects in prerendered still frames and videos was maintained in this sequel; however, it was enhanced by many animated scenes. It is widely regarded by players of Myst and other adventure games to be the most difficult game in the Myst franchise.
Riven is also the name of the Age in which the majority of the game Riven is spent. In the Myst story line, this age was the fifth age written by Gehn, father of Atrus. Gehn coldly refers to it as simply "The Fifth Age."
The game contains a great deal of information on the culture and language of D'ni and Riven. The D'ni language was first used in the game Riven, both in written form and (poorly) spoken by Cho, a Rivenese person trained to speak basic D'ni phrases. The system of D'ni numbers is also introduced in the game, and it is necessary for the player to learn and read D'ni numbers to complete the game. There is also a system of symbols used for describing colors that the player must learn and apply to solve a puzzle.
A large part and the climax of take place on Riven. The Book is chronologically set a few years before the events in the Riven game.
The Riven Descriptive Book appears in Tomahna at the start of , but the Gateway Image is there burnt, suggesting Riven has completely been destroyed by the time of Exile (about ten years after the event in Riven). The Book is labelled with the D'ni numeral 'Five'.
Imagery from Riven reappears in places in .Hints on D'ni
Riven in the rest of the Myst franchise