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The Best Resident Evil Goes VR And More New Releases | The Week In Games<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFor the uninitiated, Riven<\/em>, and its predecessor Myst<\/em>, drops you on a series of islands devoid (mostly) of other people and populated primarily by complicated puzzles to solve. Both games dole out a story through journal entries and environmental storytelling but the majority of your time in Riven <\/em>is spent in silence undisturbed by dialogue. What Riven <\/em>uses to fill that constant silence is an expansive soundscape that paints a sonic portrait of the world you explore.<\/p>\nThe Riven <\/em>remake begins with aggressive metallic sounds. After a short intro you find yourself trapped behind a set of bars that shut on you with a grating reverberation that almost hurts. That industrial hardness becomes a familiar assault on the ears as you play through Riven<\/em>\u2014levers being pulled, doors turning, mechanical gondolas whirring to life and zipping across metal tracks. Sometimes activation mechanisms can take a handful of seconds to reach completion, all the while the sounds clues you into some complex inner workings at play behind the scenes, giving every action more weight<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\n
Image: Cyan Worlds Inc<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\nIn contrast to the metallic whir of so many of the game\u2019s puzzles, the islands themselves have a constant natural, soothing hum. Depending on the island, you can stop and listen to the particular chorus of life. One one, a horde of butterflies and unseen insects emit a locust-like humming. On another, the wind rushing through the trees rustles leaves while you explore. But one sound feels particularly omnipresent no matter where you are: the crashing of waves against the islands\u2019 beaches.<\/p>\n
This clashing soundscape of nature versus machine isn\u2019t just a treat for the ears but it works as storytelling. Riven <\/em>is very much a game concerned with the harm of forced industrialization in the context of colonizing a place. The detailed sounds that Riven <\/em>uses help put the player in a space to recognize this conflict. Even the act of walking feels more meaningful due to how noticeable the change in footfall is between a dirt path and a metal walkway. On a mechanical level, sounds can even be necessary to pay attention to for certain puzzle solutions. <\/p>\n