Riven's First Official Gameplay and Game’s Cast Revealed!

Spokane, United States - April 24th, 2024 - Yesterday, Cyan Worlds thrilled fans with the first official gameplay reveal of the Riven remake, showcasing a new take on exploration and mobility for the 1997 hit, now fully realized in 3D. Utilizing Unreal Engine 5, the team has rebuilt the game's environments and iconic puzzles from the ground up, from the intricate rotating room to the mysterious imager cage. Both old adventurers and new players will marvel at this revamped piece of the D’ni Empire, which offers the magic of the original with the gameplay and polish you’ve come to expect from modern puzzle adventures. Check out the Riven gameplay reveal trailer below. Riven is coming to VR and flatscreen platforms, including  Macs with Apple silicon and Windows systems later this year.

In addition to the gameplay trailer above, Cyan Worlds is excited to welcome BAFTA and SAG nominated actress Shannon Woodward —who starred as Dina in The Last of Us Part II, Sabrina in Raising Hope, and Elsie in Westworld— and Pulitzer Prize-Winning journalist and NYT best-selling author Ronan Farrow —who did voice work for From Up on Poppy Hill, The Wind Rises, and AREA MAN LIVES— to the Riven family. Shannon and Ronan will portray two new characters not part of the original Riven: The Sequel to Myst and will be featured in an expanded game section. Joining them is actor and comedian Lauren Gamiel —who performed in Lighthouse, which was the longest-running off-Broadway show at the SoHo Playhouse, and directs, writes, and performs in solo comedy works for theater and film— providing voice-over and motion capture for Catherine, Russell Webster, performing motion capture for Gehn, and Rand Miller —Cyan Worlds’ CEO and co-founder— who will reprise his role as Atrus.

“I love collaborative art in general and I love games. I particularly love narrative games and I think Myst and Riven were just so ahead of their time in terms of puzzles and games,” says Shannon Woodward. “The way they are so commonly integrated into stories now, it so clearly stems from this narrative puzzle game that I played when I was a kid, and I think it was so influential.”

“It's such a thrill to be able to perform this role. And I love and respect that Cyan [Worlds] is taking this classic and not just remaking it, which is already exciting, but putting all this additional inspiration in it and specifically focusing on character,” says Ronan Farrow. “I think part of what made Riven something formative for me as a kid is that it is so character-driven.”

The game will also preserve original voice performances by John Keston (Gehn), Christine Steel (Nelah), Vicente Ramos (Gehn's guard), and Kate Vita (Keta), with John Keston’s performance in particular serving as an homage to the late actor who brought Gehn to life in the original Riven and sadly passed away in 2020. John is beloved in the Myst and Riven communities, and Cyan Worlds hopes the game’s remake will introduce a new generation of gamers to his historic performance.

Riven is a modern remake of 1997’s monster hit Riven: The Sequel to Myst, and a love letter to the classic narrative-driven puzzle games of the ‘90s. When exploring the decaying age of Riven, Cyan Worlds wants the player to feel like an archeologist, slowly unraveling the many mysteries of the D’ni and Rivenese mythologies. Through careful exploration of Riven’s five enigmatic islands, players will uncover clues, decipher foreign languages, and immerse themselves in the game’s intricate lore. Riven encourages players to lose themselves in its world and find solutions to the game’s puzzles through careful and profound reflection, examination, and contemplation of the environment.

Leveraging modern-day technology and the power of Unreal Engine 5, Cyan Worlds aims to recreate and expand on its vision for Riven with development focused on delivering native experiences on both flatscreen and VR platforms. The game will offer an unparalleled level of immersion, allowing players to truly feel part of the enigmatic D’ni Empire while exploring the decaying age of Riven. With new puzzles, expanded storylines, and breathtaking visuals, even those who know the original by heart will find themselves lost again in its depths.

Key Features:

Truly Immersive Experience Developed in parallel for flatscreen and VR: Cyan Worlds is simultaneously developing the flatscreen and VR versions of the game to ensure a high-quality experience regardless of players’ platform of choice.