There is a "puzzle" in Riven that I got stuck on for hours, just searching the map looking for anything that I had left to do. I couldn't find any more interactable things that hadn't been done. Then I looked it up and found it was a door that you had to enter then turn around and close to find the hidden passageway behind it. There was no puzzling value to it being hidden like that, it was something you either simply found or didn't. I put it down to old-style game design that hadn't yet learned what not to do in a somewhat open world game.

Honestly this iteration could move the entrance like one metre to the left so it's not hidden and it would be a better game for it.

[–] fluxion@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (6 children)

This post embodies my entire experience with Myst and Riven. I was just constantly bewildered thinking I'd missed something important and broken the game or something.

Luckily i had a buddy that had a knack for those games so i got to experience the full game without constantly banging my head against a wall.

[–] Excrubulent@slrpnk.net 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (3 children)

The only similar experience I had with Myst was the rail maze. I didn't notice the audio cue at all so I just mapped out the whole thing on paper by following the left hand wall. I say that because when I was done, I tried following the right hand wall out of curiosity and it was the shortest possible path. It was like a cruel joke on people who say that you can find your way through a maze by following the left hand wall, just because the "left" wall was the way people phrased that concept.

I finished the whole series and it was better designed later on. None of the other games had such notorious sticking points.

[–] Curdie@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Omg this was basically my experience too. I was so mad when I broke out notepad to show my friends how awesome I was and they were like dude

[–] Excrubulent@slrpnk.net 2 points 5 months ago

Yup, found out the real answer from a friend who was a little shocked.

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