Riven: A Masterclass in Environmental Storytelling

It was not uncommon for computer games in the 90’s to give you little to work with as far as instructions. There might be an opening cinematic, and then you’d be dropped into the game and expected to find your way.

Some games might use clever level design to lead the player from place to place and give you an idea of what you should do next. Other games would insert helper characters or reminders to point you in the right direction. Riven is a perfect example of a game that dropped the player into the game world with little to no instruction.

At the beginning of Riven, you get a short opening cutscene where you are presented with your objectives: capture Gehn, and free Katran (Catherine). You are not given any idea how to achieve these goals other than you’re probably going to be using that special book you just got. Then, without further ado, you are dropped into the world of Riven, and no further instruction is given (also that special book is immediately stolen).

You don’t get reminders in Riven. There is no map or mission list or companion character telling you where to go next.

Instead, Riven depends on the exquisitely constructed environment to let you know where to go and what to try. There is always something new to discover; a lever to flip, a button to press, or a wild mine-cart ride to take between islands. Even when you are stuck on a puzzle, you can continue to move forward.

Beyond that though, The world of Riven constantly communicates the stakes, and how important it is that you achieve your goals. You must free Katran and capture Gehn. The evidence of what is happening in Riven is all around you. Without being told, the story of why you must achieve your goals is clear.

The World is Breaking

When you first arrive on Riven, it is to a cliffside, and a rusted metal panel that covers a ravine. Later in the game, you’ll discover that this ravine opens into an endless expanse of stars.

There are volcanic vents everywhere, capped to take advantage of the power they provide. Islands that once fit together into one land mass are drifting apart, joined by bridges and rails designed to extend.

As you explore the world, you find cracks that show the islands are in the process of breaking apart. Clefts in the forest floor glow with exposed lava. A jagged rift cuts across the bed of the village lagoon.

The most striking, however, might be the remains of the tree. What once was a massive, towering tree of legendary proportions is now a hollow stump. Whether it fell because of the breaking or it was cut down by Gehn is not clear, but it should not have fallen and has. It must have been magnificent, and now it is a prison. The world is falling apart.

Without being told explicitly, you can see that this world is fragile and breaking. It's not safe to be here much longer, and the people who live here will need a new place to live, and not only because...

Gehn Has a God Complex

If you read Atrus and Katran’s journals, you’ll get a clear picture of exactly how Gehn views himself and the people of Riven. You don’t need the journals to tell you, though.

On the first island you visit in Riven, you can see images that Gehn has put on display–images of him creating worlds, casting away traitors, and being revered. He speaks to the people of Riven through a device that projects his image into a temple. Not because the temple is far away, just…because. Offerings are left for him at the temple, fruits and wine set in front of statues of a strange creature with fins and long tusks. A creature you’re going to be seeing a lot of.

Near the village are watch towers that sound an alarm when you draw near. This is not a world with many nations and borders. The only outsider who might be approaching the village from near either of these watch towers, is Gehn. His approach is announced to the villagers, and the people of Riven flee at the sound.

Gehn has recruited the people of Riven to serve as his guards, his scribes, and to serve him in his attempt to create new books and journey to even more worlds. Gehn's behavior, and the breaking world, make it very clear...

The People of Riven are Being Harmed

It might be possible for Gehn to hang around living his best imitation of divine existence without hurting anyone, but that isn't the case.

The land breaking apart is bad enough, but the people of Riven also have a megalomaniac to contend with, and he has just enough power and influence to make life for the villagers terrible.

In order to manufacture paper for new linking books, Gehn is clear-cutting the forest near the village. The area where the trees have been felled is dull and dry, whereas the area where the trees are still standing is lush with thriving flora. It would seem though, that once the trees are gone, the flowers, fungi, and all those lush greens wither and die, leaving only dust and insects.

Gehn has no respect for the environment, fully expecting to eventually escape, and when he meets with resistance, his response is ruthless.

All over the village island, you find more images of those creatures with fins and long tusks. There is an altar built in the shape of one, stones arranged to look like one, drawings that decorate lamps and lanterns.

There are also images of someone feeding people to these creatures, hung by the ankles and dropped into the creatures’ waiting mouths. You see this painted onto the wall of a passageway that leads into the village. Perhaps most chilling, you see it in the form of a fun hangman game for learning numbers that can be found in the schoolhouse.

Right outside the schoolhouse, there is a large golden gallows, where a person can be hung by their ankles and lowered down into the water.

If there was any doubt at all that this structure is indeed, a gallows, Gehn has constructed a throne that stands above the device, with a lever that opens and closes the base. From his view on high, he controls whether or not the prisoner in question is fed to the creatures or not.

Gehn is using these creatures, and the treat of death to control the villagers, and live out his delusions of godhood. Without being told what's going on, you can tell that Gehn is dangerous, and needs to be stopped.

The stakes of Riven are clear. The world is falling apart, and Gehn is dangerous. The best way you can help is by doing exactly as Atrus asked at the beginning of the game–capture Gehn, and free Katran.

Riven doesn’t urge you towards your goal with a task list or a glowing point on a map. Every scene you encounter, every new environment you discover, reminds you of why you are there, and that you must succeed. Without being given a single instruction beyond the opening cutscene, you are led to the end of the game simply by the beautifully rendered and meticulously crafted world of Riven itself.

Even when you are (inevitably) stuck on a puzzle, the world of Riven makes it clear what needs to be done, and why it is important.

Side note: Riven is only, like, $6 on Steam right now. You should probably give it a try.