Of all of Cyan's recent releases (starting with Obduction in 2016), Riven is, by far, the best 👏. Now, that's largely because the source material is a masterpiece unto itself, but what Cyan has done here is craft a perfect remake for old and new fans alike.

If you've never played the original, this will give you the same broad story on a modern engine with gameplay that reflects what has evolved over the last 25 years. Riven feels like Myst with the realism dialed up all the way. A highly dedicated team of people worked tirelessly to build a world and characters that exist and act for true-to-life reasons. While I wish more were done to implement interactivity with non-critical objects (like picking up a pen just to look at it, for example), you progress in this game by treating it like a real place and asking yourself what you would do if you were really there.

For series veterans, the changes in this version will literally delight you. I played in VR, and I gasped and stood in wonder on multiple occasions. I felt that a couple of times in Obduction, but it was a regular occurrence here. I wasn't disappointed that any specific thing wasn't like it was in the original, and I never once felt like anything was downgraded in translation. My simple but heartfelt message to the devs is, "You did it, you sons of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥! YOU DID IT!"

My hope is that Cyan looks at what they have in this spectacular achievement and carries over the best parts of what works into their future releases. Riven is a cause to celebrate and also determine how it differs from Obduction, Myst (2020), and Firmament.

(Now, at the end here I will say: If you also play in VR, you will likely have to fiddle with settings and things to get everything working smoothly. There are so many variables and software in-between your eyes and the game, anything in there could be at fault. I found that using my Quest 3 headset, I got the best performance by using the native Steam Link app. Using the Link Cable or Air Link resulted in absolutely horrible performance. But Steam Link gave me the same kind of experience I get with other PCVR titles. TLDR: Use the Steam Link app if you're using your Quest 3 for PCVR.)

This remake of Myst is absolutely beautiful! There were so many new surprises to encounter, and it was the first time since the original that I have audibly gasped. You won't be disappointed!

TL;DR: Buy this game. It's worth every penny.

I have come to enjoy conversing with the Eagre team on Discord, and I can say these are fantastic people with a real passion for what they do. I sincerely hope they keep on creating. I'm going to list out what I felt the pros and cons of ZED are. Mind you, this is from my own experience. Everyone has things they like and dislike, and this is just my case. I played through the entire thing in VR on an Oculus Rift, and I was not a Kickstarter backer, so I bought ZED at full price on the day of release.

Pros

• The game is absolutely gorgeous. The visuals have been well-thought-out, and many of the spaces have been filled with interesting details that add to the immersion. (Also see a con about this.) It's not as realistic as, say, Obduction, but I don't think it's supposed to be, and it definitely has a style all its own. If you find yourself thinking some things are out of proportion, I believe that is all on purpose.
  
• The soundtrack is beautiful. Terry did a great job and I will probably buy it when it comes out. I felt the most emotional playing this game when the soundtrack was well timed.
  
• The voice acting is really very good. I didn't care too much for the very last part, but everything else felt genuine to me.

Cons:

• Related to the first pro point, there are many spaces that are relatively barren compared to others. You can spend an hour in some "dreamscapes" looking at all the details, and others feel like they are meant to trap you while you listen to story.
  
• The story didn't resonate with me nearly as much as I thought it would. Much of it is meant to be inferred through the artist's thoughts and memories, but they are often incomplete, and potentially heart-wrenching story beats end up served in an underwhelming way. There is some seriously cry-worthy stuff that happens, but it doesn't quite follow through. When Cyan came on board Rand Miller was involved in getting the ending changed to some unknown degree, so I am interested to know what the original ending was like.

All-in-all, I think you should buy this game. I'm glad I did. I hope our friends at Eagre have learned a lot about how to make projects like this, and I look forward to supporting their future work.

P.S. For consideration by the Eagre team, here are some requests I have for future updates:

• Add a way to visit any "room" you want after you've completed the game. Right now, each room can only be explored in order. I can understand this for achievement reasons, but there are lots of things to see, and with only 1 save slot available, I don't want to have to play through every time I want to explore a specific room.
  
• Add some way to examine the objects you collect during the game. The journal is nice, but the drawings are not the same thing as holding the object in your hand.

Obduction is the puzzle game I've been craving for years! The story is captivating, and the environments look absolutely amazing.