riven (2024)
Myst was one of the few games I could play as a pre-teen with a Mac Performa. I have a really clear memory of riding my bike to Waldenbooks to paw through the strategy guide without buying it in order to figure out how to do a music-by-ear puzzle. I tried to play Riven as soon as it came out, but my computer wasn't strong enough to make it out of the cage you teleport into at the start of the game.
Riven in 2024 is a good game - its puzzles make sense, it's world is beautiful, and its themes are still resonant. I had to look up more than a couple of things because I simply did not know where to look in order to discover something, or really what my goal was at a given moment. it turns out I sort of like being led by the nose a little!
I do also wish it was just a little bit more fun to run around the world, because you run around the world a lot. jumping is fun. I understand why this isn't Paradise Killer or something, and I'm not making a case that "click to move was better!" - I generally prefer the transition to 3d (even for the Myst remake!) and I think it largely works, but I expect a tiny bit more zazz in a 2024 game. I dunno. it's not what Riven wants to be, necessarily, but it's something I would like out of more games like this.