265 - Riven: The Sequel to Myst (feat. Christian Vernon) (Patreon)

Christian Vernon (Doors of Divergence) and the lads hop in a minecart and make for Boiler Island as they cover Cyan World’s follow-up to one of the best-selling interactive games of all time: Riven. Topics include the friction of the puzzles, the brilliance of John Keston, and what it means to craft the greatest puzzle game ever made at the cost of keeping your creative team intact.

Tickets for Doors of Divergence

Media Referenced in this Episode:

• Riven. Cyan Worlds. 1997.

• “Aging Myst Remains Hot Seller Price Cuts, Long-Planned Sequel to Contribute to Recent Sales Spurt” by Nicholas K. Geranios. The Spokesman-Review. December 22nd, 1996.

• The BradyGames Strategy Guide to Myst by William H. Keith, Jr. and Nina Barton. Brady Publishing. 1997.

• “Cyan Worlds Slims to ‘Skeleton Crew’” by David Jenkins and Simon Carless. Game Developer. September 4th, 2005.

• “(D)Riven” by Jon Carroll. Wired. September 1st, 1997.

• “Into the Myst: The Oral History of America’s Oldest Surviving Indie Game Studio” by Adam Morgan. Inverse. March 15th, 2023.

• “Miller Brothers Free to Rom Creators of ‘Myst’ and ‘Riven’ Now Searching for Separate Realities” by Michael Murphy. The Spokesman-Review. March 7th, 1998.

• “More Magic From the Makers of Myst?” by Seanna Browder. BusinessWeek. September 25th, 1997.

• “PC Data Top Games of All Time” by IGN Staff. IGN. November 1st, 1999.

• “Two Histories of Myst” by John-Gabriel Adkins. Medium. July 11th, 2018.

TWOAPW theme by Brendan Dalton: Patreon // brendan-dalton.com // brendandalton.bandcamp.com

Interstitial: “The Silver Scepter: Chapters 6-8” // Written by A.J. Ditty (circa 1998) // Performed by A.J. Ditty (circa 2026)

Episode edited by Brian Alford. Interstitial edited by A.J. Ditty. Produced and hosted by Josh Boerman, A.J. Ditty, and Brian Alford. This podcast was recorded under a SAG-AFTRA Agreement.