Riven - Throw the Book at Him

[00:02] Good afternoon, Le John. This is many a true nerd and welcome to Riven, a much loved puzzle adventure gamer from 1997 that was just a remade back in 2024, which I decided to give a loopy to today because sometimes I'm just in the mood

[00:16] for a big complex thinky puzzle adventure. the sort of game in fact where yes, as you can see on screen right now, you're supposed to be making notes in a little notebook as you go because yeah, that's the only realistic

[00:29] way you're going to solve the puzzles. And that simultaneously excites and And that simultaneously excites and terrifies me. Absolutely.

[00:43] I need your help. There's a great deal of history that you should know. But I'm afraid there's no time to explain.

[00:59] Most of what you'll need to know is in here. can't send you to Riven with a way out. But

[01:11] I can give you this. It appears to be a linking book back here to Dunny, but linking book back here to Dunny, but it's actually a oneperson prison. it's actually a oneperson prison. It's the only way to capture Gen

[01:34] a linking book. She'll know how to signal me.

[01:51] goes well that you'll be returned to the place that you came from.

[02:10] Until we meet again. Take care, my friend. strongly suspect I'm not really supposed to, given he was suggesting I just need

[02:26] to uh figure this out as I go. So, you know what? Let's go do that. That's a Okay. Okay. We're off to a bit of a bad start here in many ways, which is apparently they speak a different language inside book Riven. Nobody

[02:40] understands what's going on. Oh, and the bastard stolen book, too. Ah, the lesson learned, right? Books might have security on them. Open the

[02:52] wrong book that's not meant for you, bad things might happen. Also, it concerns me that he's being um taken away right now. Is this also sort of a horror game? So, I didn't really look into that. No, we've just got this lovely chappie over

[03:06] there. So, right, you've kidnapped my friend and also Yeah, presumably taking the book toe. So, you know what? Just to follow that guy and we'll see what happens. Oh, speak of the devil. Hang up, hang on, hang on, hang on. I suspect

[03:22] that guy and the book have just been taken via the Montreal. Well, not Montreal, John. Like duo rail. Yes, the duo rail. So, I should probably try and follow them. But, okay, let's get the lay of the land first and try and figure

[03:37] out the basics of what the is going on cuz yeah, this is like, you know, an old point andclick adventure. The whole point is we look at things and try and figure out what's going on. Like, you know, there's a big old golden dome over

[03:50] there. I like a big old golden dome. Jeff, if a little hand appears, I can interact with something. So yeah, this theoretically could be turned,

[04:02] but not just yet. Something's locking it. So, okay, keep on keeping on straight up the steps here. Follow that guy, though. Oh, never mind. I got immediately distracted by, you know, various golden things and whatnot. Also,

[04:16] hang about. Oh, I've got a bag. So, okay. The short version is Riven's going wrong. This is like a big machine inside a book, but it keeps decaying. Like we

[04:28] heard previously, there's someone called Katherine who's trapped in here. But yeah, there's clearly trouble inside this book. A guy called Gan. supposed to capture him, that's the one I've lost. Okay, the point is, let's get

[04:43] to exploring and we'll figure out what's going on better by just, you know, going on better by just, you know, having a Lucy Rowdy. So, push buttons. The room rotates meaning and now all of a sudden now hang

[04:57] about. Yeah, there's like a window here. Was that door over there always there? Right, hang on. Rotate the room again, please. Okay, another room with a window. No, that in fact might be Yeah,

[05:14] the door that was leading into this room. So possibly the room moves like, room. So possibly the room moves like, you know, 120 degrees per button push. So it was over there, then it moves over here, and the next button push will

[05:28] bring it back over to me. Okay, test out theory. One more button push here. This deduction. And deduction I'm good at. Perception, question mark. Okay, so

[05:40] we've made it in. The door did open again. That's fine, though. Yes. Here we again. That's fine, though. Yes. Here we go. I'm supposed to be taking pictures. because then I can refer back to those pictures via my notebook. So, hang on.

[05:55] There's something back there, but I can't get to it with Yes. everything like you know orientated as it is right now. More over there as well. So, can now. More over there as well. So, can interact with you my friend like those.

[06:10] interact with you my friend like those. Okay, we can open you up. That's a person. Probably whoever created Riven, I'm guessing. Right. Check the other Beatles. This might be an important part of the story. So, yes, world's inside

[06:25] books, though. By the end, right, things looking a bit more, you know, evil, on fire, stormy, casting people into hell, etc., etc. So, okay. Stuff got weird by the end. What am I

[06:42] supposed to be taking a picture of, by the way? Cuz Oh, spinny ball. There's a lot of like big domes in this universe. Big domes might be important. Big domes might be important. Some more paths, too.

[06:56] Some more paths, too. But from inside the room, hang on. If I But from inside the room, hang on. If I push the button from inside the room, that's Oh. Oh, no. Not allowed. Okay. I can't just push the button then run

[07:09] who obeys the rules and doesn't try to cheese puzzles. Oh, hang on. Don't think it's three pushes to rotate the room cuz I've just got back in. Now, all of a I've just got back in. Now, all of a sudden, the doors on this side leading

[07:24] to that big gold dome I started next to. So, okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Cuz yeah, when this one rotates to here, that one, if it was actually six turns, would be

[07:37] here, which makes sense. So, this is the other orientation that lets me get other orientation that lets me get inside the room. But does that help me potentially? Am I approaching this from the wrong angle? Because yeah, there's a

[07:50] path that goes down here. It's just more pipes and whatnot. pipes and whatnot. Is this Oh, hang on.

[08:03] either a key or like bolt cutters or something. Not getting in there. So, right, if I could get the right tool and then rotate the room into the right then rotate the room into the right orientation. Okay, I think I understand.

[08:18] Because based on the room's orientation, if this door were to be here, then that door would be there. Then I could walk through the little passage out this way.

[08:32] I now know what I'm doing. The game should tell you anything. You've got to figure it all out for yourself. So, I've got to find yeah, either a key or something else that will let me bypass that lock. So, okay. Yeah. What's going

[08:47] on here? Crack this open, by the way. And going to be honest, I was just looking for like, you know, the duo rail for like, you know, the duo rail station, but um got here instead. This

[09:00] to me. Like, is it just me that looks at that and thinks, "Yeah, that ought to be Okay, don't worry about that for now. Keep on keeping on. When I say keep on keeping on, I cannot keep on keeping on. Yeah,

[09:14] it's the bloody key I need first, I think. time, but it turns out I saw a padlock and just assumed, right, I'm going to be

[09:31] needing a key to get around the padlock. But yes, having spent a very large amount of time not finding a cave, I can also just interact with the bloody hinges.

[09:45] And as a result of that, the door just sort of pushes open. So, sort of pushes open. So, right, valuable lesson learned. Assume nothing. Think about alternative solutions. That's going to be how you do

[10:00] solutions. That's going to be how you do this. But right, that gets me up here, meaning I now know the correct orientation for Yes, the scarab bro. Yeah, I think it should be two pushes. So, just peek in. Yeah, one more. I need

[10:17] one more push. And I think by the time I get round to the room now, that should Please be right. Otherwise, this is going to be very bloody embarrassing.

[10:32] going to be very bloody embarrassing. Oh, it turns out I'm that's got me here. But this cocky gate still closed, John. But okay, the other

[10:48] orientation that would lead to an open door being in this room would be door being in this room would be Yeah, that door being over here, which would lead to an open passageway getting me a new button. So, okay,

[11:03] second time's a charm. Hang on, we're almost there. So, okay, this time room almost there. So, okay, this time room opens and I can get through it here. So, okay, we're making progress. Turn thing.

[11:19] Turn thing. Hang on. Is that Oh, by any chance does that pipe go down towards Yeah, where we started that machinery right by the starts. Do it. Hang on.

[11:40] That's good. Ken. Now, I think if I put orientation, that should get me into there, though. that should get me into there, though. Hang on. From this location, yeah, I can

[11:53] get back to the start. But what else can I access if I rotate the room two more turns? Because yeah, does this get me immediately to another brand new area, immediately to another brand new area, the mysterious spinning jibble.

[12:08] So yeah, that goes into the mysterious gold dome, which is like, you know, know, little optical illusion there. That's weird. So, okay, more pipes just going everywhere. And I

[12:25] don't see anything up here, but yeah, possibly that just exists to show me possibly that just exists to show me more paths down below. So, okay, back to where we came, though. Hang on. There's also something here.

[12:39] There's also something here. Yeah, that optical illusion, an eye opening and shutting caused by the thing rotating. Not sure whether that really helps me, but it's kind of cool, I guess. And anyway, one more switch on

[12:53] guess. And anyway, one more switch on the way back in. Presumably opens up the way back in. Presumably opens up that room. But yeah, I think if I was to just chat now do two more turns from this button, this should now presumably

[13:10] be yeah the second orientation of this room that we saw long ago. So yeah, that means okay, we can now get to the big golden dome. that that machinery

[13:25] down there is now definitely, you know, doing something. Suggesting we may need to like, you know, go down there and do something, you know, to that before. I' have no idea what's going on, but it's very pretty. I'll give you that.

[13:41] Oh, bloody hell, there's a book in here. Not sure I trust books. Like, I saw a guy pick up a book and it went really badly wrong for him, but

[13:54] okay. It's also a weird technology book, but something or possibly powered. Books are weird and magical technology in this

[14:07] universe. Okay, but go to Yeah. the windows around the outside of this room windows around the outside of this room and the old law count on something potentially something important like things that to make this thing run.

[14:21] There's that I symbol that's just out to say say but yeah all of you are just windows but yeah all of you are just windows including right things I've not seen yet

[14:34] like you know a big old drawbridge or something but down below that's the lower path we just saw. So right bare minimum while we're passing by yeah multiple doors here. So this leads around to yeah that lower path we saw

[14:50] previously. Is this door open, by the way? It is. And oh good, another weird spherical piece oh good, another weird spherical piece of magical technology. I'm thrilled. Try

[15:03] experiment a little bit and not like necessarily get in the chair, but necessarily get in the chair, but okay,

[15:16] More things. There's only two levers, so try every possible orientation of try every possible orientation of levers.

[15:28] John, John, John, John. This is like a security system. Pay attention. It's not doing something to you. It's doing something [music] to Yeah.

[15:42] other rooms. That's the room at the end by the duo rail system. by the duo rail system. And that's the flipping yes drawbridge you just saw. Okay, that's fine. Put everything into neutral position and

[15:58] Do you guys happy to stay in that orientation? Yes, you are. Okay, this is where this is going to fall apart for me cuz I did not notice those things happening on the small screen until the very last second. Like I almost missed

[16:12] what was going on here. The point is now I've done that. Yeah, I think on the I've done that. Yeah, I think on the right now there should be Hang on. Hang right now there should be Hang on. Hang on. Hang on. I think this is where Yeah,

[16:26] that draw bridge was. And was. But okay,

[16:40] hang on. Hang on. Hang on. There's also a thing here as a result of that. Oh. Oh. Uh-oh. Oh. Oh. I've really really cocky.

[17:08] So, okay, we're not going over there. Got it. Okay, the point is back at the start here. I'm guessing we can now do here. I'm guessing we can now do something with Yeah, this equipment

[17:23] something with Yeah, this equipment which is now doing things though. Oh. Oh, bloody cocking hell. What does this mean? Am I supposed to be following that

[17:35] pattern we've seen previously? would like the eye opening and closing. If there's no circle, it can't be that. No. Okay. What I've done is Yeah, I've

[17:49] set each button to a different symbol. There's the same number of symbols as there are buttons. And there's got to be a pattern or an orientation. So, right, this is the moment where we take a screenshot cuz now I've got yes a

[18:04] reference to every symbol that's on this control panel. Also, just out of interest is this. Yeah, that's back and forth. So, right up and down. It's like a cylinder. But I need to find these symbols somewhere

[18:19] else in an order so I know what the passcode or whatnot is. Okay, while I'm moing about, yeah, back inside the room that's not on a fire, but should be.

[18:31] that's not on a fire, but should be. This door is now open. So, there we go. I found the duo rail station. The problem being Okay,

[18:46] that to me looks like we're summoning the duo rail back. It's on its way. And the duo rail back. It's on its way. And it's very fancy, too. I like this thing. It's all right. Little warning light to say, "Hey, it's arrived."

[19:01] That's great. But I feel like we're not quite done here yet. No. Okay. It's possible I'm being a big dummy here. But yeah, I've looked around and the only symbols I can find over and over are Yeah. the eyes opening and shutting like

[19:19] that pattern show does. And that just doesn't match up with what I'm seeing on this machine, which logically would be a numbering system, but I can't make sense of it right now. Well, if I am allowed in, oh, hang on.

[19:38] collapsing? Not feeling good about this island. If I'm allowed to go on like, you know, the little pod. Let's do that. So, okay. Give you a push, my friend. How do we work you? Yeah. Flip around.

[19:56] So, yeah. Now she rotates to face that way. Then push. Dang. Cuz I was kind of working under the assumption it just wouldn't have power until such time as

[20:10] I'm guessing we're coming back here later. So, all right, keep on keeping on over to island number two. We've officially escaped tutorial island. Took me a while, I'll admit, but we got there still. Keep on keeping on past some more

[20:27] still. Keep on keeping on past some more mysterious weird bits and pieces. mysterious weird bits and pieces. Yeah. Let's get the lay of the land here Yeah. Let's get the lay of the land here because right now I don't

[20:39] because right now I don't Hello. Well, you two are just adorable. Hello. Well, you two are just adorable. Hello, my gigantic friends. And never mind, they've wandered off. That's sad. I wanted to like, you know, just hang

[20:52] out and make friends with them. Okay, the point is, yeah, get to grips with what's where because there's probably all sorts of weird hidden things all sorts of weird hidden things everywhere. So,

[21:15] I found a lens that shows like paint. Hang on, can it see where my

[21:30] paint. Hang on, can it see where my friends went precisely? Yeah. No, they seem to have naffed off, but I can put that away if I want to. So, right other way on the beach. Let's have a little look see what else have we got here. And

[21:44] hello, sexy. Flowers by the Lucy of it. And hang on. Flowers by the Lucy of it. And hang on. Is that

[21:58] That's a marking. There's something there. So, hang on. There's something there. So, hang on. Hang on. If I like rotate you, my friend Hang on. If I like rotate you, my friend to Yeah, that orientation.

[22:15] sort of correct. So, right, check out you guys. And is that butterflies or flowers? I think it's definitely flowers. So, okay. Not all

[22:27] living things because the whole tree would be living. But something pertaining to living. And you know what? Before I go any further in know what? Before I go any further in this direction, back the way I came, cuz

[22:40] I passed one of those things previously. Here we go. This starting corridor I went through. I thought I saw you before, my friend. I thought I saw you before, my friend. So, right, rotate you to about there.

[22:56] That seems good though. Hang on. Is this symbol important here? symbol important here? I don't know. It might be. Oh,

[23:10] Possibly the material that makes this like semi invisible die only comes from like semi invisible die only comes from certain stall types. It's hard to say.

[23:23] Oh, also there appears to be a hole in spaceime there appears to be a hole in spaceime just sort of um floating around. That feels important. Yes. That may be not as important as Oh, yeah. I see you

[23:39] over there, buddy. I see you over there. Make sure you're properly lined up, my friend. Cuz yes, that's what we do. We properly line you up, though. Possibly this does matter. I'm going to

[23:54] take a photo of this just in case. Okay. Just for safety. Back to Yeah, you my friends. So, very quickly have a look see at you.

[24:06] So, yeah. Just take a snapshot of you and then Hello again, Mr. Dinosaur. There was a third one right here. It's different symbols every time, isn't it?

[24:19] Yeah. Pac-Man. symbol on a one and a different symbol on the other. This isn't just the same symbol rotated. They're slightly different. Oh, that's going to be significant for some reason, isn't it? Oh. Um, blood hell. What have

[24:34] I just stumbled into around the corner here? Oh, is looking quite a lot like a bloody school. So,

[24:49] I was kind of hoping to learn about a numbering system, but right, this does not look like what I've seen before here. No, this isn't numbers. This is the alphabets. That sort of e like thing here is also there. So, that helps me

[25:06] that much. I don't know. Ah, but hang on. No, no, no. on. No, no, no. This looks more like it. These are the symbols I've seen. Question is, yeah, how do I translate one number to

[25:19] another? Well, there's a number written on here as well. So, no, no, focus on this for a second here. Focus on this. Here we go. Click on you.

[25:43] Did that just drop down at seven times? I think it did. But yeah, unfortunately that symbol is not on here. So I can't learn seven in two languages. But all right, spin around again because John, you should have made a note of that.

[25:58] So okay, hang on. Five, six, eight. Okay. Now, that's what I think we do

[26:12] have a corresponding thingy for. Yeah, that's the symbol at the top. So, right, if you represent eight,

[26:24] then logically, yeah, depending on how we like add numbers on or whatnot, this might be nine because it's the same thing but with an extra what? with an extra two things added on.

[26:39] So, that could be nine or it could be 10. Okay, back to this toy. Let's learn more about this cuz yeah, this is like a children's game to assist with learning

[26:51] numbers. So, right, that's sex. And once again, right, we can now associate a number with a symbol in two separate languages, too. And on top of that, if we know that you are eight, then you are six. So

[27:05] yeah, like an arrow pointing left and across. An arrow pointing left and across. An arrow pointing left and across both appear here. And I put these numbers in order. You know, when you cycle through them, all of them cycled

[27:19] cycle through them, all of them cycled in the same way. So if you're six and you're eight, there's 10 numbers. That means I now know what these numbers are. or at least you know it's very likely I know what these are because this would

[27:32] know what these are because this would be 1 2 3 4 5 6 confirmed 7 8 confirmed 9 10 I've just put those two things together I'd come up with a working number system then if we translate that to yeah the

[27:48] red symbol language here you're one so single dot in the top you're one so single dot in the top right is one we don't have two but Three is over here suggesting two would be a dash at the bottom. We've got five and

[28:03] six. Both are two dashes, but on this occasion, yeah, it's where the gap is that indicates how you count. So four would be two, but with the gap in the only place we can't see it right now. And then eight, you do the same thing,

[28:17] but with two numbers. So seven would be two up here. 82 here, nine two up here, and then you do the same thing as with four, five, six for yeah, presumably 10, four, five, six for yeah, presumably 10, 11, 12. So I just cocky figured out two

[28:32] number systems, which means this thing that I fixed up previously, two dashes at the top and a gap at the bottom, that's just what six is. So, I don't

[28:44] know what that means, but I now know about a secret number system that's inside that little tiny McJibble. Still, I would say as we just go and I hang out with my dinosaur friends once again, how about we wrap things up there? This here

[28:59] about we wrap things up there? This here is Riven. And okay, while I have no idea what's actually going on yet, as a, you know, deductive puzzle game, oh, this is really rather cool. Like I genuinely feel like I figure that out for myself.

[29:14] And sure, the game left me some useful clues to work with. But okay, I just feel very very smart right now on account of piecing this together. So yes, indeed, a very clever little game here. Well worth a lookie, I'd say. Link

[29:29] might just play a bit more of this one in my own time because, as I say, I've had a lovely time just dipping my toe in the water here. But okay, this could it in Lucid some other interesting deductive puzzle games in future. So

[29:45] hopefully you're looking forward to that. But in the meantime, I John has been many a true nerd. This has been the fascinating River. Thank you very much and goodbye. Jebidiah Kerman has not exploded.

[30:03] Jebidiah Kerman has not exploded. Oh Why did that happen? Five. Four. Three. Oh, I forgot to turn the thrust on. Five. Four. Is everything else? How is everything up to that point? That was going better

[30:17] up to that point? That was going better than anyone expected.