Not-So-Humble Beginnings

Riven, the Sequel to Myst was released in 1997, developed by Cyan, and published by Red Orb. It is generally believed that Myst was made with its sequel in mind all along, due to the unfinished¹ nature of the ending of the explosively popular Myst game.

Technology had advanced since Myst's release date in 1993. What would have been altered-palatte 265 colour was now in stunning hi-colour. Animations were smoother, and sound and soundtrack more vivid. Technology had advanced it's way, plague-like, onto five CDs to whip back and forth from your unwitting disk drive, and would erupt from it hot enough to cook an egg on².

...It's Only Really a Problem if You Don't Like the Game...

Though reaction was estatic from fan and critic alike, Riven had it's problems. Fans of Myst thought it had less of a clear objective, and it was hard to tell whether one was halfway through, almost done or on the verge of the end of the beginning until you arrived at what was almost undoubtedly the final stages of the game. Others thought it was too puzzle-driven. In Myst you solved puzzles, but they seemed less 'puzzle-y' in relation to the storyline. In Riven, some reasoned, there seemed to be less reason to put up elaborate 'puzzles' everywhere³. In the end though, you had to admit, it was worthy of the Myst title, and some say it went on to be more succsessful than it's predecessor.

...The Sequel to Myst...

Warning: Spoiler to follow...

As mentioned before, the ending of Myst left people wondering "That's it?" Sure, you got aquainted with Atrus' charming sons, and got to meet the big guy in charge, but there was the definite feeling that the end had not yet been written. What of this "Catherine" character? She just never turned up. And so you are left to wander about the island, holding that stupid note, and to admire the burn marks Atrus left in the librairy... and that is how Riven begins.

Atrus informs you that his wife, Catherine, is trapped on Riven, an age written by his father, Ghen. Atrus would go to Riven and retrieve her, but hey, with you on the island and all, and him with the corrections he constantly needs to write in to keep the badly written age from collapsing on itself...

Oh, and he might be able to get you home... If you do this one teensy, itsy-bitsy favour for him.

If all goes as planned⁴, Ghen spends the rest of his natural life trapped in a prison book, Catherine is freed, she and Atrus get to go back to Myst, and you, well, you get to fall into the starry expanse that Myst opened with⁵, but hopefully you find your way home from there.

So, now what?

The story lives on after that, in the form of books and another game (and probably more to follow, if all goes well,) but it is really already quite exaustively discussed in the Myst entry...