Last year I finished the Real Myst. After some initial confusion, I figured out what to do in the beginning. The Ages in that game were small and self-contained, and there was always a clear objective in each one. After a streak of fast-paced RPGs, I'm now in the mood for a slow adventure, and Riven seems like a good choice.

However, I've barely started a new game and already I feel overwhelmed. It seems you can explore much of this huge Age right from the start, and apart from the general objective given to me in the introductory FMV sequence, I've no idea where to start. So far I've been walking around the islands, riding rollercoasters, pressing buttons and flicking switches at random. Some are locked in place, others produce no immediate effect. If they constitute a puzzle, I can't figure out why I need to solve it. Is each puzzle self-contained, or do I need to achieve something elsewhere, then come back?

No spoilers, please. I want to experience this game as intended, but I only need to be nudged into the right direction to put the gameplay into the right context. For example, should I focus on the starting area, or should I first travel deeper into the islands? What is my first tangible objective (eg. to open a door, to activate a certain machine)?

There are self contained puzzles and puzzles that stretch out throughout Riven

You should be as observant as you possibly can in every single area, which naturally includes the starting area - Temple Island. These are intricated worlds where everything has meaning, symbols, colors, shapes, sounds, etc., they all mean something even if the meaning it's not immediately apparent. So, pay attention, take notes, etc.

I'm not sure how to nudge you in regards to the starting area without spoilers. I'd say your first tangible objective, in the starting area, should be to realize that there are more paths for you to walk than those that are made obvious to you. Examine the rotating room and its immediate surroundings carefully, there's definitely stuff you need to do there before moving on to other areas of Riven.

Be sure to use your senses (IE: What you see, hear, and think) to guide you. As you find any object that seems to have some meaning behind it, rest assured, it does. Look for patterns and take your time.

I'm not going to lie though. I beat Riven without a strategy guide and it took me a very long time. It's puzzles are truly difficult. There's no shame in looking up "soft hints" online.

Maybe I'm a bit late to the party, but there's one important tip I can give you. Take notes. A lot of notes. If you notice anything that's a bit out of the ordinary, jot it down to make sure you don't forget. Once you've explored a place, read back what you've written and try to make some connections between what you've seen, heard or read. Don't be afraid to write specualtions and hypothesis (so that you won't forget them).

Just ask yourself "What do I see?" and "What do I hear?". This is the best advice I can give.

Just warning you, Riven is just stupidly difficult. You've already noticed that even finding the puzzles is a challenge. Well, that's nothing compared to actually completing them. If you can do it without a walkthrough, then you're nothing short of genius.

Thank's for that man! Riven is easily one of the games I'm most proud of beating. I've bought Myst collection with three first games in the series around five years ago and started playing Riven first after finding out the sound was corrupted for whatever reason in Myst: Masterpiece Edition. I've used a guide once during my whole play just to find a 'hot spot', other than that I completed all puzzles in the game spoiler-free and it took me around 25 hours to beat the whole game. Later on I had a kick from reading adventure games sites and comments saying how challenging this game is even with complete walkthrough. One of the most rewarding gaming related experiences I had in my life after my arcade years.

No problem. For me, it's one of the few games that I feel no shame whatsoever for using a full walkthrough to complete.