Riven co-founder and composer returns for remake after 27 years

Cyan Worlds has announced some new content for its old-school point-and-click adventure remake of Riven: A Sequel to Myst. At last, we have some more details about some of the new music to go with the added puzzles and lore we can expect some time in 2024.

Robyn Miller is creating new music for the Riven remake

Originally announced in 2022 as a full recreation of the foundational adventure title Riven, it looks like the Riven remake will be making some welcome changes to the original. Along with a handful of "new puzzles" and "expanded storylines", Cyan will also be adding a whole new, four-part musical track, brought to us long-time fans by the original creator of the Riven soundtrack: Robyn Miller.

The original Riven was released in 1997 as a sequel to arguably the most important title in video game history: Myst. Lovingly created by the brothers Robyn and Rand Miller along with a talented team, Myst utilized actual photos instead of computer-generated textures in Riven, this gorgeous point-and-click title still holds up almost 30 years after its release. Both Riven and Myst were so foundational that they altered the way puzzle games were created for more than a decade, even influencing some modern titles like The Witness.

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In 2021, Cyan released a remake of the original Myst, then decided on a full recreation of Riven back in 2022. Original creators Rand Miller and Richard Vander Wende teamed up for the project, and they are now being joined by Robyn Miller who is working on the new songs that will be added to the beautiful and haunting original score.

“Writing the music for Riven was a blast. I hope that fans like the additions,” Robyn Miller says about his contributions. “I attempted to evoke the sounds of the original soundtrack but I was writing for an environment that is unique and stands apart from the original Riven. This piece had to live up to that and, in a way, speak a different musical language.” This new song is just one of a four-part track; you can hear this new composition in the YouTube video below.

The gathering of Rand and Robyn Miller and Richard Vander Wende also gave a unique opportunity to have a roundtable discussion about not only the remake of Riven, but also the original games. For the first time in almost three decades, the dream team of Cyan gathered to chat music, lore, Myst, and the massive legacy of one of the most influential game series of all time. Check out the video below to see some highlights.

For more puzzle games, check out Best 10 Indie Games of 2023 on Pro Game Guides.