Riven Take everything Myst did, and turn it up to 11. The world is bigger (in the sense that most of it is interconnected, rather than separated by portals of a sort). The atmosphere is more oppressive. And godDAMN are the puzzles more obtuse. Myst's puzzles are mostly restricted to each island - the stuff in one Age usually doesn't bleed into another. In Riven, nearly all the work you're doing is in some way connected to one of two major puzzles. And don't expect to ever get all the information you need - you will need to use process of elimination to fill in gaps where they don't give you everything.
It might sound like I'm bashing the game, but I'm not. I adore it. This is the kind of shit that I love. This game is basically a massive test of your attention to detail - get one single thing wrong, and you're screwed until you go back to check it again. Not only that but the worldbuilding is spectacular; Riven is such an interesting place to be.
That sounds interesting. I did play Myst on a throwaway computer as a kid but never did get very into it. I just don't think puzzle games are for me. ---