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For longtime fans, the remake ofRivenis a chance to return to the Ages of Myst and see them with enhanced graphics, or even through virtual reality. New players, on the other hand, can experience the atmospheric exploration and puzzles of this one-of-a-kind series for the first time.
In either case, point-and-click adventure games in the ’90s weren’t known for being easy. It’s entirely possible that you can find yourself stumped right from the start, in Riven’s opening area on Temple Island. If you need help getting started, this guide will set you on the right path.
How To Solve The Rotating Room Puzzle On Temple Island
Once the opening cutscene finishes, you can leave the cage. There is machinery to your left, but none of it is operational; instead,follow the assassinto the right.
Look over the cliff to see the body of the guard and unlock an Achievement / Trophy.
At the top of the first flight of stairs, you’ll find acave on your leftand abridge to the right.The bridge leads to anoffering shrinethat is otherwise a dead end. The cave leads to theRotating Room, the first puzzle in the game.
Inside the room arefive golden scarabsthat you’re able to open bypulling the chains underneath them.Open all five and look inside the windows they reveal to unlock theVisual History Achievement / Trophy, then set about solving the puzzle.
There arefive exitsto the Rotating Room, butonly two can be open at a time. Furthermore, the two most important exits - the Golden Dome and Rotating Sphere - have grates blocking them, which need to be opened.
Just outside the entrance to the room is abutton in the wall.Pressing it causes the room to turn,moving all the doors one position clockwise.Press itfour timesso that the exits are oneither side of the door you’re standing in front of, then continue up the stairs to the far cliffside.
How To Open The Locked Door
There’s a wooden door in the cliff that has a strange padlock. The padlock is ared herring;ignore it, and insteadpull the pin out of the upper hingeon the other side of the door, near where a knife is stuck in the frame. Once the pin is out,pushing the doorwill cause it to fall open, allowing you to enter the Rotating Room from another angle.
Go across to the room with the steam valve andturn it on. This activates the machinery below; you don’t need it yet, but you will much later, and turning it on will save you the trouble when the time comes. As you leave the valve room,pull the lever near the doorto lift the grate leading to the Rotating Sphere.
The valve room also as a button to rotate the room;press it twiceto access the Rotating Sphere. You don’t need to do anything there yet, but if you want you canactivate the zoetropeon the walkwayto enter the sphere and check it out. Pull the lever in the doorway to the Rotating Sphere to open the gate to the Golden Dome, thenrotate the roomto access it; you can do so bypressing the rotate button at the Sphere twiceto access the main entrance, then from there rotating the room twice more to access the Dome.
How To Open The Door In The Offering Shrine
Enter the Golden Dome andtake the stairs down immediately to your right.you’re able to optionally follow the walkway to the end andpress the button outside; doing sodestroys the decaying bridge to Boiler Island and unlocks theCollateral DamageAchievement / Trophy.
Before leaving the Golden Dome, it’s a very good idea (though not strictly necessary) tonote down the symbols at each of the windowsand their relative locations. You’ll need this information later and it’s easier to just get it now.
Go out through the small door at the bottom of the stairs andfollow the cliffside trail.It will take you underneath the machinery near the starting point to a door that you couldn’t reach before. Use the handle on the left to open it, andsit in the chair inside.Pull the lever on the left toopen the door inside the Offering Shrine, then leave.
The right-hand lever raises the drawbridge, preventing you from reaching the Offering Shrine and forcing you to backtrack. Leave it alone.
Go to the Offering Shrine and exit through the newly-opened door to find a tramway. Press theblue buttonnear the cliff edge to summon a car. When it arrives,board it and take a seat at the controls.Rotate the lever to the right; the car will turn toward its destination. When it stops moving,push the thrust lever forwardto travel to your next stop, Jungle Island!
