Final game title?

[Yali]

Personally, as a graphic designer, I NEVER liked the way realMyst/realRiven looked. Its an asymmetrical logo that lacks the sense of power Riven conveys.

Just find any logo of Riven circa 1997 and you'll see how effective it is at conveying that badass sense of pure cool. realRiven when written that way kind of has an ironic tinge to it which I find takes away from the punch of the title "Riven". Like, what is Riven? What does that word imply? Division? Ripping apart? That's the first question people should ask...

I think its important to treat this as the newest edition of a classic, or a final cut per se rather than a nostalgia trip. You want to reel in new fans and a younger audience don't you? I think keeping the original logo and adding "Unreal Edition" or "Real Edition" or something underneath is the best way to go from an aesthetic and rhetorical point of view. Just my two cents.

[Dario]

Id suggest to just keep the current name

"THE
STARRY EXPANSE
PROJECT"

And put the Riven dagger in the logo.

It fits to the new look and feel.

EverBody who knows Riven will notice it is actually the Remake, or atleast when they read the description.

[Yali]

Yes but a lot of people don't even know about Riven. I think keeping "RIVEN" as the primary title is going to attract the most new players. RealRiven seems like its made with nostalgia in mind. I'd want the game to have the same impact it did 20 years ago and for that you need a title and logo that sounds and looks cool.

I'm thinking of how Blade Runner and Star Wars were re-marketed 20 years after their initial release and were marketed as if they were brand new. I just fear that putting "Real" in front of that great RIVEN logo is going to confuse the average guy looking for a cool game. Also, I feel Myst could get away with it because its more successful and it is a relatively well known name. That's why I think you guys should stick more or less to that 1997 classic logo and while adding in clear text that this is a 3d remastered version.

[philip]

This is a great question, and since nothing has been decided I'm all with you guys in speculating. I feel like Myst should be somewhere in the title, and probably Riven too, but I like the ideas. Keep em coming!

[tomysshadow]

I agree the word Riven needs to be at least somewhere in the title. The "Starry Expanse" can be there, but I consider the name Starry Expanse to link to the process of remaking the game in 3D - it should take a backseat to the game's actual title. I plan to eventually show this project to any of my friends who want to play Riven but can't get used to the controls. Whether or not we intend to reel in new players, new players will find this project and we want them to remember this as "Riven" so they can find the original later.

This post highlights one of the reasons I love this community. Everyone thinks about every fine little detail so much. There's really not a lot of ways the final end product can go wrong with a community of testers like this! The downside is, everyone seems to disagree on something as simple as the title of the game.

[LordNyriox]

I agree the word Riven needs to be at least somewhere in the title. The "Starry Expanse" can be there, but I consider the name Starry Expanse to link to the process of remaking the game in 3D - it should take a backseat to the game's actual title. I plan to eventually show this project to any of my friends who want to play Riven but can't get used to the controls. Whether or not we intend to reel in new players, new players will find this project and we want them to remember this as "Riven" so they can find the original later.

Yeah, Riven was always an evocative title, though personally I felt it never adequately summed up the experience of the game. There are no words to describe the chilling mystery of every corner, the strange creatures encountered everywhere, and the stunning aura of seeing these shattered islands among a strange, vast sea. Even my attempts to describe it are so woefully inadequate. Goodness.

I did however feel that 'Starry Expanse' covers the majesty of the game better than the original title - and certainly far better than 'realRiven' (just try saying that three times fast). 'realMyst' made sense because it was evocative and easy to say, but 'realRiven' holds no such benefits.

This post highlights one of the reasons I love this community. Everyone thinks about every fine little detail so much. There's really not a lot of ways the final end product can go wrong with a community of testers like this! The downside is, everyone seems to disagree on something as simple as the title of the game.

Personally, I just hate unanswered questions and stupid assumptions, and I felt the title of the game would qualify as both. The way nobody seemed to even think about the issue made me feel like there was a huge elephant in the room.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the whole point of having a forum shooing out all those elephants?

[Andross]

I guess the trouble with Starry Expanse, is it kinda gives part of the plot away. As a new player coming to Riven, you have no idea what the starry expanse is beyond the opening montage of Myst, and despite it being mentioned in Riven, no idea if it's even relevant, whereas by calling the game Starry Expanse, you straight away say "This is important, pay attention" which is something that the series as a whole is ardently against.

I can see what Yali means about realRIVEN as a brand, but I think it is vital that the word RIVEN be kept for the main title, so if not realRIVEN, then RIVEN, with something about being realtime 3D being relegated to the subtitle.

[delcolux]

How about something like this?

RIVEN
The Unreal Sequel to realMYST

[JuniorGenius]

I think the best way to go is something like:
         RIVEN
         Remastered

Obviously that's not exactly my vision, just as close as I could get it on here. The point is, it's still Riven, with the subtitle "remastered". Prevents confusion, keeps the brand.

[Yali]

RIVEN
THE SEQUEL TO MYST
UNREAL EDITION

RIVEN
THE SEQUEL TO MYST
MASTERPIECE EDITION


RIVEN
THE SEQUEL TO MYST
LEGENDARY EDITION