Lights are more than just a way to illuminate the dark here; The 7th Guest VR.
Virtual reality has come to the forefront of gaming in recent years. The 7th Guest VR does a great job of showing what the technology can really do. It has, at times, revived classic titles in both feel and scope. There’s no greater feeling than revisiting something and seeing it in a different and positive light. Breathing new life into a classic, The 7th Guest VR has something to explore and find for any and every would-be detective.
The 7th Guest VR comes from developer Vertigo Games, known for titles such as Maskmaker and Arizona Sunshine. While it may not hold the allure of a zombie-riddled desert or the creepy factor of an ancient forest, it is a mystery game that gives players plenty of head-scratching moments. Trading in the guns and mystical powers of ancient masks, one gains a specialized lantern that emits an ethereal light—having experienced similar titles from developers before leaves one to wonder what other mysteries the developer can think up.
While The 7th Guest VR may be a virtual reality title, it owes its existence to the original 1994 classic PC title. Despite the jump from mediums, it may still hold a sense of nostalgia for fans of the first iteration of the game. There is a sense of immersion when it comes to virtual reality that the keyboard and mouse simply do not give. It does feel, however, that developers of this title certainly gave a nod to the inspiration for their work.
A man named Henry Stauf had previously invited a group of six people to his mansion. Known as a toymaker to the public, the man set his mansion up in a way that required puzzle-solving. One is greeted by memory after memory in The 7th Guest VR, leaving the viewer wondering what exactly happened to everyone. Only by solving the puzzles littered throughout will one gain the whole story and see exactly what Stauf did to previous visitors.
Controls in The 7th Guest VR are surprisingly smooth. Knowing that the initial incarnation was a PC title it made me a little apprehensive to see exactly how well things would translate. Movement was streamlined so that one could either explore while standing in place or sitting down. One could either slide or ‘teleport’ to move to various places around the mansion.
Choosing the teleport option was the only logical choice, as the living space allows for only limited movement. One must take care to aim the reticle for movement, as letting go in the ‘right spot’ can put you in the same space as a given object. It’s hilarious to see the clipping, but it’s what allowed me past the gate when my character first arrived.
On the initial entrance into Stauf’s mansion, one sees the past guests and hears what walks of life they came from. This is the part that felt a little ‘too real’. It was almost like being part of a PC game, which feels extremely odd to say. After introducing themselves to each other, The 7th Guest VR directs people to the dining room.
This is the starting room by default, as it contains the map that gives one access to hints and mission progress. Using trigger 2 on the left controller, one can summon this map. Using the Stauf coins littered throughout the mansion, one can access hints or pay a single coin to solve a puzzle simply they may be stuck on.
In the center of the table is a pineapple-shaped metal carousel. After finding the missing tile and placing it on the carousel, a few of the tiles light up with blue. In total, there are four symbols: a boy, a rooster, a donkey, and a fish. To open this puzzle, one must press each of these without repeating a single tile. Luckily, there is no order in which one must press them.
Once opened, the mansion shows a memory of the previous guests gathering in the dining room. When a memory in The 7th Guest VR like this one is available, a small blue circle will appear on the ground. Once the player is in the circle, they must shine their light toward the silhouettes of people, thus activating the memory that has been accessed.
Every so often, one might see silhouettes of people throughout the mansion. These are far creepier than the overall mystery in The 7th Guest VR, as shining the lantern on them does nothing but make them disappear. It was both fascinating and nerve-racking to see. These specters don’t attack, but the fact that they are even around makes it hard to focus on solving the puzzles throughout the house.
It gives one pause, genuinely selling the idea that the Stauf mansion is haunted. It also seems that along with these things, records that go on the gramophone will appear so that the lantern can bring them back. Each of these contains an aside from Henry Stauf himself.
The 7th Guest VR’s dining room puzzle personally feels like the easiest one. Once any puzzle is done, like this one, a far-off sound from a clock is heard. This signifies something has opened up. After the dining room is taken care of, one must venture to the second floor to whichever room has finally opened. Each room on the second floor contains at least three puzzles. My favorite puzzle had to be the ‘drinking game’, which, at first glance, is extremely difficult.
It appears as a woman and man, each with their own respective glass of wine. After hitting either 1, 2, or 3, the woman will take the number of drinks corresponding to the number pressed. The objective, as the room was for a female guest, was to get the male figurine to drink the poison. It took some time, but once it’s solved, Stauf’s disembodied voice makes a sideways comment about the puzzle being too easy.
Out of all the rooms that one must explore in The 7th Guest VR, my favorite has to be the magician’s room. Being a fan of magic in general, one might be at a loss at first glance. No matter what problem appeared, the three hats in the room were part of every solution. To get some coins stuck behind a cabinet door, one must shrink their hand to grab them. This was cool, but it felt so bizarre even to see, let alone be the one doing the thing.
If only top hats worked like that in our universe, grabbing some from behind a counter or stove would be so much easier. Despite how the other guests seemed to have solved the puzzles themselves in The 7th Guest VR, Henry Stauf seemed especially heated whenever the magician solved any puzzle within the mansion.
After a handful of rooms in The 7th Guest VR on the second floor are solved, the kitchen becomes open to whoever decides to enter. Puzzles in the kitchen vary from difficult to what some might consider ‘super easy.’ One of the puzzles to solve is squishing together meat for a grinder. One of these ‘puzzle pieces’ is already sitting on a meat spike, making one think they might need to slowly push each piece onto the spike. It was far simpler, as it only required them to fit together like traditional puzzle pieces.
Another more head-scratching puzzle in The 7th Guest VR came in the form of a wine rack. At first glance, it simply looks like a wine rack. But upon closer inspection, it appears to be its own version of Sudoku. The solution was simply to ensure each space had numbers adding up to fifteen. I’m not ashamed to admit I spent a Stauf coin to solve this, simply because I didn’t come across the clue informing me that was the solution.
The 7th Guest VR does a wonderful job combining live-action characters within a virtual reality environment. Reminiscent of old PC exploration titles, seeing living actors play out the story is a welcome change of pace from 3D renderings of characters. One could simply render a handful of characters, give them predetermined routes and expressions, and simply set them in their respective places.
But this would certainly not carry the same charm that live-action actors do. It can be a little surprising and even confusing to see actors in such a way, but there is nothing like seeing someone who feels just as present in the event as the player does.
The virtual reality side of The 7th Guest VR visuals was quite fascinating. Not every object in each room is part of a puzzle, but there are quite a few things one might be able to grab. This does a lot to help with being visually immersed in the world.
When you’ve already solved a few puzzles but can’t find the solution for one, simply throwing stuff around while waiting for the solution timer to count down is always an option. My only issue with this part is that nothing burns when thrown into the fireplace. It feels like a missed opportunity for some great visuals or even a sideways comment from Henry Stauf.
While the visuals in The 7th Guest VR were certainly a sight to behold, the synching of voice lines with the actors themselves appeared to have issues. Each voice line comes crisp and clear, and the players are able to hear every word. The problem arises when a character materializes into view. Regardless of what character is speaking during a sequence, the lines themselves don’t always match up with the way a character’s lips move.
Aside from that minor issue regarding the voice lines, everything regarding the audio side of things is great. There could be a few more creepy noises in The 7th Guest VR, like creaking doors/floors or taps and knocks as one moves their character from one end of a hallway to another.
Overall, The 7th Guest VR is a pleasant experience. Plenty of puzzles exist throughout the Stauf mansion to keep any Sherlock Holmes fan in their own world. No puzzle is too easy or too hard. None are so difficult they’d drive someone to frustration. And, even if that is to happen, the title allows one to simply skip a puzzle after a certain amount of time. While it is an option to skip things at certain points, I recommend exhausting every idea you have before giving in to skipping any puzzle.
The 7th Guest VR is relatively short when factoring in the puzzle solutions. As it can likely be completed in one afternoon, it would take someone with an inquisitive mind no time to find every clue they possibly can. If you are a fan of mysteries and ghost stories, this title is definitely worth a look.
