"The 7th Guest Remake": Puzzle Driven Horror Classic Reimagined for Modern Players [REVIEW]

Written by: Luis Vox

Earlier this year, we wrote about the surprising return of the FMV (full motion video) game, The 7th Guest. We remember the original, as it was released in 1993. The game follows six guests who are summoned to the manor of a forgotten and disgraced toymaker, Henry Stauf. The guests soon find out that the mansion is empty and Stauf is nowhere to be found. Left behind are notes and instructions tasking them with solving several mysteries for the ominous prize of “their heart’s most secret desire.”

The 1993 game was one of the first to adopt the CD-ROM format and one of the main titles to popularize FMV. It married digital backgrounds with ghostly actors, giving the game a more cinematic feel for the player.

WATCH THE ANNOUNCEMENT TRAILER FOR "THE 7TH GUEST" REMAKE BELOW

Back to Stauf Manor

Now, 33 years later, the game is fondly remembered by fans, but is somewhat of a deep cut within the genre. Most, including myself, didn’t have access to a PC in 1993, let alone the ability to game on one. We remember playing a demo disc of it at a friend's house and instantly becoming obsessed with it. Unfortunately, as time went on, it became out of sight, out of mind, and we simply forgot about it.

Imagine our excitement when we found out that Vertigo Games and Exkee announced a full remake. In a market filled with remakes and reboots, this was one that took us by surprise. It was like being 10 years old again and finally checking off a lost classic from our insurmountable playlist. But this time, reimagined with a more modern take. We always felt that a remake's primary job is to pay homage to the original game while modernizing the experience for a new audience.

As always, we're going to dig through every haunted hall and ghostly corner and dissect the Story and Atmosphere to see if, after 30-plus years, it still holds up in all its gothic splendor. The Gameplay will be heavily looked at, since this experience does hinge on its puzzles, and lastly, we'll see how the Graphics measure up with newly acted FMV scenes and a rebuilt mansion to play in.

STORY AND ATMOSPHERE

As mentioned above, the gothic horror tale from 1993 is pretty much all intact here. The player watches ghostly apparitions play out their final moments in Stauf Manor. As the story unfolds, you learn the motivations of Stauf and his guests. A story of greed, betrayal, and death. All this is presented perfectly in newly acted FMV scenes and various vinyl records that play as voice messages and notes.

A Masterclass in Gothic Horror

The atmosphere is a shining example of gothic horror. If you’re expecting jump scares or excessive gore, you’ll have to play something else. This game is more of a haunted ghost story wrapped in mystery and intrigue than a typical survival horror game. That’s not to say the story doesn’t go dark, which adds to the foreboding atmosphere. Presentation is everything in a game like this, and it was a joy to watch this game unfold.

Puzzle Solving in the Dark

The gameplay is all dependent on how much you like puzzle games. There is no combat of any kind. The puzzles are not the hardest, but still take strict attention to detail. You find a lantern that can see what the human eye cannot. It’s used to solve puzzles and restore destroyed items. Some of the puzzles midway through the game caused me to stop and think. There is a feature where you unlock a spirit board at the beginning of the game that can also be used for clues on unsolved puzzles in a room. You acquire Stauf coins that are hidden throughout the mansion and can cash those in if you’re truly stuck and want the “spirits” to solve the puzzles for you. I didn’t find it necessary, since the board does give you two free hints, and the second hint was more than enough.

The game does have some collectibles in addition to the coins. There are vinyl records that act like messages from Stauf, filling in story points. There are also postcards in each room explaining who Stauf was, how he became a toymaker, and ultimately how he became disgraced and lost everything before the events of the game. All this blends itself very well into the overall game experience.

One Frustrating Roadblock

The only issue that I had was at the endgame. There was a puzzle/game that felt like it was more luck based than true skill or something solvable through clever deduction, which becomes frustrating when the game is unfairly acting against you. This was my least favorite part of the game, which was a shame since the rest of the game was an absolute blast to play.

As I mentioned before, presentation is everything in this game. Graphically, the game has a gorgeous art style. It blends early 1930s Art Deco with an almost BioShock aesthetic. Then you have the fully acted FMV scenes, which superimpose the ghostly characters on top. All six guests have a translucent glow about them as their past memories are retold.

The Final Verdict

Thirty-plus years later, The 7th Guest Remake still proves that the game is a cult classic worth revisiting.

I give The 7th Guest Remake 4 ghosts out of 5.

PC review copy provided by Vertigo Games. The 7th Guest is currently available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Coming soon for Nintendo Switch.