The 7th Guest VR PSVR2 Review

The 7th Guest VR PSVR2 Review – a tricky but well crafted puzzle game

In 1993, The 7th Guest broke new ground as one of the earliest games to hit the market on CD-ROM. It gained recognition for its fusion of pre-rendered graphics and live actors, a combination that set it apart. The game was a resounding success, with over two million copies sold. Surprisingly, I hadn’t come across it until the release of this VR remake.

The game’s storyline revolves around six guests who receive invitations to toymaker Henry Stauf’s opulent mansion. However, your own visit occurs years later, allowing you to witness events from the past within the house. The mansion, now in a state of disrepair, stands as a stark contrast to its former glory. What makes the narrative truly unique is the inclusion of live actors appearing in the environments, which perhaps works a lot better than it sounds. The plot is brimming with mystery and intrigue, making it all the more worthwhile.

This eerie puzzle game takes you on a journey through the mansion’s numerous rooms, tasking you with solving a variety of puzzles. What soon proves to be a standout feature is the presence of a lantern in your possession, allowing you to illuminate and unveil the mansion’s former, grander state, ridding it of the dust, cobwebs and decay of the modern day incarnation. The lantern can also manipulate the environment in creepy ways, such as transforming paintings, and it serves as a tool to uncover vital clues for solving some of the puzzles.

“You have the option to use a coin, which can be discovered in the game’s environments, and it will promptly solve the puzzle for you.”

When it comes to being a puzzle game, The 7th Guest VR stands out as a meticulously crafted and well-designed experience. Each puzzle appears to have undergone careful consideration during the design phase. These challenges vary in nature and complexity, such as connecting a train to its carriages in a specific sequence, devising pathways for bugs to navigate, matching objects, or engaging in mathematical exercises, among others. It’s worth noting that the game can pose a significant challenge at times, so if you’re not particularly great at tricky puzzles, you may find yourself stumped quite frequently.

In case you find yourself grappling with a puzzle and need a nudge in the right direction, The 7th Guest offers a convenient hint feature accessible through a spirit board. This board also includes a map of the mansion and tracks your current progress. You can access this hint feature at any point in the game. Each puzzle provides two hints to assist you in finding a solution. However, if these hints still leave you searching for answers, you have the option to use a coin, which can be discovered in the game’s environments, and it will promptly solve the puzzle for you. This feature proves invaluable if you’ve been stuck on a puzzle for an extended period and simply want to advance to the next challenge or progress further in the story. Once you’ve employed a coin to solve a puzzle, however, a cooldown period of at least five minutes is enforced before you can use another coin to automatically solve another puzzle.

Henry Stauf’s mansion is a marvel of design, comprising 17 distinct rooms that offer a wide range of puzzles to tackle. These rooms include bedrooms, a game room, a music room, bathrooms, and various others. The game is visually striking, and it encapsulates a rich and immersive atmosphere within the grand mansion’s once-elegant surroundings.

The 7th Guest VR PSVR2 Review Summary:

In summary, The 7th Guest VR presents an intriguing narrative set within the mesmerizing confines of Henry Stauf’s magnificent mansion. The game delivers an immersive and atmospheric experience, with meticulously designed puzzles that are truly a work of art. While some of these puzzles may prove challenging for certain players, the inclusion of a hint system and the option to automatically solve puzzles serves as a valuable lifeline, allowing you to unravel the mysteries of the plot. To sum it up, this VR remake is thoughtfully designed to cater to a broad audience, even though the use of a coin to solve puzzles might not offer the most gratifying puzzle-solving experience.