I am a fan of puzzle games; turn them into VR puzzle games, and I am even more in the bag. But what Vertigo Games has done with 7th Guest VR—the remake of the 1993 FMV classic 7th Guest—is something on a whole new level.
7th Guest VR follows a group of six people who have all been invited to a mysterious manor filled with dread. The powerful recluse Henry the Toy Maker is lurking around; everyone is in danger, and it’s up to you to solve the mystery of the 7th guest. While talking story in any great mystery has an enormous potential to spoil the story, it is full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. Vertigo Games has nailed the murder mystery arch, and in VR, the needle drop twists hit harder, especially when done right.
The original 7th Guest was all done in the styling of FMV (full motion video) games during the craze. So, I had some expectations coming into 7th Guest VR, and boy, did they ever deliver. The motion capture mixed with the faint ghostly filter in everyone’s performance makes for a truly haunting experience. The acting alone is incredibly reminiscent of the old 7th Guest, or more like how good I remember the original being. Vertigo Games knew the vibe they were going for and hit it on the head.
“I had some expectations coming into 7th Guest VR, and boy, did they ever deliver.”
Where 7th Guest VR really nails it is in the immersion. This is partly due to some clever game mechanics that are mind-boggling due to the virtual reality nature. During your adventures, you will get this flashlight, which lets you see the changes to the environment in the past. In real-time, as you shine the light around, it had, time and time again, led to some incredible revelations.
This flashlight mechanic showcased the innovative environmental design, and it’s really hard to describe the surreal nature of having both worlds rendered and being able to shine a light and being able to look into the other time period seamlessly. This is noticeable almost every minute. As you shine over long dead lights, they will shine with fresh power, and wilted plants will spring back to life.
The flashlight is our primary way to interact with the work within 7th Guest VR. It’ll lead to puzzles, shift puzzles, help with hints about said puzzles, and reveal scenes strewn throughout the mansion. It is a singular-function device, but its uses are multifaceted. This helps keep the gameplay loop simple, which is appreciated because the puzzles in 7th Guest VR, at times, are mind-boggling. If puzzles are not your thing, stay far away from the 7th Guest. But if you love them like I do, embrace it.
There is an excellent offset to this for those wanting a less complicated time in 7th Guest VR. While exploring the manor, you will come across these coins. While attempting to solve puzzles, you can spend one of these coins to receive a hint, spend another to receive another clue, and spend three to have the game auto-complete the puzzle. This is a great system to help players along and for those who don’t enjoy being stumped by puzzles.
“The best way to describe 7th Guest VR is a VR murder mystery escape room.”
Much like a real-life escape room, I found myself feeling many moments of eureka with almost every puzzle. Another small assistance to 7th Guest VR is that if you cross spaces while holding items if it doesn’t belong to another puzzle, they will just vanish out of your hands. The amount of puzzles and how varied they are means that you will always be using your puzzle-solving skills to their full extent.
The best way to describe 7th Guest VR is a VR murder mystery escape room. Which just happens to be all of my favourite things. But one thing I was not expecting during my time at the manor was the incredible sense of dread presented the entire game. I was worried something was going to come after me or at me around every corner.
That’s primarily due to the sense of immersion given to us by the level of detail in the environment, which is fantastic. I played on the Meta Quest 3, and even on a stand-alone VR headset, everything looked incredible. There is something to be said for how good it feels to look and move around the mansion completely cordless.
Overall, 7th Guest VR pushes the boundaries of what to expect in a VR puzzle game. With a good story and excellent mechanics that show off awe-inspiring environmental design and the puzzle design being so varied and unique, 7th Guest VR is not only a great show-off for the Meta Quest 3 but VR in general.
