Random Game O' the Day: The 7th Guest

[digitalpress]

The DP Oft-Vacationing Random Game Generator (tm) seems to have chosen its first CD-i title, the popular PC port of The 7th Guest.

Wow, early multimedia. And yet, this one holds up pretty well, probably because it wasn't nearly as ambitious as many of those early multimedia CD-ROM games were. Look at how dated titles like Star Wars Rebel Assault, Night Trap, or the myriad of educational titles appear today. Then look at 7th Guest - using video sparingly and concentrating on the puzzle-solving with simple but attractive graphics.

What do you think? Write your mini-review here. Since most of you have probably not played the CD-i version, feel free to comment on the PC version as well.

DP Guide sez:

U.S. Game Releases
7th Guest, The (CD-I, by Philips) $5/R2
Developed by Trilobyte. Port of the popular PC title, one of the more successful early multimedia games. Puzzle/Point & Click. Digital Video Cartridge required. EASTER EGGS: There is a hidden room select in the game. Access it by saving a game under the name "Badger". Bring the cursor
to the corner to display the chattering teeth and press either button to bring up the room display. Released 1994.

[Mr. Smashy]

I love this game. I read somewhere that the characters in this game were ghosts just to adapt to the video recording technology that they were using when they made this game. I think that it still holds up well today in comparison to other early multimedia CD-ROM games is because of the puzzles and the atmosphere. Music by The Fat Man was pretty classic, too.

[SoulBlazer]

I would argue the game DOES look dated today. Sure, the gameplay is still fun, but the game just feels old. Although it WAS groundbreaking and a true joy to play for my PC back in the day. I've always liked the sequel 11th Hour better.

[Packerfan66]

I never played the game but I remember seeing this game being talked about as being released for the Super NES CD player. I took one look at it and thought gaming was down hill from here on. Wasn't this game always talked about as going to be the first release for all the cd systems? 3DO, Jaguar CD, SNES cd, PS1?

[Darth Sensei]

I played the PC version of it and really enjoyed it. However, some of the puzzles were nearly impossible. Remember the bottles with all the words with no vowells? I had to have help with that one.

It had a decent story, and good graphics for the time.

D

[Gamereviewgod]

Want spooky? Just before this thread loaded I looked up and saw we had 7 guests browsing the forum....That scares me.

Anyway, I've always wanted to play this one. All I have is a "making of" VHS. I remember my jaw dropping when I first put that tape in. Sadly, my PC wasn't capable enough to run it at the time so I never had the chance. Really need to track this one down..

[Jive3D]

An early entry into the Survival Horror genre? Well not quite, but at the time it was enjoyable and a little bit scary, er, no eerie...okay mildly creepy.

I owned the CD-I version of this sucker. I'm pretty sure that I got this game for free from Philips as a 'thank you' for buying the CD-i for it's obscene price tag of what, about a grand? Sheesh (why did my dad do that! I wanted a DUO, a DUO Dad!)

The graphics were good and they were 3D and that's what had a lot of people poopin' their pants back then. The video captured characters let the story unfold the best that they could. And, if that was their best I feel pretty bad because it was probably the last acting job that they had, especially that retarded magician. When games like Myst were the norm, this one had something a little bit different. What that was I have no idea, but the game sold a boatload, didn't it? many reviews back in the day claim that the CD-i version of the game is superior to the PC. I guess that's true because I could play it in my bedroom rather than on the computer in Dad's office upstairs.

The puzzles went from easy to outright WTF. I had to borrow the guide from the kid across the street to get through a few of em, I seem to recall the puzzle in the kitchen being quite the MF. I was 'wowed' though when the puzzle pieces rose up from the bathroom floor, that was cool looking for sure. Was it the bathroom? I admit to bringing my Pocketstation with me for poopie time, but building chess into the floor, that guy was a nutbag.

Ok, so you have a halfway interesting story, some decently composed creepy music and some scattered puzzles. What else? Two words: Short Cuts! (or is that one word). One word: Shortcuts! The fact that you could all of a sudden go down the drain in the bathroom and end up in the dining room was kinda neat. I remember just messing around looking for shortcuts. Honestly I enjoyed the surreal experience of turning the lights off and wandering around the mansion with the music blasting. I don't care what anyone says, this game DID have an attractive ambiance.

If you had a Sega CD like NORMAL KIDS whose parents would get them mainstream supported consoles DAD! then you were probably playing 'Mansion of the Hidden Souls'. But if you had the CD-i then you got 7th Guest and a bonus game soundtrack CD, OOH! The graphics were good for the time and the puzzles did have some thought put into them. I just wish that the puzzle curve was a little more gradual. The game navigation was laid out well for the player so that you knew what you could and could not interact with, which was nice. The voice and character acting did the job, Not quite as campy as RE1 acting, but not as memorable either. This was a good game to play when I wasn't engulfed in other QUALITY CD-i software such as Voyeur or Playboy's Ultimate Massage. But really, did that skeleton hand have to keep giving me the middle finger?

___
Jive3D contributes to the DP forums on a regular basis.
He is currently playing Chrono Trigger on PSone and is thankful that he received the CD-i instead of 3D0 for his birthday that year. Because we all know that 3D0 sucks.

[Arqueologia_Digital]

Well, it´s weird, but i had played the 11th tour and not this game... :P

[Flack]

A friend of mine bought this game, gave it to me when he got frustrated with it, and I gave it to someone else when the same happened with me.

We later also played Phantasmagoria, which I believe came on 7 CDs. At the time, I figured this was going to become the death of piracy. I think I had a 14.4 modem at that time and couldn't fathom the idea of sending a CD-sized program from one computer to another or simply copying one.

My favorite thing about 7th Guest was that cool animated skeleton hand pointer.

[BHvrd]

Loved this game! Beat it from start to finish with no startegy guides, and loved every minute of it!

The game is one of the best for cd-i. My favorite parts include the othello game in the lab "best imo", and the picture puzzle where you had to change the evil guys face "quite hard".

Did anybody ever see the picture on the wall of the developers that stick their tongues out at you? That was extremely trippy, and quite fitting.

Brilliant game.

[Achika]

I think this game got as many runs on my computer as all the KQ games combined. 7th Guest recieved SO many replay hours. Even though I'd solve the puzzles, after a few months I would forget the exact solution and every play through would take a few hours.

My favorite puzzle was the stained glass and spiders. I think the most frustrating ones were the basement maze (carpet is the solution) and the casket puzzle that ensued.

[BHvrd]

and the casket puzzle that ensued.

The casket puzzle was just like the picture puzzle where you had to change his face to a "goblin?" I believe, or either it was the devil, can't remember. You didn't think the picture puzzle was harder?

I just thought the casket one was easy compared to it.