Review: The 7th Guest Remake

Few games have the privilege of defining an entire format. When the original The 7th Guest was released in 1993, I was working in a computer store in Skövde as a teenager, and the game was clearly a contributing factor to the CD-ROM drive becoming a standard in Swedish homes. Three decades later, in the fall of 2023, Vertigo Games and Exkee breathed new life into Henry Stauf’s mythical mansion through an ambitious and well-crafted VR version on platforms including Oculus.

Now, the developers are making the leap to the “flat” screen with The 7th Guest Remake, and the result is a fascinating encounter between nostalgic storytelling and modern technology.

For me, having worked with film throughout my adult life, the use of “volumetric video” is at the absolute center here. For the uninitiated, volumetric video is a technology that records a three-dimensional space – such as a location or a performance – and collects data that can then be freely visualized and explored in 3D. In the VR edition, the actors’ performances were impressive, but they were held back slightly by the technical limitations of standalone headsets. By now releasing the game on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (a Switch version is reportedly in the works as well), they have been able to free the technology from these shackles. The real, three-dimensionally captured actors are now integrated completely seamlessly into the environments. They cast dynamic and accurate shadows in real-time and are reflected with uncanny precision in the mansion’s mirrors and polished wooden floors. It is a cinematic and technical triumph that blurs the line between ancient FMV (Full Motion Video) and rendered 3D in a way that the original’s creators could only have dreamed of.

In terms of pure gameplay mechanics, the transition from VR to controller (or mouse and keyboard) has worked excellently. We are spared the sometimes clunky and frustrating motion controls from the VR version, making the interface faster and more precise. Yes, there are minor flaws, such as the lack of animation when switching between standing and crouching, and the balance between nostalgic and modern graphics is sometimes difficult for the developers to navigate perfectly. Fortunately, the developers have retained the more balanced and modern difficulty level for the puzzles; the abstract and extremely unforgiving challenges of the 90s are absent in favor of more logical problems. However, the game still suffers from a somewhat episodic room design. The puzzles can sometimes feel like an isolated checklist in each specific room, rather than a cohesive thread running through the house’s architecture.

The sound design manages its heavy legacy with great respect. The atmospheric soundtrack combines new, dynamic “noir jazz” with rearranged themes from George “The Fat Man” Sanger, underscoring that classic, slightly campy, and gothic atmosphere for which the franchise became known.

But what truly deserves attention is Vertigo Games’ exemplary consumer-friendly business model. The launch price is a low $19.99 (around 220 SEK), with additional discounts on selected platforms. Even more remarkable is that the publisher is applying a two-way “cross-buy” strategy. If you buy the game for PS5 or PC, you automatically get access to the game’s VR version (PSVR2 and SteamVR respectively) at no extra cost. This, of course, also applies retroactively to those who already purchased the VR title in 2023. In an era where many companies charge full price for minimal upgrades, this sets a new gold standard for how consumers should be treated!

The 7th Guest Remake is ultimately a very well-executed leap into the modern era. By removing the VR friction and polishing the volumetric technology to perfection, we are offered one of the most visually stunning and best-priced murder mysteries on the market right now.

Plaion provided a review code for this test. Senders of material have no editorial influence on our tests.