Video games - The 7th Guest

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	Video games - The 7th Guest

The 7th Guest, published in 1993 by Virgin Interactive, is a video-based puzzle computer game, not unlike The Fool's Errand
, and predating Myst
. It was one of the first computer video games to be released only on CDROM. Seventh Guest is a fairly elegant horror story told from the unfolding perspective of the player, as an amnesiac. The game received a great amount of press attention for making video clips a core part of gameplay, for its unprecedentedly large amount of 3D rendered graphics, and for its adult—that is, horror—content.

Description

Old Man Stauf built a house, and filled it with his toys.
Six guests all came one night, their screams the only noise.
Blood inside the library, blood right up the halls.
Dripping down the attic stairs, where the last guest did fall.
No one knows what happened next, no one is left to say,
But if you should see Old Man Stauf, get on your knees and pray!

The story revolves around a man named Henry Stauf. (Appropriate for a game of puzzles, Stauf is itself an anagram for Faust.) Stauf was a drifter and thief, robbing gas stations and grocery stores, until he became a murderer one night in the early 20th century, according to the opening introductory movie. He killed a woman named Grace Willet, who was coming home from choir practice. Stauf killed her with a blow to the head, took her purse, and ran, further secluding himself.

He arrived in the fictional town of Harley-on-the-Hudson, where the story takes place. He lived in isolation until one day he had a vision. His vision was of a doll so perfect that it had to be a gift. Voices spoke to him, telling him exactly what he needed to do. He carved the doll, whittling the haunting face until it was an exact replica of his vision. When he was done, Stauf went to town, to a bar. The owner had a daughter - he said his girl would love the strange doll, so Stauf offered it to the man. The bartender, in turn, offered Stauf food, and a place to stay - a workspace in which to fashion more of his magnificent toys. A simple transaction - the first of many. Stauf opened up a shop, because everyone wanted a Stauf toy. Every boy and girl in town, and all the neighboring towns. "A Stauf Toy Is A Toy For Life," people said. No two were alike. Everyone loved his unique toys. Henry Stauf grew wealthy. But then the virus came - and some of the children started dying, clutching their Stauf toys until the end. And there was one last vision, a new message from the voices, one last dream of a house that the wealthy toymaker was to build. A strange house, a house that scared people .... One night Stauf invited six guests to come to his mansion. He promised them things, their hearts' most secret desires...

The game begins with six prominent civic figures invited to come to Stauf's ominous mansion for the night with the promise that their hearts' greatest desires would come true if they did what he asked. He would not tell them what he wanted, however, only that it had something to do with another "very special guest" who hadn't arrived yet. They had to figure the rest out on their own by solving Stauf's games and puzzles. None of them knew, however, that Stauf was playing a deadly game of his own...

The idea of a mad toymaker using his creation to wreak havoc bears a resemblance to that of Halloween III.

Cast and Characters

Henry Stauf (actor Robert Hirschboeck)- The owner of the mansion in which the game takes place. Stauf was a homeless drifter who became a successful toymaker after a series of visions showed him the toys he would create, but the people of Harley know nothing of his past. They only know him as the eccentric old man who makes marvelous toys for their children and became a hugely successful "rags to riches" story.

Ego (voice of Michael Mish)- The player's character, a disembodied consciousness that moves through the house solving puzzles and observing the events of that mysterious night at Stauf's house as they unfolded long ago. The entire game takes place in first-person view through Ego's eyes. Ego does not know how he came to the house, or why, he only knows that there is a reason for him to be there that he hasn't figured out yet.

Tad (actor Douglas Knapp) - A boy who lives next door to the Stauf mansion. On the night of the party he enters the house on a dare by climbing in through a window, then discovers that he can't get out again. He spends most of the game dodging Stauf's guests while he tries to find a way to escape the house.

Edward and Elinor Knox (Guests one and two) (actors Larry Roher and Jolene Patrick)- An older, married couple. Elinor is a decent woman who still loves her husband and seems to want to help the boy, Tad, as much as she can. Edward is having severe financial difficulties, and he shows little love or concern for his wife, instead teaming up with the younger Martine Burden to try to solve the mystery. His greatest desire is to start over with a new life, a full bank account, and no marriage tying him down. Her desire is also to start over again, but with Edward still at her side.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for The 7th Guest ]

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