The 7th Guest (Remake)

"'No one knows what'll happen next. There's no one left to say.""But if you should come across Old Man Stauf, get on your knees and pray.'""- Release tagline"The 7th Guest, also referred to as The 7th Guest: New Party, is a first-person survival horror game concept by Red-Verse-Writer, a remake of the revolutionary 1993 interactive movie puzzle game The 7th Guest. Taking place during the events of "the party" rather than afterwards like in the original, the player takes on the role of Tad, a simple boy who enters the seemingly abandoned Stauf Manor on a dare from his friends only to find that he cannot leave afterwards. Finding that six guests have been invited into the mansion by its long-thought to be dead owner, Old Man Stauf, he is forced to avoid and fight back against them and demonic creatures inhabiting the manor as he solves puzzles in a effort to try and escape from Stauf Manor.

Gameplay
The player takes on the role of Tad, a young teenage boy who entered a seemingly abandoned mansion on a dare to then become trapped in it, from a first-person perspective as he searches for a way to escape the manor. In addition to exploration and having to defend themselves from demonic humanoids and the six guests of the manor, the player must also solve puzzles in order to progress further and unlock new rooms, items or information. Throughout the game, the voice of the game's main antagonist, Henry Stauf, frequently speaks omni-presently, taunting the player with clues, mocking the player whenever they fail his puzzles ("We'll all be dead by the time you solve this!"), and expressing displeasure when the player succeeds ("Don't think you'll be so lucky next time!").

Throughout the game, the player comes across demons who serve as the primary foes of the player, and the six "guests" of the manor, who pursue the player until they are avoided or escaped from, and can only be temporarily incapacitated if engaged in combat. A regular teenager with no real-life combat experience, Tad cannot sustain many blows from enemies and his aim, and thus the player's targeting of enemies, is often unsteady. The game emphasises stealth and exploration over action, although combat is still often necessary when wandering the manor. Tad acquires multiple firearms throughout the course of the game, including a revolver, hunting rifle, shotgun, crossbow and submachine gun, although ammunition is scarce. He can also use a baseball bat as a melee weapon when out of ammo, although it has a low range and damage threshold against enemies.

While exploring, the player must also manage their inventory and supplies. The game uses a grid-based inventory system with an initial capacity of 12 slots, which may be expanded several times over the course of the game. An item can occupy up to two spaces, and four items may be assigned to the D-pad. Closets found in certain rooms may be used to manage and store items, and can be retrieved from different closets for later use. Items in the inventory can be used, examined, or combined with other items to increase their usefulness. Many of the game's puzzles require that items be examined under certain conditions in order to reveal secrets. Aside from keys and items needed to progress in the game, other items include food and medical supplies to restore Tad's health, ammunition, specialised cigarettes that are needed to save the game, and items that can be used to distract or damage enemies, such as Molotov cocktails.

Plot
In the town of Harley-on-Hudson, during the Great Depression, Henry Stauf, a homeless drifter who frequently robs gas stations and grocery stores, arrives, mugging a old woman and sinking to a new low even for him. One night, as he muses over the injustices in his life and his lack of ambition and hope, he hears voices telling him to go to sleep, where he would receive "instructions". After attempting to stay awake, he ultimately falls asleep, where he receives visions of a beautiful doll. The next day, Stauf carves the doll from wood exactly as he saw it in his dream, and trades it to the owner of a local tavern for his daughter in exchange for food and a stay at the inn. During his stay there, he has another dream of a puzzle, which he crafts appropriately and sells to a local boy, leading to everyone wanting one. Stauf becomes a successful and wealthy toymaker, making more dolls, puzzles and other toys from his visions, before using his fortune to construct a mysterious and massive mansion on the edge of the town. Stauf then closes his toy shop unexpectedly, and immediately afterwards, all the children who have Stauf's toys or games contract a mysterious illness and die. Stauf disappears into his mansion and is never seen again.

Decades later, at a unspecified year in the early 21st century, six unrelated people receive invitations for a dinner party located at Stauf Manor, allegedly hosted by a descendant of Stauf offering them all their "heart's most secret desire" should they attend. Reluctantly, all the guests arrive at the manor, and introduce themselves to one another: Martine Burden, a lustful misandrist singer; Edward Knox, a dissatisfied middle-aged man suffering severe finicial difficulties and deeply envious of Stauf's success; Elinor Knox, Edward's gluttonous and easily-angered wife; Julia Heine, a prideful alcoholic bank worker who reminisces of her youth; Brian Dutton, a greedy and egocentric shop owner; and Hamilton Temple, a stage magician and a secret necrophile with a obsession with the supernatural. The guests find that Stauf's representative is not present at the manor, but soon find a number of puzzles that when solved give them instructions - "find the seventh guest".

Meanwhile, a group of urban-exploring teenagers arrive outside the manor to investigate it. The youngest of the teens, Tad, is dared to enter the mansion first through a window, which he does, only for his friends to shut the window behind him and tell him to find a way to open the door. The disgruntled Tad attempt to make his way to the foyer, but is soon accosted by Dutton, who proclaims him to be the seventh guest and attempts to kidnap him, but Tad manages to escape Dutton and hides. Soon, he begins exploring the mansion as he tries to find the front door, evading the guests and demonic creatures that begin emerging from the shadows of the building and attempting to knock him out and drag him into the darkness. Eventually, Tad finds the front door, but finds it sealed shut, forcing him to attempt to find a alternate way out of the manor.