The 11th Hour

"Amazing sequel to The 7th Guest"

Following the success of The 7th Guest, a sequel was inevitable. While The 11th Hour was not as breath-taking as The 7th Guest when it was released, this had more to do with the fact that The 11th Hour didnt feel as fresh as its prequel. However...The 11th Hour is a better game than its prequel, with amazingly sweet graphics, music, a brand new story and wicked new puzzles.

Story
Many, many years after the incident at the Stauf Mansion, several murders have been taking place in a small town not far from the infamous mansion. When one of Carl Denning friends becomes missing, he sets out to investigate what happened, and all things eventually leads back to the grizzly mantion, now boarded up and completely abandoned. Or is it....

The story is amazing. Presented in beautiful looking Full Motion Videos(Some of the best in a Interactive Movie-Game like this), it drives the story forward, filled with both violence and other non-children material, fit for a nice thriller/horror movie. Its presented stylishly, with fitting music and perfectly created scenes in every shot, to make sure it is as effective as possible.
Some nice twists, and multiple endings makes this one a winner. Perfectioned story telling in a game like this.
Score: 8/10

Gameplay
Just like its prequel, The 7th Guest, this game uses the exactly same way of navigating and playing. You move from screen to screen, with nicely animated movement between each screen. In each screen, you control a skeleton hand that lets you choose directions where to go, or items to manipulate or look at. The skeleton hand is nicely animated and if there is a way to the left, and you move the hand to the left, you`ll see the creepy but trusty hand make a pointing movement to that way, indicating that you can go there. Its simple, its easy, and its effective.

The other half of the game, just like its prequel, is spent on Puzzles. Far more wicked than its older variants, the puzzles in this game are more clever in many ways. Unlike 7th Guest, there are fewer of those simply impossible puzzles, and most of these puzzles can be solved by most people if worked on for a while. That was one very delightful surprise, since The 7th Guest required you to look up in a guide for most puzzles, which became rather tedious. You can see that they have learned of their mistakes and made the whole gameplay more effective, faster and friendly.

When you solve a puzzle, you are then often rewarded with FMV`s, or the house further unlocked(Freedom is a bit limited in the beginning, but it gradually opens up), letting you further in. This could sound a little boring, but the combination between the fun cutscenes and the puzzles, and the fun of exploring the mansion just grabs you and keeps you going all night.
Score: 7/10

Graphics
The 7th Guest looked great when it was released, so it was no surprise that The 11th Hour would look great too. And boy, this game is beautiful. It still is. The graphics are superbly done, the puzzles are nicely animated, the FMV`s are among the best of the Interactive Games. And, it is important that the graphics in a game like this is top notch, but on the other hand it is easier to make slower games look good, so there`s no excuse to slack on the graphics. The 11th Hour is stunning, and the way the mansion has detoriated, or perhaps, evolved, is fascinating when comparing the two games. In one way, 11th Hour is less spooky than its prequel, but in another way, its so much more "belivable" if one can say that about the game due to the great graphics. Its still insanely creepy, and it hasnt lost the touch, much of it thanks to the graphics.
Score: 8/10

Sound
Once again, the game sounds amazing. The 7th Guest had fantastic music, and good but slightly cheezy voice acting. The 11th Hour improves on everything, with incredible music and much better acting/voice. The music is done by the same man who made the music for The 7th Guest, "Fat Man", and is some of the best game music ever. It sucks you in and doesnt let go. The Puzzle music is very special, and both fun, and kinda freaky to listen to at the same time. Not once does the game let go of the mood it so perfectly creates. Some old songs are missed though, but the new ones are so fantastic that its not a big loss.
Score: 9/10

Summary
The 11th Hour became the last trip to the Stauf Mansion, but it is a trip to remember. Everything that made The 7th Guest so good, is in here, but multiplied. The Length, the graphics, the music, the acting, the fun and excitement, everything is done as good as it can be to make sure The 11th hour be one of the best Interactive Horror Games ever. Its right up there with Phantasmagoria as proud examples of a Interactive Game done right. Nearly 10 Years since it was released, and it still is a fantastic game.
Score: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/30/04, Updated 08/31/07

Game Release: The 11th Hour (US, 11/30/95)