The 11th Hour

About

"The 11th Hour" is a single-player horror arcade game with a good story. Set 70 years after the events of "The 7th Guest," the player takes on the role of Carl Denning, investigating the disappearance of their colleague and lover, Robin Morales, in the abandoned mansion of the infamous toy maker Henry Stauf. The game features over twenty-two beautifully-rendered rooms and a wide array of challenging puzzles, weaving a feature-length, contemporary adult mystery filled with madness and terror.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

48%

Audience ScoreBased on 87 reviews

story11 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

The game features challenging and interesting puzzles that can provide a rewarding experience for players who enjoy brain teasers.
The FMV sequences, while cheesy, add a nostalgic charm and contribute to the overall atmosphere of the game.
The improved graphics and animations compared to its predecessor, The 7th Guest, create a more immersive experience in the haunted mansion setting.

The game suffers from frustrating mechanics, including obtuse riddles and puzzles that often feel unfair or illogical, leading to player annoyance.
Technical issues, such as crashes and poor compatibility with modern systems, hinder the gameplay experience significantly.
Stauf's constant mocking and belittling comments can be grating, detracting from the enjoyment of solving puzzles and exploring the game.

story
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
76%
6%
The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it captivating and better structured than its predecessor, "The 7th Guest," while others criticize it for being unfulfilling and filled with plot holes. The narrative is presented through a series of video clips unlocked by solving puzzles, which some found innovative, though many felt the story was often disconnected from the gameplay. Overall, while there are moments of intrigue and some creepy elements, the story is generally viewed as cheesy and lacking depth, with a B-movie quality that may appeal to fans of the genre but leaves others wanting more.
- “The gamebook interface-within-an-interface is an innovative approach to presenting the video clips, given that the gamebook device also exists in the fictional world of the game’s story.”
- “There's basically a thriller/horror movie embedded in the game with a nice storyline.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing, the 3D rendered graphics and animations were further improved upon, the quality in FMV production improved, the puzzles were equally as challenging as the first game, the story was enough to keep you invested, and all of this lent itself well to a 90s nostalgia-inducing atmosphere similar to the 7th guest yet unique in its own way.”
- “The story isn't great and was rather unfulfilling.”
- “The story itself is basically C-grade horror; it's a little too silly to be genuinely frightening, but there are some creepy moments and cool effects.”
- “On top of that, the story that the cutscenes tell is not very compelling or good.”
music
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
72%
9%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its nostalgic qualities and others criticizing its inconsistency and lack of volume control. Many noted that the soundtrack often overpowers voice acting, making it difficult to follow the narrative, while others found the music to be repetitive and ill-suited to the game's atmosphere. Overall, while there are moments of commendable music, the execution leaves much to be desired, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The soundtrack is amazing, a true accomplishment; some puzzles are so difficult that you could be listening to the same tune for hours and you will hardly feel tired from hearing it.”
- “The game comes bundled with a soundtrack (not all the in-game songs, but sort of a stand-alone mini-albumesque thing that's sort of adjacent to the in-game music) that has a couple decent tracks in it.”
- “The soundtrack is pretty nice, especially when it goes on sale.”
- “Also, I don't recommend this if you're easily irritated by auditory annoyances - the keys to independently control the volume of the voice and the music don't register, so you have to tolerate too-loud music to be able to hear what the narrator is saying.”
- “The music soundtrack is okay, but most of the gameplay tracks seem to be identical or similar to the 7th Guest tracks, and the quality of the composing/arranging is wildly inconsistent.”
- “Furthermore, the house also tortures you with grating music that will make your eardrums bleed, it also makes every transition monotonous, because it cuts to a short movement walk when you move between rooms.”
gameplay
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
76%
12%
The gameplay of "The 11th Hour" has been criticized for its confusing mechanics and interface, which detract from the overall experience and make it frustrating for players. Many reviewers found the puzzle and riddle elements to be overly obtuse, often requiring cryptic solutions that can feel tedious rather than enjoyable. While some appreciated the nostalgic connection to its predecessor, "The 7th Guest," the game struggles to meet modern gaming standards, leading to a lack of engagement and enjoyment.
- “Games today have a lot more intention put into being intuitive to play, and most games have similar mechanics that allow you to bypass some of the frustrating trial and error process.”
- “The gameplay is a combination of puzzles and riddles.”
- “The gameplay is driven by answering 'riddles' which read and are solved like British cryptic crossword puzzle clues.”
- “But I mostly found myself too annoyed by the mechanics and interface to get more than two hours through it.”
- “Just leaving this review because I don't know if other reviews called this aspect out specifically - the disrespect for your time, and the intentionally confusing/obtuse nature of the game making it difficult to figure out if you need to keep trying and think outside the box or if there's just something you're not picking up on about the mechanics.”
- “The major game mechanic is no longer the puzzles proper (as in the 7th guest), but rather, an obtuse 'treasure hunt' where you are presented with a clue and need to find an object within the mansion that corresponds to the clue's solution.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some praising the improved 3D rendering and FMV production, while others criticize the lack of detail and inconsistency between cutscenes and gameplay visuals. Many users note that the graphics do not hold up well over time, especially on modern hardware, leading to performance issues. Overall, while the visuals may evoke nostalgia, they are often seen as inferior compared to the game's predecessors.
- “The soundtrack is amazing, the 3D rendered graphics and animations were further improved upon, the quality in FMV production improved, the puzzles were equally as challenging as the first game, the story was enough to keep you invested, and all of this lent itself well to a 90s nostalgia-inducing atmosphere similar to The 7th Guest yet unique in its own way.”
- “The graphics are improved and there is more gore, it lacks in reinventing itself.”
- “The cutscenes feel like they aren't related to the game at all because they feel like a completely different style, where in the prior game there was a lot of effort put into matching the scenes to the look of the mansion, and they had a ghostly quality that fit the visuals.”
- “At first, it might fool you because of the animations, but the game lacks most of the detail in art in favor of the fancy new graphics.”
- “Frankly, the cutscenes feel like they aren't related to the game at all because they feel like a completely different style, where in the prior game there was a lot of effort put into matching the scenes to the look of the mansion, and they had a ghostly quality that fit the visuals.”
- “The game itself holds up to the passage of time, but the graphics, speed, sound, color, etc. are not adjustable (at least not by me) and depending on the computer (especially newer ones) may make the game lag or be twitchy - just a warning.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is overwhelmingly tedious, with slow cutscenes and frustrating puzzles that often require excessive moves and hint assistance to complete. Many players find the experience laborious, with some puzzles feeling poorly designed and overly time-consuming, detracting from overall enjoyment.
- “The game's one word summary would be 'tedious' -- it is that, far and above anything else it is.”
- “Some of the puzzles are absolutely terrible (irritatingly boring, or just 'figure this out and solve it because we were too lazy to make a real puzzle'), others are so tedious you know exactly what to do, but need the hint walkthrough just to make them go faster.”
- “As far as the mini games go (and this sequel has more than one of them), the best solution is to just ask for the hint AI to play each move, despite how excruciatingly tedious that is.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, particularly on current operating systems, with frequent bugs that can lead to crashes and freezes, especially when navigating away from the game or interacting during the opening sequence. While nostalgic, these technical problems hinder the overall experience and make it difficult to recommend.
- “As much as I love this game, the port to current operating systems is buggy.”
- “Much as I dig the nostalgia vibes, it's just a little too buggy to recommend.”
- “The game has some bugs; for instance, when you exit to check a walkthrough, the game freezes, and if you try to click during the opening sequence, it may cause the game to crash.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The atmosphere is characterized by a mix of nostalgia and modern improvements, with a strong 90s vibe reminiscent of classic titles like "The 7th Guest." While the soundtrack and graphics enhance the experience, some users find the environments overly dark and cramped, detracting from the overall ambiance.
- “The soundtrack is amazing, the 3D rendered graphics and animations were further improved upon, the quality in FMV production improved, the puzzles were equally as challenging as the first game, the story was enough to keep you invested, and all of this lent itself well to a 90s nostalgia-inducing atmosphere similar to The 7th Guest yet unique in its own way.”
- “The environments feel uncomfortably small and overly dark, lacking the contrast needed to create a compelling atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is more frustrating than immersive, making it hard to engage with the game world.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a cheesy, nostalgic 90s vibe that appeals to fans of the genre, particularly those who appreciated the humor in "The 7th Guest." Players are encouraged to approach the game with an open mind and a playful attitude to fully enjoy its quirky comedic elements.
- “I can only recommend this game if you enjoyed The 7th Guest, have a love for cheesy 90s nostalgia, and have a good sense of open-mindedness and a humor-me attitude.”
- “I think we already know the answer to that question, knowing Stauf's sense of humor and resourcefulness from the prior game.”

51%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

The 11th Hour Review
Gamespot.com
51%

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