The 11th Hour

About

"The 11th Hour" is a horror adventure game, serving as a sequel to "The 7th Guest". As journalist Carl Denning, you investigate the mysterious disappearance of your lover Robin in the abandoned mansion of the sinister toy maker Henry Stauf. Solve puzzles and uncover the dark legacy of Harley town in this feature-length, cinematic challenge with immersive 3D graphics.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

48%

Audience ScoreBased on 99 reviews

story12 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game features challenging puzzles that can provide a satisfying experience for players who enjoy difficult gameplay.
The atmosphere and visuals, while dated, still evoke a sense of nostalgia and maintain some charm from the original game.
The inclusion of a hint system and the ability to skip certain puzzles can help alleviate some frustration for players.

The riddles and puzzles can be overly obtuse and frustrating, often requiring players to rely on external guides to progress.
The FMV cutscenes are poorly acted and can detract from the overall experience, feeling more like a chore than an engaging story element.
Technical issues, such as crashes and poor compatibility with modern systems, make the game difficult to enjoy without significant effort.

story
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
76%
7%
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it illogical, strange, and lacking coherence compared to its predecessor, "The 7th Guest." While some appreciated the innovative presentation of the narrative through video clips and the improved acting, others criticized it for being filled with plot holes and cheesy moments. Overall, the story is seen as a step up in terms of structure but still fails to deliver a compelling or satisfying experience.
- “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.”
- “This game, at least, is self-contained; though the story is still given to you in short, seemingly nonsensical fragments after solving each riddle, at the end of each hour the fragments are combined into a long video, with gaps filled in, that tells a complete chunk of the story.”
- “The acting is a step up from the 7th guest, and even though the plot was on par with a typical 'B' movie, I was connected enough to the characters to want to see the outcome.”
- “Awful story, much worse than the first game.”
- “The story isn't great, and was rather unfulfilling.”
- “The gameplay is all pretty divorced from the story.”
music
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
69%
8%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its atmospheric quality and nostalgic ties to classic titles, while others criticize it for being repetitive, poorly mixed, and at times, irritating. Many players noted the lack of volume control, which detracted from the experience, as the music often overpowered voice acting and sound effects. Overall, while there are moments of brilliance, the soundtrack is seen as inconsistent and not on par with modern standards.
- “It was a simple, yet extremely atmospheric game with jaw-dropping visuals, FMVs, juicy horror scenes, and brilliant music by the Fat Man himself (the man who wrote music for treasures like Loom and Wing Commander).”
- “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 music 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.”
- “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 Stauff 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
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
77%
10%
The gameplay of "The 11th Hour" is characterized by a mix of puzzles and riddles, heavily relying on an obtuse "treasure hunt" mechanic that many players find frustrating and confusing. While the game features improved graphics and some engaging animations, the overall mechanics are often seen as tedious and disconnected from the story, leading to a less enjoyable experience compared to its predecessor, "The 7th Guest." Players have noted that the gameplay can be more enjoyable when approached collaboratively, but the reliance on cryptic clues and trial-and-error can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “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.”
- “Through various video clips throughout the gameplay, the player discovers what is happening and why.”
- “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 'treasure hunt' mechanic, which makes up well over half the game, is bad.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The graphics of the game are a mixed bag, with some praising the atmospheric visuals and improved FMV production that evoke 90s nostalgia, while others criticize the lack of detail and inconsistency between cutscenes and gameplay graphics. Although the game was visually impressive for its time, many reviewers note that it struggles to hold up against modern standards, leading to performance issues on newer hardware. Overall, while the graphics contribute to the game's atmosphere, they are often seen as outdated and lacking in depth compared to its predecessor.
- “It was simple, yet extremely atmospheric game with jaw-dropping visuals, FMVs, juicy horror scenes, and brilliant music by the Fat Man himself (the man who wrote music to treasures like Loom and Wing Commander).”
- “The graphics for gameplay were very good for this time period.”
- “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.”
- “If they do an update with a graphics overhaul, I will give it a shot, but please don’t buy this mess.”
- “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.”
- “The game itself holds up to the passage of time, but the graphics, speed, sound, color, etc. are not adjustable and may make the game lag or be twitchy on newer computers.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding the FMV cutscenes unintentionally funny and Stauf's sarcastic remarks both annoying and occasionally hilarious. While the game appeals to those who appreciate cheesy 90s nostalgia, it may not resonate with everyone due to its quirky and sometimes off-putting comedic elements. Overall, a sense of open-mindedness and a tolerance for campy humor are recommended for enjoyment.
- “What we all wanted was interesting puzzles, more interactions, more funny animations, more atmosphere, and so on.”
- “FMV cutscenes are so godawful, but funny in their own right.”
- “People find Stauf's berating annoying in this game, which I agree with, albeit some of the lines were hilarious.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its stunning visuals, impressive FMV production, and an exceptional soundtrack by a renowned composer, creating a nostalgic yet unique experience reminiscent of classic titles. However, some players noted that the environments felt overly dark and limited in size, detracting from the overall immersion. Despite these critiques, the combination of challenging puzzles and engaging storytelling contributes to a compelling atmospheric experience.
- “It was a simple, yet extremely atmospheric game with jaw-dropping visuals, FMVs, juicy horror scenes, and brilliant music by the Fat Man himself (the man who wrote music for treasures like Loom and Wing Commander).”
- “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.”
- “What we all wanted was interesting puzzles, more interactions, more funny animations, and more atmosphere.”
- “The environments feel uncomfortably small and overly dark, lacking the contrast needed to create a compelling horror-film atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is more frustrating than immersive, making it hard to engage with the game.”
- “Instead of creating tension, the atmosphere feels bland and uninspired, failing to draw players into the experience.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent freezes and crashes, particularly when navigating away from the game or during startup. While players appreciate the nostalgia, the bugs present make it difficult to recommend.
- “Just it freezes sometimes and then you need to start over.”
- “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.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is overwhelmingly tedious, with slow cutscenes and frustratingly lengthy puzzles that often require hints to expedite progress. Many players find the experience excruciatingly repetitive, with some puzzles feeling poorly designed and excessively time-consuming. Overall, the grinding detracts significantly from the enjoyment of the game.
- “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.”