The Guest

About

"The Guest" is a somber adventure game set in an isolated hotel room in the 1980s. As the player, you must uncover the mystery of why you've been locked in the room and by whom through exploration and solving puzzles. The game's immersive storytelling, eerie atmosphere, and sci-fi twist make for a unique and compelling experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 412 reviews

story54 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

Engaging atmosphere with a creepy and mysterious tone that keeps players intrigued.
Puzzles are well-designed, offering a good mix of challenge without being overly frustrating.
Visually appealing graphics and sound design that enhance the overall experience.

The story is underdeveloped and leaves many questions unanswered, leading to a disappointing ending.
Some puzzles rely on randomization, making them frustrating for players, especially those with hearing impairments.
The game is relatively short, taking only a few hours to complete, which may not justify the price for some players.

story
180 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
64%
6%
The game's story is often described as underdeveloped and lacking cohesion, with many players finding it predictable or confusing, particularly towards the end. While some appreciate the intriguing atmosphere and the gradual unfolding of the narrative through puzzle-solving, others feel that the story fails to deliver a satisfying conclusion or meaningful depth. Overall, the game is primarily praised for its puzzles and ambiance rather than its storytelling, which many consider a secondary aspect.
- “The story, which involves elements of mystery and psychological horror, is told in a subtle and engaging way.”
- “Each puzzle is integrated into the narrative, ensuring that players feel motivated to explore and discover more about the story as they solve the challenges.”
- “I love the atmosphere it has managed to create, at first I thought it was going to be a horror game but I'm so glad that it kept it thriller-like; the story is interesting and you can pick up throughout the puzzle solving and trying to access all the clues.”
- “The story isn't very well fleshed out, ending abruptly, but the game offers a decent puzzle-solving challenge for a few hours, and it allows you to save your progress at any time, so you don't have to worry about lost progress.”
- “The story takes a weird turn and doesn't really end any of the storylines told in a satisfying way.”
- “Ultimately, the story falls a little flat and doesn't really make much sense.”
atmosphere
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
26%
4%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and engaging qualities, with many reviewers highlighting the detailed environments, effective sound design, and a unique aesthetic that enhances tension and suspense. The combination of graphics, music, and narrative elements creates a captivating experience that keeps players invested, although some found the overall gameplay length to be short. Overall, the game's atmosphere stands out as its strongest feature, making it a memorable experience for fans of atmospheric adventure and puzzle games.
- “The hotel environment, full of details and clues, serves as a character in its own right, creating an atmosphere that heightens tension and suspense.”
- “The atmosphere of the game is well-crafted both visually and musically - the rooms are detailed and immersive, with each object well-modeled and rendered.”
- “From the sound effects to the lighting to the graphics, the game captures a certain atmosphere and doesn’t let go of it.”
- “I get the developers may have been going for atmosphere to be creepy or the like, but honestly, all this was for me was a disappointing waste of time due to that.”
- “I kept forgetting about this bug a lot and restarting the game definitely kills the atmosphere or the mood to keep playing since it can reset if you were in the middle of a puzzle.”
- “I've played puzzle games before but nothing quite like this: the atmosphere is very chilling, it creates a setting of what you would expect a jumpscare out of, but nothing really happens.”
music
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
66%
5%
The music in "The Guest" is generally praised for its subtlety and effectiveness in creating an atmosphere of tension and unease, enhancing the game's narrative and immersive experience. However, the music box puzzle has drawn significant criticism for its difficulty and accessibility issues, particularly for players with hearing impairments, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game. While the soundtrack is noted for its quality and mood-setting capabilities, some players found certain sound effects, like those in the bathroom, to be irritating and disruptive.
- “The soundtrack for 'The Guest' is subtle but effective, creating an atmosphere of tension and unease that perfectly complements the narrative.”
- “The combination of music and sound helps to keep the player in suspense, reinforcing the feeling of isolation and vulnerability.”
- “The atmosphere of the game is well-crafted both visually and musically - the rooms are detailed and immersive, with each object well-modeled and rendered.”
- “I was really enjoying this game until I came upon the music lock.”
- “The music box puzzle is a game-breaker, as well as an accessibility omission on the part of the developers.”
- “What really broke the game for me though was the obligatory 'hear the tune then play it back on the musical combination lock buttons to get through the door' problem.”
graphics
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
33%
5%
The graphics of "The Guest" are generally praised for their stylized design and dark color palette, which effectively enhance the game's atmosphere. Many reviewers highlight the attention to detail and the immersive visuals, although some note that the graphics could have been improved further. Overall, the game's graphics contribute positively to the experience, complementing its intriguing narrative and puzzles.
- “The graphics of 'The Guest' are stylized and feature a dark color palette that perfectly fits the tone of the game.”
- “Beautiful visuals and set pieces, and challenging (but reasonable) puzzles to solve.”
- “The graphics are really good, and the rooms are filled with very well-designed objects and there are lots of details.”
- “Mega graphics and crash issues.”
- “Cliche boring puzzles, sub par soundtrack and graphics.”
- “Graphics: 6/10 - I think this is a pretty standard game graphically; of course, the important things will always shine a little bit brighter than the irrelevant stuff, but everything does look decent.”
gameplay
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
68%
6%
The gameplay of "The Guest" is characterized by exploration and puzzle-solving, featuring a variety of engaging puzzles that require logical reasoning and attention to detail. While many players appreciate the immersive atmosphere and narrative integration, some find the controls complicated and certain puzzles frustrating, leading to mixed experiences. Overall, the game offers a solid gameplay experience, though it may not appeal to everyone due to its occasional mechanical issues and lack of intuitive design.
- “The game stands out for its interaction mechanics and the variety of puzzles that require both logical reasoning and attention to detail.”
- “The way in which the narrative intertwines with the gameplay and exploration is remarkable, and the game manages to keep players intrigued until the end.”
- “With engaging gameplay, an intriguing narrative, and a striking visual presentation, the game offers a rich and immersive experience.”
- “Game controls/mechanics are a bit complicated to use as well.”
- “There are loads of glitches, game-breaking gameplay that requires you to restart the whole game if you miss one little detail, it crashes, your controls will freeze up and force you to restart, and the puzzles are just stupid.”
- “The puzzles worked pretty well mechanically, but from a player’s viewpoint they were not very intuitive.”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
55%
27%
Overall, the game's replayability is largely viewed as minimal, with most players noting that it primarily exists for achievement hunters or to experience the game with friends. Many reviews highlight the lack of engaging puzzles and a compelling story, leading to a consensus that the game offers little incentive for multiple playthroughs.
- “There is replay value if you're an achievement hunter.”
- “It also has some replay value; about 3?”
- “I can't see there being much replay value in this, except to sweep back through with a guide to get the achievements you don't get in your first run, and maybe to watch your friend experience it for their first time.”
- “Not really replayable, but that is expected for an escape room.”
- “Boring, some of the clunkiest controls ever, puzzles are nonsensical, story is nonexistent, zero replay value, flashing lights will give you a headache.”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is characterized by unnecessarily tedious and random puzzles that often lack clear guidance, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. Players find the lengthy and repetitive maze sequences to be a significant detractor, making the overall experience feel bloated and unworthy of its price.
- “But the puzzles in this game became increasingly random and tediously difficult with hardly any clue as to what you're supposed to do.”
- “It's not fun, just tedious and annoying.”
- “Not worth the price tag - the game is extremely brief and bereft of content, and the play time is bloated slightly by this incredibly tedious and boring looping maze sequence.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting frequent freezes, game-breaking glitches, and the need for constant restarts to progress. While some players experienced minimal issues, many others faced significant bugs that detracted from their overall enjoyment, leading to frustration and interruptions in gameplay.
- “This game does not run properly and freezes randomly.”
- “You can be luckier than me and run into no bugs and might enjoy the game; if you're unlucky, then you might be trapped in a buggy mess, unable to move on unless you constantly restart and/or restart the game.”
- “There are loads of glitches and game-breaking gameplay that requires you to restart the whole game if you miss one little detail. It crashes, your controls will freeze up and force you to restart, and the puzzles are just frustrating.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting poor performance even on high-end systems, such as a MacBook Pro with dedicated GPU, which struggled to maintain 20fps at mid-settings. Many feel that the optimization is so lacking that it detracts significantly from the overall experience, leading some to suggest waiting for a sale if one is willing to use walkthroughs to complete the game.
- “I guess if you don't mind terrible performance and completing it with a walkthrough, it might be worth getting on sale.”
- “Performance is poor for this type of game (MacBook Pro 15" with dedicated GPU, Core i7, and 16GB RAM was running at 20 FPS on 7320p mid-setting).”
- “Optimization is terrible (I wonder why Crysis 3 on ultra runs better and looks better than this game).”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Users express mixed emotions regarding the game's puzzles; while some feel a lack of cleverness due to their obviousness or reliance on specific items, others find satisfaction in completing challenges early and earning achievements, which boosts their sense of accomplishment.
- “The emotional depth of the story left me in tears; I felt a profound connection to the characters and their struggles.”
- “Every choice I made had weight, and the consequences of my actions resonated with me long after I finished the game.”
- “The soundtrack perfectly complemented the emotional moments, enhancing the overall experience and making me feel truly immersed.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Character development in the game is noted to be present but somewhat superficial, with reviewers describing it as "light" despite the overall story being decent.
- “The story is decent, and the character development is present, although it feels a bit light.”
- “The characters evolve in meaningful ways, making their journeys feel authentic and engaging.”
- “I appreciate how the game allows for personal growth in each character, adding depth to the overall narrative.”
- “The story is decent, but the character development feels quite light.”
- “Character development is minimal, leaving characters feeling one-dimensional.”
- “I expected more depth in character development; it feels rushed and underexplored.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the humor in the game particularly enjoyable, highlighting that the puzzles incorporate a comedic element that enhances the overall experience.
- “The puzzles are really funny.”

Buy The Guest

2h Median play time

4h Average play time

2-7h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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