Seven Games of the Soul

Production

All of the adventure games published by Cryo are loosely based on classic tales, and this is no exception, being based on the story of Faust, where a man sells his soul to the devil. Other games in this series include Ring and The New Adventures of the Time Machine, which like this game, are only tangentially related to the original stories.

The game was released in Sweden by IQ Media.

Plot

The player assumes the role of an elderly African American man named Marcellus Faust. He finds himself in an abandoned amusement park called Dreamland where he meets a mysterious man named Mephistopheles. He explains that he and "the boss" are arguing over what should happen to seven souls, and tells you that your job is to arbitrate their cases - to look over the evidence and decide if they are guilty or innocent. Through the journeys of the seven characters, the game aims to reveal insights and observations about human nature. At the very end it is revealed that you, not Mephistopheles, is the devil; you have had your memory wiped so you can look over these cases objectively. He is given the opportunity to swap roles with the owner of the park.

Gameplay

The game has generic features of post-Myst adventure games. Players pass many 360 panoramic screens, and by clicking on objects and manipualting items, they can progress through the level. The aim of each of the seven levels is to reveal secrets about the sins each person has committed. Once this is achieved, a cutscene will play and the player will commence the next level.

Critical reception

The game has a Metacritic rating of 52% based on 7 critic reviews.

GameSpot criticised the game, writing " The real problem with Seven Games of the Soul is that it's not only nonsensical, but it's also pretentious. " IGN mirrored this view, commenting "The box for Seven Games of the Soul promises a game rich with story and immerse atmosphere ¿ an adventure that simply oozes inexplicable style and vivid imagery through exotic locations, dark mystery and quirky characters. The truth is, however, that this game makes no freakin' sense whatsoever". While questioning the contextual relevance of the musical choices, the latter site also praised Mephisto's character as being "wonderfully acted".

Adventure Gamers offered a more favourable analysis, concluding: "A philosophically ambitious game that distinguishes itself from the crowd. A rewarding experience, but expect plenty of confusion along the way", praising its "unique, complex premise; atmospheric, multi-layered mystery; high production values; excellent music; nice puzzle variety".