If you could be a fly on the wall in the middle of a murder mystery, would you? The Invisible Hours created by Tequila Works, puts you right in the middle of a grand stage where you must dedicate time to getting to know all of the characters in order to solve the who-dun-it mystery.
In the classic who-dun-it style, a group of strangers are invited to a mansion. The reason for coming is a chance to right the worst thing they have ever done. The author of the invitation is Nikola Tesla. After everyone has arrived, they find that Tesla has been murdered. A Swedish detective tries to find out who among the guests had the motive and will to kill Tesla. From this setup, you might think that you play as the detective. But the truth is far more inventive. You are outside the action at all times. You are given the ability to examine the murder site for clues and follow any of the characters as the story plays out.
It would not be fair to totally classify this as a game, not is it a visual novel. A few years ago,I saw a theatrical production of the Reservoir Dogs. This was not a traditional stage show where audiences were seating in the theater, rather it was staged in a warehouse where the audience was free to roam around and follow characters in order to get more of the story. This example is the closest I can get to describing what The Invisible Hours is. You can learn all of the character’s secrets, you can uncover clues but you cannot influence how the story is going to play out. This is a new way to present a story. A VR theater that gives you a more interactive experience than traditional theater could ever hope to.
The characters are not your traditional murder suspects. You have a famous actress of the time rubbing shoulders with a blind butler and Thomas Edison himself. This mix of fiction and history allows for a much more dramatic story. In the real world Tesla died of a heart attack but the circumstances were a little strange. He was found dead in his hotel room alone. By putting real figures in an alternate history, you do not know how the story is going to play out. Where there have always been conspiracy theories, that Edison had something to do with Tesla’s death, this story might show that Edison is the killer.
Graphically the character models are not the most lifelike, but they still show expression. The graphics are not the focus here however, the story is. This game should be experienced in VR. As you get the feeling of being a ghost who can go and do what they please. The replayability of this game is high. During one play through, you might see Thomas Edison and the butler talking. The next time, you will go and see what the actress is up to during that exact same time. This game demands to be played multiple times if you want the full story of what happened to Tesla.
While there has been a patch to the game where you can play outside of VR, it’s a better experience to stick with in your VR system. Something just falls away if you don’t. With that said, the game is very well presented and finding out who killed Tesla becomes a mission. I highly recommend this game because there is too much to miss out on if you don’t play once. Or multiple times.
8/10 Stars
The Invisible Hours is available now on PS4 and PC (VR only). The ability to play off VR comes on 4/24/18 as well as an Xbox version.
