Seven Games of the Soul
$14.95		(Win95/98/ME/XP) (Retail) (7GAMESPR)

Arxel Tribe Multimedia /
Cryo Interactive Entertainment

Game

Previously released as: Faust

Animated Violence / Mature Sexual Themes

Ratings:

A from Just Adventure

8/10 from EuroGamer

4/5 from Adventure Gamer

7 Souls Were Tempted,
7 Souls Will Be Damned,
7 Souls Must Be Saved...
Plus One More, Yours.

Marcellus Faust. An old wise man from Mississippi, the last guard of an unused theme park at the frontier between heaven and hell. Midnight... A strange visitor appears... It is Mephisto, an aristocrat demon, supreme manipulator and tempter. A duel between the hunter and his prey runs its course. The stakes? Salvation or damnation! Faust must avoid the traps set by the master of illusions and go through the looking glass. Faust must cross the frontiers of time to investigate the strange past of the park. Dive into a whirlwind of paranormal phenomena to solve the 7 mysteries that haunt these walls.

A game of adventure/investigation in seven episodes animated by the most attractive of hosts: Mephisto himself.

Terror, fantasy, humor and passion set in an atmospheric 20's to the 60's U.S.A. setting.

Characters modelled and animated with the latest 3D animation techniques.

After each episode, play the 3D attractions as much as you want (ghost train, shooting gallery, etc.) look at the films again or listen to the music once more...

A clue engine is there to help you.

A soundtrack of universal hits including Marvin Gaye, Billie Holiday, Stan Getz and John Lee Hooker.

Requirements:

Windows 95/98/ME/XP, Pentium 200 MMX, 32MB RAM, 12x CD-ROM drive (24x recommended), 290 Mb available on the hard drive, DirectX6 (supplied on the disc), 16 bit graphic card (24 bit recommended), 2Mb video memory, mouse.

NOTE: Your system must be entirely compatible with DirectX 6. This game doesn't run on non-MMX PC, such as Pentium Pro.

Reviews:

Reviews are of Faust, the previous title of Seven Games of the Soul.

Just Adventure by Tom Houston

"You play the part of Marcellus Faust, an old black man who has been brought to the park by Mephistopheles--"you can call me Mephisto"--and he has no memory of who he is and knows nothing about the activities that have transpired in Dreamland before his arrival. Mephisto will explain to you that he has brought you to Dreamland to help in settling a dispute that Mephisto has with the Boss (God). Mephisto explains that he did his duty very well in dealing with the "problematic" inhabitants of Dreamland, but now the Boss is denying him what he deserves and desires. The Boss and Mephisto have agreed that they need an arbitrator to settle the matter, ..."

"The presentation of the character Mephisto is obviously central to the game's ability to draw the player in and keep him/her captivated. The voice of Mephisto is magnificent ... riveting, as it should be. For example, just consider the way in which Mephisto's voice is used to activate the normally mundane load, save, and exit functions: For load, Mephisto says, "Come here pussycat," in a sultry sort of mood; ..."

"...Jazz vocal stylists Mel Torme, Marvin Gaye, Sarah Vaughn, Margaret Whiting, and John Lee Hooker, the unique blues instrumental offerings of Stan Getz, Clyde McCoy, and Gerry Mulligan, and the compositions of the likes of Franz Liszt (Mephisto Waltz) are included in the wonderful soundtrack that accompanies the various episodes of the story--the music is magnificent. Even today, I can't get some of these tunes out of my head... '

"...I think that you'll really enjoy the adventure--as my friend Stuart Yoder would say, "Faust is not only to be enjoyed, but to be savored." The Devil made me say it."

EuroGamer by John "Gestalt" Bye (11/26/99)

"Based on the story of the man who sold his soul to the devil, Faust is sometimes disturbing, sometimes funny, and almost always downright bizarre..."

"The puzzles are fairly challenging at times, but the solutions are always logical enough when you apply a little brain power to the problem. There isn't much here that will stump a hardened adventure gamer, but I found it difficult enough to keep me involved without becoming frustrating."

"The best part of Faust though is the story telling. Because the cast is limited to just seven main characters (plus yourself and Mephisto), you get to know them all as you explore the park and find out more about their lives, and the terms of their pacts with the devil."

Adventure Gamer by Ray Ivey

"The talented designers at Arxel Tribe aren't satisfied with the tried and true adventure game settings. Not for them the Greatest Hits of Atlantis, Egypt, and Maya. No, these folks have challenged themselves to get a bit more creative when finding material to mine for games. First it was medieval England in Pilgrim. Late last year it was Wagner's five Ring operas. Coming up next are games called - are you ready for this? - Pompeii and Jerusalem. Be still my heart. Don't get me wrong, I love Atlantis, Egypt and Central America, but I'm thrilled that this wild Slovenian team are determined to boldly take me where no adventure game has gone before!

"Which brings us to Faust. Based, of course, on Goethe's morality tale of a man who sells his soul to the devil, this story might not be immediately obvious as the source for a good game."

"I also must say that Faust has the best use of music I've ever experienced in a game. Period, bar none, absolutely, end of story. The score includes old torch songs, Big Band era music, Marvin Gaye ballads, and even a rock tune or two, all of which add immeasurably to the atmosphere of the game. In fact, in several areas the choice of music adds an additional ironic layer of comment to the proceedings. And to top it all off, there's a feature in the main menu that allows you to get a rundown on every single piece of music used in the game. I hope game designers everywhere will study Faust when it comes time to work on music for their new games."

"I should make very clear, however, that much of the subject matter of Faust is macabre, dark and intense. If you know me, you know that those three adjectives are high praise indeed, and I LOVE games that tread into this area. But I recognize that there are players out there who aren't interested in this kind of material. So, when you're deciding whether to play this game, ask yourself if you are really in the mood for a walk on the wild side. The game touches on child labor, murder, dismemberment, disfigurement, and rape. It also includes the first (fleeting) instance of full frontal male nudity I've ever seen in an adventure game. (Those Europeans, you know.)"

"Faust is not a masterpiece; it's a bit too flawed for that. But it's a compulsively playable, beautiful, sinister and complex game that is bursting at the seems with creativity. For me, the game's problems, while not inconsiderable, were very much overshadowed by its enormous strengths. I had a wonderful time playing it..."

Quandary Reviews by Gordon Aplin

"There aren't too many computer games around that challenge us to think, really think about the perceived nature of 'good' and 'evil'. For the most part we are quite comfortable with clearly defined 'baddies' who deserve all they get. We are content to sit in judgement and administer 'justice' or 'revenge' as the case may be, simply because the issues are presented simplistically. Simplicity can be satisfying and entertaining especially when we don't want to think too deeply, but occasionally it can also be satisfying, and even a little disturbing, to move out of our comfort zone and grapple with more complex issues.

"Seven Games of the Soul is a game that enables us to do just that. At times it is quite confronting and as such it may not be to everyone's taste. Some of the scenarios have a grotesque, nightmarish feel about them, designed to have you squirming in your seat, so expect to be shocked and shaken up a little."

"I must say that this game fascinated me. I enjoyed both the challenge and the way it allowed me to connect with the characters and their lives … showing them not as freaks but as all too human. I wouldn't recommend it for beginners and certainly not for children, but it's well worth consideration by experienced players who are looking for something different and would appreciate a dose of dark humour packaged in a surreal dream world."

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