History Trivia / TheSeventhGuest

* SerendipityWritesThePlot: ''The 7th Guest'' was originally planned to have the player meet the other guests in person while they were still alive. However, the bluescreen technology used left the filmed actors with the appearance of glowing auras at the edges, so the developers decided to make use of that to make them ghosts instead.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Carl Denning hasn't a clue what the [=GameBook=] is when he finds it on his doorstep. The prop used in the live action cutscenes is actually a real-life [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmtop_PC palmtop computer]], one of the predecessors of [=PDAs=] and cell phones. Some models even had network connectivity, which could somewhat justify how Samantha is able to reach Carl through it.

* ShoutOut: At the top of the grand stairway, there is a painting that can be clicked on. A pair of hands press out, stretching the painting, much like Freddy Kruger does in ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet''.

* MemeAcknowlegment: During one video for the Kickstarter project for the third installment, "The 13th Doll", Rob Hirschboeck reads several poems from a binder while walking through a sunlit graveyard, and all the while never hesitates to bring back Stauf's hamminess in every way possible. He even comments that Henry himself "down in the crypt" wrote them.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Good luck trying to find ''Uncle Henry's Playhouse''. Only twenty-seven copies were sold in the US. Worldwide sales capped at '''176 copies'''. Yes, those numbers are right. No, it hasn't been re-released.
* KillerApp: ''7th Guest'' was often bundled with CD-ROM drives. (At least until ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' came along.)

** The Microscope puzzle in ''7th Guest'' pits the player against an AI in a game of Ataxx. The AI performs a brief search tree for its most optimal move, waits for a set delay, and picks the best move it finds. Processors have become at least fifty times faster ''with a single core'' since 1993; the Ataxx AI can now think so far ahead in the same amount of delay that defeating the AI is nigh-impossible. But this was only one minigame in one relatively minor room of the house--and it didn't deliver a cutscene reward for winning--so excising it for the iOS release wasn't that big of a deal.

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** ''The 11th Hour'' features several puzzles that lock players in a "duel with Stauf". One such "duel" is the final puzzle of the game, which is essentially a game of Pente. To access the game's multiple endings, players have to beat the final puzzle multiple times--and each successive playthrough gives the AI a bigger advantage in that puzzle. ''11th Hour'' can't be re-released until the developers find a way to limit the AI's advantage over human players.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Good luck trying to find ''Uncle Henry's Playhouse''; only '''''27''''' copies were sold in the US, with worldwide sales capping off at '''''176'''''. Yes, you read the numbers right. And no, it hasn't seen re-release.
* KillerApp: Until ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' came along, this game often came bundled with CD-ROM drives.
* TechnologyMarchesOn: The reason why ''11th Hour'' has not yet shown up on iOS, and why the Microscope puzzle was left out of the iOS version of 7th Guest.
** The Microscope puzzle uses AI to play a game of Ataxx with the player, and you must beat it to proceed. Thanks to processing advances since the initial PC release, it's nigh impossible for a human to beat now. The game AI allots itself a set amount of time to perform a search tree for its most optimal move, then after a preset delay, picks the best move it's found by then. A really good processor back in 1993 ran about 40-60 [=MHz=]. They have since become 50 times faster ''with a single core'', and as a result the Ataxx AI can think far, far, far more ahead in the same amount of delay. However, since it was only one game, in controlling only one (relatively minor) room of the house, excising it for the iOS release wasn't that big of a deal.
*** In fact, even if it is solved, there's no rewarding cutscene to watch, unlike many of the others.
** The same unfortunately can't be said for ''Eleventh Hour,'' which had several puzzles where you were locked in a "duel with Stauf," including the final puzzle of the game, which was essentially playing a game of Pente with the AI. Because of that, the developers will need to find another way to limit the possible moves analyzed before the game can be released.
* {{Vaporware}}: The 3DO version of ''11th Hour'', as well as the second sequel, ''The Collector''.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Good luck trying to find ''Uncle Henry's Playhouse''; only '''''27''''' copies were sold in the US, with worldwide sales capping off at '''''147'''''. Yes, you read the numbers right. And no, it hasn't seen re-release.