STORY

Let me start off by saying that this game is SCARY! So don't play it if you're under 15, or are of nervous disposition.

They say schooldays are the best days of your life. A place to learn. A place to make friends. A place to nurture your dreams. A place to blossom and grow. A place of safety and support, right? Right?

WRONG!

This school is cursed! Strange things have been happening at this school. Terrifying, unexplainable occurrences are claiming the lives of the students one-by-one, and bloody remains are found daily. But why? Who... or what... is causing these shocking deaths? And... who will be next?

A group of 7 students have banded together, hoping to discover the school's secrets, as well as keeping everyone safe. They go out on patrol every evening, keeping an eye out for anything strange... anything suspicious... or anything that's just plain creepy. Tonight, as Sang and My begin their patrol, a loud scream is heard throughout the halls. Is it a prank? Or has the curse claimed another victim? The pair are soon separated, and it's left to Sang (you) to investigate the scream... if only the lights didn't keep flickering...

GAMEPLAY

Seven Mysteries reminds me a lot of the Silent Hill games, and will definitely give you plenty of jumps and scares! The game is broken up in to 7 chapters, representing the 7 students. As we meet each student, and learn their story, we gradually realise that all the stories are connected, and that each story is only part of the puzzle. But who is behind this terrifying evil? Why have zombies invaded the school? More importantly... can the evil be stopped?

Interaction with the game world is done via the keyboard. Moving Up, Down, Left, or Right is controlled with the Arrow keys. I found the walking speed of the character to be very slow, and even when running, it's still very slow. Using the Esc button brings up the Inventory screen, as well as the main menu. You are able to combine things in your inventory, which is a handy tip to remember. The main menu allows you to adjust the volume, or quit the game. Saving your progress is done by using a notepad found on a table. There seems to be only one notepad\\\\\\\\save point in each chapter, meaning you'll have to keep backtracking every time you want to save your game. I found this quite strange and frustrating, as usually in pc games, you can save whenever you want.

Another point I found frustrating is the zombies. Or rather, fighting the zombies. Don't get me wrong - the zombies themselves are fantastic. But the dark screens made it hard to avoid them, thus forcing you to defend yourself when they attack. Now there is a weapon available when you first see the zombies (top left), so make sure you pick it up. But I couldn't find any way to restore my health between zombie encounters, so gradually my health decreased until I was dead. This kind of spoilt my enjoyment of an otherwise excellent game - I would have preferred if it was easier to avoid the zombies, or even if I could restore my health after a zombie encounter. Still, it does add tension, and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

MOVEMENT               - Arrow keys

RUN                            - Shift key

INTERACT\\\\PICK UP   - Enter key

MAIN MENU\\\\QUIT      - Esc

The author tells us that there are 5 different endings (5 different endings in any game, let alone a freeware game is FANTASTIC! Kudos to the author for that!), but unless you explore EVERYTHING, you will end up with the worst ending.

GRAPHICS

This game makes wonderful use of colour and lighting to create an scary and suspenseful atmosphere. Many times, you are in a dark room, with only your torchlight to see where you are going. Other times, lights flicker on & off, making you unsure of what lies ahead. Some rooms make use of only one colour (green room, red room, blue room), giving of an eerie, unnatural feeling. Sang Le Hong (the author) has a talent for this, and we never know what is going to jump out at us from the dark. I especially loved the zombies - they really creeped me out. On the flip side, the screens are sometimes TOO dark, making it hard to move around, avoid zombies, or see vital clues. All the characters move very well, and animation is smooth.

SOUND AND MUSIC

The music! Oh, that music! It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up! It does a wonderful job of adding to the creepy atmosphere, and gives you the feeling that danger lurks everywhere. Just perfect for Seven Mysteries! The sound effects are also spot-on. Your footsteps echoing through the halls as you walk is wonderful to hear. Things like glass breaking, doors rattling, light switch flicking on and off, and even the creaking sound as you Save\\\\\\\\Load a game have the right amount of creepiness. But my favourite has to be the sudden screams that make you jump out of your skin.

SUMMARY

Seven Mysterious is a lovely little adventure that will scare the life out of you! I love the idea of using 7 short stories to create one large story about an evil curse that has taken hold of your school. It's a chilling thought that bloodied remains of another student is found every day. You interact with the game's world through the keyboard, using the Arrow keys to move Up, Down, Left, or Right. I keen on the use of the notepad as a Save point, as pc games usually allow you to save any time you want. But that's just a minor point. What bothered me more was fighting the zombies, as I found that part very hard. The graphics are excellent, with lighting and colour being used to create such a scary atmosphere. On the other hand, some screens were too dark, so you couldn't see where you were going. Music is played throughout the game, and makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Sound effects are also superb, and keep the suspense going. I recommend you give this game a try. Just watch out for the zombies!