The Invisible Hours is a complex murder mystery in the style of immersive theater, in which players freely explore and observe an intricate web of interwoven stories within a sprawling mansion - in order to untangle the dark truth at its heart. It is one of the deepest narrative experiences in gaming to date.
Originally available in VR, The Invisible Hours was one of the first video games to offer players a spherical narrative with seven concurrent, interwoven narratives. Updated television version game (non-VR) adds another option for locomotion to chase down suspects and leads.
Now, a broader audience of gamers on Xbox One, PS4, and PC can experience the artistic beauty and deep narrative of the game.
A group of strangers receive a curious invitation from enigmatic inventor Nikola Tesla, offering each of them the chance to make amends for their darkest wrongdoings. When the last guest arrives at Tesla’s isolated mansion laboratory, they find him dead – murdered. Disgraced Swedish detective, Gustaf Gustav, vows to find the killer amongst the other guests: a blind butler, a convicted murderer, the world’s most famous actress, Tesla’s former assistant, the son of a wealthy railroad magnate, and rival inventor Thomas Edison. But none of these people are what they seem.
Time plays a critical role throughout the experience. All seven suspects’ stories unfold in real time. For the player, this means seven very different but intersecting stories happening simultaneously. The player must carefully choose where to spend their time, offering a different perspective each time they enter The Invisible Hours. Depending on how the player explores, the game can take up to six hours to experience the different storylines.
As a player, you’re completely immersed in the stories unfolding around you. Invisible to the cast, you have the unique experience of following and observing anyone at any time and self-exploring the mansion freely for hidden clues.
The Invisible Hours is inspired by classic murder mysteries, such as Agatha Christie's masterpiece And Then There Were None, Hitchcock's Rear Window, as well as genre-busting period thrillers like Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, and the immersive theater of Punchdrunk. It also draws influence from the real-life rivalry between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.
Key Features:
- One of the first video games to offer players a spherical narrative with seven concurrent, interwoven narratives
- Updated, television version game (non-VR) features locomotion, allowing the players to freely move themselves around within the game
- Large, non-linear experience
- Key interactions lead to new clues
- High replayability to discover each character’s backstory
- Classic murder mystery meets science fiction thriller with a deep multilayered plot
The Invisible Hours will be launching on Xbox One, PS4, and PC on April 24, 2018.
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