The Invisible Hours review

Playing a detective narrative game can often be full of suspense and leave you on the edge of your seat as you try to solve who is the murderer, whether it be a creepy personality in-game or the stroym weather outside, all of this contributes to The Invisible Hours’ story.

You predominantly follow a washed up detective with a drink problem, who arrives to the island on a stormy night by boat. However, on his arrival he is immediately greeted by the owner of the manor, Mr Tesla as he is murdered just before entering the rather impressive house. Left by his body is a heavy lever, the murder weapon, and a series of guests staying at the house surround the entrance hallway in shock and your suspects. From here the murder investigation begins.

What’s interesting to note is that the game originally began life as a VR title on PC, which is highly evident in its movement system as you have the option to teleport to a spot or you can walk there, which is the much preferred option. In terms of atmosphere and tension, you can definitely tell this was designed for the VR experience.

There a number of important scenes to watch play out, in which the game is shown from a narrative perspective. You can follow every character including the likes of famous inventor Thomas Ederson. The story is split up into 4 segments, in which you can pause, fast forward or rewind the scene at any time. If you spot a guest creeping around or going into a secret door in the wall, then you may want to follow them and discover what they’re hiding. At the same time though you may discover two guests going into a room together, which again leads to discovering more back story and unlocking a crucial scene. The mechanic works really well, so you can pause at any time and rewind or fast forward at a reasonable pace. It can sometimes feel a bit dragged out, particularly as the game offers replayability, allowing you to discover all clues and scenes.

As well as viewing scenes between characters, you’ll also need to keep your eyes peeled for documents such as diaries or letters, as well as photographs which may shed light on relationships between characters. Every character has a secret to find out and it’s ever more enthralling to discover them through good detective work.

In terms of story length, the game lasts about 2 hours, but offers a loop of playing the storyline again, so there’s lots to explore and discover in the house. From secret passages to significant items, traversing around the dimly lit corridors and rooms can be rewarding if you’re out for an interactive narrative experience.