Do these stairs look familiar?

After a much-anticipated wait, the third game in The 7th Guest series has been Kickstarted!

In the world of The 7th Guest: 3, you re-enter the mysterious and magical Stauf mansion, newly remodeled and filled with classic Stauf games, toys, diabolical puzzles and artifacts. Not merely restored to its former glory, this now-historic landmark in the little hamlet of Harley-on-the-Hudson is, as the locals like to say, “the biggest damn digs in the twigs!” Some admiring looky-loos have been heard to cry “Magnificent!” Well, so it is, friends, so it is. But who is the mysterious stranger responsible for reviving the legend and unleashing the evil spirits once again, and to what purpose?

Well, that just sounds like an awful idea…for Harley-on-the-Hudson. Not us. I am so excited for this game (as you may have gathered from my news article on the Steam release), and have been eagerly awaiting this Kickstarter since the creators started teasing it. The game will feature 20 puzzles to solve before you can unlock the final riddle and get to Stauf. Speaking of which, Stauf is played by the same actor who portrayed him in the first two games! I also love this aspect of it, something that the designers of the original game toyed with but couldn’t figure out how to implement in 1993:

The 7G3 house behaves like a slippery supernatural creature, not a reliable container of wood and stone. It defies the laws of spatial relations, of geography; it expands and contracts, reconfigures and reconfigures. Certain rooms are accessible only if the house is configured just so; certain passageways can be found only within certain house configurations…and only ONE configuration of the house will allow the escape essential to win.

The team also promises a more adult experience than they could give in the first two games. There’s also some stretch goals, including a very ambitious one to purchase the original house that Stauf mansion was based on and turning it into a tourist attraction.

Reward levels (everything includes all the tiers below it)

• $1 – The team’s undying gratitude
• $5 – A surprise gift
• $10 – Ringtones and outgoing phone messages by Henry Stauf
• $20 – Codes for free download of PC, Mac, or Linux versions
• $30 – In game credits
• $40 – Digital soundtrack album
• $50 – Special-edition game poster signed by Rob Landeros and T7G3 team; Steam keys for T7G and T11H on Steam
• $60 – Autographed 8×10 glossy photo of Henry Stauf, personalized ringtone, personalized outgoing phone message
• $80 – Special access code to Stauf’s secret chamber of horrors
• $100 – Special collection edition boxed DVD of game
• $250 – Name on plaque in special in-game donor wall
• $500 – Talking, taunting bust of Stauf as it appears in-game
• $750 – Working, limited edition replication of gear maze puzzle as it appears in-game
• $1,000 – Your name on an object in the Stauf mansion
• $5,000 – Your name and likeness in a painting or photograph somewhere in the mansion; two nights at the historic Jacksonville Inn; dinner with Henry Stauf in costume in the Inn’s famous cellar restaurant; a visit to Stauf mansion and local vineyards.
• $7,500 – Scary, animated portrait of you in the mansion and producer in-game credit; mention in all appropriate promotional materials; a private party in historic Jacksonville hosted by Team Trilobyte and Henry Stauf for a party of four.
• $10,000 – Bust in your image with name plaque in a place of honor in the Stauf mansion

Back the game here! You’ll be able to get it for iOS, Android, PC, Mac, Linux, Steam, and “a dedicated game console to be named later.” As of this writing, the project has 474 backers and has $27,082 of its modest $435,000 goal. You have until December 8th, so go forth and contribute! You can also visit Trilobyte’s official site, follow them on Twitter, subscribe on YouTube, and like them on Facebook.