Seven: The Days Long Gone
Seven is an open-world, isometric stealth and action role-playing game, in which you play as Teriel, a master thief sent on a mission that will shake the foundations of the Vetrall Empire. Free roam across the vibrant prison island of Peh and explore the sea depths on board of a submarine in the Drowned Past expansion. Continue exploration as serial thief Teriel, who runs into ‘the Enclave’, a ragtag group of mysterious vagabonds who have discovered the mythological sunken vessel and are exploring it in the hopes of unearthing riches. But things that are buried, are buried for good reason, as Teriel and the Enclave will discover. From the moment you set foot on Peh, the island is open to you. Sneak, run, climb, and fight your way across a colourful array of environments. You are free to explore wherever you please.
Steam User 33
It's a very good and unique stealth action RPG.
+ Great world design and story.
+ Fun stealth and combat.
+ Linked stash accessed from any crafting station.
+ You can Quicksave / Quickload.
- Cheap fall deaths.
- Limited bag space.
Steam User 28
The world design is cool. The story is ok. Andrew Wincott's performance is solid.
Other aspects need polish. To enjoy the game, 1) play the story and quests, 2) explore for overseers, schematics and abilities. The free DLC is a substantial drop in quality.
Hints:
* Start collecting 33x Duct Tape; 28x Magnet; 45x *Gasoline*; 15x Metal Plates and Wires; 66x Metal Rivet; 25x Chain for a quest.
* There is no penalty for fighting and killing guards (one by one) and civilians.
* Economy is broken.
* Kill a technomage in the first village and get his weapons. They are superior to early game alternatives. Weapons matter.
* Armor seems non-essential. If you use faction armor, replace gloves to break a disguise.
* Some quest fights on small arenas can be cheesed using syringes.
* Crafting benches and quick transportation points have a stash.
Steam User 18
After a four-year hiatus, I recently returned to this game and had the opportunity to finish it, with just one hour remaining from where I had initially encountered a game-breaking bug. This unexpected return journey only reinforced my appreciation for this title, though it's not without its imperfections. Here's an updated review that reflects my fresh perspective:
Pros:
Fantasy World Mastery: The game's world-building and area design remain nothing short of exceptional, immersing players in a meticulously crafted realm.
Aesthetically Pleasing: The game's graphics, even after four years, continue to captivate, showcasing timeless visual beauty that contributes to its immersive experience.
Engaging Story and Rich Lore: The story's allure remains as strong as ever, supported by the deep lore that enriches the game's narrative.
Diverse Gameplay Mechanics: The dynamic blend of stealth, disguise, and parkour systems continues to set this game apart, providing a truly engaging gameplay experience.
Incentives for Exploration: The game's world still rewards exploration, inviting players to uncover its hidden secrets and stories, promoting curiosity and discovery.
Abundance of Tools: The wide variety of traps and offensive/defensive items continue to offer strategic depth, ensuring a rich gaming experience.
Cons:
Bugs and Technical Issues: It's worth noting that the game can be plagued by bugs and technical glitches, which, while not a constant issue, can be frustrating.
Lackluster Armor Variety: The limited selection of unique armor options still stands as a minor drawback, preventing extensive character customization.
Tedious Item Weight Management: The need for meticulous item weight management can still feel burdensome, potentially detracting from the overall enjoyment for certain players.
In conclusion, this game remains a timeless classic that has withstood the test of time. Returning to it after four years and successfully completing it, despite the earlier bug encounter, was a rewarding experience. Its world, graphics, storytelling, and gameplay mechanics continue to shine, making it a memorable journey. While some minor issues and bugs persist, they do little to diminish the overall enjoyment and fascination this game has to offer. Special gratitude is due to the support team for providing a save file that allowed me to overcome the previously game-breaking bug, highlighting the importance of a responsive and helpful support system in any gaming experience.
Steam User 15
The other reviews have got it right, this is a great and unique game, that's mostly a joy to play. It claims not to work on Steam Deck, but it works fine for me, only complaint is that it seems to be a battery hog. There's one thing though, that I was not expecting going into it:
My deaths in this game:
80% fall damage while attempting to traverse the world
10% fall damage while using the dodge mechanic
9% fall damage while attacking a monster
1% actual damage from an opponent
Steam User 8
Seven: The Days Long Gone (or Seven: Enhanced Edition, as it’s now known), is a genre mix that can’t hold a candle to the complexity of a full-blown RPG, won’t fully satisfy your itch for non-stop action and may disappoint stealth fans because of how combat-heavy the game becomes. But as a combination of all of these genres, with a genuinely interesting setting and some amazing vertical level design, it’s a flawed but very unique and enjoyable experience.
So think of Seven as a top-down action stealth game with some light RPG elements. You can talk to NPCs, buy and sell (or steal) new equipment, craft items or fight monsters and guards. There’s also plenty of side quests – all very linear, much like Seven's main story quest. The most interesting aspect on the RPG side of things is the fact that you don’t collect experience points or level up. Your character development is entirely linked to skill chips you find in the environment or receive as quest rewards. In this way, the game tries to disincentivise combat, as killing bandits and monsters won’t make your character grow more powerful. Ironically, our main character Teriel can actually hold his own in most one-on-one combat situations, so getting detected while sneaking around isn't a frustrating insta-death situation, while getting into a fight against a group of Technomagi guards is still pretty much a death sentence. This balance shifts over time, though: As you collect more and more powerful weapons, stealth becomes less and less of a necessity, turning into just one of many gameplay options. So if you're looking for an exclusive stealth experience, be aware.
From the descriptions on the store page, you may be able to deduce that Seven is set in a post-apocalyptic far future setting where artificial intelligences, high-tech airships, power armour and various forms of energy weapons exist side-by-side, though all of them are mainly in the hands of the ruling Vetrall Empire. The setting, lore and atmosphere of Seven: The Days Long Gone are some of the game's strongest points, differentiating it from many other post-apocalyptic settings in two important respects. Number one: The world of Seven is actually in an advanced state of rebuilding, with reasonably stable societies cropping up again, such as the Vetrall Empire. And number two: The world of Seven was much more technologically advanced before the apocalypse compared to the "before times" in many other post-apocalypses. This creates a world where the technological marvels of ancient spacefaring history are often treated with superstition and re-interpreted as something akin to magic, reminding me more of Torment: Tides of Numenera or the Book of the New Sun novel series, rather than the Fallout or Wasteland franchises.
The real star of Seven is its amazing vertical world design, however. The island of Peh is one contiguous open world, featuring deep canyons, steep cliffs, hidden caves and all manner of secret paths. You’ll frequently find yourself spotting a treasure or some interesting location just out of reach at the bottom of a cliff or hidden in a crevasse, prompting you to find a way there. And indeed, all of these places can be reached, if you have the will to scout out a path. In addition, there’s actually a decent variety of ways to approach any given situation, as the intricately interconnected open world and the huge number of tools at your disposal (body dissolvers, hacking darts, flashbang grenades etc.) combine to create some pretty dynamic gameplay. The level design supports this, as well. Just to give you one example: The entire island of Peh is divided into different zones and you can only (legally) get through the many Technomagi checkpoints between them if you’ve swallowed the corresponding visa pill. But what if you can’t afford the pill you need? Well, you can always sneak in through one of the many hidden side paths. Or you could disguise yourself with Technomagi armour to get through the checkpoint. Or steal an NPC's DNA to forge a temporary visa.
If this description gives you the impression that Seven is a full-fledged immersive sim with complex interlocking systems, you’ll be disappointed, though. You see, most of the interesting dynamics within the game are actually down to the level design – you can only sneak through checkpoints because the developers have designed specific ways to sneak through. In contrast, there are many situations in which you’ll try to get into a building only to find that you can open none of the doors because you haven’t upgraded your lockpicks enough – and the game doesn’t allow you to open these doors by other means, such as explosives. It’s kinda ironic that this game was released in the same year as Divinity: Original Sin 2, which absolutely does give you the ability to come up with creative systems-based solutions to such problems.
Likewise, when I praise the intricately vertical level design, you should also know that the isometric perspective of the game can be problematic when traversing the world. That’s because while the game diligently makes all surfaces above you transparent to allow you to see where you are, this also means you will often find yourself jumping against an invisible ceiling or trying to run through a gap in a wall that turns out to just be a transparent wall segment after all. You may also be spotted by enemies you can’t see because they’re above you. You do have the ability to slow down time and take a look around with the mouse, even highlighting the vision cones of guards, but I doubt there's anyone who’s played this game and hasn’t accidentally jumped into an invisible piece of scenery at least a dozen times – or jumped to their deaths from a great height at least a hundred times.
With all of this in mind, I do love traveling across the intricately designed open world, sneaking over rooftops and unearthing ancient technological artifacts in the hidden places of Peh. As I’ve stated in the beginning of this review, Seven might not exactly wow you as an excellent example of any one of its constituent genres – but it’s a very creative and fun genre hybrid with some genuinely inspired elements.
Steam User 10
I have already played this game on console a long time ago, and I really liked it, still do.
I love the freedom in this game, I love that you can get any armor, any weapon rather early on, that is if you can kill the enemy. It's such a good thing to have in probably any type game.
The verticality is amazing, you can go so many routes to reach your mission and finish it. Only thing with the verticality is sometimes I wish I can move the camera to see better. And the combat is rather simplistic, but fun still.
Steam User 6
VERY underrated game compared to how good it is.
A little game-breaking bugs here and there (don't forget to save often), but worth every second!