7 Days a Skeptic

Set centuries after 5 Days a Stranger, 7 Days a Skeptic trades haunted mansions for deep space, proving that cosmic terror knows no bounds. You’re part of a spaceship crew that finds a mysterious box (never a good sign) and, predictably, things go downhill fast. With its claustrophobic setting and relentless sense of paranoia, this entry in Yahtzee’s saga leans heavily into sci-fi horror. It’s not about jump scares but rather the creeping realization that escape might be impossible. If Alien had been made as a point-and-click adventure by a sardonic Brit, it would look a lot like this.

“7 Days a Skeptic is the sequel to 5 Days A Stranger, the critically-acclaimed horror adventure by Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw. It is advised that you play 5 Days before starting 7 Days.” - Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw

Review by Game Hippo:

“As I knew of the release of this game, I expected it to be a new adventure of Trilby, the gentleman thief. With my surprise, the setting is completely different, taking the player to four centuries in the future. Exploring the Caracus galaxy, the crew of the scoutship Mephistopheles (not really a reassuring name!) finds a mysterious object floating in space: an old metal locker. Taking the role of counsellor Dr. Jonathan Somerset, the player will soon get in contact with the ancient events of DeFoe manor. After all, "history repeats in cycles". This is the start of a plot with a strong Jason X flavour in it. Some things haven't changed since 5 Days A Stranger. The style of the graphics is more or less the same: simple yet effective, with a good character animation. A few background tunes, but only sond effects (many taken from Half-Life) for most of the time. A real classy touch: while wearing the EVA suit, you hear only your breathing inside it, like in the movie "2001" (it's a voluntary reference). The size, too, hasn't changed: small. Though there are some screens where you can walk on the exterior, you are limited to the decks of this small scoutship. Do not take it is a flaw, though, since it strenghtens the sense of oppression and claustrophobia. The interface, on the other hand, has changed. The save, load and quit functions are located on top of the screen, appearing as you drag the cursor there. The item and actions interface doesn't appear anytime you want, but only as you right-click on something you can interact with, immediately choosing what to do or use with it. This cuts out all that unnecessary cursor movement to close the interface in the previous game.“