Rest House 2: The Wizard

Rest House 2: The Wizard is an adventure game inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. You play an ordinary, low-class citizen caught up in extraordinary events, trying to find a way out of a strange world. The story begins on an island known for its fishing harbor and whaling.

Explore the world

You walk freely through 3D levels and travel between areas by boat, with some routes opening only when you unlock access. The world is hand-drawn and animated, with 3D compositing and camera work. You can use masks to hide or escape from dangerous people and situations, while the music and sound range from forest music heard through closed windows to the sounds of the surrounding world.

The voyage

After getting drunk one night, the main character sails out on a breeze. A violent storm drives him back to a whaling ship, where he finds a hideout. Some parts of the story are missing, including the account of a mutiny in which the crew was slaughtered. The surviving account describes the main character disguising himself as a dead sailor to confuse the superstitious mutineers, then taking back the ship as they are killed or thrown overboard.

The storm breaks the mast, tears the sails and floods the hold. With no provisions, the men face starvation and thirst. A Dutch ship passes, its crew revealed to be rotting corpses, and the survivors confront the prospect of killing one of their own for food. Near death, the main character reaches the Jane Guy, a ship out of Liverpool, while sharks hunt him.

Tsalal and the labyrinth

The journey continues south toward an unexplored region of ice and open sea, where the climate is mild. The main character explores the mysterious island of Tsalal, home to a tribe of apparently friendly black natives led by a chief. White is alien to the islanders and unnerves them; even their teeth are black. The island also has undiscovered plants and animals, and unusually thick water marked with multicolored veins.

After an ambush in a narrow gorge, hiding in the surrounding mountains leads to a strange town. There, you explore a labyrinth of passages whose wall markings may have natural or artificial origins. The story ends abruptly, leaving what happens next unresolved. After several days, the main character encounters falling ash and a vast cataract of fog or mist that parts as he approaches. The native dies as a huge, shrouded white figure appears.

The missing chapters

The game draws on a story whose surviving material leaves parts of the voyage uncertain. A postscript, presented as a note from the project editors, says the main character was killed in an accident and that his final two or three chapters may have been lost with him. It says the chapters will be restored if found, and that he is alive but cannot currently be interviewed. The editors compare the labyrinth's shapes and wall markings to Arabian and Egyptian letters and hieroglyphs, with meanings associated with the “White Wizard.”

Unlockable film

You can unlock a film called Wizards, about gamers, game developers and the phenomenon of gameplay. Unlocking it also reveals a secret about the story.