QUICK OVERVIEW:
+Interesting characters give way to a compelling and complex story
+Puzzles are fun
+Multiple endings give the game great replay value
+Simple sprites and the sketched scenes work great in tandem with the text
-Playing the same puzzle over and over again gets tedious after the second or third time
Once you start playing 999 you won’t be able to put it down. It’s a dark, twisted tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end of the game. To put it simply Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors is a book in video game format, so if you hate reading then turn away now and never look back because this is not for you. If that isn't the case then continue on!
The main character Junpei is an average college student awakens to find himself aboard a sinking ship. With a vague memory of how he got there or what happened, he sets out to discover what's going on. After meeting up with eight other people, all who share the same story and experience, it's then that ‘Zero’ the mastermind behind the kidnappings reveals that Junpei and the others are lucky enough to participate in something known as the Nonary Game. The rules are simple, you have nine hours to escape the ship, and in order to do so you must find the door with the 9 on it. The number on your bracelet determines what rooms you can enter and with who, break any of these rules and the punishment is simple- death.
Fair warning though, the game earns it's M warning, while never going over the top, 999 leaves the details to your imagination, and the text.
There’s never a relaxing moment through the course of the game, you always have the fact that death is imminent if you don’t solve the puzzles, follow the rules, or escape the sinking ship. Every moment and choice you make counts.
Game play is split into three different sections, novel, puzzle, and room. Novel like the name suggests is the narrative portion of the game, where the plot tends to move forward, and takes place in between the puzzle and room sections.
The room sections are essentially point and click, if you’ve played an ‘escape the room’ game online you’ll get the basics of what’s going on pretty fast. You are able to look around the area, must locate and combine clues to solve puzzles, then move onto the next room.
The real action is with the puzzles, they vary from paying a song on the piano to putting down a winning hand in blackjack. Never fret because the game always gives you a hint or how to, especially when it comes to the more interesting puzzles. In the beginning puzzles are simple but as you progress towards the end they become more difficult though never to the point that you can't accomplish what you need to.
What 999 does an excellent job of is incorporating themes into the puzzles and rooms. For example a little snippet of conversation about ice might seem completely irrelevant to the current situation but in the long run has great significance.
The characters are developed in a way that makes you care about them, but at the same time stay wary of their intentions. From the hulking giant only known as Seven to the sparsely dressed woman going by the codename Lotus each one has a back story and almost seem real.
The best part of the game is the multiple endings, which give 999 great replay value. The endings, there are 6 in total, are compelling and keep you wanting to play more. Be wary though, if your like the person who had played the game before me (I bought the game used) then you might feel cheated with what you get, don't let it discourage you, unlike most games out there, these endings each carry weight and are important to the overall plot. There are four ‘bad’ endings, one true ending, and one joke ending. While this might not make sense right now it does when everything comes to the light.
The best thing about the replay is the fact you have the option to zoom through the text you’ve already read. When you come across text or a scene you haven’t experienced the game stops the fast forwarding and resumes normal speed. Another thing that 999 does right is you don’t have to remember all the choices you’ve made in the past, the game highlights previous decisions you’ve made making it easier for you to choose another route or path.
There are only one real negative, repetition. You'll have to go through some of puzzles you’ve already played, while this doesn’t really hinder the game, it does make it tedious at times. The upside is the puzzles are really simple once solved, so finding and combing the right elements make them that much faster on the second or even third time through.
Graphic wise 999 isn’t that impressive, it does feature sketched scenes depicting the current action going on which are beautiful to look at and give the text that much more life. Characters are portrayed as sprites and have little hints of animation here and there, such as a hair bouncing, mouths moving, or arms swinging every now but nothing really notable. You won’t find any voice acting throughout the entirety of the game, but that’s not really a problem.
The music and sound effects are moving and applied very well creating tension in an already tense environment. Little things like listening to ship creek while the characters argue amongst themselves about the best course of action give the game its impact and effect.
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Reviews with images
Nice status
Probably the best game of the zero escape series. The product arrived in the best status.
Top reviews from other countries
Cliente de Amazon
Pon a prueba tus habilidades de investigación y deducción.
Reviewed in Mexico on April 16, 2019
Antoine
Une aventure textuelle parsemée d'énigmes bien pensées, emballée dans un scénario dérangeant et en béton !
Reviewed in France on March 28, 2017Adrian
Amazing. I've been fantasizing a game like this since ...
Reviewed in Canada on March 31, 2016
Manuel Maccarone
Visual Novel epica e dalla trama coinvolgente
Reviewed in Italy on November 27, 2014
