Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

I don't know when was the last time I was so fascinated by a game, especially one as story-heavy as this.

If you're the type of person who skips cutscenes or nods off during long bits of exposition between explosions then steer clear of 999. If you want to try something new, though, I would suggest giving the game a look. Aksys has taken a huge risk in bringing something like this to America, and it may just be the necessary ice-breaker to bring a whole new genre to our shores.

While I didn't enjoy the repetition, I loved every new minute of 999's slick puzzles and riveting story. [Holiday 2010, p.89]

Closer to a novel than to gaming itself, it's suited more to an eastern oriented public. Narration is superb, characters simply unforgettable. On the other hand, if you don't like text heavy experiences, this is not the game for you.

If you're willing to forgive its foibles this is a fresh and exciting narrative driven experience like no other.

It might be a pain to get hold of but this engrossing visual novel has more mystery and tension in its simple text screens than a hundred CGI cut scenes.

999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is a good experience, and in parts it can be quite clever-I particularly enjoyed that the game made the existence of its multiple endings an explicit part of its plot. Unfortunately, the weak prose doesn't justify the time investment, and the puzzles don't hold up through the mandatory replays.

Es un 10 en su genero.

¿Saw version a la nipona? Si y no. Zero Escape, es una novela visual que nos pone en mitad de un juego nonario, dependiendo de la ruta, compañeros, y elecciones obtendremos algunos de los 6 finales que hay desbloqueables. Realmente necesitaras jugar gran parte de ellos, pues complementaran los huecos de la trama que han quedado incongruentes y por fin entenderás de que va todo esto. Los plowtwists creo que son bastante reveladores y creo que algunos están al nivel de los "Ace Attorney". Los rompecabezas en si mismos no me parecen realmente un desafío excepto el Sudoku del final verdadero. Todo se basará en juegos matemáticos. Digamos que también existen una especie de líneas temporales alternativas y el flujo de estas es variable y no es constante en función del final obtenido. No puedo decir que sea del todo de mi agrado. Habrá mucho backtracking tras el reinicio de cada partida, pero si dejamos pulsado el botón derecho para avanzar todo el texto y evitarnos el tedio de repetir tramos ya completados y podremos retomar la historia justo en el tramo que aun no hemos explorado. Lineal y algo repetitivo, creo que todo el peso realmente cae en la historia. Aun así no es un mal juego y es bastante disfrutable.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

if you only want a good story, then yes this is a almost decent game but other than that is pretty boring and repetitive. The nonary game starts by presenting different characters with their own story and narrative but instead of using them to create interesting different endings depending on your relationships with them, they are just pieces of the "true ending" and non of them actually matter at all. You can interact with various characters so it gives you this confusing objective in the game were you can do whatever you want but you should do what the game wants you to do, not that getting the other endings is bad but there is not a actual logical way for you to know exactly what to do which ends in you doing random options until finally you did exactly what the games wants and you get the finale piece of the puzzle. and talking about puzzle men are they **** BORING! in most endings you would have to repeat the same puzzle, if this is the case why the heck dont they just let us skip it or let us put the final answear to get out, in one of the puzzle you need to put a secret code on a safe to get the key to get out, the code doesnt change is the same number WHY DAFUQ WONT THE GAME LET ME PUT IT ON?! NO you have to do all this **** you already do 4 times to try to get another ending and if you repeat well **** to be you, you gotta do it again. And now that we are on topic why are they no safe stations? like why? this game would be 200 times less boring if i could just skip the scenes i already know YES I KNOW ABOUT **** ICE 9 OR WHATEVER PLZ JUST LET ME SEE NEW DIALOGUE THIS IS BULL****! oh and if you think you can just fast text, no they didnt put that option either... Now is not fair i only talk about the bad stuff, the story is actually pretty interesting and the "true ending" is satisfying, it gives you good enough hints so you can draw your own conclusion and find out who is causing what, the puzzle are satisfying to solve, the first time you do it, the art and the way the characters are not just one image but they actually move pixel by pixel when they talk is a great detail and gives them more life. I wish there was more and better music, but the soundtrack is not bad it does the job in setting the tune but nothing i would hear on my free time. It repeats some anime themes which is not wrong but i would preferred they explain them a bit better, because some of them just feels like out of character... like why are you even doing this you shown no sign of being capable of something like this (i am talking about one particularly ending) but most of it is on comedy so you can just lead it slide. Finally do i recommend this game? no... just look it up on youtube and save yourself the pain of finding the endings the puzzle are not even worth it SPECIALLY THE LAST ONE! (seriously all that story to end it with a puzzle you can find in the newspaper? just disappointing)

The story shows potential but is constantly ruined by moronic dialogue, poor character design and unrealistic behavior. The game is rated as mature yet the dialogue and overall deduction skills of all characters are childlike at best. There is very little actual gameplay but somehow it still gets interrupted by random story elements at the most random times. Also the 9 hour time limit is there just for cooler title purposes characters love wasting time and you as a player aren't pressured in any way. But if you like being 500 steps ahead of the main character's tiny chicken brain and like yelling "Just shut up already" at the screen, I wholeheartedly recommend this game. And by game I mean visual novel.