Combines literature and video games to create a great experience.
I don't want to explain the plot too much, since I hold the opinion, the less one knows beforehand the better the experience will be. BUT I have to say something as this is a very plot heavy game. You play the game as one of the persons mentioned in the title. It is from his perspective, but the narration of the plot is in 3rd person. It is a ubiquitous narrator, so it says what the main character is thinking. This is a bad comparison, but it is similar to Saw II, which is not a good movie, so let me elaborate. You and eight other people are put in a life-death game. There is possibility of escape, but the group must work together.
This plot offers great opportunity for the exploration of the human psyche and how it reacts to great pressure. Unfortunately it
doesn't go in that direction as much as I would have liked, though the characters go through suspicions of maybe one being the villain in disguise and other such paranoia.
The characters are all very well fleshed up. The all have backstory and different personalities. Not to spoil a lot, one may come to a realization at one point that not all of you can escape [I wont go to details as to why], so it got me to wondering who I would leave behind. But the characters are all generally so sympathetic that it would be a very difficult decision. Not all characters are saints though, some characters say/act a but suspicious.
So gameplay. It is a point and click puzzle game, like Myst . You are stuck in a room and have to find a way out. And that's basically it. Some puzzles were pretty challenging, but not so difficult that I became stuck/frustrated and had to look up the answer. This could be due to my incredible genius though
There are six different endings, depending on some choice you make along the way. I prefer the bad endings. Coincidentally, I got them first. It probably helped that I was playing at night in the dark, but those left me with a truly chilling feeling. They are very impactful. The true ending, which is supposed to be the correct one, was unfortunately somewhat disappointing. It got too magic-y and unrealistic.
There could have been more choices along the way and more puzzles. More is always good. As I said, the true ending and most of the game ignores the human psychological examination aspect the premise provides.
If you are a fan of Phoenix Wright or other such Japanese games, definitely play this. For those who don't mind reading and enjoy a good plot, give it a try. If you are illiterate, then how are you even reading my review?!
9/10