Puzzle/mystery game that truly defines what a "mature game" is.
Story: 10/10
You follow Junpei, a 21 year old college student who is abducted to participate in the "Nonary Game," which is a twisted game that revolves around numbers and solving puzzles. It involves 9 people and places all of them in a life/death situation. You're on a ship that's already beginning to sink and if you do not escape within 9 hours, the ship will completely sink. Also each person is wearing a numbered bracelet (which you will learn the uses of) that displays each person's number as well as acting as the detonator of the bomb that the main antagonist has placed inside each person. Basically it's similar to Saw (without the horrific traps), follow the rules, you live, you don't, you die.
Each of the 9 characters are very interesting (some more than others) and as you uncover the history of each, it unfolds more truth behind everything that is happening in the game. The game has a LOT of dialogue and it is in your best interests to pay attention to what each person is saying to you as you are challenged to connect what one person says to you during one puzzle to another person in a later puzzle in order to unveil more facts. There are 6 endings to this game although you technically only need to beat the game 5 times to unlock each ending. It is HIGHLY recommended that you attempt to tackle the bad endings first as each of them do uncover more information for you to use later on. My advice would be that if that if you are presented with a choice that makes you worry/weary, it'll probably lead to the bad ending.
What I loved about the story was that the one thing you'll probably spend most of the game figuring out, turns out to be the most predictable reveal of the game while everything else comes at a complete surprise (seriously, you won't see most of the things this game throws at you coming).
Highlights:
+ Shocking/thrilling story
+ Multiple endings that all tie together
+ Very interesting cast of characters
+ Story that makes you think and deduce situations and dialogue
Visuals: 8/10
The game stays true to its "graphic novel" style as you travel through beautifully rendered areas in the ship and are treated to nice animations of the characters, even if there are only a limited amount of animations each character possesses. The only thing this game was missing were fully animated cut scenes, but I guess that would've taken away from the whole graphic novel feel, also it would've been nice to see the characters interact with the environment in-game.
+ Great style
+ Beautifully rendered scenes
- Limited character animations
- Lack of fully animated cutscenes
- No character interaction with the environment
Sound: 9/10
Although there aren't that many tracks in the game, I actually never got tired of hearing the same ones because it simply fit the whole vibe of the game and added to the whole mystery and intense atmosphere. I also like the little sound effects given, reminds me of the classic Resident Evil games which added to the whole eery vibe. Even walking through doors felt intense.
+ Perfect for the game
+ Added the to atmosphere and eery vibe
- Limited tracks
Gameplay: 9/10
999 is graphic novel type game with a good deal of puzzle solving and investigative elements. The game can be played entirely with the touch screen (although the buttons will be a big help later on). The gameplay starts immediately, challenging you to escape from a flooding room. There is no time limit so don't feel pressured to solve the puzzle quickly. Each puzzle is solved by finding a key (either a traditional key, key card, or series of key cards) but the whole process of finding these keys are very much unique to each room, presenting you with new challenges each time. Take note that every item you pick up has a purpose. You are challenged with figuring out what each item is used for in order to find the hidden key in the room. This game will make you use quite a bit of math but fear not for the game has a built in calculator.
As stated, there are 6 different endings and these endings are decided by how you progress (mainly choosing which door to go through). Through the course of the game, you will be presented with 3-4 major choices (which door to go through), each puzzle will typically reveal more about each character that is with you so pay attention to their dialogue. The puzzles range from fairly simple/obvious to downright confusing, which is why it's important to really investigate every room thoroughly as well as paying attention to your group mates (as they will drop clues based on their own knowledge on how to solve each puzzle). This game will make you do a great deal of analyzing and deducing considering the huge mystery revolving around the game. It's an awesome feeling that really only few would be amazed by (unfortunately).
My main gripe with the gameplay is that you are forced to replay through the entire game in order to achieve each ending. While the game will allow you to "fast forward" through all the text you've already read and will memorize all your decisions, it would've been MUCH better had the game given you the option to skip previously beaten areas. After the 4th time, I had already memorized the codes required to beat certain rooms.
+ Intelligent puzzles and design
+ Every puzzle is unique and almost never recycles content
+ Achieving the good ending will require a great deal of analyzing and attention to detail
+ Game memorizes your choices
- Game forces you to replay through sections
Value: 9/10
The first couple of endings will take you about 3-5 hours to beat (depending on how quickly you figure out each puzzle), if you can achieve all 6 endings with only 5 playthroughs, then the game should run you about 20 hours (the ending itself will take about an hour or two). This is pretty long for a graphic novel/puzzle game. Of course, once you achieve all 6 endings, there's really not much else you can do after.
+ 20 hour long story
+ Multiple endings, each with their own distinct journey
- Game offers nothing after all 6 endings are achieved
Overall: 9.5/10
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is pretty much a great game with a mindblowing story. If you are a 3DS owner and have heard about the amazing Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, it is highly recommended that you tackle this game first. 999 truly embodies what a "mature" game is because really, you would need a mature mind to fully appreciate it for what it has to offer. Even outside of playing the game, you will be thinking about the dialogue each character has along with their behavior in order to figure out the mysteries of this game. As far as I know, the flaws of this game were addressed in the sequel (which I have yet to pick up) so do yourself a favor and be sucked into this thrilling story.