999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors: A Mystery Worth Unraveling

 After mainlining the first three Gears of War titles, I decided that I needed a genre switch-up. That decision came in the form of 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. A Visual Novel-Puzzle Game hybrid that borrows from many mystery and horror tropes. An inescapable death game with the purpose of pitting others against one another while collaborating, in a sense. While a lot of parallels could be drawn to many forms of media, the one that jumped out to me was Saw. 

A franchise that is known for playing games in life or death situations with the intent being on the life aspect. The games are supposed to be winnable, but performed at a high difficulty. The decision making is crucial to getting out of a Saw Trap. While some methods may differ, the games created by John Kramer (Jigsaw) are indeed winnable. The only caveat being that your nerves are working against you. So, while the framework is there in 999, the puzzles are not nearly as stress inducing. They are intended to test your knowledge. An escape room experience with a high difficulty curve. 

999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is a game developed by Spike Chunsoft. The developer is widely known for the Danganronpa series. A franchise that deals with murder mystery. So, there are some similarities amongst the two, but the difference really just lies in the objectives. You catch a killer in Danganronpa, while 999 wants the player to solve the puzzle rooms in the midst of unraveling the purpose of the Nonary Game they are playing. 

999 follows the main character, Junpei, alongside Ace, Snake, Santa, Clover, June, Seven, Lotus, and The 9th Man as they participate in the Nonary Game. A game that will conclude in nine hours, when the cruise liner where the game takes place will submerge into the briny depths of the ocean. And the only way to escape is to proceed through the Numbered Doors with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 people as stated by the game's antagonist, Zero. 

Yet, there is still a catch. The participants are given a numbered wristwatch that is tied to a bomb in their stomach. And so their involvement is based on their number matching the digital root in conjunction with the other players. For example, 1+2+3=6. So that group with the Number One, Two, and Three wristwatches can go through the Number Six Door. While a group that consists of 5,7, and 8 would equal 2 in a digital root. As the sum would be 20, you would then split 2 and 0 and then add them back into each other in order to get your digital root. Now that group with the Number Five, Seven, and Eight wristwatches can enter the Number Two Door. This may sound confusing in writing, but I assure you that it is actually pretty easy to grasp in practice. 

The concept of the digital root added a lor to the experience for me. While the pairings are predetermined for the player in many ways. The route system gives the game a freshness on subsequent playthroughs. Interacting with different characters based on this system fleshed out the story in a really intriguing way. And I think that was the strongest feature outside of the gameplay. The mystery being unraveled across different lifecycles and being able to know who to trust among them made those "A-ha" moments hit that much harder.

What I mean by this, is by the time I got to the true ending route, everything was clicking better. And the moment when you realize that the game was beginning again is mind-blowing. I am not saying like a restart to the beginning either. I am talking about being in the endgame. Because that point in the game not only gives you many answers, it even starts to form new questions. Seeing as how there are two more games, I am looking forward to the subsequent answers. And that is the beauty of the game.

Having to write down information, and pinpointing important aspects of the story as a whole that encompass all of the notes and people involved. Like, I could have made extensive notes and written down more information. However, I decided I needed to keep things brief. I still wanted to write down solutions to the puzzles as well. It's something that gives me more happiness when playing a puzzle game. Especially horror-esque ones. 

Who knows when I'll need to know the Ship's route across the world. Or the digital root of Carbon Dioxide, Ammonia, and Ethanol. You can just never be too sure. And that to me is the testament of a good game. Having to write down information and taking notes means that I am not just monkeying around. I am being put into a position that requires more care than normal. It reminds of how speedrunning utilizes similar aspects. And even in achievement hunting, this is the same case. I typically have a note file for games that I am completing. But most of the time, I delete those notes when I am done, as I don't need them anymore. 

I have spent a large portion talking about the game without going into too much detail. And that is intentional. This game is built upon the foundation of mystery and knowing what comes next defeats that. So, many details are going to be absent from me. Puzzle Games reveal themselves through the progression, and I just urge people to experience them for themselves. 

But I will give away a bit on how the game plays. You play as Junpei, and the goal is to escape from the rooms you come across. The way you do this is with a cursor. The game is point-and-click. And outside of that is dialogue choices during the Visual Novel segments. 999 was developed for the Nintendo DS, and it is very evident. Many of the systems in play make sense for a handheld. So, there are no other forms of gameplay besides the point-and-click puzzle rooms and dialogue selection. 

They are doing the most with what they have. While this leaves something to be desired, I don't mind it. It gave my hands a break, and I thank 999 for that. The absence of character movement made the experience relaxing, and is one of the reasons why I like point-and-click games. They are a test of the mind. And are very thought provoking more times than not. So, I don't have many complaints, yet there are a few. 

This first one is more of a nitpick, and that is the gore. It is way too tame for me. I want to see the body. And I am sure the artists would've been happy to oblige. However, I am not too upset because I understand hardware and time limitations. They clearly allocated the most time into the important aspects. And I appreciate them for that. I will trade the gore in exchange for great writing and gameplay design and structure. 

Alas, my other complaint has to do with the writing. Whereas some of the endings are actually just terrible. If you play the game, you might figure out what I mean, but to keep it simple. There are two endings that when achieved, do not add to the game at all. You essentially have to ignore the story to get them. They even make some of the other characters fucking stupid. Like, if you play the other routes and get to know them, they make these endings feel like a different game. I understand why they are in the game, yet I think that they could've handled them a bit better. It definitely felt like a punishment when I got them. 

But, that is really it for my complaints. 999 is really well made, and I am excited to dive into the series a bit more. There was definitely room for expansion at the end of it all. And that makes me happy. I play a lot of games, so it is always nice to get ones that know how to blend elements so well. 

Ultimately, I recommend this game with the utmost respect. It is also easily accessible. Most modern platforms have 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and Virtue's Last Reward, the follow-up game, bundled together as Zero Escape: The Nonary Games. The price tag isn't bad either. So go play it. 999 is worth the investment monetarily and timewise. You will not regret it, or maybe you will if you hate math. I joke, but there's a lot of math to be done here. And the numbers are telling me to play more Zero Escape. And the art is from Kinu Nishimura, a legendary artist in video games. Like, come on.

As always Free Palestine, Free Congo, Free Sudan, Free Venezuela, Free anyone under deep oppression. We all deserve to be free from the tyranny of fascism.