Vladimir Rakhmanin
Deputy Online Editor
Is this review late? Sure, by about two years. So what exactly are you doing reading a review of a two-year-old game on a console that has since been replaced by a new iteration? Let me explain. 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is a DS game, published in North America in 2010. It has not been released in Europe, which means that I had to import it from the States to play it, but the fact that a sequel (and possibly the original) is set to be released in our often-neglected continent this November meant that I had to put a spotlight on this game. You see, despite the goofy-sounding name, 999 is not only the best game available for the DS, it is also one of the greatest games ever made.
Even though the game is best experienced with no spoilers, I will give you a vague outline of what it’s all about. 999 is a visual novel in the vein of the Ace Attorney games, with a more adult, violent spin. The plot itself is a mixture of Saw and Battle Royale – nine people (surprise, surprise) find themselves trapped on a ship and forced to play the ‘Nonary Game’, designed by a mysterious mastermind named Zero. The unfortunate crowd must find a way off the ship in a way that doesn’t get any of them killed – however, it doesn’t long for things to go wrong, and you quickly begin to question what the other players are hiding from you, and what Zero’s motivation is.
The game plays like a series of ‘escape the room’ challenges, which are pretty clever in themselves, but the main highlight of the game is the story, which is, in a word, spectacular. The characters are all likeable, the plot is fascinating, and the conclusion is absolutely sensational. The game often gives you choices to make which will influence the ending – there is a trick to getting the final, ‘true’ ending, which I won’t spoil. 999 uses the multiple endings mechanic in a way that aids the story – the actual hardware itself is also used in extremely clever ways which I wouldn’t dare to speak of. The game doesn’t just break the fourth wall – it obliterates it in a way that will leave you breathless. It’s enough to make Hideo Kojima weep.
The delivery of the story is also fantastic – the writing is sharp, and the twists just keep piling on. Just as soon as you think you know what’s going on, more revelations come your way, and the rug is pulled from underneath your feet once more. Believe me when I tell you that the final, final plot twist will absolutely blow your mind. Make sure that you have plenty of spare time, though – after realising how to reach the real ending, I spent around five hours non-stop in front of my DS, mashing the ‘A’ button desperately to find out the answers to the many, many questions I had.
I have one piece of advice to give you, should you decide to play the game – use a spoiler-free walkthrough after your first playthrough to make sure you don’t get the same ending twice, as that would be really discouraging. And believe me, you do need to play through the game at least three times to reach the final ending – this is not as tedious as it sounds, however, as the puzzles change, and you can skip text you have already read.
If you have any interest in twist-filled narratives that play with your head, make sure to import this absolute gem of a videogame. The plot is absolutely first-rate, and you will be thinking about the characters and their actions long after you have gotten all the endings.
