Review: 9 Reasons Why I Love 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors

I recently had the extreme pleasure of playing through a nifty little visual novel game that completely blew my freakin' mind.

9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors is like nothing I've played in my life.  However, when I finally finished it, I had troubles coming up with reasons for why I loved it so much.  After a lot of contemplating, I finally narrowed it down into actual concrete ideas.  I can only hope that I'm able to make sense of it in words.

In the extremely likely case that I might come off as a blithering, frothing idiot, just make sure that you know one thing: You should buy this game.  Now.

Why? Well, because...


9.  It's Engaging
I'm not going to throw any smoke and mirrors at you when I talk about this game.  That's why, right off the bat, I'm going to say this: In 999, you are going to be doing a lot of reading.  A lot of reading.  If you absolutely cannot stand it when text is shown to you on a screen, this game might not be for you (also, why are you reading this?).  However, even if you have a small dislike for heavy reading, 999 will absolutely grip you within minutes.

No, no, not because of that...

As the game starts, your character Junpei wakes up in a strange room.  He doesn't know where he is, or how he got there.  However, the one thing he is certain of is that he's on a ship.  Why?  Because the window in his room broke open and water is flowing in at an alarming rate.  That's why.  So here we are, 5 minutes into the game, and your character is in danger of drowning because of some shoddy construction error.  You're responsible for getting him out of that room, fast.  Oh, and everything's locked shut.  Good luck with that, Nemo.

You learn all of the game mechanics
you'll ever need, right here.

When you finally escape, you're introduced to a bunch of other people frantically running around, just like you.  The looks on their faces tell you that, in terms of general confusion, they're in the same boat as you (har har...I'm so sorry...).

You soon discover that you've been kidnapped by a character named Zero, and you are being forced to play what's known as the Nonary Game.  Basically all you have to do is travel through these mysterious numbered doors throughout the ship, looking for the one with a 9 painted on it.  The 9 door is your way out.  You have 9 hours to get there, or all 9 people on the ship will drown as it sinks.  Either Zero has some sort of fetish for 9s, or the number plays some sort of significant role in the story...

Considering the title of the game,
I suppose you can take a guess...

You figure all of this out pretty early on in the game.  However, the first few minutes, or even the first few hours, are child's play compared to what happens later.  Without spoiling anything, all I can say is that you'll come to either love or hate each an every one of the characters, and none of them will seem boring or out of place.  The game will constantly throw curve balls at you, and your head will be spinning as you consider the consequences of your decisions, along with the effects they will have on the rest of the characters.  At that point, you won't even care that you've been reading for over an hour as things unfold.


8.  It's Convoluted
This game doesn't mess around as it tells you a good story.  It'll twist and turn with every new piece of information before it promptly slaps you in the face with something you never saw coming.  And then, it all just ends...in 6 different ways.  I'm not talking about "alternate endings," though, where something different happens, and it's considered the "new ending."  I'm saying that each ending gives you even more information about the game and its story, which will clue you in on how to beat it completely for a "true end."  So yeah, different stuff happens in each end, but they all make sense in the greater context of the game.  Confused?  That's the point.

Don't worry, your head won't hurt too much...

Basically, this game is a game of choices.  Who you choose to take with you and where you choose to go all play a part in deciding how everything turns out.  Then, once you finally reach a finale, you'll learn new information that will help you make more informed decisions about the next playthrough.  You'll choose a different path next time, and hopefully learn something new along the way for the next playthrough, and the one after that as well.

...And before you freak out, it should be noted that the game is very light on tedious repetition.  You are able to quickly skip dialogue you've heard before, and when you're presented with a choice, the decisions you've already made are grayed out, to help remind you what you did previously.  As a result, replaying the story becomes less of a chore and more of a basic mechanic of the game.


7.  It's Disturbing
I've played video games for a good chunk of my life, and I've seen a lot of grotesque things as a result.  I've seen people get chainsawed in half as they scream in agony.  I've seen characters get their bodies split open as they mutate into disgusting aliens.  I've even seen freaky demonic things squelch out of people's necks where their heads used to be (after I shot them off, of course).

"What the hell even is that?!"

However, none of that can even compare to what I don't see in 999.  When a character dies, you know every detail about what happened to him (or her), even if you aren't shown a thing.  Instead, you're left to use your imagination as you read about a person's intestines "strewn across the floor like the blossoming of a grotesque flower."  You'll read about a character's exposed ribs being compared to some kind of unfortunate crab...

And this is all you'll get for a visual aid.

Some of the stuff you'll read will no doubt make your stomach churn, even if you've become accustomed to video game violence.  However, it's not just the detailed gore that will creep you out.  Some of the scenarios you'll find yourself in will stick with you long after the game is put down.  Some events are genuinely freaky, and if you play at night, you just might lose some sleep over them.  In the end, though, that's all part of the fun!


6.  It's Funny
It's strange how a game can be so thrilling and intense, and yet so downright hilarious at times.  Even when faced with impending death, some characters still feel compelled to tell a bad joke to lighten up the mood.  Humor can also form amidst sexual tension between characters, or even just from the off-the-wall personalities of others on the ship.

The game almost seems self-aware...

I really wish I could say more about the humor of this game.  However, for risk of spoiling the jokes, I'll keep quiet about it.  Just know that you won't just be chuckling to yourself as you play.  Sometimes, you might find yourself genuinely laughing out loud.  Bear in mind that you're still playing a game that compares intestines to blossoming flowers.  The fact that 999 was able to blend natural humor into a game that's decidedly grim is a feat in its own right, and it deserves to be recognized for it.


5.  It's Challenging (Enough...)
In essence, 999's gameplay mostly consists of "escape the room" type puzzles.  As such, you're always trying to find new clues and use items on things in order to progress.  Some of the puzzles are pretty clever, which makes them rather enjoyable.  They require some careful thinking, as well as basic common sense.  However, none of them will downright halt the game.  You'll never come across a puzzle that will take you forever to solve before you can see what happens next in the story.

I want my 3 hours back, Layton.

999 finds a nice balance and is able to be challenging, rather than frustrating.  When you find a solution, you will more than likely feel accomplished with yourself.  At the same time, it will never take too long to figure things out, which helps with the pacing of the whole game.

Geometry, music composition, chemistry...this game throws a lot at you.

In the grand scheme of things, the puzzles aren't actually what are on display for this game.  Rather, it's the story that will keep you going.  The puzzles are kind of just there as placeholders for moving the plot forward, and their difficulty reflects that.  This serves to benefit the game as a whole, as it avoids roadblocks that would otherwise hurt the flow of the story.


4.  It's Smart
This game has an uncanny way of making you feel a lot more intelligent than you actually are.  You'll be introduced to fairly wordy concepts like "morphogenetic fields," and the game will lead you to believe that you've completely comprehended the entire subject.  Whether or not such studies exist in the first place is up for speculation (there's a disclaimer at the beginning of the game saying that all events portrayed within it are fiction, but I'll be damned if some of what was said wasn't convincing...). 

A quick Google search confirms that the idea of
"morphogenetic fields" does, in fact, exist...Huh...

As the story progresses, the game bombards you with information that makes you feel like a smarty pants just for comprehending it.  You'll learn about a variety of paradoxes, as well as the history and mythology surrounding the Titanic.  And all the while you'll be progressing through a storyline and escaping from puzzle rooms as you learn these things.

I know the paradox of Theseus' Ship and you don't!  HahaHA!

Yeah, a lot of what you learn might just amount to useless trivia information, but as you're taught it, you'll feel like a genius.

...And everyone else will just see you as a pretentious know-it-all...


3.  It's Actually Mature
A lot of games these days never usually approach mature subjects with much grace or dignity.  Usually things just amount to sex and mindless violence, which consequently make the games seem immature instead.

"Yeah! Look at all the blood!  Am I considered grown up yet?!"

To contrast this, 999 is a game that takes advantage of its M rating without abusing it.  Sure, you'll get your usual bloody violence and sexual humor, but everything is there for a purpose.  999 isn't there to pander to hormone-fueled teenage boys.  It's meant to entertain and engage adults.  Hence, the game is rated M for "Mature."  Sexuality and violence aren't just thrown in there for no reason.  Almost everything is there to either shed light on the characters or to progress the story.

This character is well developed in more ways than just one.

So yeah, there are jokes about sex.  There's brutal violence.  There are even more jokes about sex.  However, all of these moments are separated by an engaging narrative, thought provoking decisions, and mind bending plot twists.  Everything fits together nicely, and the occasional dirty joke is entertaining, rather than gratuitous.


2.  It's Meta
This is really touchy territory in terms of spoilers.  However, at the same time it was one of my most favorite aspects of the game, so I feel like I have to mention it...I'll be as spoiler-free as possible.

Remember when I said that there were 6 different endings to the game, and that each one gave you information as to how you should make your decisions for the next playthrough?  I meant exactly that, actually.  YOU, the player, are given more information to make your decisions.  In terms of the story, your main character still knows squat when the adventure restarts.

Major events in the beginning will always
happen like they did before...

As you play, you're likely going to ask a very obvious question: "Why did they structure it like that?"  Why would there be 6 different endings that culminate into one "true ending?"  Why not just have one playthrough conclude with one massive finale?

Just trust me, there's a point to everything.  Strive to get that true ending, and all of your questions up to that point will be answered.  And when that happens, it'll blow your freaking mind.

...And that's all I'm going to say about that...


1.  It's Barely Even a Game!
999 is a surprisingly deceptive game.  Not only does it make you feel smarter than you actually are, but it also fools you into thinking you're playing a really, really awesome video game.  The truth is, you're not.  Instead, what you're doing is reading a really, really fantastic story.

I said that 999 was a visual novel game, right?  Well, I wasn't lying.  There is a heavy emphasis on the "novel" part, though.  If I were to estimate, I would have to say that 20% of the game involves you actually playing.  This includes solving the puzzles in the rooms and making decisions as you progress.  The other 80% of the game involves you sitting there, reading what's going on.

Still-shots and text.  Get used to it.

Be it narration or dialogue, you are going to spend the majority of your time reading.  However, that's not to say that this is a hindrance to the game at all.  Like I said, you don't even notice when you spend an hour or so pouring over text as you find out what happens next.  It's not like getting in line for a roller coaster and having a book thrown at your face.  Instead, it's like riding a fairly mild roller coaster while fireworks go off in the sky, and awesome music plays in the distance while Morgan Freeman narrates everything that happens.

And at that point, who cares if you're even
riding a roller coaster anymore?

Even if you hate having to read things, this game will engage you from beginning to end.  I don't know how it does it, but it will make you feel like you're playing a game, even when all you're doing is watching text pop up on the screen.

"Then why not make it a book, or a movie?" you say. "Why does it have to be a video game if almost all you do is read?"

Because it has to be a game, that's why.  Seriously, play it, and everything will make sense.  If you've ever wondered what it felt like to have your psyche twisted and beaten repeatedly in the most pleasant way possible, you owe it to yourself to pick this game up wherever you can find it.