Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

 DS
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 314 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 279 out of 314
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 314
  3. Negative: 17 out of 314
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  1. duckypwns
    Nov 24, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The choices in this game are very limited and poorly structured. The game seems to assume that the player wants to be a "good guy". I think there should have been more options. For example, there is a part where the team finds a gun. They will say things like "it's obviously a trap" and "it's to get them to turn on one another". So the game forces you to leave the gun there. Well obviously now that people know it's there they can go back and pick it up (ultimately this does happen by the way and the gun is used against the player and the other good team mates), so it doesn't really make sense that the game absolutely FORCES the player to leave it behind against their will. If I were in that situation, I would have picked it up in fear that someone else may go back and get it. Of course, this is just one example but there are situations like this throughout almost the entire game. Another thing that I don't like is that there is no real line of logic that the player can apply to their choices in order to yield a good ending. In other words, if you get the good ending, you probably just got lucky. You have to choose between doors 4 and 5, then 3, 7, and 8, and finally 1, 2, or 6. After that point, your ending has already been determined through your course of action. In my first playthrough, I tried to play logically. I left people behind if necessary, and I did whatever I thought it would take to get the good ending. Obviously, that didn't work. So I figured, well maybe the game is trying to make me act selflessly, so I tried this. Still no luck. My next playthrough, I just picked some random ass combination of doors with no real logic as to which one I would choose. Still no luck. By this time, I had been playing the game for at least 15 hours. At least the game lets you skip what you've already done, but rather than just selecting "skip scene", you have to hold right on the d-pad to quickly scroll through text. Not a huge inconvenience, but it can still take a while, and it's a pain in a game like this that the player needs to go through multiple times in order to get everything. Anyway, back to my original point - So are you telling me that if I pick doors 4, 8, and 2 (this would yield a bad ending), that clearly I suck at the game and I should have to do the whole thing over? Yet if I pick doors 4, 7, and 1, clearly I'm awesome and I deserve a good ending? Each door is as much of a mystery as the others, and there is no real logic behind which one you should pick. In other words, the game doesn't reward players for thinking critically and carefully planning their course of action. You'll might as well just pick random combinations of doors until you happen to get lucky and get the good ending. Now I want to cover my hugest problem with the game's structure. In order to get the good ending, there is a very specific bad ending that you need to get, often referred to as the "safe ending". To get this ending, you need to go through doors 5, 8, and 6. But you also need to check a safe in room 5 before you leave the room, but AFTER unlocking the door. This is very cryptic. On one playthrough, I actually did this, because I was curious about the safe. However, I didn't know that after that I would have to go through door 8 and then 6. How was I supposed to know? Even if you DO check the safe after unlocking the door, you have to take two 1/3 chances consecutively after that by picking the correct doors. So once again, I would have to do the whole game over again. There is also a "coffin ending" (which I got). In the coffin ending, you have to make all of the choices that would normally yield the good ending, which is basically the same exact thing as the good ending but you don't know the password to the coffin in the coffin ending. So obviously, nobody wants or needs to see the coffin ending. However, if the player happened to get the safe ending, and then you got the good ending, it gives you credit for completing the coffin ending. This may confuse players and cause them to erase all of their save data in order to see what this ending was that they now couldn't get, not knowing that it was just a shortened version of the good ending. After all of this complaining, you might be wondering why I gave the game a 7 out of 10. It's simple - In spite of all of these problems, and the relatively easy puzzles throughout the game (By the way, the final puzzle in the game is an easy sodoku puzzle. That should put things in to perspective as far as the game's difficulty), the story still kept me entertained and wanting to see what would happen next. If the thought of a story involving curses, ESP, unsolved ancient mysteries, and a game of life and death appeals to you, then you should try this game out. But remember, don't bother taking the game seriously at all and trying to plan a detailed course of action, as the game's poor structure makes it too luck based. Perhaps it's better to view it as a story, not a game.… Expand
  2. Fabio199618
    Jul 16, 2015
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Just finished playing the 3rd time this game. I simply wanted you to know that all the hype and galactic reviews are a bit too high IMHO. The game starts in a very thrilling way and you (junpei) find yourself trapped in a sinking ship. You only have 9 hours to escape your doom and that's very interesting. Then it is revealed that you are participating in a game called "nonary game" for apparently no reason. However it's not the story i'm criticizing; that's quite good, despite some awkward moments. The main problem with 999 is the gameplay. First of all, you should know this is a visual novel, so you don't have to expect a deep gameplay, however you have to do some choices during your playthrough. And that's what this game gets ORRIBLY WRONG. Those choices don't have a logic. I'll use another similar game for example. "life is strange". In "LIS" you have to think hard before a choice. For example, if you see your friend bullied by a cop, you can either intervene, or take a photo. Your intervent makes your friend happy, and the cop angry, while if you don't intervene, your friend will get mad at you. But the point is you can use the proof you gained against the cop and you can have him suspended by his role. So there is a reason behind every choice you make. In 999 there isn't. You are prompted with 2 choices: door number 4 or 5?
    Before you ask, let me tell you there is NO reason you should take one door instead than taking the other.
    Both doors will guide you to the same room. To be fair, the choice of door 5 could be more clever if you think about it. There is a bracelet behind that door you could really use, however, even if you enter the 5th door, you won't be able to take the bracelet, because IDK! Instead the main evil in this game will take that, regardless of your choice. Another stupid moment is when you find a revolver loaded with 6 bullets.
    You don't want anybody to take it, because you trust nobody, and so? I would have given the gun to somebody and i would have kept bullets for me, in order to avoid tragedies. What does the protagonist do? Simply leave the gun fully loaded behind... I know i'm not the protagonist and probably i have overestimated him, but there are other 8 people, and the only one that has good ideas is evil.
    However the game story makes possible that you can save informations between playthroughs, this means that if you don't take the bracelet in the first playthrough, then you should be able to take it in your second, right? WRONG! You cannot! I can't explain this, but that's simply unfair. Especially if you consider that your best ending is achieved randomly and you cannot simply think a logic way to get the best finale.
    Overall, this is not a bad game at all, it's quite good, but it's not the masterpiece you were waiting for...

    ...unless you want to spend hours scrolling text and asking yourself why characters are incredibly clever at times an incredibly stupid other times, then it's absolutely a masterpiece!    … Expand
  3. citizenerased
    Nov 12, 2012
    5
    With the release of Zero Escape for the Vita I thought I would finally put in my two cents about this game. I will not repeat what has already been said in the negative reviews - Ocean and Grospoliner hit the nail on the head. There is extremely little gameplay in this title and it absolutely should be marketed as a graphic novel rather than a game. You are reading 90% of the time andWith the release of Zero Escape for the Vita I thought I would finally put in my two cents about this game. I will not repeat what has already been said in the negative reviews - Ocean and Grospoliner hit the nail on the head. There is extremely little gameplay in this title and it absolutely should be marketed as a graphic novel rather than a game. You are reading 90% of the time and what little gameplay there is involved extremely basic point and click segments that last 5 - 10 minutes in between 20 mins of cutscenes. I am posting this review because there are presently stellar reviews of Zero Escape being posted all quoting how amazing the prequel (this game) is. Please do your homework and try before you buy this game or Zero Escape and watch a y0utube video first.… Expand
  4. wesker2012
    May 28, 2012
    6
    This game was interesting but in th end not that great.
  5. birdman3
    Nov 6, 2013
    7
    I simultaneously love this game and hate this game. I hate it because I had to play it four times (with a guide for the final two times) in order to get the good ending. I hated the idea of needing to play the game multiple times in order to get the right ending until I got a better grasp of the theme of the game; then it made more sense. I wish that you could fast-forward through theI simultaneously love this game and hate this game. I hate it because I had to play it four times (with a guide for the final two times) in order to get the good ending. I hated the idea of needing to play the game multiple times in order to get the right ending until I got a better grasp of the theme of the game; then it made more sense. I wish that you could fast-forward through the puzzles just like you fast-forward through conversations. My last issue with the game is that most of the decisions that actually are important to the game (which doors to go through) have no hints as to what choice you should actually make. The decisions and conversations that you need to have feel arbitrary, as do the endings that you receive based upon your decisions. I fail to see how “choosing this door” means “My character will get stabbed later”. To have come up with the solution on your own seems nearly impossible. Other than that, the game is well-written, presents a great plot that gradually gets fleshed out (even though the meat of the plot is thrown at your just when you’ve hit the end of the game). I really enjoyed the complexity of the math involved, given that the characters were forced into certain situations just because of the doors that were available. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and trying to unravel what their connection is. Beyond that, the gameplay is pretty boring (you have to figure out what the game wants you to do, not what you think should be done), but some of the puzzles are fairly exciting and complex. Cheers to that. I give a 7 because of its audacity in coming up with such a complex idea, but I'm a bit appalled by the execution.… Expand
  6. cmyk
    Dec 23, 2013
    7
    999 is, simply put, a visual novel. It's a lot more reading thank actual gameplay, so if you dive into this game expecting a string of puzzles with the bonus of a story, your disappointment should be less. While the core idea of the story is interesting, it simplified the fundamental psychology/theories the game is based upon to try and appeal to a larger audience, like adding water to999 is, simply put, a visual novel. It's a lot more reading thank actual gameplay, so if you dive into this game expecting a string of puzzles with the bonus of a story, your disappointment should be less. While the core idea of the story is interesting, it simplified the fundamental psychology/theories the game is based upon to try and appeal to a larger audience, like adding water to strong coffee. The puzzles themselves aren't really a challenge if you're familiar with the brain teaser genre, but they're enough to keep you occupied without losing too much interest if you're familiar with the Layton series, I would offer that the puzzles in this game are fewer and generally less challenging This game might not be for you if you're looking for in-depth exploration of your environment, fast-paced action, or a connection with the characters. As a native Japanese speaker the dialogue didn't bother me too much, though I do have to agree with other reviewers that, yes, some of the English is a touch unnatural, though it's made an honest effort compared to other translated titles. Overall it's an entertaining game with a slightly new spin on things, but if a lot of reading and few choices is something that turns you off from a title, you may want to look elsewhere.… Expand
  7. TitaniumDragon
    May 3, 2022
    5
    A HD remake of Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, this game is a cross between a visual novel and a puzzle-adventure game.

    You wake up on what looks to be a ship, and your cabin immediately starts flooding with water. You have to “quickly” look around the room and try to find a way to get the door open so you can get out. This opening illustrates what the game is going to be like    A HD remake of Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, this game is a cross between a visual novel and a puzzle-adventure game.

    You wake up on what looks to be a ship, and your cabin immediately starts flooding with water. You have to “quickly” look around the room and try to find a way to get the door open so you can get out.

    This opening illustrates what the game is going to be like – you don’t know why you’re there, you don’t know what you’re doing there, and there’s a sense that someone is trying to kill you, but at the same time, the time pressure is an illusion.

    Which is ironic, as the game’s main theme is that you only have nine hours to escape.

    You find yourself with eight other people, all at the mercy of “Zero”, a voice over the loudspeakers who reads you a set of rules. You have bracelets on your arms that can open doors, but you can only open them if your numbers add up in a certain way; only 3-5 people can get through the door, and supposedly, there’s only one 9 door at the end, so some folks are going to be stuck (and, according to Zero, drown).

    Of course, not all is as it seems, and this group – supposedly of strangers – gradually are revealed to have certain connections, even as members of the group are killed off by the death traps, and you have to figure out some way to make it through.

    This is one of those games that gets a bit weird. There’s a branching path through the story, based on which doors you go through, which affects the story downstream and the endings; however, in reality, there’s actually a further layer of the plot, which you can only unlock after doing a certain ending, and then doing another ending after making all the right choices.

    The game helpfully has a flow chart of the scenes to help you make sense of the story and jump around after the game is complete to see all the things you missed and unlock the necessary paths to find the true ending.

    Overall, this is one of those games that straddles the line between intellectual and pseudointellectual; it has a lot of references to parapsychology experiments and fun ideas, but it spends so much time explaining everything it can get tiresome and take the wind out of your sails (even though it is necessary background). The characters aren’t really people, but more tools to explore ideas; they behave unnaturally, but in service to the story, a common Japanese storytelling method.

    And despite the game appearing to be a choices matter game with multiple endings, in reality, there’s only one real ending, and your goal is to find that amongst all the wrong ones, and figure out how to get there.

    Alas, this game suffers from a lack of confidence in its players. The puzzles are all very easy and the game practically explains a lot of them to you. Worse, the actual story plot is not something you can actually detective your way through – I figured out a number of the twists before they happened, and sussed out various secrets, but I couldn’t actually exploit them until the main character came across the idea on their own according to the dictates of the visual novel.

    As a result, this undermines a lot of the actual “gameplay” of the game, and while I liked some of the ideas, the game ended up dragging as I had to go back and try other options until I got to the path that actually let me progress to the real ending.

    In the end, this is okay but not great. Visual Novel fans might enjoy it, but if you’re looking for a strong puzzle game experience, this is not the thing for you. The story was okay, but not great, as I failed to really strongly connect with the characters. Overall, a shrug of ambivalence – you can do better than this game, but it’s not bad.    … Expand
  8. aditya1101
    Sep 4, 2018
    6
    this was definitely a super entertaining game, and I can't say i regret playing it, but it just seems like the actual story was put together so sloppily and there are just so many plot holes/conveniences that it's really hard for me to suspend my disbelief. Definitely one of my least favorite game endings.
  9. dorohedorofan90
    Apr 14, 2022
    7
    ¿Saw version a la nipona? Si y no.

    Zero Escape, es una novela visual que nos pone en mitad de un juego nonario, dependiendo de la ruta, compañeros, y elecciones obtendremos algunos de los 6 finales que hay desbloqueables. Realmente necesitaras jugar gran parte de ellos, pues complementaran los huecos de la trama que han quedado incongruentes y por fin entenderás de que va todo esto. Los    ¿Saw version a la nipona? Si y no.

    Zero Escape, es una novela visual que nos pone en mitad de un juego nonario, dependiendo de la ruta, compañeros, y elecciones obtendremos algunos de los 6 finales que hay desbloqueables. Realmente necesitaras jugar gran parte de ellos, pues complementaran los huecos de la trama que han quedado incongruentes y por fin entenderás de que va todo esto. Los plowtwists creo que son bastante reveladores y creo que algunos están al nivel de los "Ace Attorney".

    Los rompecabezas en si mismos no me parecen realmente un desafío excepto el Sudoku del final verdadero. Todo se basará en juegos matemáticos. Digamos que también existen una especie de líneas temporales alternativas y el flujo de estas es variable y no es constante en función del final obtenido.

    No puedo decir que sea del todo de mi agrado. Habrá mucho backtracking tras el reinicio de cada partida, pero si dejamos pulsado el botón derecho para avanzar todo el texto y evitarnos el tedio de repetir tramos ya completados y podremos retomar la historia justo en el tramo que aun no hemos explorado. Lineal y algo repetitivo, creo que todo el peso realmente cae en la historia. Aun así no es un mal juego y es bastante disfrutable.    … Expand
  10. ItsTamo
    May 28, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I played a lot of VN back in the day. I did have a lot of expectations going in since I've seen so many people saying that this game has the best story ever. I enjoyed the story and it is one of the better ones I've seen but not the best. It does have some overused tropes, and culprit and the true ending was quite predictable. I figured out the killer midway through my very first playthrough. It was almost as if it's given to the player right there and still the game treats you as if the player'll have no idea what the game is up to. I was desperately hoping that my deduction was wrong so that I could have some surprise left but that didn't happen. However the usage of the touch screen in the narrative was terrific, really. That itself was a wow factor and I enjoyed it.
    There's still quite a bit of plot holes and MacGuffins that were left unexplained (ice-9, titanic, coffin, etc), and I wasn't a fan of it. I haven't finished the sequels yet, but I'll see how things turn out in those.
    The translation isn't the greatest thing out there. I've seen many grammatical errors. It's a minus in a text-heavy game like this.

    Stepping away from the stories, for the actual gameplay, it did need quite a bit of polishing. I can see people being disappointed coming into the game as an 'adventure game', but it definitely wasn't. the UI is very rough. While the game forces you to do some re-plays, there's not much features to help you through. You still have to click all the components and endure through the events to finish the room even if you have written down the password beside you. Even from the story perspective, this is a huge downer. 'Knowing what you should have not known' is a big component of the story. That little fix would've immersed me in the ending a lot more.
    The file/items menu was very rough around the edges but still usable.
    I really wasn't a fan of the overall difficulty of the game. Sure, it's made short to allow multiple playthroughs, but I've seen better escape games with more creative ideas. I liked the repetition of the number theme in the puzzles and its connection to the last '9' door. That was quite a good touch.
    The sudoku puzzle really seemed to be out of context, since I thought I would much be touched and pressured to be solving something other than a casual/dumbed down sudoku puzzle in such a dire situation. This definitely wasn't the type of puzzle I was expecting for a grand finale in a game like this. but I liked how the devs executed the narrative and used the screens.

    Yes, I do have my complaints, but I still enjoyed it. It's a fine game for what it is. I spent a good chunk of my weekend to 100% it and plan to finish all the sequels. I would rate the game much higher if some QoL features are implemented.

    Great overall main theme and the story, mediocre murder mystery, too simple of puzzles for its theme, terrible UI.    … Expand
  11. Yojimbo2015
    Jun 2, 2023
    6
    Text adventure containing Resident Evil style puzzles as you attempt to escape the captivity of an unknown assailant. Some of the writing is a little clunky but it's reasonably atmospheric and intriguing enough to keep you playing to see what comes next.

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best DS Game of 2010
3
#3 Most Discussed DS Game of 2010
4
#4 Most Shared DS Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Nintendo Life
    Oct 21, 2011
    80
    999 is stunning. It sports a captivating plot driven by a fantastic cast of characters, a satisfying mix of puzzles and interesting mathematical, scientific and philosophical quandaries to ponder.
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  2. Adventure Gamers
    May 13, 2011
    60
    999 is a gutsy, mature story that blends horror, science, and character-driven drama in intriguing, thoughtful ways. It's also backed by some sparse but solid gameplay, melding traditional puzzle types with a cohesive math-based theme that nicely suits its subject matter. Unfortunately, what could have been a taut psychological thriller all too often becomes a plodding, pace-killing narrative full of bloated, poorly-integrated dialogue.
    Read full review
  3. Official Nintendo Magazine UK
    May 11, 2011
    90
    A fantastic experience from start to finish. It is a game that truly expands what narrative video games can be capable of, and does so with a engrossing story that draws players in until the very end, all six of them.
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