It’s been well known that the fear of waking up in
unfamiliar surroundings is the basis for a great story. This is why there are
so many movies that have you on the edge of your seat for the big reveal at the
end. Nothing is more enticing and scary than the unknown, so today we encounter
digital roots.
I’ve had 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors for the Nintendo DS in
my backlog for some time but hadn’t played it due to reading ridiculously long
books by George R.R. Martin and wanted a less “strenuous” experience while
gaming. I’m happy to report that I slogged through those and am now free to
read video games. That’s right, 999 is one of those digital novels that get
released every week in Japan but has puzzle solving and choose your own adventure
elements thrown in. Lucky for us the story is a stronger center than the
puzzles.
You wake up in a room with a locked door with a big red 5
painted on it. You kind of remember being attacked by someone in a gas mask. The
porthole in the wall suggests you’re on a ship of some sort. There’s a crack in
the little window; water slowly starts to seep in before blowing out the rest
of the glass and a torrent of ocean threatens your life. How’s that for a cold
open? Solve the puzzle by figuring out digital roots and running upstairs.
Digital roots were something you did in pre algebra where you add all the
digits in a number together until you get a single digit. The number 786’s
digital root is 7+8+6=21 and then 2+1=3; so the root is 3. On the upper deck
you meet the other 8 characters.
999 relies quite a bit on its strong cast to convey the
story, everyone is there for a reason and of course you have no idea where to
begin. Everyone has a numbered bracelet they are identified with. This is where
the genius in the story telling is, the doors in the game only open when the digital root of the people that enter match the number painted on it. This causes the party to
split up based on what door you want to choose and you learn a little bit about
each person as you are stuck solving puzzles with them.
The puzzles on the other hand aren’t the worst of a million “escape
the room” flash games you’ve likely played on the net. Most rooms can be solved
by touching everything and using every item in every way the game will let you.
No cat mustaches here. Just touch the environment and if you take too long you’ll
get more specific hints; when in doubt use a digital root or alphanumeric code,
the game will teach you alphanumeric too. You’re stuck until you make it
through the door with a “9” on it.
There are six different endings possible depending on what
rooms you choose to go through. Yes, this means you have to replay the “book” multiple
times; the best thing about this is that you can skip all text you’ve already seen
by holding right on the D-pad! There is a metric ton of text here, that right
button is your best friend. If you have to go through a room again on another play
through the puzzle is exactly the same with no differences and it can be really
annoying to solve the first few rooms several times.
I had a great time playing through this title, even with all
of the text. The characters were strange enough to make you want to know more
and the endings are radically different. If you’ve got a long commute, are a
passenger on a road trip, or are out of fantasy books that double as bludgeoning
weapons pick it up. It got a reprint when the sequel (Virtue’s Last Reward)
came out on 3DS and Vita last year so it’s easy to find. You know you want to
see where the Nonary Game goes…
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