Stellar Story From Beginning to End
Deep and enthralling stories are something I never normally look for in a video game. But Nine Hours delivers the best one I've experienced to date. It's expected from a visual novel, however, it felt just as entertaining as reading a regular book. The story goes as Junpei and eight others are abducted from their homes in order to play what's called the "Nonary game". The core mechanic of the story involves what's known as digital roots. Each character is encoded with a bracelet that displays a number from one through nine. Characters then add partner up in groups of three to six to go through numbered doors accordingly. For example, 8 + 5 + 3 = 16 -> 1`+ 6 = 7. So that particular group of people can go through door number seven. Even by the start of the game, I was left thinking of other possible combinations even when I didn't have to. The game actually makes a math lesson ever so unique and fun.
The story is primarily told on the bottom screen while the top screen displays the dialog and characters. The game will change depending on what choices you make that are laid on with simple multiple choice questions. There are multiple endings and they're all very fun to discover and unlock to see what line the story crosses over next. What makes the story even more interesting is that it has exceptional character development. The main character, Junpei, has a love interest who is June, number six. He does a good job of hiding his feelings by blurting out some downright hilarious jokes. Everyone has their own good sense of uniqueness right up to the character who gets killed off early on.
The one and only drawback the story holds is its tendency to go on some really strange tangents. While looking for a way to escape a freezer that I became locked in, I stumbled upon a bag of dry ice. As soon as I picked it up, one of the characters turned into a science teacher and started lecturing me on how there's a water that freezes at 90 something degrees and boring stuff like that. Even Junpei wanted her to stop if you pick it. No one wants a science lesson when you're freezing to death on board a sinking ship. The game does this a few more times with mummies and Titanic replicas and whatnot, which makes it feel like college professors interjected in the writing. There's plenty of great story in between these minor quirks at least.
Visually speaking, there isn't a whole lot going on. There are many different still backgrounds and each of them look very well. They do a perfect job of representing the atmosphere and don't try to go overboard. You never see the characters actually interact with anything but each other as they are displayed only in front of the camera when one of them is speaking, although a few nice looking still shots are thrown in here and there. Their artstyle is reminiscent of the Phoenix Wright games and look very nice. Animations are very limited to a few point gestures and a lot of blushing from the love interest as well as various different things here and there. More animation would have been nice.
During the escape sequences you will see fully rendered backgrounds. These do not really fit in too well with the rest of the game but there is something creepily haunting about them that I rather like. The only things you will see visually representing a 3D DS game are the items in your item inventory. These, however, look rather blurry and sometimes there will be some numbers to help you solve a puzzle and the numbers are barely legible. It would have worked better hand drawn.
There's actually a great use of sound effects that never sound hampered by feedback ridden audio from a DS speaker. Throughout the game, a clock will bong in the background from 9 o'clock to 6 in the morning with surprisingly crystal clear sound that will make you close your eyes and count with Junpei. Okay, it's strange that they can hear it from several rooms away through thick iron walls but it's good atmosphere. Other clever sound effects are the characters pounding on doors when you least expect it, slightly startling you.
The haunting music fits in rather well, but it's really nothing memorable and most often sounds like deserted hospital elevator music more than anything. As typical with visual novels, nothing is voice acted but there's really no need for it. The story and dialog are displayed on separate screens and trying to read the story while listening to someone is rather headache inducing. Instead, dialog is represented through different pitches of bleeps as text appears. Higher pitched bleeps are females, lowers are males.
If you've ever played Escape the Room games that are scurried across the internet, you'll feel right at home in this game. As the story progresses, you'll go into different numbered doors which house its own unique escape scenario. Sometimes even two. These involve finding various items to manipulate other items or the environment around you. For example, using a screwdriver you've found to unscrew a a picture frame that holds a picture with a clue on the other side. But it's not all as simple as that. You'll even discover some math functions to piece together to put in a numbered code to open a compartment that holds the next clue. It's really designed to make you think very hard and all the more satisfying once you figure it out.
As well as escaping, you'll bump into some more traditional puzzle solving designed to make you think. Piano keys might be connected to the wrong note and you'll have to play the out of tune beast to a note sheet that you'll have to start over if you screw it up. There's also more Professor Layton style puzzles such as pushing boxes around a room to the right spots in a set number of moves and it's absolutely not a cakewalk. The puzzles all feel very clever and are a joy to play if you know what you're doing. However, the story takes up almost the entirety of the of the game and it's disappointing that there's only a handful of puzzles and escaping. You can play through the game multiples times and go through different doors to experience everything, which is made less annoying knowing that a different ending might occur.
It's a deep story but it won't satisfy those looking for more of a game. But if you love a good interactive story from beginning to end, it's sure to please.
