Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

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.

Another masterpiece of the Nintendo DS, another title of undoubted quality and a welcome addition to the already excellent library of the platform.

Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is a mature and rewarding visual novel experience with an unforgettable story that features some truly excellent writing.

If you're the type of person who skips cutscenes or nods off during long bits of exposition between explosions then steer clear of 999. If you want to try something new, though, I would suggest giving the game a look. Aksys has taken a huge risk in bringing something like this to America, and it may just be the necessary ice-breaker to bring a whole new genre to our shores.

My mind, I hope, is nearly finished unraveling. After three straight days, nights and early, early mornings spent playing through the entirety of 999 and accessing each and every alternate ending, the enrapturing spell this game has cast on me is finally beginning to let me think straight again.

Despite its repetitive replay structure, 999 is a thrilling, thoughtful, and fascinating visual novel that represents some of the best the genre has to offer.

This isn't a game for young kids. It's rated Mature for a reason. It's filled with adult situations and references. So grow up and grab a copy.

While I didn't enjoy the repetition, I loved every new minute of 999's slick puzzles and riveting story. [Holiday 2010, p.89]

A meaty - often literally - thriller, well told. With no UK release currently on the cards we point all adventure nuts towards their nearest import site.

A chilling story and satisfying puzzles work hand in hand to make Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors a deeply absorbing adventure.

Closer to a novel than to gaming itself, it's suited more to an eastern oriented public. Narration is superb, characters simply unforgettable. On the other hand, if you don't like text heavy experiences, this is not the game for you.

It succeeds as a game thanks to an impressive thriller plot, a deceptively deep choice array, excellent pacing, and actual logical puzzles.

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.

Well worth importing for anyone ready to experience the highest point the visual novel genre has experienced in decades. [Issue#106, p.115]

If you're willing to forgive its foibles this is a fresh and exciting narrative driven experience like no other.

If you're willing to put in the effort of replaying 999 to examine its many paths, you'll be rewarded with a multilayered, oftentimes horrifying, story and some satisfyingly creative puzzles.

The final sequence of events is likely to eke some tears out of even the most cynical gamer.

It might be a pain to get hold of but this engrossing visual novel has more mystery and tension in its simple text screens than a hundred CGI cut scenes.

The game 999 most reminded me of was the similarly dark – and bafflingly underrated – Lux-Pain, which was equally inconsistent and suffered from a significantly weaker translation, but arguably blended shocks and laughs a little more skilfully than this does.

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.

There's a solid adventure title here, but it's spread thin over a densely written airport thriller. [Feb 2011, p.102]