Back when visual novels were much less known in the West, the Nintendo DS was a console that seemingly tried to break that mold. With games like Ace Attorney doing pretty well, other companies decided to follow suit and release their own titles—which included the masterpiece 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors.
A One-of-a-Kind Wild Ride
It was originally released as a standalone title that blended escape room gameplay with that of a horror-survival sci-fi visual novel. Though it pulled inspiration from creator Kotaro Uchikoshi's previous titles, 999 was simply unlike anything else at the time, and those who took the plunge and gave it a chance were in for a wild ride they would never forget. Sadly, because of just how emotional its story is, it is one of those rare games that you can only truly experience once, as follow-up playthroughs never hit anywhere near as hard. Those who have yet to check it out for themselves are lucky because they still have a chance to do what I did at the end of 2012.
Discovering the Zero Escape Series
Despite hearing about the series thanks to online forums, 999 wasn't exactly easy to get your hands on around here, and it wasn't until after the announcement of the sequel that I had a chance to order it. By this point, the franchise had been officially dubbed the Zero Escape series, with 999 serving as Volume 1 and Virtue's Last Reward as Volume 2. With this change came a reprint of 999, which is when I finally was able to pick it up. As a recent college graduate, I had nothing else to do with my life as I awaited the Christmas holiday. After getting off work at my uncle's bakery, I would come home to lose myself in the terrifying world of Zero Escape, where I was kidnapped and put on a sinking ship with only 9 hours to spare. With puzzles that challenged me and an excellent cast of characters, I never wanted the game to end, but all good things must come to an end.
The Definitive Way to Experience a Masterpiece
9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors is one of the games that had the biggest impact on my life, and to this day, I still find myself thinking about the subjects brought up during its runtime. The ending chapter alone features one of the most creative uses of the DS touchscreen I have ever seen, and sadly, the modern ports of the game cannot fully replicate it. It is still a game worth playing, but the original hardware release is definitely the way to go if possible. It misses out on the new voice acting, but it is worth the tradeoff. On one hand, I wish I could have obtained an original copy with the old box art, but the Zero Escape branded version looks great on the shelf next to the others.
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