Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors Review for Nintendo DS (DS)

Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors Box Art

System: DS
Dev: Chunsoft
Pub: Aksys Games
Release: November 6, 2010
Players: 1
Screen Resolution: N/A

Virtually all items in the rooms are usable, although some just trigger character interaction. Items can be combined to create new tools or used in a linear fashion such as when an axe is employed to smash a crate to reveal a container you can fill up with water to extinguish a fire.

Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors Screenshot

All of your main controls will be taken care of on the touchscreen, although you can access some menus with the buttons. Grabbing items from the environment and interacting with them is a pleasure, not a crapshoot. It's easy to pinpoint the exact item you want by touching it on the screen. The puzzles will give you a bit of a mental workout, but at least they are logical. If you get overwhelmed, or your bus trip is coming to an end, just save your progress and start over where you left off.

As clichéd as the characters appear at first, they become more human and vulnerable as the story progresses. You'll have to replay the game several times to learn more about each one as they will be featured more or less predominantly depending on the path chosen. Different endings will also be revealed by taking different paths. You can fast-forward most of the text on your replay to speed things up since you'll already be familiar with the plot development.

Only the puzzle sections are animated, and they look great. Some of the characters' icons will smile, blush, or display anguish during the narrative. The rooms are littered with goodies, and the ship itself is vast. It's a recreation of the Titanic, and that was a pretty big ship. Musically the score is beautifully married to the moods of the scenes, most of which toggle between horror/mystery and fast-paced action themes. All aspects of production help to bring the story to life.

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.

By Cole Smith
CCC Senior Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.8

Graphics
Not a lot of animation, but when it does appear it's a welcome sight.

4.0

Control
Flawless control scheme utilizing the touchscreen, makes objects easy to interact with.

4.8

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The music is perfectly suited for the game. The lack of voiceovers is not a detriment.

3.5

Play Value
Worth a few replays to learn more about the characters and discover new endings.

4.5

Overall Rating - Must Buy
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	3.5 - 3.9 = Good	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair	4.0 - 4.4 = Great	5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

In Nine Hours players only have hours before Junpei and eight other kidnapped victims are drowned.

Numerology, music composition, and logic puzzles are just a few of the 32 + obstacles that stand in the way of their freedom.

Jumpei, the title character, must uncover the mystery surrounding the lives of the captive characters and how their blurry pasts reveal a disturbing future.

Each hostage is cursed with a digital watch that displays their special number. These numbers are the keys to unlocking the nine doors.

Jumpei must explore his surroundings for clues to unlock the next door by picking up and examining objects in the different environments.