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LTTP: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors(spoilers)

I think if you would stick through with it until you can see the true ending you would have a much better understanding of why most people love this game so much. Though I don't know if that would necessarily make you like the game.



I really liked the sub ending. It's the
knife
ending that I thought was the "boring" ending (but still good).

The
Axe
ending is the best aside from "true" ending . Everyone knows that at least.
if he had reached that ending on the first try , this thread wouldn't have existed in the first place.
 
This game should be played with a guide after the first play through, which I believe to a HUGE flaw (no game should require a guide to play). I made the mistake not to, and it affected my overall appreciation for this game. It's is really stupid, that when you when you take different path, you end up with the same ending on multiple occasions, which makes a play through a total waste of time.

Though the true ending is totally worth it and makes sense of all endings.

I actually liked this, because it shows that you're making the same mistakes. Most of the problem solving in this game is under the surface, it's not just "Man A in Room B = bad". Like you said, once you get the true ending it all makes sense, but the information is always there, you just really have to pay attention to the characters.

To me, this is what makes the game so great.
 
Yeah, but if that's the case then why is a story-only game nothing but shitty stereotypes?

A MASKED MAN KIDNAPPED YOU SO SOLVE THIS PUZZLE WITH YOUR CHILDHOOD FRIEND THAT SECRETLY LOVES YOU

If you're not going to finish the game, then I might as well tell you that
the childhood friend is actually the masked psycho that captured you in the first place.
 
Man yall quit posting spoilers. Gods Bread is going to be weak and just read them, and not finish the game for himself.

Honestly, I did NOT enjoy my first ending. I was pretty much at the same place as the OP, "What the shit. This story is stupid". The game tricks you by calling it an "ending". Like everyone has been saying, the game makes complete sense after the "True" ending. But you have to get one of the "bad" (this is a poor way to describe it) endings first before you see the "real" ending.

It's confusing... but so awesome and weird at the same time. I dunno, it all make sense in the end. It's an interesting story. It's been VERY over hyped though. The fact that people are telling you ITS THE GREATEST GAME STORY EVAR! is just going to set your expectations high.
 
The
Axe
ending is the best aside from "true" ending . Everyone knows that at least.
if he had reached that ending on the first try , this thread wouldn't have existed in the first place.

After the
true
ending I'd say the
safe
ending is the best. My brain is still slightly damaged from the minor melting that occurred.
 
Yeah I would advise against doing that. I got 4 endings before going for the true one.



ULTRA MASSIVE SPOILERS:
So you guessed that Aika was Zero and set up those games to use the knowledge of future Junpei through the morphogenic field to save her past self. And that, in fact, the whole game was taking place in the test warehouse in the desert an not on the ship?

I seriously don't know how you could see coming an ending like that.

The idea that the characters, or someone, would be at some point using the morphogenic field wasn't a surprise at all since they spend most of the game building around it. I assumed since Junpei started using information from other endings in later playthroughs that some sort of time play was going on but I honestly didn't expect Junpei interacting with past Akane to happen like it did but I knew that she wasn't actually dead.

Them being in the warehouse I got once they explained the original nonary game and how there was an off-site building. I just thought that there could be no way they would be on the real gigantic since the actual sister ship of the titanic dates back to 1915 and the original ship would have sunk following the rules of the game, so once they talked about there being an off-site building for the first nonary game I assumed this is where they were for the current game.

I mean there are elements to the story which I did not expect but I felt like I got enough of the surrounding points that when it was all fully revealed I wasn't that blown away, not that I was underwhelmed either but some people act as if some real mind blowing shit happend and to me the only way you could think that is if you just didn't understand what the game was feeding you up until that point. I feel like I got most of the points but just wasn't fully correct on some of them. None of this is because I think I'm too smart for the game or anything, I just feel like it laid things out that if you were observant enough you could piece things together for the most part.
 
not that i have any control over it... but maybe spoilers should be kept to a minimum. especially the extreme late-game things.
Which is my favorite part of this thread. The "spoilers" in the thread title when we can't actually talk about anything without spoiling the op.
If you're not going to finish the game, then I might as well tell you that
the childhood friend is actually the masked psycho that captured you in the first place.
Don't read this op for real.
 
Yeah I would advise against doing that. I got 4 endings before going for the true one.



ULTRA MASSIVE SPOILERS:
So you guessed that Akane was Zero and set up those games to use the knowledge of future Junpei through the morphogenic field to save her past self. And that, in fact, the whole game was taking place in the test warehouse in the desert an not on the ship?

I seriously don't know how you could see coming an ending like that.

I started to figure that out somewhere right before the library, at least Zero's identity. I used an FAQ though since I only rented 999 (I'd never played a VN before so I had no idea if I was going to like it). I still basically didn't have any questions at the end.

Going in raw with VLR though and it's killing me.
 
I started to figure that out somewhere right before the library, at least Zero's identity. I used an FAQ though since I only rented 999 (I'd never played a VN before so I had no idea if I was going to like it). I still basically didn't have any questions at the end.

Going in raw with VLR though and it's killing me.

Ah I should resume my playthrough of VLR. But, I don't know... this game didn't grab me as much as 999. There's something about the feel of the game that doesn't click with me so far.

That's a shame because I really want to know where the story is going next.
 
Ah I should resume my playthrough of VLR. But, I don't know... this game didn't grab me as much as 999. There's something about the feel of the game that doesn't click with me so far.

That's a shame because I really want to know where the story is going.

vlr is waaaaaay crazier than 999. that diminishes the tension. it's less down-to-earth, so you feel less connected to the characters. the stakes aren't as personal either. but i think the part that really makes messes with the tension is the ability to jump from decision to decision. instead of being locked into something, you're free to move around as you please, like waking up from a nightmare.
 
vlr is waaaaaay crazier than 999. that diminishes the tension. it's less down-to-earth, so you feel less connected to the characters. the stakes aren't as personal either. but i think the part that really makes messes with the tension is the ability to jump from decision to decision. instead of being locked into something, you're free to move around as you please, like waking up from a nightmare.

I agree pretty fully with this for 99% of the game, except that that sense of security leads directly into the most electric moment in the game, one of my favorite video game memories ever, and honestly what I feel is a better moment then anything in 999. I won't spoil it here, but most people who have seen my posts in either of the threads know what I'm talking about.
 
I'm really excited to play the third one and see where it goes. I don't even know where it can go anymore...

But I said that after 999 too and sure enough...
 
999 is an excellent game. You can hold down right on the d-pad to skip text you've already seen. Yes you need to solve the puzzles multiple times, but they're simple once you get the hang of it.

I recommend following these instructions and the ending guide for a much better experience.
 
It's impossible to really see how this game is amazing until you've gotten all the endings.

Sure, it might be annoying at times getting there, but it is WELL worth it.
 
vlr is waaaaaay crazier than 999. that diminishes the tension. it's less down-to-earth, so you feel less connected to the characters. the stakes aren't as personal either. but i think the part that really makes messes with the tension is the ability to jump from decision to decision. instead of being locked into something, you're free to move around as you please, like waking up from a nightmare.

VLR grabbed me better, I guess as the dialogue was more natural thruout, and it didn't have the Prof. Layton-esque "This puzzle reminds me of a byzantine scientific or historical bon mot" thing outside of one particular room. Me liking crazy-ass crazy narratives that just keep building sealed that.
 
The explanation given in the true ending was such a piss off. It's definitely an interesting game though and I do recommend going through as many endings as you can.
 
VLR had like, Zero (lol) tension compared to 999, and the twist at the end wasn't nearly as fulfilling.

The game mechanics were much better, sure, but in a series as story-driven as Zero Escape, 999's much better story makes it a much better game.
 
VLR had like, Zero (lol) tension compared to 999, and the twist at the end wasn't nearly as fulfilling.

The game mechanics were much better, sure, but in a series as story-driven as Zero Escape, 999's much better story makes it a much better game.

I like them both for different reasons. VLR lacks a lot of the shock value of 999 to be sure because if you've played 999 you're aware of the shape of the taboos the writers are prepared to violate, but I feel like VLR was better written (or translated) and most of the non-ending stuff was on par with 999.

And of course the moment that will stick with me forever probably. Brilliant and even more subversive then 999 I feel.
 
I'm really excited to play the third one and see where it goes. I don't even know where it can go anymore...

But I said that after 999 too and sure enough...

Well it's pretty obvious that its going to
take place at the crash site so you can stop Radical-6.

The fact that it's said to be the final game makes me crazy excited to see how it all wraps up.
 
The
Axe
ending is the best aside from "true" ending . Everyone knows that at least.
if he had reached that ending on the first try , this thread wouldn't have existed in the first place.

I enjoyed
axe
and sub about the same for entirely different reasons.

After the
true
ending I'd say the
safe
ending is the best. My brain is still slightly damaged from the minor melting that occurred.

Agreed.
 
This game is different from what you've played before, this is a game you're supposed to beat like 3-4 times to "get it!",and holy shit it's fucking worth it

Oh yeah, I'll be honest and say I had a guide to which doors to take after the first ending, I would do the same if you don't want to "waste" time, get the safe and then true end.
 
I didn't get home until late last night so I'm still in the middle of my second playthrough. This time I'm sticking by June because I avoided her the first game because she's annoying. She's even more annoying now, but more suspicious I guess. Between her being the last to die from the group I wasn't in in my ending, her weird knowledge of stupid things and the fact that Junpei didn't see her for a long time after being childhood friends I'd be surprised if she wasn't one of the kids in the experiment.
 
Uggh, Clover's trying to figure out who killed her brother but saying that snake wasn't one of the contributing numbers isn't an option. June and Seven could have just tossed him in there without his number and he'd be fucked.

So right now:

June/Ace: suspicious
Clover/Santa: were kids in the experiment
Seven: involved with the kids somehow, lost his memory due to telepathy experiments
Lotus: parent of kid, some trouble with the pharmaceutical company
Jumpy/9th Man: ???
Corpse Bride: ???
 
there will be a third zero escape game.

999/vlr were renamed the 'zero escape' series. because of zero. and escaping. and escaping zero. and how there's no escape.

zero escape.

Oh I know that, but the announcement of a third game escaped my attention, and I figured there was never going to be one, anyway.
 
That is too bad. It is an amazing game!! I am waiting for VLR to go on sale :\

if it didn't sell well, then chances are low it will go on sale. usually with these types of games, stock runs out and then prices go up. it started to happen to 999, but it sold out so close to release that it warranted a reprint, and another... and another... until it became a sleeper hit, and now it's relatively easy to find.
 
I came in here hoping for a thread that could rival the amazingness of Neiteio's 999 thread (the reason I made a neogaf account). I was disappointed.
 
Uggh, Clover's trying to figure out who killed her brother but saying that snake wasn't one of the contributing numbers isn't an option. June and Seven could have just tossed him in there without his number and he'd be fucked.

You need to use at least three bracelets to open any door (more specifically: 3-5 bracelets).
 
if it didn't sell well, then chances are low it will go on sale. usually with these types of games, stock runs out and then prices go up. it started to happen to 999, but it sold out so close to release that it warranted a reprint, and another... and another... until it became a sleeper hit, and now it's relatively easy to find.

seriously? I was wondering why basically every 3DS game from last fall has gone on sale except this one.
 
So if the whole first playthrough was garbage and I enjoyed almost nothing, I'm expected to replay the game several times to understand why it doesn't suck?

That's why I refuse to play this shit.

Don't hide the "real" ending behind a curtain and make me replay it.

I don't re-read a novel to know how it ended.

I don't re-watch a film to see how it ended.
 
That's why I refuse to play this shit.

Don't hide the "real" ending behind a curtain and make me replay it.

I don't re-read a novel to know how it ended.

I don't re-watch a film to see how it ended.

I don't want to spoil anything, but 999 has a very good reason for being set up the way it is.

I will say though that in a single playthrough, you're going to miss out on most of the story and puzzle rooms.
 
Are you at least enjoying it a little more?

I'm only about 2/3rds of the way through my second playthrough since I wound up being out all day, but I definitely have more info now. There's more context but I'm still not sold. The basic gameplay design definitely hasn't changed for the better or worse, I don't feel that there's any reason I shouldn't have been able to get this info the first route. Still a very arbitrary game.
 
Stick with it. (Or don't, whatever you feel like). If after the true end you still feel this way, well, then at least you've got some solid evidence to plant your feet in.
 
I can see where the OP is coming from. I love 999 and VLR but 999 has some really frustrating design choices. My first ending was
the knife ending
and I came out of it feeling like I hadn't really accomplished much.

Stick with it though. The true ending, and the ending required before the true ending, are significantly stronger than the other routes. And as others have said, VLR fixed a lot of the design problems 999 had (though it does have one or two of its own). VLR is also rather more tightly written script-wise because it spends maybe a sixth as much time narrating as 999 does, instead opting for dialogue or just showing you what's going on.
 
So I heard that this was a good mystery/puzzle style game which I love, so I picked it up along with Resident Evil Revelations to go with my new Fire Emblem 3DS. I've been swapping between the games since I got it, and I just finished 999 right now.

It's really slow paced, and not in a good way. You can't speed up the text that makes up 90% of the game, so I'm forced to reread every line 3-4 times while the next one loads. What makes it worse is that everything you do in the game gets explained multiple times, and if you leave a puzzle and come back the tutorial repeats every time.

Honestly, I don't know if it's a good game. I was really frustrated with the characters, who as the game went a long didn't make a lot of choices that seemed obvious to me. At the beginning of the game, I chose to go into the door with the first guy that died because Junpei said he wanted to examine the body. I go in, and I never get the option to examine the body. I could have gone with the other characters, but I changed my mind just for that reason, which turned out to be nothing. The body of the guy had a knife that I wanted. Speaking of which, Junpei keeps all the door keys on his person, but I couldn't take the screwdriver with me from the first mission, so I had to build another one later on. I also wanted to leave people behind when Snake went missing that would add up to a digital root of 3 if he showed up again but that wasn't an option.

On top of that all the characters are pretty tired tropes that don't really get a lot of development, and the narration is pretty monotonous for a game that's supposed to be a visual novel.

I wound up getting a really shitty ending that didn't resolve anything, despite having solved all the puzzles and not feeling like I made any poor decisions. The game wants me to replay it, but I don't really feel like playing any more of what I feel is a random outcome based on the paths I chose. I've been hearing a lot of good things about Virtue's Last Reward so I got this game first since it's story-based, but I don't have any interest in a sequel any more. I'd rather go play "escape from a room" flash games so I don't have to deal with the same story frustrations. To be honest, I don't even think "click on things until something happens" is good gameplay design. It's not even a real puzzle, and a few of them I just solved algorithmically before even getting the clues(like all 3 puzzles in the torture room).

It's definitely the worst out of the 3 games that I got.

I wish I would have read this 2 weeks ago before dropping $39 on the game. I feel the same way you do. this game was waaay over sold, and is really really tedious to play.

Imho of course.

Edit, I think I will go watch some youtube vids though to see what the hubub about the real ending is.
 
Edit, I think I will go watch some youtube vids though to see what the hubub about the real ending is.

DO NOT do this. The biggest mindfuck doesn't even work when watching it. Just watched a youtube video of the true end and it's impossible to show why it's mindblowing that way. I can't say anything else without spoilers, but the biggest twist really can't be accurately shown from captured footage.
 
Edit, I think I will go watch some youtube vids though to see what the hubub about the real ending is.

gonna echo the above sentiments and say that this is a bad idea. it's better to either just drop it completely or see it through to the end. spoiling it for yourself that way is the most disappointing outcome.
 
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