Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Immersive"

If there was anything that blurred video games, and how they fit into any kind of media, 999 would be the best example. I have to say playing through this "game" really made me confused for what makes a video game, a video game. The story started out rather dull, if only for the constant explanations, but as I learned more and more about each character I became compelled to keep playing this game. The characters just had so much depth to them that you get lost in their stories and explanations. Like, how did they learn about this? Who is this person really? And why is this all happening to them? The story had a pretty awesome idea behind it too, that quite frankly I'm rather interested to see if any of what was mentioned in the story is actually real. And after a while I wanted to desperately get past the puzzles it gave me just to continue the story. Beyond this point the puzzles just weren't cutting it; the story was just far too good and the puzzles were in the way. I was just so tied up in 999's story to realize that what I was playing was actually a game. And I have to wonder, did I read 999? Experience it? Or played it? The only thing I truly know is that 999 had an amazing story and concept to it.

Whatever 999 is, it still has puzzles in it to break up and tie the story together, and give you some interaction with the game. The puzzles themselves were often clever, but rather frustrating to execute. It took me far longer to get these puzzles done then I hope to care for, and it tended to break tension with how long it took. If the puzzles actually took place in real time I would have been dead twice over just because of how long these puzzles can take to figure out. Knowing that, I still think an actual timer on the puzzles would make this game far more interesting and tense. At the very least, the puzzles were challenging, but not so hard that I couldn't figure it out on my own. 999 also has multiple paths, but you really only need to play it twice to get the true ending, and luckily for me that's exactly what I did. The first ending I actually got was amazing, tense, and confusing. It pumped me up so much that I just had to play 999 again to get the true ending. And although I'm still trying to make sense of the true ending in my head, 999 will stick with me with its great story and characters. Thankfully, I won't have to wait long for the much needed sequel.

Conclusion: 999 is one of the best things I have ever read, and as a game it certainly has put a hold on me that not many games can say they have. I like to think of 999 as more of an experience than a game, something that can be taken with you into real life, but perhaps that isn't all true. Either way, anyone that plays this game will likely fall in love with it, its characters, and the ideas that it shows. I know I did.