Board 8 > 999 is a ridiculous game *some spoilers*

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm playing this for the first time. My first thought: oh this is why they call the genre Visual Novel (the only other VN I've played is Ace Attorney, which feels much more like a standard adventure game).

My second thought: oh this is an anime game. This thought popped into my head around about when Lotus first bounced onto the screen.

For a while I wasn't sure if I liked this game, or its writing. There's plot contrivances everywhere. Characters flip between being intelligent and absolute morons at the drop of a hat. Sometimes they are incredibly aware of the 9 hour time limit, other times they waste an hour bickering or rolling around on the floor or flirting with each other. Sometimes you'll be dying in a freezer and somebody decides that now is a perfect time to regale you with a tale about ice that can't melt. Seemingly unimportant things get highlighted really heavily by the text so you know they're going to come into play later. The only constant is that everybody is able to figure out every possible digital root relevant to a topic at hand at a moment's notice.

And yet, at some point while I wasn't paying attention, things sorta clicked. I'm at about 3am on my first playthrough and I've been having quite a lot of fun recently, coming up with theories in my head and being invested in the goings on of everyone. And despite the writing being odd I'm pretty impressed at how they've managed to use the numbers in the plot. The writers clearly went over things a lot to make sure it all tracks. Sure, sometimes characters insist on going through a certain door just so that certain character combos have to happen, but whatever. There's a definite charm here.

I do feel like this is a game that could completely fall apart depending on how it ends, especially with the pseudoscience stuff, but hey for now I'm enjoying this unique and bizarre experience. A very creative story! Glad I went in knowing pretty much nothing about this.

Anyway, just making a topic to share my experience, I know people like this series here. Not making a playthrough or anything. Thanks for reading.

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andylt posted...

Sometimes you'll be dying in a freezer and somebody decides that now is a perfect time to regale you with a tale about ice that can't melt.

That's basically the Zero Escape series in a nutshell. "This life threatening situation reminds me of an experiment or an urban legend of some sort".

So which doors did you go through for your first run?

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hombad46 posted...

So which doors did you go through for your first run?

Uh 4 cos I saw no reason Junpei would really want to go through 5 despite the game urging it, 7 because I'd already spent time with Lotus and wanted to spread the crew around, and I just entered 1 when I last played because I wanted Clover to finish giving me her info from earlier.

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That's the same route I went in my first run through the game.

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I'm glad I played the series last year if only so I can keep up with the memes.

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Arti posted...

That's the same route I went in my first run through the game.

Same here!

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It's almost my first route, but I went 4-7-2 first because out of 1, 2, and 6, my favorite Doctor is the second.

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I thought 999 was fine, but Virtues Last Reward was absolutely incredible.

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masterplum posted...

I thought 999 was fine, but Virtues Last Reward was absolutely incredible.

This is how I feel but flipped! But you're more likely to feel the former

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It's awesome. It's not very serious, but you can tell a lot of effort was put into the story, so it feels worth it to dig into it and see what's in store for you. It does stick the landing too.

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What the hell? It just ended on a To Be Continued, did I get a dodgy ending? That kinda sucks.

I was really into what was going on with Clover- the girl's name (Akane maybe?), the experiment 9 years ago, what she had in her pockets etc. And we have the keycard for Alice past the library. And if Snake is indeed alive as Clover is so sure, our four numbers would make a root of 9. And there were like 90 minutes left on the timer! Didn't feel like we'd reached a dead end, dang.

Oh well. Should I just do different doors next playthrough?

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The game has multiple endings, yes

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yeaaaaah that's one ending alright

If it helps, literally all other endings are more of an ending than the one you got. That was also my first ending and I had the exact same thoughts.

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Dang. I guess I'll just pick the other doors this time. That one really didn't feel like an ending at all!

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Yeah, it's a bit of bad luck to get that one first.

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Of course I wound up making the worst choices possible first time through >_> At least I'm not alone. 471 gang represent!

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oh yeah just to get the obligatory psa out of the way

there's a good amount of dialogue in the rooms for examining some things a bunch of times
eg. the ladder in the starting cabin

Are you playing the DS version or the Nonary Games rerelease?

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UF8 posted...

oh yeah just to get the obligatory psa out of the way

there's a good amount of dialogue in the rooms for examining some things a bunch of times
eg. the ladder in the starting cabin

I have been examining things multiple times but probably missed a bunch of them, I'll be more thorough going forward!

bwburke94 posted...

Are you playing the DS version or the Nonary Games rerelease?

DS. I know it's the worst version or wtv but I don't have a console that can play the rerelease. Not sure what's supposed to be bad about it, I'm having fun as is!

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The DS is the best version

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DS is objectively the correct version. The other versions streamline things in ways that hurt the overall experience. Plus the voices might be annoying before you're fully committed to the series.

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streamline in what way?? i wanna know what i missed out on
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cakophon posted...

streamline in what way?? i wanna know what i missed out on

It has a route tree like the other two games do

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Leonhart4 posted... It has a route tree like the other two games do

And this is bad why?

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azuarc posted...

And this is bad why?

I didn't say it was bad! It does spoil a bit of the surprise of the game because it wasn't originally designed to have one.

But the DS version is superior for a different reason anyway.

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..and what's that
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Well, this isn't really the place to discuss that because the TC hasn't encountered it yet.

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cakophon posted...

..and what's that

I'm guessing they're talking about the final puzzle which is different in the remakes

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It is very disappointing that they didnt make a 3DS version of the remaster.

Also the To Be Continued is the best ending to get first. It is far better than if it shows up later on.

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hombad46 posted...

I'm guessing they're talking about the final puzzle which is different in the remakes

ahhh okay. guess ill look this up; fair enough to not have it in this thread
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Yeah 999 can be a bit ridiculous but it's always consistent and confident in itself that it ends up charming.

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Oh cool I picked the best version then! I'm sure somebody had suggested the other version some other time.

Also lol at the game making a big deal out of Junpei+June splitting up for Door 7/8 even if you've already split them up at the first door choice.

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There are some people who prefer the ports because of QOL improvements, but they aren't worth what you lose from not playing the original version.

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Having only played it on Steam, I would not want to have to sit through the entire game all over again just to access a different ending...especially if the options I chose weren't what triggered the other ending and I had to loop back repeatedly.

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Major lol at the team just completely ignoring Zero's puzzle in the laboratory. Lotus brute forces the password and then we start a fire and run away. Also:

Clover: hey my brother has a fake left arm
Junpei: ok

(5 minutes later)

Junpei: oh hey Snake's left arm is super messed up and there's bone sticking out of it. That sucks for him.

I'm beginning to think my first playthrough had the more 'real' options, some of the character beats+dialogue this second playthrough don't match up so well with what's happening. I'm tempted to pick door 1 again to talk to Clover about Snake, but I don't know if there'd be any differing dialogue for that.

For this playthrough, I know where Door 2 leads (a gun and Door 9). Taking the gun earlier might help as then nobody else can take it. And if I pick Door 6 then I think the others will have to pick Door 1, so nobody will find Door 9 at all. But Door 6 is a complete unknown. Hm, which to choose...

Assuming the doors decide the ending, there's 12 combos of doors (not counting Door 3) and only 6 slots for the endings, so I'm probably gonna be redoing stuff a lot anyway. Thank goodness for the fast forward button.

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azuarc posted...

Having only played it on Steam, I would not want to have to sit through the entire game all over again just to access a different ending...especially if the options I chose weren't what triggered the other ending and I had to loop back repeatedly.

You can skip all previously seen dialogue and the game grays out all previously selected options, so it's not that difficult to get where you need to go in short order.

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I'm of the opinion that the re-release is better. Just because the DS version does one particular thing in a unique way doesn't make up for the QoL improvements in the re-release.

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it's kind of a moot point at this point. we can discuss further after the playthrough's over.

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OK that was indeed a much better 'ending'. I went through Door 2, and I think I get what they're doing now. Each final section is illuminating a bit more of the grand plot, and how the characters are connected to each other. Clover, Snake, Seven and Lotus now have direct connections to the events 9 years ago, and we can assume Santa was part of the experiment too. That just leaves Ace, June, Junpei and the Ninth Man unknown. Again there was the mention of a girl who died.

Honestly I had assumed June would be the killer just because that would be the most affecting outcome for Junpei, but it appears that isn't the case. We know from the previous ending that Snake isn't actually dead so it could be him, but I doubt he'd want Clover dead. It could be some telepathy thing that is causing them all to kill/die, I suppose. It's good anyway, and I look forward to seeing the other endings! Maybe I have to get all the endings before the 'true' one becomes available. Fun times ahead!

Note: it is weird that there is no mention from anyone of the clear code 'Snake' leaves behind in blood.

UF8 posted...

eg. the ladder in the starting cabin

Also lol this was good, but not as good as Science Boy in the laboratory.

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Okay good you've seen Science Boy, but do you know about the Funyarinpa?

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hombad46 posted...

Okay good you've seen Science Boy, but do you know about the Funyarinpa?

How could someone not know what the funyarinpa is? That's... that's practically blasphemous. Say you're sorry! Apologize to the funyarinpa!

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I googled funyarinpa after that sequence just in case it was a real thing

Third playthrough done! I have now written down the suitcase codes so the cabin should be quicker in future. This time I went for Door 3, and oh man Junpei is a huge asshole in that sequence lol. Unfortunately that railroaded me into Door 2 which wound up giving me the same ending as before. I guess the last door might be what matters for the ending. But there's 6 endings... hm.

Also little thing I noticed: when June dies at the end there's a closeup of her hand and her bracelet doesn't fall off. So maybe she was faking it? But then if she was Zero she probably wouldn't have a regular bracelet like everyone else, and she couldn't have killed Lotus and Seven anyway. Hm. Next time I'll go for Door 6 and hopefully get a new ending.

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tbh when I first played I didn't think door 3 would be a real option because of how much of an asshole you'd need to be to force it.

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The route tree kills a lot of what makes the game great. It turns it from a mystery game into some sort of collectathon.

Plus fast forwarding keeps the plot really fresh in your mind, which is important since it's so confusing. I wish the sequels kept that to some extent.

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foolm0r0n posted...

The route tree kills a lot of what makes the game great. It turns it from a mystery game into some sort of collectathon.

Plus fast forwarding keeps the plot really fresh in your mind, which is important since it's so confusing. I wish the sequels kept that to some extent.

Eh, I didn't feel that way and I hate collectathons. I thought it made it more strategic in trying to figure out where you needed to go

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Strategic? Doesn't it just show you color coded locks? What figuring out where to go is there?

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I don't think I would have bothered replaying the game to get other endings without the route tree. Knowing what options there were to me was pretty significant. Sure, the biggest decisions come at the door selection moments, but those aren't the only times that you have to do something important.

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Done my next route! 4-8-6, I have now done every puzzle room (except whatever is past the 9 doors).

Thoughts:

• They really go knee-deep into sexual innuendo during the elevator convo with June/Junpei if you pick that one option, wow. Surprised they got away with some of that!
• Going 4-8 results in Junpei offending Lotus and we therefore don't hear her full story in the laboratory. Interesting...
• Santa continues to oscillate wildly between moods. The weirdest thing here is him talking about the stairs being 'perfect', him being a good/bad Santa and having a sister, and asking us to bring Clover.
• Lol at Junpei first bragging then kinda having an existential crisis about his own card
• The Cargo Room feels like the final boss room of the levels, both the 3x3 number grid and the box moving puzzles are harder than anything in the game so far.

So we got a new ending, but now I'm out of rooms. I'll have to mix up the order to get the other 3 endings, I guess. I'm not sure if I should be trying to foster the best relationships with certain characters, or trying to piece together information on specific themes... I now realise that I should've been paying more attention to exactly when Junpei is told various things.

I'll try to keep track of things to figure out what to do next:

4- June, Santa, Lotus: we get offered the clover from Santa, and we learn about the telepathic fields and Ice-9
5- Seven, Snake: we learn from Snake that he's physically pretty tough (which should cast doubt on the assumption of what happens to him later). Seven acts weirdly at one point, I forget exactly but he leaves a door open to come back later.

7- Clover, Seven: I don't remember much about the mannequin room. Junpei comforts Clover (I don't think he gives her the clover yet?), we might get info about Alice here IIRC.
8- Clover, Lotus: Clover tells us about Snake's car accident and fake left arm. Lotus tells us a story if we go 5-8, but not if we go 4-8. Unfortunately I don't remember what the story was >_>
3- Santa, June, Seven: Junpei pisses everyone off. Forces us into Door 2.

1- Clover, Ace: We get closer to Clover, she tells us a bunch of stuff about the experiment and how Snake is alive. I think we learn more about Alice here too. I could do this again and not give her the clover, or maybe not take the clover from Santa in the first place. There's also the dead captain body to consider.
2- Lotus, Seven: We get both of their backstories
6- June, Santa, Ace: June's fever comes back. The gun gets left behind.

So options here... I can be worse/more distant to Clover and see if that changes events in 1. I can do 5-8 again and remember what Lotus's convo is about, and hopefully use that to decide what I can learn later on. Maybe not, because Lotus feels kinda sorted out now, I don't think there's more to learn with her. Also she keeps dying so she can't be responsible for anything >_> I think 4-7-1 was the perfect set to learn about Alice. I definitely don't have a grip on what Santa's deal is, so maybe there's a path to work with him. Ace is still an unknown, if there's a combo to trigger his backstory I haven't found it yet. Actually we only spend time with him in the last set of rooms... Also might do 5 again to work out exactly what Seven is trying to do, now I know his deal.

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Without trying to say too much, I think you're on the right track as far as some ideas to trigger additional endings. I remember not being able to figure out the right doors to go through myself. If you want this limited down some, the following doors are dead ends at this point, so don't bother doing those again if you want more endings (I don't recall whether any additional dialog would be possible here): door 2 and door 3.

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Thanks, that is good to know! I'm kinda glad Door 3 has nothing else to it (does that mean you can get all the endings without ever doing the Shower Room puzzle?), and 2 does seem the most 'complete' of the final rooms with the character development for both of them.

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