999: The Devil's Number, Upside Down

A rather dark gem from Aksys Games that I hadn't even heard of until a chance video from Youtube. It starts out as your classic thriller: You wake up in a room you don't recognize. You're wondering where you are, when you suddenly notice something awry. In this case, it's a bracelet with the number 5...

From there, the game turns into a puzzle/horror graphic novel that's as compelling as it is wordy. At least the puzzles are intuitive. Not counting the first two in the beginning, those are half brain power, half blind luck. After the confusing suitcase puzzles, the game kicks into high gear (2nd if you're not into reading a novel). You learn that you're not the only one in this crazy, twisted web. Not to mention a familiar face...

Once introductions are out of the way, you learn more about the [Nonary Game] you're being forced to play. There are numbered doors throughout the ship. Next to them are scanners. No less than two people can pass through at a time. No more than five people can pass through at a time. Whomever passes through, their collective numbers have to equal a digital root that matches the door. For example: The first pair of numbered doors are [4] and [5]. Say you wanted to go through [4]. Since your bracelet has the number 5 on it, then the logical choice would be to take numbers 3, 6, and 8 with you, since as explained earlier in the story, digital roots are computed as such:

1. You take every digit and add them together - 3 + 5 + 6 + 8 = 22
2. Since you're left with a double digit number, you add the digits together - 2 + 2 = 4

So the digital root equals four and therefore your group can pass through the [4] door.

Surprisingly, there are a lot of things you learn about in this game, like hexadecimal to base-10 conversions, scytale ciphers, even luminol testing.

The game can get surprisingly dark at times, and you're free to chose your own path in this dance of death. I would recommend it to the avid horror buff, bookworm, or puzzler. Sweet dreams after a few hours of playing this title of great interest.







SPOILER: To get (in my opinion) the darkest ending, take door 4, insist on taking door 3, and let the story flow from there.