This is a collection of the first and second games in a three game series. The originals were on the Nintendo DS and now they've been ported to PC with a few extra features.

I'll get my critiques out of the way. What the game is missing are better sprites and better controls. It's the kind of thing you'd think they'd include with a remaster, but oh well. It does little to hurt my enjoyment.

Now the games themselves: 999 is a more visual novel than game. There are a grand total of 9 escape rooms you can puzzles through and some choose your own adventure stuff, but for the most part it's reading a story. And I'm here to tell you that the writing is great. I would read this if it came out as a novel instead of a game. It can be esoteric at times with the Vonnegut references and what not, but that adds to the charm. Genuinely one of my favorite games.

The sequel Virtue's Last Reward is far more gamey than it's predecessor. There are tons more puzzle rooms, choices, and puzzles by the way of how to progress. The story is bonkers. In some ways that's good, although for a mystery, I kind of threw my hands up and gave up trying to play along due to the sheer lunacy of trying to piece it all together. Despite that, it comes together in a satisfying way and there are some daring story choices that-- obtuse as they are-- are pretty darn exciting.

The only real demerit I'll warn you about is that the third and final game (didn't sell enough) is not a very good game and I wouldn't even recommend playing it. So be prepared to have some plot points left open. Luckily these games tell fully fleshed out stories in their own right so the franchise as a whole flopping doesn't fell that bad.

Oh well.

If you're up for playing something for a lot of reading, this is a must play. 8/10. I love these so much.

This is a collection of the first and second games in a three game series. The originals were on the Nintendo DS and now they've been ported to PC with a few extra features. I'll get my critiques out of the way. What the game is missing are better sprites and better controls. It's the kind of thing you'd think they'd include with a remaster, but oh well. It does little to hurt my enjoyment. Now the games themselves: 999 is a more visual novel than game. There are a grand total of 9 escape rooms you can puzzles through and some choose your own adventure stuff, but for the most part it's reading a story. And I'm here to tell you that the writing is great. I would read this if it came out as a novel instead of a game. It can be esoteric at times with the Vonnegut references and what not, but that adds to the charm. Genuinely one of my favorite games. The sequel Virtue's Last Reward is far more gamey than it's predecessor. There are tons more puzzle rooms, choices, and puzzles by the way of how to progress. The story is bonkers. In some ways that's good, although for a mystery, I kind of threw my hands up and gave up trying to play along due to the sheer lunacy of trying to piece it all together. Despite that, it comes together in a satisfying way and there are some daring story choices that-- obtuse as they are-- are pretty darn exciting. The only real demerit I'll warn you about is that the third and final game (didn't sell enough) is not a very good game and I wouldn't even recommend playing it. So be prepared to have some plot points left open. Luckily these games tell fully fleshed out stories in their own right so the franchise as a whole flopping doesn't fell that bad. Oh well. If you're up for playing something for a lot of reading, this is a must play. 8/10. I love these so much.