A HA HA HA HA (re: 999)

[indigozeal]

Full-party wipe. I am the queen of getting bad endings for this game. At least I got a staff roll this time.

I have to be answering certain questions wrong. In a certain "hey let's fight and argue about out predicament" lull in the proceedings, you get asked a few questions like who you think did certain mysterious actions, and I've been answering along the lines of the killer being "one of us." The game acts all exasperated as if this is clearly wrong, dummy, despite the fact that this is nearly always the case because otherwise the villain is a eleventh-hour introduction with no character or connection to the others, which makes the reveal dramatically unsatisfying. That, and the two endings I've gotten so far have made a big deal about the killer wanting Lotus's bracelet (which doesn't make sense, as the door locks authenticate their hands, not their bracelets, but anyway), which makes sense only if s/he's a captive as well and needs to open doors. Anyhow these questions are the only moment of agency you have besides door choices.

Which makes me wonder: is the "9th man" the killer here instead? In the worst ending, you get an overview of all the carnage, with the narration stopping to count each body. It seems to emphasize that everybody is really dead (i.e., no pretending), but when it ostensibly stops at the first captive dead, the nervous man with the glasses, it notes "the body of the 9th man." Indeed, "the 9th man" is what he's called throughout the game, as he apparently bites it before he gets the chance to introduce himself, but maybe the actual "ninth man" got killed before this all got underway and Nervous Man just used his body as a ruse. That way, the killer wouldn't have been one of them, not really - which is still a rather splitting-hairs argument.

ETA: Hey hey, just noticed on playthrough #3 - in one of those questions above about the ID of someone pulling chicanery with the doors, you can accuse either the faceless captor, two of the other captives, or "someone other than the 8 of us." OooooooOOOOOoooooh.

I have to complain that the game has a real big problem with me doing anything with my favorite character, Seven. My first playthrough, I stuck with him whenever I could (save at the last split) and got stabbed for my troubles. This time around, I finally learned his backstory, and - well, see. C'mon, game. You can't expect me to stick right at Gamine Love Interest's side 24-7. Or 9-...1, as the case may be. 9-2? 60-9?

Anyhow, back unto the breach a third time.

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