Growing up in a world where freaky alt kids had some of the worst idols available, I’m so happy that 9 R.I.P. exists. I had classmates who shopped exclusively at Hot Topic, hanging posters of Marilyn Manson and Mindless Self Indulgence on their walls, trying to get me to watch more Invader Zim and insisting it was high art. But those all represented icons who were going to be forgotten in several years at best, and revealed to be absolutely abhorrent beings later on at worst. Now, if you’re determined to be a counter culture anti-sheep, you have the perfect outlet for your emotional projection, and it honestly comes in one of the most sincere, bizarre marriages of Japanese otome and classic urban legends that I’ve seen in my life.

Otomate and Idea Factory again come together to spin a tale of complex feelings set against an unusual background, and 9 R.I.P. is one of the most ambitious I’ve yet to read. You’re put in the shoes of Misa, who gets told by her best friend that their town is one full of strange happenings, those who are suffering the most in terms of mental anguish are most apt to be spirited away. So, as a second year high schooler struggling to figure out her own path into adulthood while wrestling with the pressure from her older sister and mother AND still coping with the death of her father, Misa is a perfect candidate for a haunting of sorts. But who could have predicted that she would attract the attention of not one but NINE entities? And that they were all attractive boys of different archetypes? 

Granted, the second point was a given (it is Otomate, after all), but the way 9 R.I.P. presents is a bit different than the average otome title. While it’s understood that you’ll want to play the game multiple times in order to glean the complete tale and get the full ending, 9 R.I.P. only hints with the title of the game at the full magnitude of what you’ll be able to do. From the initial three beings you encounter who are not family or fellow female friends (no yuri in this title), only two of them are potential romance routes in the traditional way. Most of the relationships you may be able to develop take purposeful steps in order to be discovered. 

For example, one of the most obvious routes – a ghost boy who haunts the school named Hibiki – won’t even be made apparent unless you deliberately circle back to him after you have a set encounter in the game’s prologue. It’s literally one of the first connections, and I didn’t even talk to him for a vast majority of the game because I immediately started giving attention to someone I met a few scenes later, and thus Hibiki was locked away from me for the duration of the game. I didn’t even learn his name until I entered into the end game of a different romantic route and there was some overlap in backstory.

From a mechanical standpoint, 9 R.I.P. might be a bit frustrating for otome completionists in that sense. For one, though you get an idea of what could be based on the gallery shadows and the Episode menu (offering quick replays and chapter jumps), you don’t see any kind of connectivity, leading to meandering and needing to repeat choices in order to find successes. Additionally, the bad endings seem to jump out of nowhere, trying to emulate the horror motif that comes with the game, with the unfortunate effect of feeling pointless. That is to say, some of the bad endings had the same vibe as stepping onto a trap panel in The Witch’s House or Resident Evil, which is a bizarre feeling when you’re trying to navigate your romantic attraction to a Ouija board and telling your mom you don’t want to go to medical school.

That wasn’t a typo, and it transitions nicely into the rogue’s gallery of potential partners within the game. You’ve got a guardian spirit in training who is effortlessly bubbly and a bit hairbrained. A murderous soul that stalks the school and also is secretly gentle.. The very actual incubus who cannot wait to drain you spiritually and physically, but also wants to take it slow and not kiss you until the end of the game. And, yes, the manifestation of a “spirit game board” from your closet who has now deemed himself your master because you screwed up an incantation while asking questions about the weird things happening around you. Plus five more, including the aforementioned Hibiki, dead boy from school, and he’s not the only “I’m dead but still looking for love” character you may date.

Like every great otome game, 9 R.I.P. has someone for everyone. Do you want the silly, boyish figure who flirts with you publicly AND shows his heart privately? A scary, cold type who seems to openly disdain you but slowly reveals his tragic past and deep seated love? An androgynous, aloof being who barely acknowledges you, and that’s how you know they want you? Whatever your preference might be, we’ve got someone for everyone here, and each has their own version of a horrible past, something messed up about their present and plenty of doe-eyed plans for the future. Granted, some paths are cleaner than others, with some touching on very heavy subjects like self-harm, abuse and suicide, so please be cautious when proceeding forward with a game that clearly has a lot of stuff happening beneath the surface.

The good (or maybe bad?) news is that the bad endings I mentioned beforehand rarely, if ever, have anything to do with the boy you happen to be pursuing. If you manage to make it to the end of the game, you get slotted with either a Heavenly or Godly ending. The Godly ending will be usually a bittersweet combination of elements, like having the boy leave but always love you, or being in a relationship that can only exist in specific circumstances. The Heavenly ending is where everything works out perfectly, and this can only be obtained by making all the right choices, even the ones that don’t make sense, from the very beginning. You’ll get a clear indicator when you’ve made the correct “relationship up” choice, so be good with those quick save/load options to keep your heart on the right path.

I have to say, 9 R.I.P. is a mixed bag on multiple levels. On the one hand, the writing I enjoyed quite a bit, with a decent amount of exposition between the heroine and the people she wants to date as well as those who simply exist in her life. Unlike some visual novels, the world doesn’t fall away just because she’s falling in love with someone. Instead, for quite a few paths, we see an important development happening between Misa and her mother as they both learn to understand the other better and to accept their own mistakes as well as recognize why the other thinks and acts how they do. It’s certainly not to the level of Emily and Lorelai Gilmore, but it’s a healthy degree of acrimony with satisfying conclusions.

In a similar vein, the results of the relationships are usually strong, but some feel just odd. Toka, for example, never really feels like it hits the right stride. His demeanor goes from airheaded to almost threateningly serious at the drop of a hat, and I feel like his emotional connection to the protagonist comes more from obligation and fascination rather than affection. Sena, who I would argue has the worst Godly ending, takes so much finesse to keep on track, and I feel like his connection with me never really elevated, only started strong and just plateaued until the finale. By contrast, Koharu does a brilliant job of being standoffish and genuinely learning to open up and connect with Misa, making his endings both feel satisfactory. I’m still working on Minami now, but I think I will be pleased with him overall unless something takes a hard right turn.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a quality visual novel if it wasn’t for an excellent soundscape, and 9 R.I.P. absolutely nails both the voice work and the soundtrack. The music, a standalone feature itself, really wants to set up both classic otome turns as well as keeping true to the thematic of the game. Whereas many a title will go all-in on a title track that feels removed from the game, the opening and closing by Pluto evoke the aura of darkness and disquiet that comes with the game’s central themes without being overbearing or blunt. There’s a throughline that keeps the ambience cohesive while still nodding to when something becomes dramatic, lighthearted, tragic and, yes, horrifying.

The voice actors, as always, deliver the most powerful tones, but I was especially impressed by the female secondary voices. Sure, it’s easy to lean into the romantic growls and purrs of a gaggle of boys vying for your affection, but to be able to make sure that the non-route based characters – the double edged older sister, the deconstructed mother, the supportive but suspicious best friend – feel so authentic and important is no easy feat. I genuinely think players should pay attention to everything that’s happening in Misa’s family dynamic both with and without the influence of whomever is courting her: the writing and readings carry volumes that, until now, I feel are generally brushed under the otome mat.

9 R.I.P. is a sight to behold, and I think that it vibes so well with the tone of the game season and the rapidly fading warmth of a long, cruel summer. The character routes are exciting, dynamic and very different. The choices are usually clear, but you’d be surprised where you can misstep. I never felt lost, bored or confused: I just knew that I wanted to know more about Misa, about those who surrounded her, and about the foundation of all these bizarre happenings that get whispered about in her world. While reading everything is a massive commitment, players will be able to find a route they enjoy and, with just a bit of focus, float along to find out whether it’s a match made in Heaven or Hell. Good luck, my lonely ghouls.

 

Graphics: 8.0 Fantastically designed characters and faces, there’s no animation when speaking, but there’s a decent amount of nuance in change in expressions that it’s forgivable. The settings are a tad limited, I would have liked to see more locales and places beyond the conclusive backdrop.	Gameplay: 7.0 Standard visual novel affair: talk, choose something to say, keep talking. Gallery and Memories allow you to quickly jump to moments in time, but there’s nothing to speak of in terms of extras once you find everything. A single route takes several hours, so completionist may be looking at triple digits in order to unlock every ending.
Sound: 9.0 A superb if standard otome soundtrack that’s bolstered by the sound designer’s understanding of what it means to have a haunting undercurrent in the midst of budding romances. Stellar opening and closing songs. Voice cast knocks it out of the park with a specific nod to the spectacular female character cast.	Fun Factor: 8.0 I’m never going to want to go out and pursue a spooky boy for a myriad of reasons, but I appreciate the construction of a world where it feels natural, fun and very investable. Now to hide this game from my daughters so no one gets any funny ideas.
Final Verdict: 8.0

9 R.I.P. is available now on Nintendo Switch.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.

A copy of 9 R.I.P. was provided by the publisher.