Welcome to my review of 9 R.I.P.! This highly anticipated otome game, inspired by Japanese horror folklore, has become one of my absolute favourites. Read on if you’re interested in hearing my thoughts!
Disclaimer: The route overview section contains minor, out-of-context spoilers – reader discretion is advised. To skip to the spoiler-free summary, click here.
Contents
Basic information
✿ Dev/pub: Otomate x Idea Factory x Idea Factory Int’l
✿ Platform: Nintendo Switch
✿ Language: English, Japanese (sold separately)
✿ Audio: Japanese
✿ Director & scenario: Amon
✿ Character design: Yuuya (Cupid Parasite, Him, the Smile & bloom, Café Enchanté, Pub Encounter)
✿ Genre: Supernatural, Horror, Slice-of-Life, Tragedy, Isekai, Comedy, Romance
✿ Rating: CERO C (15+) / ESRB T (Teen) / PEGI 12 / USK 16
✿ Japanese: 9 R.I.P. (ナインリップ）
Visit the official website here (EN).
Synopsis and setting
From IFI:
“
They say this town has always been known to have many people be spirited away…
They also say that confused people or those struggling are more likely to get spirited away.
You think you’ll be okay…?
In the beginning of autumn, during her second year of high school,
that’s what Misa Isshiki, was told by her best friend, causing her heart to skip a beat.
I’ll be fine. I don’t really believe in any of that stuff anyway.
That’s right… She doesn’t believe in that kind of thing…
It’s just… Her life had been filled with so much stress, all related to what her future would hold…
That’s when an eerie voice reached out to her…
Why don’t we take a look and see what you should do with your life!
I’m the one who will lead you into the darkness…
And that’s when all the strange things around Misa began to happen…
General trigger warning (click to reveal)
Horror, jump scares, stalking, obsessive behaviour, split/double personalities, violence, murder, suicide, torture, emotional and physical manipulation, blood, violent language, arson, cannibalism, sexual content, hallucinations, delusions, psychotic behaviour, and cult rituals.
Main characters
Misa Isshiki
✤ Voice actor: Not voiced.
✤ Coming-of-age protagonist.
✤ Kind, sweet and considerate of others.
Kureha
✤ Voice actor: Masuda Tosshiki
✤ Same voice actor as Kaguya (TaiAli), Mitsuki (MajeMajo), and Snow (Shiro to Kuro no Alice).
✤ Inspiration: “Kara Kara”
Hibiki
✤ Voice actor: Toki Shun’ichi
✤ Same voice actor as Dahut (Virche), Hibie/Hibina (KimiYuki), Leo (Piofiore), Tadashi (Dairoku), and Toya (Blackish House).
✤ Inspiration: “Grasp of the Mirror”
Sena
✤ Voice actor: Kakihara Tetsuya
✤ Same voice actor as Jigi (The Crimson Flower), Fran (Code: Realize), Witch of Ruin (even if TEMPEST), Shin (Amnesia), Ryou (KLAP!!), and many more!
✤ Inspiration: “Boy Gazing at the Star”
Koyo
✤ Voice actor: Suzuki Ryota
✤ Same voice actor as Ash Meyer (DesperaDrops), Lucas (Mistonia no Kibou), Ginnosuke (Hanakare), and Yona (Tengoku Struggle).
✤ Inspiration: “Merry Mary”
Seiya
✤ Voice actor: Tachibana Shinnosuke
✤ Same voice actor as Henri (Piofiore), Himeutsugi (Hana Awase), William (Ikemen Villains), Rolan (Jakou no Lyla), and many more!
✤ Inspiration: “Grand Warder of Hell”
Minami
✤ Voice actor: Okamoto Nobuhiko
✤ Same voice actor as Peter (Cupid Parasite), Radie (Radiant Tale), Yang (Piofiore), Taiga (Variable Barricade), Takumi (Charade Maniacs), and many more!
✤ Inspiration: “Incubus”
Koharu
✤ Voice actor: Azakami Yohei
✤ Same voice actor as Ion (RadiTale), Minoru (Tokimemo 4), Haoren (MoneyPara), Ozma (OVER REQUIEMZ), Yoshiya (Samudari), and Finn (Honey Vibes).
✤ Inspiration: “Spirit Board”
Yukimaro
✤ Voice actor: KENN
✤ Same voice actor as Shelby (Cupid Parasite), Limbo (Bustafellows), Nori (SympathyKiss), Fuuto (Brothers Conflict), and many others!
✤ Inspiration: “Guardian Spirit”
If you want to know the true (scary) lore behind their character inspiration, you can read this post!
Side characters
Toka
✤ Voice actor: Amasaki Kohei
Tengu spirit, adores Misa greatly.
Sayaka Hida
✤ Voice actor: Kaho Narumi
Misa’s best friend, an occult junkie.
Ayame Isshiki
✤ Voice actor: Ohtsu Airi
Misa’s mum. She’s a nurse.
Tsubasa Isshiki
✤ Voice actor: Ikeda Tomoko
Misa’s sister. A fashion designer.
Priest
✤ Voice actor: Yoshizawa Takahiro
Attends the temple in Misa’s town.
Yui
✤ Voice actor: Noguchi Ruriko
A kind ghost who lives in the nurse office.
Reika Misumi
✤ Voice actor: Tajima Saran
Overly friendly and eccentric ghost.
Route impressions
⚠️ DISCLAIMER: This section contains minor spoilers. You have been warned!
School Ghost Story
Trigger warning (click to spoil)
Horror, jump scares, cult rituals, kidnapping, murder, suicide, torture, violence, obsessive behaviour, split/double personalities, blood, and violent language.
Kureha
✤ Mature, composed & quirky
✤ Gentle airhead 🥹
Kureha had lost his memory and is driven to figure out what happened to him. When Misa comes along, they help each other out.
ROUTE IMPRESSION
Kureha was the first route I played when I tried the Japanese version, so I have fond memories of him. A hopeless romantic at heart, I think he was one of the earliest characters to fall for Misa (Seiya is unbeatable 😂). He comes across as the most “normal” of all the love interests. I expected him to be cool and composed, which he generally is, but his little quirks—like being bad with horror—make him so cute and funny.
I found his story to be one of the saddest, and I felt frustrated on his behalf because he deserved so much better. He’s such a kind soul, and I’m so glad he was able to find happiness, even after death. I did find his route a tad too “investigative” and personality would’ve liked a touch more romance build up. His Heavenly end was sweet, though I think Misa compromised more so they could still stay together. The Godly end, though bittersweet, felt more realistic to me.
Kureha’s route rating: 8/10
Hibiki
✤ Obsessive
✤ Hikikomori
In Hibiki’s route we get to know why he lives in the mysterious Mirror World. Misa helps him come to terms with his regrets to cross over (while also figuring out her stuff).
ROUTE IMPRESSION
When I was researching this game last year, I’ve always been intrigued by Hibiki. He was marketed as this character with duality, especially with the eerie expressions—and he totally delivered on that front. I did expect him to be more unhinged, so in that sense, it was a bit of a letdown. He was actually more “behaved” than I’d like. 😂
Hibiki’s route is probably one of the creepiest in the game because of his character and the lore surrounding him. His past was SO GRIM. His love was obsessive, which, of course, I adore. I enjoyed his character growth, overcoming various hurdles. The tension of their love possibly not being able to unite was so gripping, but when they revealed the solution (for the Heavenly end), I was like, “Oh, that’s it? LOL.” It felt like all the pain could have been avoided easily!
In terms of the endings, I really enjoyed Hibiki’s Heavenly end; it was a great compromise between their circumstances. The Godly end, on the other hand, leaned more bitter than sweet—it gave me a heartache. 😭
Hibiki’s route rating: 8/10
Urban Legends
Trigger warning (click to spoil)
Horror, jump scares, suicide, murder, stabbing, stalking, obsessive behaviour, split/double personalities, arson, manipulation, hallucinations, delusions, psychotic behaviour, blood, and violent language.
Sena
✤ Idol
✤ Memory loss
Sena’s route is all about him overcoming his (self-incited) memory loss, and figuring out how he and Misa can stay together.
ROUTE IMPRESSION
I had zero interest in Sena at first, but he completely won me over. The setup of his route—with the memory loss, the loop, and his resistance to moving forward—was so captivating. The tension from Misa wanting to help him and hoping he’d remember her as she was falling for him…I was hooked! Also, it feels like it’s been forever since I heard Kakki’s voice in an otome game, so my Sena playthrough felt weirdly “nostalgic.”
Sena has a beautiful heart and worked hard to reach his dreams. His backstory was genuinely heartbreaking, and he didn’t deserve any of what happened! His story made me reflect that life can indeed be cruel, and everything can be taken away from us in an instant. 😔 Also, the way their relationship unfolded—and their struggle to be together felt so angsty. Everything about Sena’s route is SO ANGSTY. Even during my playthroughs with other characters, and bits and bobs about him was revealed—my heart was aching for him! 😖
The Heavenly end surprised me—I didn’t expect the writer to take it in that direction, but honestly, I couldn’t think of a better alternative. It’s lowkey bittersweet, but not in a way that made me sad. The Godly end was also bittersweet, though I’d say it’s more on the bitter side.
As you can tell, I love Sena’s route. It’s really heartfelt—it made me appreciate the little things in life and to live it to the fullest.
Sena’s route rating: 9/10
Koyo
✤ Streamer
✤ Aloof x affectionate
In Koyo’s route, we figure out what happened to him, his motivations, and how he seeks to achieve his goal while protecting Misa from danger.
ROUTE IMPRESSION
Koyo is my favourite character in the game—not another Suzuki Ryota love interest, god damn it, Vira. 😂 (It all started from a BLCD of my favourite manga, and I haven’t recovered since). Ryota-kun aside, even without his voice, I’d still love Koyo. I relate to his need to feel fulfilled by helping others, and his search for a community that understands his niche abilities and interests really resonates. I reckon it’s something a lot of us in the otome community, both creators and fans, can relate to!
There’s also the revenge, which is a bit of an overdone trope if you ask me, but they honestly cooked with this one. The experiences he went through were incredibly cruel and jaw-dropping. I also appreciate that we get a POV from the perpetrator/enemy. This route made me realise there are nearly zero plot holes in the game. The writer really covered all the bases—even random side characters mentioned chapters ago received explanations. If you’re particular about plot holes, I think you’ll appreciate this aspect of the game.
I didn’t really enjoy his Heavenly end ‘cause it felt a bit rushed. I much prefer the Godly end as it has better pacing and provides a more conclusive, satisfying end. Though in a way, the two ends feel pretty similar, so the lack of variation is a bit disappointing.
Koyo’s route rating: 8.5/10
Other Realm
Trigger warning (click to spoil)
Horror, jump scares, cannibalism, death, stalking, obsessive behaviour, sexual content, murder, torture, emotional and physical manipulation, blood, and violent language.
Seiya
✤ Hentai x menhera
✤ Workaholic
Seiya pops up in nearly every universe and seems to have his hands in a lot of the characters’ shenanigans! In his route, we get to dive into his life as a Grand Warder, his backstory, and enjoy more of his unhinged personality, which we only get glimpses of in other routes.
ROUTE IMPRESSION
I love how the game doesn’t even try to hide how unhinged Seiya is from the start—even in other routes, bro was MENTAL. 😂 He takes the concept of a “hopeless romantic” to a whole new level, and his lines had me laughing my ass off. He’s genuinely off his rocker, and I love how honest and unapologetic he is about it. When he’s not in his “hentai”/ “menhera” mode, he does come off as mature, especially the way he takes his job very seriously.
What I love was how he allowed Misa to explore the world she finds herself trapped in and make her own decisions. He protected her in his own way, and I appreciated that, though he did get a bit overprotective at times. Seiya’s past was sad, though to me it wasn’t as angsty as some of the other characters’. I much prefer his Godly end than his Heavenly end, but both endings were relatively happy and sweet! I think I prefer the Godly end because he’s totally insane and irrational there, just the way I like my love interests. 😂
I can’t recall if it was ever mentioned when he passed away, but the Misa and Seiya pairing definitely has an age gap vibe. That said, Misa is quite mature for her age, despite just coming of age herself.
Seiya’s route rating: 8.5/10
Minami
✤ A demon fighting his inner demon
✤ Enemies-to-lovers
Minami’s route is probably best saved for later since his connection to Misa runs pretty deep and is related to the main plot. In this route, we uncover why he’s so attached to her.
ROUTE IMPRESSION
For me, Minami’s route was a mix of heartfelt, intense, and scary. I think the plot purposefully set him up to be redeemable, but I lowkey wished they had left him as his unhinged self without a chance for redemption. 😂 That said, I enjoyed his internal struggle between resisting the humanity in him and wanting to remain true to his demonic self. It was interesting to watch him come to terms with unfamiliar feelings and emotions, which made for interesting character development. That also allowed him to love and care for Misa the way he did.
I’m not huge on enemies to lovers, but you’re a fan, this is your route! The bickering between the two, and the push and pull—you’ll find all the quintessential enemies-to-lovers shenanigans. I also liked how he swallowed his pride to work with Seiya purely to help Misa. There’s something so satisfying about smug love interests falling from “grace” and becoming deeply enamoured with the protagonist. It’s just so delicious to me. 😌 And the voice acting?! OkaNobu is popular for a reason—his vocal range for Minami is seriously impressive! Overall, while this wasn’t my favourite route, it was still a fun ride.
Minami’s route rating: 7.5/10
Spirit World
Trigger warning (click to spoil)
Horror, jump scares, violence, blood, violent language, stalking, obsessive behaviour, and emotional and physical manipulation.
Koharu
✤ Brute (but not really) x tsundere
✤ Domestic af
Koharu belongs to the Spirit Board clan, and in his route, he grows closer to Misa while ‘haunting’ her after she breaks a taboo during the Spirit Board ritual.
ROUTE IMPRESSION
I usually don’t care for tsundere characters, but Koharu is the kind of tsundere I can actually enjoy. He’s brusque without being annoying, and it’s clear from early on that he has a kind heart. I crack up every time the other spirits tease him about his tsundere-ness, and his bickering with Yukimaro like kids is absolutely hilarious!
Tsudere-ness aside, Koharu is incredibly sweet and gives off such comforting vibes. I adore how domestic he is, whether it’s his cooking skills or the way he takes care of Misa. Sometimes he gives off mum vibes, other times brother vibes; he’s just such a homey character for me. If I had a boyfriend in real life, I’d definitely want him to be like Koharu. I didn’t expect to like him as much as I did—he’s even made it to my top three!
Koharu’s route had a cosy feeling that suits the light-hearted vibe of the Spirit World. Truthfully, I find it less memorable due to its comfortable nature and the lack of major events. That said, I can never say no to a good heartwarming love story! I really enjoyed his Heavenly end and am curious to see how the sequel will handle it. I also hope they delve deeper into his background, especially regarding the clan dynamics ’cause it’s barely discussed. The Godly end was bittersweet, but it worked well for the story.
Koharu’s route rating: 8/10
Yukimaro
✤ Babygirl x playful
✤ Spirit trainee
Yukimaro’s route is about uncovering his background and “identity,” as well as the growing feelings between him and Misa.
ROUTE IMPRESSION
Yukimaro is a wild character. He’s essentially a child trapped in a young man’s body, who talks like he’s from freakin’ Edo or Sengoku period. 😂 He speaks in such an archaic, old-fashioned way, yet his behaviour is so childish, which makes for a hilarious contrast. He made me laugh so much and I can’t help but adore him dearly. KENN truly went above and beyond with the voice acting for Yukimaro—top tier stuff!
Despite his playful nature, Yukimaro really steps up when the moment demands it. While he’s often goofy and immature around Misa, he shows a much more capable and manly side when she’s not around, especially when the topic turns to her. I guess there’s something about Misa that seems to bring out this “whiny baby” side of him, haha. I can’t help but just cackle at their dynamic—it’s like, who’s really taking care of who now?! 😂
Personally, Yukimaro’s route’s resolution felt a bit too convenient. The key to solving his problem was right in front of them the whole time, so the ending felt a little underwhelming. That said, I freakin’ love the Godly end, especially the epilogue CG. It was beautiful!!!! The Heavenly end, for me, was so-so, even though technically it’s the happier version of the two.
Yukimaro’s route rating: 8/10
Hidden Route (click to spoil)
Toka
✤ Self-proclaimed stalker
✤ DUALITY
Toka’s route dives into why he’s so fond of Misa and why he’s always trying to make her stronger. Also, there’s more than meets the eye with his child-like persona.
ROUTE IMPRESSION
Oh my DAYS. Toka’s route has to be one of the best secret character routes I’ve ever come across!!!! I had figured out pretty early on that his child-like form wasn’t the true Toka, and I was absolutely dying to meet his true form. When it finally happened, it did not disappoint! I still remember that moment—canonically, I was actually waiting for my laundry to finish at the laundromat. When I tell you I was SCREAMING, giggling, crying, and sobbing in my car. HE LOOKS AMAZING, STUNNING, GORGEOUS, BEAUTIFUL. 1000/10.
I wish Toka’s route had been longer because I just wanted more time with him, but I suppose that’s the typical hidden route treatment in Otomate games. 😩 I’m especially curious about how they’ll handle the sequel. Considering how his Heavenly end played out, the writers will have more freedom in developing his route further. As for in this game, I definitely prefer his Godly end—it feels more complete and, most importantly, happier.
Hidden route rating: 9/10
Misa
✤ Best girl
✤ Bob hair supremacy
Misa is a strong protagonist, and I relate to her feelings of not wanting to disappoint the people she cares about while also wanting to prioritise her own needs and desires. It took me a while to feel compelled by her struggles. However, I eventually came to appreciate her position; I too used to struggle to figure out what I want to do with my life. With the added pressure from her mother, I can imagine how frustrating her situation must be!
Despite everything, she’s incredibly sweet and always goes out of her way to help others. I love that she’s not afraid to show her frustration and confusion when it all becomes too much to bear (although she’d always regret it after, my pookie 🥺). Her vulnerability and imperfection feel so relatable—we’ve all been there when we’re pushed to the limit! I especially enjoyed her inner dialogue and how she reacts to the love interests, especially during their wackier or sillier moments. Honestly, there’s absolutely no reason to dislike her! Plus, I’ll always have a soft spot for short-haired protagonists—they’re simply SUPERIOR. It’s such a shame they didn’t show her face in the dialogue box because, wow, what a total waste of a gorgeous protagonist!!!
Route order
School Ghost Story – Kureha ➸ Hibiki
Urban Legends – Sena ➸ Koyo
Other Realm – Seiya ➸ Minami
Spirit World – Yukimaro ➸ Koharu ➸ Hidden Route (locked)
✤ Ending types
The game features two types of “happy” endings: Heavenly and Godly. The Heavenly end is the true, canon ending, and the sequel (currently in production) will continue from there. While the Godly ends are somewhat similar to ‘Normal’ ends, I’m hesitant to label them as such. For some characters, they’re actually happier than the Heavenly end, while for others, they lean more towards the bittersweet side.
Here are my final rankings and favourites.
Vira’s route ranking:
- Sena
- Hidden Character
- Koyo
- Seiya
- Koharu
- Kureha
- Hibiki
- Yukimaro
- Minami
Vira’s character ranking:
- Koyo
- Seiya
- Koharu
- Hidden Character
- Sena
- Kureha
- Hibiki
- Yukimaro
- Minami
Vira’s other favourites:
- Heavenly end: Hidden Route
- Godly end: Seiya, Yukimaro
- Bad end: “Finally We Meet” (Koyo’s Route)
- Realm/universe: School Ghost Story
Game features & experience
Notable features
✤ Basic (and very helpful) functions
The game has all the basic visual novel mechanics you’ll ever need: auto mode, skip read, backlog, restart from backlog, jump to selection (in backlog) and importantly, skip to next choice. BLESS.
If you leave the protagonist’s name at default, the characters will call her by name. For me, this feature has become a basic necessity in a voiced otome game. 🤷🏻♀️
The character sprites feature animated mouths and blinking eyes, which, again, I consider a modern otome game bare minimum. I really appreciated the ability to mute individual characters in the settings. When you do this, their mouth animations stop, and their dialogue scrolls at the speed you’ve set in auto mode. For me, this was a much-appreciated feature because I don’t like it when I mute a character and they still “speak.” It’s frustrating to wait for them to finish their lines in auto mode when I can’t hear their voice (and I don’t want to—that’s why I muted them 😂). Such a simple feature, yet it significantly elevated my gaming experience!
I was seriously disappointed not to see Misa’s face in the dialogue box. Why create such a cute and pretty protagonist, only to hide her away? It’s a crime!
✤ Love catch system & ‘Topic’ system
The game features a love catch system and a love meter, along with Maps that can lead to interactions with different characters.
The Map often leads to the Topic system, where you basically converse with the love interests about various things such as their hobby, likes and dislikes. All choices contribute to voice recording completions, and a few also help increase affinity. The Topic choice mechanic kinda reminds me of Clock Zero!
✤ Romance and horror levels
This chart rates the romance and horror levels of the different realms / universes, and they’re pretty spot on, giving you a clear idea of what to expect. School Ghost Story is the scariest, so keep that in mind if you’re not into horror. I’ve seen people claim this isn’t a horror game, but I personally disagree. While it’s not pure horror, there are jump scares and eerie moments scattered across the four realms. I wouldn’t underestimate the horror elements, and some of the bad endings were f**king creepy, seriously!
School Ghost Story
- Horror: ★★★
- Romance: ★☆☆
Urban Legend
- Horror: ★☆☆
- Romance: ★★☆
Other Realm
- Horror: ★★☆
- Romance: ★★★
Spirit World
- Horror: ☆☆☆
- Romance: ★★☆
✤ Bonus content
The game’s main bonus content includes ‘Voice’ recordings that you unlock by clearing all the conversation topics of the love interests. You can also view CGs in the Photos section under ‘Memory,’ along with Music and Glossary.
There’s a Video section too, which has the opening as well as ending videos for each love interest.
There’s also an ‘Episode’ section, where you can revisit all the chapters you’ve unlocked, including the common routes of the four universes / realms and love interest routes.
A completion CG unlocks after completing all the Heavenly end and Godly end for all characters.
Art and graphics
The art is stunning. Yuuya, the artist, never disappoints, and I really love her work. Each character feels unique and distinct, their designs perfectly matching their personalities. I appreciate that we get a lovely mix of long-haired and short-haired characters, plus some variation in hair colours and styles. Yukimaro’s hair is majestic—literally shampoo commercial majestic! 😂 Personally, Minami’s character design was a bit too childlike for my taste—I wanted something more raw, more fierce, especially since he’s a demonic character.
I love how “scars” are depicted as flowers on the characters’ bodies. It’s such a beautiful metaphor, suggesting that the hardships they symbolise are an essential part of the character’s journey and what makes them unique. I never fully understood why Koyo’s “scar” was on his arm, but in my head canon, as Merry Mary, it represents his desire to lend a helping hand to others.
I was also obsessed with some of the characters’ outfits—especially the guys from the Spirit World and Seiya. I couldn’t stop staring at their neck areas! Yuuya always creates such intricate accessories, particularly necklaces. I noticed this in her other work too, like Jakou no Lyla. I also love Sena’s star earrings.
There isn’t much sprite costume variation, but it makes sense given the setting. They’re otherworldly entities after all, but the Spirit World guys won the lottery because their story and character set-up allow them to have costume variations!
As always, Yuuya’s CGs are stunning! However, for most of the School Ghost and Other Realm characters, I found the colour palette to be a bit monotonous. That said, I appreciate that the colour scheme reflects the atmosphere of the universe the protagonist is trapped in. My biggest annoyance is how few CGs there are! I’m not even expecting a VariBari level of quantity, just a few more would have been nice.
Music
I adore the music in this game. My favourite OSTs are Kureha’s and Seiya’s themes. There’s a good mix of creepy tracks, perfect for certain eerie scenes, and even the light-hearted tunes were fun.
The opening song Horizon by Pluto is fabulous! Also, each universe has a different ending song: Memories and Eternal by Pluto for the Other Realm and School Ghost Story, while Williams’ % Range performs Rinne for Urban Legends and Houai for the Spirit World (my personal favourite).
You can find Pluto and Williams’ % Range on Spotify!
Length
It took me around 38 hours to finish the game (EN version). I listened to 95% all the voice acting (of the love interests), muted the side characters (cause I’m too lazy to listen to their lines sorry 😭), and played the game entirely with the auto mode.
The common route is medium to long. But since much of the chemistry with the love interests builds during this, I didn’t mind that it’s on the lengthier side. The individual routes are on the shorter side, only four chapters each at maximum. The hidden character has the shortest route.
Given there are nine love interests, which is a lot of dudes to romance, the overall length felt just right. That said, I do wish the post-ending stories slash epilogues were a bit longer. Some of the endings felt “rushed” or made me go, “wait that’s it?,” but knowing there’s a sequel in the works is very comforting.
Localisation
I know this might be controversial, but I tend to prefer translations over heavy localisation. With localisation, there’s always a risk of altering the character’s tone too much, and that can ironically put me off more than a stiff, direct translation—but that’s just me.
In this case, the localisation is great! My complaints are fairly minor. For example, I don’t think Kureha is the type of character who says “holler,” and Koyo’s “no shit, Sherlock Bones” came off a little extra ‘cause the original tone and line in Japanese wasn’t as harsh nor sarcastic (to me). There were other lines that I wished was localised differently too but for 98% of them, the lines really hit the spot!
I only remember one occasion of mistranslation, which was probably accidental (the line was referring to Misa but localisation was referring to one of the love interests instead).
There was barely any typos—I only encountered two occasions, which is nothing short of impressive! There is one line where the coding must have gone wrong, and the text box has a “skip names/call name,” which gave me a chuckle. In the grand scheme, it was a near-perfect localisation. I’m really impressed with the quality we’ve been getting from publishers like Aksys and IFI, and I hope they keep it up!
Summary
✤ Romance meets paranormal
9 R.I.P. offers a unique take on the supernatural trope. It depicts what it might be like to have romantic relationships with otherworldly beings, which is pretty insane to think about, but somehow, the game makes it compelling—and weirdly realistic. Maybe it feels more realistic to me because I’m culturally and religiously intimate with the concept of alternative realms and life after death. Either way, it’s a refreshing title I think deserves a place in your collection.
✤ Horror-inspired—but is it really horror?
I love the influence of Japanese horror stories and how they’re seamlessly woven into the overall design. I think it’s a strong selling point of this game and what makes it unique!
While the game definitely has horror content, it’s not in a ‘sh*tting your pants’ kind of way. In fact, the Spirit World section had so much comedy, I forgot I was playing a ‘horror-inspired’ game! 😂
I remember reading the director’s comments in B’s-LOG where they mentioned that the game was mild in horror, and that even if you aren’t great with scary stuff, you should still be able to enjoy it. I get that the devs opted to make the game palatable for a wider audience, but personally, I would have preferred full-on, scare-the-life-out-of-me horror because that’s exactly what we’re missing in AAA otome games. The guide they provided, with its horror and romance ratings, is pretty accurate, so you can get a clear sense of the content you’re in for.
That said, even though the game isn’t pure “horror,” there are definitely some shiver-inducing moments across all the realms / universes. I remember playing the School Ghost Story common route close to midnight—it got pretty spooky and made me regret my life choices, LOL. Some of the bad ends were also really creepy and scary. So I wouldn’t underestimate the horror content either!
✤ Character-driven, well balanced
9 R.I.P. is more of a character-driven game—each character has a unique and compelling story that doesn’t really tie into an overarching plot (except for Misa finding her career). However, the characters from different worlds interact and intersect with each other, and I really enjoyed this aspect.
I also appreciated the balance between the protagonist’s development and the love interests’ arcs. However, because the protagonist’s struggles are repeated across the different realms, it becomes less engaging after playing essentially four common routes and nine character routes that convey more or less the same narrative (for the protagonist part). That said, I really valued the life lessons, particularly regarding common struggles faced by those coming of age, as well as the themes of relationship repair between families and friends.
✤ Sweet ghosts, spirits, and otherworldly entities
The characters are all lovely, unique, and memorable. While some of them follow certain character tropes, they’re delivered in such a refreshing way—it’s hard to describe unless you experience it yourself! Some characters are depicted as more ‘extreme,’ but eh, I still find them nice and sweet. 😂 I wish that they weren’t all made to be “redeemable,” but that’s just me!
Nearly all the characters have obsessive and/or possessive traits, though it’s more of a cute and clingy type of situation. This fits well with the theme of spirits and ghosts “haunting” humans. I don’t know if this was done on purpose; nonetheless I feel it’s a huge charm of this game! I will never say no to love interests getting jealous over the stupidest things. 🙈
✤ The tension of forbidden romance
One of my favourite things about 9 R.I.P. is the tension of forbidden romance. Figuring out how Misa and the love interests could possibly end up together kept me SEATED! It also beautifully depicts how love transcends the everyday world, in life and after death.
The game had plenty of (good) romance, which I prefer rather than being plot heavy. The romances progress naturally, starting from the common route—which is on the longer side—and then building into much shorter individual character routes. I did wish there was more time dedicated to processing the events at the end, as some of them felt quite sudden. The lack of bonus story content adds to my slight frustration.
✤ Does it live up to the hype?
In my opinion, 9 R.I.P. absolutely lives up to the hype and deserves all the praise it’s been receiving. I enjoyed every route; there were minimal to no plot holes and a great mix of horror and slice-of-life elements. I also appreciate the depiction of love that transcends realms; the idea of being with a loved one even after death is simply beautiful. Some of the characters’ stories made me reflect on my own life and helped me appreciate it more. Overall, I had a fantastic time with 9 R.I.P., and I’m quite fond of this game!
When I read the director’s comment in B’s-LOG a few moons ago hinting that something new was coming, I was expecting a fan disc. But honestly, a sequel is even better! I wasn’t completely satisfied with how some of the endings wrapped up, as they felt a bit abrupt and lacked sufficient epilogue content. So, I’m highly anticipating the sequel! I hope the game does well enough in the West so we can get the sequel localised as well.
✤ Things to consider
Here are a few things to consider if you’re thinking about getting this game, from my perspective:
- Do you enjoy character-driven otome games?
- Are you comfortable with dark, violent and psychological themes?
- Can you handle paranormal, horror-themed stories and jump scares?
- Are you fine with MULTIPLE medium-to-long common routes, leading into shorter character routes?
- Do you enjoy games with a lot of love interests / routes?
If you answered ‘yes’ to the above, you’ll probably enjoy 9 R.I.P.!
Have you played this game? If so, let me know what you think in the comments below!
+
- Unique love story inspired by Japanese horror folklore
- Engaging forbidden romance trope
- Beautiful art and user interface
- Excellent and helpful gaming functions
- Variety of character personalities and storylines
- Minimal to no plot holes
- Great life lessons and thought-provoking themes to reflect on
–
- Protagonist plotline (eventually) feels repetitive
- Some endings feel rushed
- Could be scarier, and I wish some characters had been kept “irredeemable”
