9 R.I.P. Review – Spirits and Romance Meet in This Supernatural Otome Visual Novel

9 R.I.P. is the latest otome visual novel from Otomate and Design Factory, brought to the west by Idea Factory International. Exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, it introduces a unique premise: what if the spirits from urban legends were actually husband material?

A Strange Night for a Crush

The story begins with our protagonist, Misa Isshiki (name changeable), who is at a crossroads in life. She’s in her second year of high school, and the pressure of looming adult responsibilities weighs heavily on her. Misa’s mother is dead set on her becoming a doctor at Seigin University. While Misa has accepted this as the best path, she starts to question it when faced with decisions about her future.

Misa hears rumors that her town is a hotspot for ghost stories. According to her best friend, Sayaka, people under stress are more likely to be “spirited away.” As it turns out, Misa’s stress makes her a target for spirits, leading her into a world filled with spooky happenings, her school’s eerie secrets, and the supernatural.

But this being an otome game, the spirits are, of course, attractive boys. Inspired by popular Japanese horror stories, these characters come with their own charming, yet often strange, personalities. While their backgrounds can be dark, touching on themes like suicide, the overall experience leans towards mild horror. The game provides suspense, but those expecting a more intense horror experience might find themselves wanting more.

The Power of Choice

One of the game’s most interesting aspects is how your choices shape the story. The path Misa takes to relieve her stress determines which spirits she encounters and drastically changes the narrative. In my first playthrough, for example, I encountered an exorcist priest, which led to a lighter storyline where Misa’s biggest challenge was dealing with her mother and a few harmless spirits.

In contrast, during my second playthrough, Misa finds herself trapped in a school setting reminiscent of Corpse Party. This route was much more tense, with Misa trying to maintain her sanity while uncovering dark mysteries.

Managing Sanity and Relationships

The game features an insanity gauge, which fills if you make wrong decisions, leading to bad endings before you even get close to any of the love interests. Meanwhile, affection points increase as you interact with the spirits, unlocking new routes and deeper relationships. The game gives you the option to show or hide these visual hints, depending on your preference.

There are also logical choices to make, which can lead you into loops or bad endings if you’re not careful. All of these mechanics work well together, adding layers to the gameplay and encouraging multiple playthroughs to explore different outcomes.

A Smooth Experience

As expected from Otomate, 9 R.I.P. delivers a user-friendly experience. Features like auto-play, skip, and an interactive log with rewind options make it easy to navigate through the story. The Episode system allows you to revisit different routes, and there’s a Memory menu filled with CGs, videos, and a glossary of terms. The translation is mostly smooth, though there are a few minor typos.

Visually, the game is striking, often using distortions, noise, and bold colors to create a sense of unease. The soundtrack complements this with suspenseful, thriller-like tracks that help build the eerie atmosphere.

A Fresh Take on Otome

9 R.I.P. is a unique otome game that explores horror elements to create compelling backstories and circumstances for our protagonist to face. With the usual quality we’ve come to expect from Otomate, this is a great experience throughout.