9: The Dark Side

9: The Dark Side
by Play Favorite Games

Series links: 9: The Dark Side, 9: The Dark Side Of Notre Dame

Available at:
Big Fish for PC as Collector's Edition / Standard Edition
iWin



End a centuries-old war between the Guardians and the Clan of the Nine in 9: The Dark Side! Are you the Last Descendant of whom the legend foretells, the one who will stop the darkness that haunts Prague? Find out in this incredible Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game! Take on dark enemies and solve perplexing puzzles as you explore the gorgeous city of Prague. Fulfill your destiny in 9: the Dark Side!

The Collector’s Edition includes:

• Bonus gameplay
  
• Integrated Strategy Guide
  
• Wonderful Wallpapers
  

For the Standard Edition:

• Strategy Guide
  
• Blog Walkthrough (Big Fish)
  

Click images to enlarge

9: The Dark Side (Puzzle/IHOG)

This is a game that I bought based on how highly everyone spoke of it, and it is a classic case of "To each his own." I felt a great dislike for this game from the beginning. The voices annoyed me, the angles inside the castle made me uncomfortable, I did not like the game mechanics... I persevered because of how highly my friends praised it.

The non-castle graphics were very nice, but I kept running into anachronisms that pulled me right out of the immersiveness of the game. You could say that being the last descendant, and that others have gone there and never come out would explain these out-of-time items, but to me it was just distracting.

I was confused story-wise, as well. I just couldn't keep up - The 9 and the Guardians, but which are the good guys? The Guardians, right, but voiced portions kept muddling the two up to where I just stayed confused. One more thing to make my gaming experience feel erratic and disjointed (which it really isn't, it just felt that way to me).

Lastly, the gameplay seemed too predictable. Adventure, puzzle, adventure, puzzle, HOG, repeat. Throw the occasional voiced portion in, then repeat. It just got repetitive for me, even furthering my dislike.

Overall, I think that this game deserved the kudos that it got. It's just that it rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning, once again bringing to mind the best advice you could get where it comes to these games -- Try before you buy!