9: The Last Resort
| 9: The Last Resort | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Tribeca Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | GT Interactive |
| Director(s) | Buzz Hays |
| Producer(s) |
Buzz Hays Peter Rosenthal |
| Designer(s) |
David Greene Nikos Constant Marc Blanchard Buzz Hays Larry Kaye Brian Kromrey Neil Lim Sang Jesse Lindlow Todd Pound Peter Rosenthal Michele Thomas |
| Programmer(s) |
Marc Blanchard Brian Kromrey |
| Writer(s) | Tom Minton |
| Composer(s) | Marco d'Ambrosio |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Mac OS |
| Release | September 30, 1996 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
9: The Last Resort is a 1996 adventure computer game developed by Tribeca Interactive. The game was produced by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, and sported an all-star cast of voice-artists including Cher, James Belushi, Christopher Reeve, and Steven Tyler & Joe Perry of Aerosmith. It also includes the visual style and artwork of Mark Ryden.[1]
The game came three years after the release of Myst. Like Myst, 9 is a graphically-rich 3D prerendered world, taking advantage of high-quality QuickTime video. It was written for the Windows and the Mac OS platforms, unlike most games of the time which ran on DOS platform as well/instead.
9 features a large cast of characters, and is rich in character interaction. The game world is populated by bizarre environments, objects and creatures. There is a strong musical theme running through the entire game, as evidenced by a majority of the puzzles, including the main recurring puzzle. There is also a strong element of humour in the game.
Title
Formally, the title of the game is just "9", as shown on the box cover. However, the title "The Last Resort" is also displayed on the packaging in different locations, and in the closing credits as "9 - The Last Resort", leading most people to refer to the game as "9: The Last Resort". The title is always written as '9', the numeral, not the word.
The name "9" refers to the nine muses which inhabit the resort (from Greek mythology). The muses are represented by various characters in the game.
The name "The Last Resort" is the title of the building in which the game is set. It is a luxury hotel which belonged to a man called Thurston Last, but is also a pun on the term "last resort". The title paves the way for puns on the name "Last", which are made throughout the game.
Story
The player character has just inherited a hotel, The Last Resort, belonging to his/her deceased uncle, Thurston Last, which is inhabited by 9 muses. As the player character enters the hotel, it becomes clear that it is no longer a hospitable place. Its wacky inhabitants live in fear of a pair of squatters known as the Toxic Twins. Only the aeroplane-man Salty is brave enough to wander around and talk to the player character. The player's goal is to reconstruct "The Muse Machine" and banish the Toxic Twins.
Gameplay
Most of the puzzles in 9 relate to the musical theme, provided mainly by Aerosmith. Many of the puzzles are based in a specific musical instrument, such as the drums, guitar, and organ; however, no musical knowledge of these instruments is required. The gameplay centers on an organ upon which the player can play musical codes. On each "floor" of the resort, the player finds a code sheet containing instructions for playing a short musical piece on the organ. However, each sheet extends the code making it more difficult to interpret. This culminates in the final puzzle in which the player must be thoroughly familiar with the code.
Packaging
"Feelies" (physical items meant to increase the realism and copy protection of the game) were included in the packaging. 9 included the following items:
- The Last Resort hotel brochure
- Postcard with a picture of the resort, in its finer days
- Sealed envelope containing the last will and testament of Thurston Last (including a copy protection code required to begin the game, although not all versions were sealed or included a protection code)
In addition, the quick-start guide is packaged as the "Guest Services" guide.
Reception
The game was not commercially successful. It also received mixed reviews. GameSpot gave it a 7.3 "Good" rating[2] while other reviewers berated it. It received a "B" from PC Games.[3]