99 Spirits

99 Spirits leans on point-and-click adventure structure, with the usual focus on talking, examining scenes, and solving puzzles instead of speed or reflexes. By our assessment, its appeal is the mixture of folklore atmosphere and puzzle solving, which gives the game a more distinctive mood than a plain inventory hunt. The downside is familiar to anyone who has spent time with adventure games: progress can stall when a puzzle clicks only after a lot of trial and error. In practice it is a matter of poking at every object, revisiting dialogue, and holding a few loose clues in memory. It sits nearer the classic Japanese adventure tradition than the action side of the genre. 99 Spirits is best for players who like deliberate, clue-driven play, and less so for people who want constant momentum.