9:05, by Adam Cadre, is another snack-sized text adventure that is just right for a casual audience. Even if you're new to the genre and are looking for something short and simple as a primer, do give this one a try.
The game is so short, however, that any description of what happens during the game could be considered a spoiler, and so we'll let you find out about it yourself. Instead, here's a short introduction written by the game's author: "You've screwed up on the job before, but never like this. You've overslept in a major way, and you're in for a world of trouble if you don't act fast."
If you need a little help getting started, just keep in mind that you need to examine items to view a description, and take items to add them to your inventory. Check your inventory with the command inventory. You may also use an item, too. You may even find that you need to drop an item to get rid of it. The command parser is generally pretty good about figuring out what you want to do, but try using fewer words to describe what you want if having trouble.
Analysis: Besides being very short, one of the especially notable qualities of this game is that it encourages replay. After you've played through the game at least once, you'll understand what I mean by this. An enjoyable and surprising game and just right for a casual game audience,
The links above point to JIG's internally developed Flash-based Z-Machine interpreter (thanks asterick!), with the story files hosted here by kind permission of the game's author, Adam Cadre. That means you can now play these games in your browser rather than having to download and run the game in a standalone interpreter.
If you would rather download the game, you may do so at the Adam Cadre's website. If you choose to download the game, you will need an interpreter to read the z-file, just like most IF games: try Gargoyle for Windows, or Zoom or Splatterlight for Macintosh and Unix.
If you like "9:05," take a look at other Interactive Fiction we have reviewed here at JIG.
Walkthrough Guide
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Walkthrough
This game has four endings that I know of, the first three are all pretty similar, and each requires for you to do the same thing with a small change near the end. I suggest that you do the endings in the order I've listed. The fourth ending is a kind of bonus ending, and I'll put it at the end of this walkthrough.
The Morning Routine
You start in the bedroom, on your bed. It's probably obvious, but you have to press a key (any key will do) on the first screen, when '[MORE]' appears at the bottom.
Apparently, the phone is ringing. Answer it if you want by typing 'answer phone' or 'pick up phone'. Someone doesn't sound to happy.
You've just woken up, so you'll probably want to start the day by doing what most people do when they wake up: shower, dress, and eat breakfast. Before you do anything else though, you'll have to get out of bed. 'Get up' or 'stand' should do the trick.
The bathroom is the closest, so you'll want to shower first.
As you're told, the bathroom is to your south. In games like these, you'll often have to walk an a compass direction to get places. Walk forward, turn left, look right won't work. Enter the bathroom by typing 'walk south', 'south', or 's' (short for south). The other directions are similar: 'n' brings you north, 'east' and you go east, 'walk west' and you enter the room west of you. For now though, just type 'south' to enter the bathroom.
If you want (and if you're a third grader) you can use the toilet by typing 'use toilet'. You don't need to use the toilet, though, you need to shower. Go ahead and try to by typing 'take a shower'. In games like these, words like 'a' aren't important, and typing 'take shower' gives you the same result, nothing. You'll have to take your clothes off before showering. How do you find out what you're wearing, though? Try 'inventory' or 'i' to bring up your inventory, or list of stuff you're wearing or holding.
"You have:
some soiled clothing (being worn)
a gold watch (being worn)"
You can't shower while wearing either of these, so you'll have to drop them on the floor. Try 'drop clothes' and 'drop watch' to drop them separately, or 'drop clothes and watch' to drop them both at once. Check your inventory again before taking a shower. It should say: "You are carrying nothing". Once again, take a shower by typing 'take shower'. Step 1, showering, is completed.
Time for step 2, dressing. You can't very well go out in public nude, so you'll have to put some clothes on first. If you remember, you dropped the clothes you had been wearing on the bathroom floor, but those'll hardly do considering you've already warn them. Head north to you bathroom by typing 'n'. There's clothes on the floor in here, too, but they're dirty. Let's try the dresser. Open with 'open dresser' and take the clean clothes with 'take clothing' or 'take clean clothing'.
Enter the command 'i':
"You have:
some clean clothing"
Type 'wear clothes' and 'inventory' again.
"You have:
some clean clothing (being worn)"
Second step, completed.
If you type 'look', the game reminds you of where you are, which is the bedroom in this case. Grab the wallet and keys off the endtable with 'take wallet' and 'take keys'. Again, typing 'take wallet and keys' saves you a couple keystrokes.
From the bedroom, go east (type 'east') and you're in the living room. For this third step you'll need to eat a poptart, which is in the kitchen to the east of the living room. Type 'east' again and you're there. Grab the poptart off the counter ('take poptart') and pop it in the toaster ('put poptart in toaster') to cook it. 'Eat poptart' lets you eat it, and you're done with step three.
Head back west ('west') to the living room and head outside ('south'), just make sure to open the door first ('open front door').
Check your inventory ('i') to make sure that you've got the keys and wallet and jump in the car ('enter car'). Type 'drive' and you're on the open road.
As soon as you start driving, you'll be asked if you want to take the onramp. Whether you type 'yes' or 'no', you'll keep driving straight because the onramp is closed.
To continue driving, type 'look' or 'drive car'.
This is where the game starts to branch off into the different endings. If you answer 'yes', you'll eventually get the first ending, if you answer 'no' you'll get either the second or third ending, depending on another branch along the road.
Ending 1
Type 'yes' when the game asks if you want to go to Loungent Technologies. To get inside, you'll have to have an ID card. Check you inventory ('i'). I wonder what's in that wallet. 'Open wallet' should open it, revealing that you have an ID card inside. 'Remove ID card from wallet' or 'take ID card' will put the card in your hand, and 'insert ID card in slot' will get you in the building.
'Enter cubicle' brings you inside the cubicle and 'take form and pen and note' adds all three things to your inventory. If you type 'examine note', you're told your next step, you have to sign the form by typing 'sign form'. As soon as you do, someone enters Bowman's room. Exit the cubicle ('exit') and follow him in with the command 'west'. Press any key and the game's over. Congratulations, you've gotten the first of four endings.
Ending 2
First off, I want to say that this ending may get a bit confusing if you haven't done the first ending yet. I'd suggest that you do that first. Now, at the choice to go to the office building say 'no'. 'Drive car' or 'look' let's you continue driving past the building to another onramp. At this one say 'yes' and you've found the second ending.
Ending 3
Like with ending 2, say 'no' to going to the office building, say 'drive car' or 'look' to continue driving and arrive at the turnoff for the onramp. Congrats, thats ending three.
Ending 4 and Bonuses
Now, if you've already gotten the first ending, there's a couple bonuses back at the house for you. You can get them before you get the first ending, but they may spoil it.
When you're in the bedroom, type 'look under bed' and after that type 'examine corpse'.
When you're in the driveway, type 'examine trunk' (as in, the car's trunk).
In the top right corner of the game, there is a time display. You start the game at 9:05. Different actions increase your time in different ways. For example, walking somewhere (such as 'west') takes one minute, the examine and look commands also take one minute, and showering takes six minutes. Once the clock reaches 12:46 pm, ending four is reached. The easiest way to do this is just type in 'z' over and over again. Each time you do so one minute passes. Sure, you'll have to do it 191 times, but that's the fastest way.
Posted by: AustinH
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February 7, 2009 3:49 PM