REVIEW: 99Seconds


Title	99Seconds
Developer	Enjoyup Games
Publisher	Enjoyup Games
Release Date	October 2, 2014
Genre	Action
Platform	Wii U
Age Rating	ESRB – Everyone
Official Website

99Seconds was a game that was originally released back in 2012 on the Nintendo DSiWare, but was released on the Wii U eShop a few days ago. 99Seconds’ developer, Enjoyup Games, does have a few fairly well-received games under their belt, such as the eShop version of Unepic, the WiiWare version of La-Mulana, Chronos Twins and this game’s predecessor, 99Bullets. Naturally, one can assume that Enjoyup Games is capable of delivering a quality gaming experience. Did they create an enjoyable experience with 99Seconds?

The story supposedly takes place after the events of 99Bullets and involves being trapped in a labyrinth, but that is about all there is. There is no mention that the game even has a story even in the manual. The only reason that I know that 99Seconds supposedly has a story is because it tells you on the game’s eShop page. Naturally, it is quite obvious that 99Seconds was never supposed to be about story.

The first thing that one will notice upon starting up 99Seconds is that it uses a very minimalistic style. 99Second’s graphics are very basic and can probably be recreated in MS Paint. Surprisingly, I do not mean that as an insult. As far as I’m concerned, a minimalistic style is fine as long as it is appropriate for the game in question, and I can easily say that is the case for 99Seconds. The game runs very smoothly and it never caused any problems. The sound effects are very well placed. The music is definitely appropriate for the gameplay and is pretty catchy, albeit difficult to remember. I do remember that I liked the ending credits theme, in particular, though.

99Seconds plays very similarly to 2d shooters in that you cannot touch anything on screen (except for powerups, of course). However, the game balances this out by giving you free movement in all directions and a small hitbox. As a result, it will never be the game’s fault if you get hit. The entirety of 99Seconds is also on rails without any exploration. A key difference that 99Seconds has with most shoot-’em-ups, aside from you not shooting anything, is the ability to freeze time and stop everything from moving. This ability can be used at any time and for as long as needed. The only restrictions on this ability are that the in-game time limit does not stop and that you still cannot phase through obstacles.

Another major element of 99Seconds is its titular 99-second time limit. The only way to get a Game Over in 99Seconds is to get hit by an obstacle after the timer reaches zero (if you are hit before the timer runs out you get a few seconds off the remaining time). In order to avoid running out of time, one will need to collect power ups and not take too long stopping time. One major issue with 99Seconds is that it is very short, and by “very short,” I mean that you could beat it in about 20 minutes. To be technical, it took me about two hours when counting every attempt, but that is still a very short amount of time. There are optional difficulty modes, but the only change was that obstacles move faster. There is also a multiplayer option, but I was unable to test it out due to there being no online option and not having anyone to play it with locally. From what I have gathered, the multiplayer version is no different from the single player version except with more than one character being on screen. The Wii U version also has an added Survival Mode where you compete with others to see who can survive the longest.

99Seconds was a game I enjoyed playing. While it is a very short game, it is a game that will still be fun during subsequent playthroughs. Aside from its short length, there are no major complaints that I had with it. The gameplay was very well designed, had a difficult yet fair approach and was fun to play. The only reason I may have difficulty recommending it is because some people tend to associate seeing the end credits as the game being finished. How much one gets out of 99Seconds depends on their perspective. If you are the type that has a large backlog and always has something waiting to be played, then you will not think much of 99Seconds once you are finished with it. However, if you are looking for something to distract yourself with for a while, then 99Seconds is a pretty good choice for only $2.50.