The Rare Nine

About

The Rare Nine is a single player action game. It was developed by Agafonoff and was released on October 31, 2017. It received neutral reviews from players.

The Rare Nine - ultrafast and explosive action platformer, in which you will break through the darkness and hordes of undead in a endless skyscraper. Also we have a lot of great chiptune music.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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48%

Audience ScoreBased on 42 reviews

graphics4 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The game features a fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled gameplay experience that captures the essence of classic arcade action.
The pixel art style and chiptune soundtrack create an engaging and nostalgic atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
There is a diverse selection of characters, each with unique abilities, which encourages experimentation and replayability.

The gameplay can become repetitive over time, with a lack of variety in enemies and objectives leading to a monotonous experience.
The controls are often criticized for being unresponsive and difficult to manage, especially during chaotic combat sequences.
The game lacks a clear narrative or context, leaving players without a sense of purpose beyond simply surviving against waves of zombies.

graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
73%
12%
The graphics of "The Rare Nine" are characterized by a retro pixel art style that evokes nostalgia, featuring heavy contrast and saturated colors. While some players appreciate the attention to detail and the aesthetic fit with the game's theme, others criticize the simplistic visuals and lack of substantial graphical options, leading to an overall perception of average quality. Despite the mixed reviews, the graphics contribute to the game's retro charm, though they may not meet the expectations of those seeking modern visuals.
- “Visually, the rare nine thrives on the aesthetics of excess.”
- “Its pixel art style leans toward the grittier side of retro gaming, bathed in heavy contrast, saturated reds, and explosive effects.”
- “Graphics: I love the retro art style, the details with the blood and signs are giving me nostalgic thoughts looking back on games just like it in the past such as Slaughter House on Sega Master System.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
- “Without any other substantial graphics tweaks, it's not possible for gamers to improve the lackluster 2D visuals.”
gameplay
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
67%
14%
The gameplay is characterized by chaotic and fast-paced action, often making it difficult for players to distinguish threats amidst the visual clutter. While the core loop is addictive, it can become repetitive and frustrating, especially for casual players due to its high difficulty and lack of clear objectives. Despite these issues, the game captures a sense of raw enthusiasm and offers straightforward mechanics that some players find enjoyable, though others criticize the overall execution and fun factor.
- “What stands out most is how well the game captures the spirit of independent development—there’s a sense of raw enthusiasm in its design, an unfiltered energy that prioritizes gameplay feel above all else.”
- “The gameplay is extremely fast and very difficult; you are to fight your way through zombie hordes and find the next room to go through.”
- “I'll give this game its just due though, that tough difficulty and fast gameplay does make you feel every time you die that you can definitely buck up and 'git gud' as they say.”
- “While this chaotic presentation amplifies the energy, it can also obscure gameplay at times—when the screen fills with explosions, it becomes difficult to distinguish threats from background noise.”
- “Gameplay, if you can get the game to work, involves running around madly mashing buttons to try to fight hordes of badly done 2D retro pixel zombies... this is just garbage.”
- “The problem I have here is that the gameplay is so fast it's hard to find a comfort point with knowing what button does what in the midst of combat, since everything is so frantic.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
18%
19%
The music in the game is widely praised for its engaging and immersive qualities, featuring a mix of electronic beats, chiptune melodies, and eerie soundscapes that enhance the overall atmosphere. Reviewers appreciate how the soundtrack complements the gameplay, driving the action and creating a nostalgic vibe reminiscent of the 80s. Overall, the music is considered a standout element, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “Additionally, you can immerse yourself in fantastic chiptune music.”
- “Music: the music is actually pretty good, going from the main menu's eerie Michael Myers Halloween-esque piano melody, to the safe room's peppy low-key beat to the all hell breaking loose chiptune music in combat is smooth.”
- “Now, about the game, the gameplay's all fine, music's okay, but the number of zombies that come at you and the damage they deal is annoying.”
- “It's a really great game overall, really hardcore for those tryharders out there, the graphics and the music give the game a really Miami 80's feeling.”
- “The soundtrack reinforces this intensity with a pounding mix of electronic beats and distorted riffs, driving the action forward and rarely giving the player a moment to breathe.”
story
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The game's storytelling is largely minimalist, offering little context for the violence and a lack of deeper lore or narrative hooks, which leaves players feeling disconnected from the action. While the premise involves surviving a zombie apocalypse with a group of characters, many reviewers note the absence of a compelling backstory or explanations for the characters' motivations, resulting in a simplistic and somewhat unengaging narrative experience. Overall, the story is seen as a weak point, with players thrown into the action without sufficient context or depth.
- “Indie platform game with the story or the pretext of being in a world with zombies, where you and your group are locked in the top of a building and you have to find your way to the exit to save yourself.”
- “The selection of the characters with multiple difficulty levels and stories behind them adds depth to the gameplay.”
- “It misses some backstory, or a script that could explain why we're here, why are we doing this, etc., but it doesn't affect the game as much as we think it could.”
- “The minimalist storytelling also means that there’s little to contextualize the violence—no deeper lore or narrative hooks beyond the immediate goal of survival.”
- “This game has a huge problem: no controls are displayed, zombies are too fast, and even when you kill a lot of them, they just keep coming. There are just a few objectives and no story or anything that could make this enjoyable.”
- “It misses some backstory, or a script that could explain why we're here, why are we doing this, etc... but it doesn't affect the game as much as we think it could.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the game's humor, highlighting the developer's clever use of memes and references to current issues, which add a lighthearted touch to the gameplay. The combination of fun mechanics and amusing visuals, such as memes displayed in the environment, enhances the overall experience.
- “I highly recommend it; the game developer has a great sense of humor!”
- “The game is kind of fun, lol. It's hard but fun! The pixel art and the music are quite nice. The game is simple: pick a character and complete the objective, either to survive or destroy something. I recommend it; this game dev is funny.”
- “References to memes and current issues in the scenarios give a funny touch.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has been criticized due to numerous bugs and glitches reported by users, which have negatively impacted the overall gameplay experience. Many players have experienced crashes and performance issues, suggesting that the game requires further optimization and bug fixes.
- “The game is plagued with bugs and glitches that disrupt the overall experience.”
- “I frequently encounter crashes that make it impossible to progress.”
- “The stability issues are so severe that I often have to restart the game multiple times.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers strong replayability, drawing inspiration from classic arcade titles and incorporating roguelike elements that encourage players to retry after failures. Users find themselves motivated to replay due to the engaging progression systems and the desire to improve their performance.
- “There's replay value because trust me, after a few deaths you will be saying to yourself, 'Hmm... nah, let me do that again.'”
- “It’s a project that clearly wears its inspirations on its sleeve, echoing the arcade roots of games like Hotline Miami and old-school shooters while injecting a roguelike’s replayability and progression systems.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that Gamemaker Studio is often associated with the creation of low-effort, retro-style games that are perceived as cash grabs, suggesting a negative view of its monetization practices.
- “Gamemaker Studio is most commonly used to make retro pixel shovelware and cash grabs.”