9:05

5 star: (143) 4 star: (257) 3 star: (108) 2 star: (19) 1 star: (5)

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Four Stars, December 23, 2023

This is a game I always recommend to people curious about the text adventure genre. It's short, simple, and the parser won't fight you. The twist at the end is fun and the game is fast enough to ensure you reach it. Expect to play through it a second time when you discover the secret.

I wish there was just a bit more., July 25, 2023

I have a huge folder on my PC full of interactive fiction games that I've been collecting for years, most of which, to be honest, I still haven't tried. Every few years I get the urge to play some, and this time I decided to reorganise everything. As you might expect, this little game was at the top of the list, so I decided to play it. It didn't take long and I found it mildly amusing.

My disappointment with this game comes not from the scenario, which has potential, or the twist, which is both fun and a little bit "meta", or the length, which is suitable (and I'm a big fan of short stories in fiction, so this is really not a problem) -- It's just that I wish the author went a little wilder with it. A player can probably tell right off that something about the situation doesn't add up, and I think the game should give the player a little more freedom to step out of the box as it were and do weird stuff. You kind of have to follow one of three or four expected patterns and trying to do outlandish things (as I think a character in your position probably would) doesn't work. You can't interact with anyone, even though there are a few opportunities that might suggest you could do so. Certain things aren't mentioned in order not to spoil the twist in the game, but you'd think they would be, logically -- one of them is and can provide a little fun when you play the game a second time, and you might even discover it the first time through (revealing the "twist" at the outset and thus allowing you to beat the game), bbut even that has no real possibilities for manipulation.

Still, this is likeable enough. I'd love to see something a bit more playful and expansive from the author on a similar theme. This almost seems like a trial run for something.

The most-reviewed game on IFDB, March 25, 2023

As of writing, this game has 54 reviews on IFDB, more than any other game on the database.

I had a review of this game years ago that was mildly spoiler-y, and it was my lowest-rated review on IFDB by far (like 0 out of 9 people found it helpful).

I thought I'd give it another go.

This game is short but memorable, and its main defining feature is the way that it sets expectations. Funnily enough, this helps it serve as a great introduction to IF for newbies, since each command is hinted so heavily without feeling like handholding.

For instance, in my games, on the first turn I'll say something like 'You can PICK UP the telephone', just holding the player's hand very heavily, while this game simply says 'the phone rings'.

The room prominently displays loose objects, encouraging the player to pick them up; mentions only a dresser, encouraging the player to try OPEN; clothing, encouraging the player to WEAR, which then triggers the need to shower, adding a little complexity.

Driving can be complex in other games, but hear any reasonable actions with the car will get you in and going. Even the (Spoiler - click to show)ID card, usually something people code in a weird way, is hinted nicely with saying the reader has a place for you to INSERT the card.

For most people, at least in the years when this came out, the events in the game are completely reasonable and logical ones that they've either experienced or seen on TV (younger players may be confused you can't take the telephone with you). For experienced IF players, the bare-bones house descriptions are par for the course. So in this way, the author manages expectations in a brilliant way.

In my last review, I dinged the game for its bland prose, but looking back, it manages to add a lot of character in small ways. Like, if you eat the pop-tart, it says 'It's not Sunday brunch at Le Trop Cher, but it'll do.' That's clever. So it's not that the game isn't well-written and punchy, it's more like an optical illusion where it takes good descriptions and interesting responses but puts them into the same overall 'shape' as a bad, first 'my apartment' game so you just gloss over them until you realize they had more depth than you thought.

Overall, an interesting game, and an influential one.

short, sweet, with high replay value, March 22, 2023

what a great little beginner's masterpiece! This could be a great intro to IF, and a springboard for so many IF opportunities. I really liked this one a lot. Played through it four or five times just to see what else I could do. 4/5 stars only because it's so short, and I think with a little extra detail it could really shine.

A subversion of IF cliches, March 22, 2023

Oh, no, you are late for work! Better hurry up or your boss will fire you!

While not an outright parody, 9:05 does a good job of subverting a lot of the tropes commonly used in interactive fiction. You play a character with no backstory, you start the game in your bedroom, and you must accomplish a goal through the solving of various puzzles. To say anything more about the plot would be to risk spoilers, so I will just say that 9:05 starts with a simple setup that turns out to be anything but simple.

Difficulty is very subjective, but I found the game to be easy. The plot is grounded in reality, so all the puzzles have very logical solutions. The game will also offer advice when you type in a command that the parser doesn’t understand. The map is small and easy to navigate.

9:05 is a very short game, but it has a lot to offer to both IF beginners and IF veterans. I highly recommend it.

Quicky with a replay, June 27, 2022

A quick little game (Spoiler - click to show), with nudge to replay after the ending.

Because of my play style of b-lining to the end (Spoiler - click to show)on first play and this leaned into that for a twist:clap:

A big step forward, February 18, 2022

first, we need to look at 9:05 from the perspective of when it was created. certainly, there had been stories that concealed crucial facts from the player as a part of their structure, ranging from the clever (Photopia) to the merely frustrating (The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy). but the standard expectation of the time was that you could trust what the parser told you implicitly and assume you knew everything you needed to about the protagonist (most often there simply not being anything worth knowing).

a game like 9:05 challenges these impressions. the parser and protagonist are (Spoiler - click to show)telling a lie of omission. this is, obviously, a Generic Protagonist just going through the dreary opening moves of a typical slice-of-life game. (Spoiler - click to show)no, it isn't. you're not the Generic Protagonist, you're the person who robbed and murdered them.

9:05 is a very brief game that only rewards a handful of playthroughs before being completely explored. but those playthroughs have something very important to say about the nature of IF.

while i wouldn't exactly call a game that can be finished in three minutes and completely exhausted in ten a masterpiece, this is definitely an important work that signposted some of the narrative techniques used in many later games.

A humorous short game with multiple endings, February 6, 2022

9:05 is a game with a deceptively simple premise: You're asleep. The phone rings, waking you up. It's time to get cleaned up and go, and fast.

A single play-through is very short, so it's a breeze to reach the game's multiple endings (there are at least four).

There are some rough edges (the parser responds oddly sometimes when it doesn't understand the player's commands), but these issues didn't get in the way of my good time.

9:05 is well-written, with some amusing twists. Start the game with realistic expectations - it's not some masterpiece of literature, it's a funny little text game. By those standards, I consider it well worth playing a few times to see what it has to offer.

Unsatisfied, November 19, 2021

I don't get why this game gets such high ratings.

First play: Figure out the twist... it's a trick. There's information you as the player don't have, but if you really were the protagonist you would know this! Is there an explanation for why you don't know this? Does the PC have amnesia or something? Nope. Not that I know of. This doesn't feel like an "awesome" twist to me. It just feels like the author is cheating.

Second play: Immediately beat the game. Wait, that was it? So unsatisfying.

Third play: Scan some walkthroughs first because there must be more to this highly rated game, right? Not much more... yeah, there are some clues that you *could* have found the first time, but nothing that justifies the rating this game gets.

If I hadn't seen so many positive reviews, I probably wouldn't have minded so much... but the fall from those high expectations was rough!

Quick, fun, and surprising!, October 10, 2021

A short game about getting up in the morning and going to work, but with a twist ending. Plays with your expectations - there are some assumptions you make when you play a parser-based game, and it didn't really occur to me to question them here. Ironically enough, (Spoiler - click to show)when I got to the bit where you leave the house without locking it, I wondered if someone might break in when I was out at work.

If I hadn't been in such as hurry to get to work, I might have done what I normally do in parser games and (Spoiler - click to show)examine everything - in particular, to look under things and behind things. Of course, I did that on the replay.

One bit left me trying to guess a verb: (Spoiler - click to show)"get in cubicle" did the trick.

If I had to give someone a short game to play in order to teach them how to play a parser game, it'd probably be this.

A clever idea in text adventure form, July 26, 2021

My nephew and I were amused by this bare-bones vignette in which every turn another minute passes and we're already late and the phone is ringing and ...

We enjoyed the ambiguity of the game and we kept trying to guess the genre. Is it a puzzle to finish the tasks before the time runs out? A Groundhog Day game? A pointed criticism of the banality of corporate cubicle lifetyle? Clearly something was going to happen at some point.

In the end it was amusing but we were annoyed by the sharp edges of the railroaded short story format. Neither of us felt the ends justified the journey, even on a few replays.

A comment on reading conventions, March 24, 2021

This is a one-trick game which makes an insightful comment on the conventions which the player uses to interact with the game.

The twist got me, and made me laugh. It's more or less fair, though, as I saw on the second playthrough.

It reminds me of an Orson Scott Card essay on how to read science fiction: the experienced science-fiction reader is looking for the world-building clues in the story as they read, and constructing the world rules, how it works, in their head from the clues dropped in the text. A reader not used to science fiction can get lost, as did some of the students in his course.

The same approach happens when we play an interactive fiction game. There is a process of exploration to figure out the world model. There are also certain conventions, or shorthands -- as there are in science fiction -- where the writer can import a lot of assumptions at once, from previous gameplay (like previous SF), without spelling it all out.

(Spoiler - click to show)9:05 plays a trick with those assumptions.

This also engages with the discussions by many IF luminaries about the coercive nature of game design, where the player is given the illusion of choice but the author is actually restricting the player's options to the preselected ones. This is particularly apparent in second-person media like most IF. In fact, to avoid player frustration, it is standard design advice now to use the text to hint the player in the "correct" direction, and the player usually follows it. Of course, the author can also mislead the player. (Spoiler - click to show)And very elegantly, 9:05 does.

Was too confusing as a kid - I really like it now though!, December 22, 2020

I first played this as a child, years and years ago. It was too confusing for me. I couldn't figure out what to do, how to interact with the objects, where to go. I just kept getting errors.

I came back to it, and now find it very enjoyable!

Fun little game to get you acclimated to IF, September 29, 2020

This game only takes 10-15 to playthrough once, and I recommend you play through it multiple times. It is useful in getting a new player acclimated to the mechanics of IF, including the frustrating parts like being told you can't do something because of a minor detail you forgot (Spoiler - click to show) like having to specify to take your watch off before getting in the shower.

My first playthrough was over unexpectedly and anticlimactically, but I got to have some fun on subsequent playthroughs. After playing it by yourself a couple times I recommend reading a walkthrough to learn all its secrets. This will help give you an idea of what to look for in future parser-based IF games you might play.

9:05: an anWinnable State review, May 9, 2020

Adam Cadre’s 9:05s most notable quality is its shortness. If it were much longer players may be unwilling to engage in what makes this work so fascinating, the fact that a replay of the game is thoroughly satisfying. When following the game through its logical progressions you reach an ending that re-contextualizes everything, enticing you to start again and interact with the world in a different way.

There is not much more to say about such a short game. If you haven’t yet played 9:05 by Adam Cadre, give it a go. It will surprise you.

You can find the SPOILER-Y portion of unWinnable States review of 9:05 here.

Awesome plot twist, May 16, 2019

I didn't know what to expect when I first played this game. The story was great, and the plot twist at the end made the game perfect.

What a fun game!, April 4, 2019

What a charming, fun, and devious little game this is! Deceptively middle-of-the-road and cleverly laid out so that you follow it logically, hit the twist, and then just have to play it again.

Loved it, March 10, 2019

Very good! So many twists and turns for such a short game, well worth it.

My first IF, July 21, 2018

This is the first IF I completed, and what really got me into the genre. It's quick, neat, and you won't see the end coming. (I certainly didn't.)

Short, Enjoyable, Re-Playable!, June 28, 2018

You can finish this game in about 15-20 minutes ... but almost certainly you'll want to replay it at least once. Can't really say much about the story without spoiling it, except that I recommend it. Well written, simple and fast paced, but there are some twists to the plot that might not be obvious until replay.

After ending the game for the first time you'll realize how clever the author has been on delivering that sense of urgency that will trick you into overlooking those details which are important to grasp what's going on — but being tricked in this game is part of the fun of playing it.

Nice.

A good introduction, April 13, 2018

This game has been one of the first pieces of interactive I have actually got to the end of. Short and enjoyable and I'm sure most people would appreciate it more on a replay.

Maybe I would have given an extra star to my rating if I hadn't figured out the twist on the first play through. My experience of the story maybe would have been improved if (Spoiler - click to show) I hadn't been quite so thorough in my initial exploration of the appartment or that the author could have made it a little more difficult to find the key element of the story>.

Otherwise I would definitely recommend this game to people.

Brilliant, Short, and Effective, October 16, 2017

The writing was clever and direct. The slight details were teases- and enjoyable even at the very beginning. I had a ton of fun with a relatively simple concept. I think this is a fantastic game to help someone understand interactive fiction, or see the appeal, without getting bogged down with too much writing or guessing the author's intentions. I really liked this. A unique jaunt in the slice of life genre.

Don't bother, July 7, 2017

Very short, non-engaging, and lackluster plot that you don't get to explore

Short & Sweet, March 18, 2017

This is a very short, simple game with a sense of humor. I think beginners to IF will find it very easy and rewarding. It's the kind of game where the player gains enjoyment upon replaying it, which I highly recommend. Even playing through twice, it's a very quick game.

My first IF adventure, February 5, 2017

I found this story on a list of recommended IF for beginners. I shared it with my middle school students, and we had a good time with it. You can easily play through in 20-30 minutes, and there are at least three different endings depending on the path you take. I recommend 9:05 as a good first story to read!

Fun, May 9, 2016

9:05 is the time you wake up, and about how long this IF takes. Being short isnt a bad thing. As others have said, it really calls for a replay. Its 10 minutes, what have you got to lose

Slice of Life... With a Twist!, April 4, 2016

9:05 is essentially a puzzle-less game in which you can play through a few different ways to experience a slice of life from a few different angles. I'm not usually one to play a game through after reaching the end, but this piece is short, and replaying it seems like almost the entire point (you'll only see what I mean once you have tried it). With that being said, there's not really a satisfying ending. I kept looking for ways to "win" but there were only other paths you could take--the most interesting one being the path that you probably took in the first place.

9:05 is the first piece of IF from Adam Cadre that I can remember playing. Not that I've been purposefully avoiding his stuff--it just happens that I haven't gotten to it yet. I will definitely check out his other stuff--I see quite a few games out there.

Entertaining short little game, January 16, 2016

Interesting, quick game to play. I enjoyed it. If you haven't played this one at least once, you should.

Hook Line and Sinker!, October 24, 2015

Wonderful little game. The whole time I played it, I felt a little uneasy and kept wondering what the "catch" was. Superbly done! I've played it several times since and found three different endings, and I'm sure I've missed a few details here and there along the way.

The environment is a little sparse (though it does include a working toilet, of all things!) Commands are very basic. Unfortunately, I kept running into "Noun error" or "Command not understood" errors doing things that I thought were relatively normal. That was a little bit annoying, but not the end of the world. Once I got a feel for what you could and couldn't do, it was OK.

Absolutely worth playing, and if you do play it, you have to play it again.

Rim Shot!, May 12, 2015

This game is a perfect koan of an IF that plays with all of your expectations. I've seen a lot of folks say this is perfect for an IF beginner – which, considering how easy it is to navigate makes sense – except that the twist is very much based on a classic IF meme (and I worry that a newcomer wouldn't quite get why it's so funny.)

I knocked it one star...because, I was disappointed in the replays after knowing what happens (I loved the initial experience, but playing it again, I was a bit disappointed).

Short but worth a few playthroughs, March 13, 2014

9:05 is a perfect example of why IF doesn't need to be five hours long to be good. In fact, the short length does it wonders, as it encourages replays and makes it great for newbies to enjoy without overwhelming them. It starts off with a scenario we've all likely had the displeasure of experiencing in real life: you wake up with a start to find the phone ringing. It's your co-worker, who informs you that you're five minutes late to a big meeting you've been planning for a while.

The basic goal is simple: get yourself cleaned up in a hurry, grab a bite and get to work before you lose your job. The real life connection you'll likely have in the game will primarily motivate you to finish the IF. However, it's the twists the story takes that really make 9:05 memorable and replayable for both IF vets and newbies alike. Like many reviews state, you'll understand once you play it and it will be fun to replay a few times.

However, 9:05 will only take about 5-10 minutes to complete on your first playthrough, which will offput a lot of players looking for a deep adventure to lose themselves into. However, I find it makes it accessible to newbies because of this and encourages the replay value the IF pushes for, though I do wish there were more areas and objects to interact with.

If you're still on the fence, give it a try. At worst, you'll waste about 5 minutes, which is nothing. At best, you'll find a great IF with twists and turns that will shock you and a lot of replay value.

Unexpected and short, July 21, 2013

At first I was frustrated there weren't any hints, but once you muddles through, I understand why.

Short, funny and suprising, March 30, 2013

This game was one of the first games I played when I first started playing IF as an adult, and it is not only a great introduction to the genre for beginners but is also downright fun. It is funny and had me laughing out loud in some places, and the twist at the end made me gasp and go back and play it through again.

Short and clever, November 12, 2012

An exercise in the assumptions we make as readers of interactive fiction. Takes maybe five minutes to play through, and well worth the time.

Suprise! Suprise! Suprise!, September 30, 2012

You'll be amazed and delighted when you figure it out!! So well written you forget your playing! This story is a wonderful treasure behind a beautiful door, If you knock, the door shall be opened!!

Good for Beginners, September 26, 2012

This is a great little IF especially for beginners. It was among the first "modern" IFs I have played. It's not very long, and could of perhaps had a little more interesting "nuggets"/side plot to it, but overall, I found it a fun easy game. Because of a plot twist, it has definite replay value.
Appointed: A star each for gameplay, plot, ease of use & replay value
Recommended: for beginners, or as a "work break" game.
Personal Opinion: Overall, this IF grabbed me due to the plot twist, I normally am able to see/expect what's coming, and this twist in the story made me go back and replay it. I would highly recommend it for that reason alone.

Great fun, August 18, 2012

Short, elegant and oh so much fun. More of these please. Perfect for an afternoon break, a good laugh and well...at least two replays.

Short and doubly-sweet, July 2, 2012

There isn't much that I can say about this game that hasn't been said before, at least not without revealing the game. Like this review, it's very brief and far more enjoyable than I'd anticipated. One caveat, if you're new to playing IF, know that this isn't a typical game.

The joke was on me!, May 12, 2012

A most enjoyable little game that played a practical joke on me. What a kick! No conventional book could do that, only IF.

I am a wannabe IF author and I was looking for a top-rated game that I could play quickly and lean a little about what makes an IF game popular. This game did not disappoint. I loved it. You should play it.

A Great Game, May 1, 2012

I played this game and thought it was great. In the game your late for work and have to try and get there as fast as you can.

Stay on your toes..., April 23, 2012

Love this game! It's a very short little tidbit, but worth at least two play thrus. Perfect for some casual game time. Just don't be cocky...

Great Fun!, March 20, 2012

Play it if: you have a sense of humor.

Don't play it if: you're under the impression that your time is too precious to bother with a game that isn't long, complex, or challenging.

I don't think a game has made me laugh that hard in ages!

There's only so much one can say about a game like this, because it has a very specific, fairly spoiler-iffic aim in mind. Discussing difficulty, the command system, and technical innovation would have no point. Suffice to say that it accomplishes its goal. It has some significant replay value: it's only on a second playthrough, observing the seemingly mundane yet rather precise way in which everything is described and reported, that you realize how tight the writing really is.

This is my first experience with Adam Cadre's work, and on the strength of this one alone I'm going to go check out some of his other stuff.

Awesome!, February 27, 2012

Oh man, I totally didn't see that coming. And here I thought I was just going to be late for work! Very well written. Short, but very entertaining, certainly worth playing.

The perfect introduction to IF - and a fine treat for veteran players, January 2, 2012

This game is the perfect introduction to IF - great writing, simple puzzles, fantastic sense of humour, it's very short (20 minutes with a 2nd or 3rd playthrough) and an absolutely classic ending. It cleverly plays on the classic trope in IF of the player-character seemingly knowing as much about the environment as the interactor. A MUST play game.

First IF, quite a treat!, December 14, 2011

I decided to try the whole IF thing out, and this was the first story on my list in my iPad viewer. So I dove in and tried to see what this was all about.

I must say, this was an absolute treat! So quick and simple, yet rewarding as ever! Definitely worth the short time it will take to get through, and even more worth a second or third play.

Small game, a lot to think about, September 5, 2011

I played this game first since it was in so many 'beginner' lists and enjoyed it but felt it was a little lacking in the fun department. Getting ready for work is not ideal gameplay, but the ending (or variety thereof) makes the effort worthwhile. I wasn't sure what to think upon looking in the trunk of my car, and got even more confused when I tried to put all of the stuff back in the house to no avail. But it all made sense in the end. Good beginner game. Make sure you save so you can appreciate the alternate choices.

Short, funny and smart, April 13, 2011

Short, funny, and smart. Those are three words I'd use to describe this game. It's rather short, but its story is smart, makes you think a little. Definitely worth a couple of re-plays, there are multiple endings. Although very short, it remains a brilliant game with some surprises.

I highly recommend this game!

An argument for minimalism, November 27, 2010

The value of 9:05 is in its perfectly spare prose.

My favourite, November 14, 2010

This would have to be my favourite piece of IF ever, and not without good reason. It may be short, and pretty much devoid of puzzles, but the story is what makes this such an excellent bit of storytelling. Without giving anything away, the first playthrough appears to be a normal day, but eventually it unfolds into something more. When I first downloaded this, I played through it many times, to find all of the endings, and because of the short playing time I could try all of the possibilities.
It is a short and brilliant piece of Interactive Fiction, that nobody who has played it can forget.

Pure, pure, gold, October 3, 2010

This was the first piece of IF I've played in a good many years and I stumbled across it quite by accident.

At first, with it being so short I thought either I'd done something wrong in my playthrough, but then the whole joke dawned on me.

Even on the second (OK, and the third) playthrough there were those superb little nuggets that I'd missed previously that, had I found them, would have made the whole thing soooo obvious (but so much less enjoyable).

A short, but superb romp that made me smile throughout.

9:05 was a lot of fun, June 27, 2010

I got a kick out of it. Pretty funny.

Short, clever game, June 21, 2010

It's a short, clever game. Somewhat of a one-trick pony, but still fun. Can be completed in 10 minutes or less. Not a lot of puzzles or really interaction, but still kind of intriguing.

True Cadre Style, May 26, 2010

This is my 3rd Cadre game after Photopia and I-0. Loved them. I liked this, but the game is fairly short, so there isn't a lot to love. What there is, however, is gold.

Once again, he uses his ingenious writing to distract you from some of the simple things that PCs take for granted. (Spoiler - click to show) He tricked me again! I fell for it with the angel in photopia, and now again with this PC .

The game itself seems fairly straightforward, shower, get dressed, eat, go to work. It only takes a couple of minutes. Then the joke happens. Definately worth the 2nd playthrough to look for "evidence" of the reveal.

I would rate it higher if there was more to do, but as it is, it is fun and interesting.

Small packages, November 12, 2008

Sometimes, the best things really do come in small packages. This IF is an absolute gem, a must have for your collection.
It takes only minutes to play and will have you laughing out loud (my wife must have thought I was mad). The initial playing will leave you wanting more. I promise.

Highly Recommended, October 15, 2008

Though its simple - if effective - implementation left me with an odd feeling that something was missing or incomplete, the immersing illustration of questions of perception presented in "9:05" compels me to recommend this title to interactive fiction players at all stages. If this story is a joke, perhaps there is truth in jest.

Another Day in the Life, January 2, 2008

You wake up in bed, ready to go to work. Yes, just an another day in the life... but this very short game has an interesting twist at the end. Replaying is a must.

I recommend this piece, mainly because it's going to take less than 9 minutes and 5 second of your time to enjoy it. I give it only 3 stars out of 5: even a funny joke just doesn't ascend to the same heights as a great story.

Great for beginners and veterans alike, October 20, 2007

This game is fun for IF veterans because it pokes fun at one of the most widely accepted conventions of interactive fiction. Had me laughing out loud the first time I played it, and had quite a replay value to see what happened if you chose the less obvious paths. As it happens, this is also a great game to throw at people who have never played IF. It's easy to get through, rewarding and makes most people crack a smile. And of course, it doesn't take a month to finish either. Great little piece.

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