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Spoiler warning: This is a complete route guide for 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. Check your edition before following a route: the Nintendo DS release and the remastered version in Zero Escape: The Nonary Games have six endings, while the iOS Novel adds a seventh, version-specific Syringe Ending.
On DS and in the remaster, the endings are True, Coffin, Axe, Safe (also called Zero Lost), Knife, and Submarine. The reliable completion order is Axe, Submarine, Knife, optional Coffin, Safe, then True. Safe must be completed and recorded before the True Ending can resolve.
First, identify your version
The route logic is not identical across every release. The original Nintendo DS game and the remastered 999 included in Zero Escape: The Nonary Games use the same six-ending structure. The iOS Novel has an additional Syringe Ending reached through Door 3, so an iPhone or iPad player can unlock seven results in total.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches| Edition | Endings available | Important presentation or route note |
|---|---|---|
| Nintendo DS | True, Coffin, Axe, Safe/Zero Lost, Knife, Submarine | Original DS presentation and controls |
| Zero Escape: The Nonary Games remaster | True, Coffin, Axe, Safe/Zero Lost, Knife, Submarine | High-resolution graphics, Japanese and English voice acting, and a flowchart that records route progress |
| iOS Novel | The six DS/remaster endings plus Syringe | Syringe is exclusive to this version and uses Door 3 |
Spike Chunsoft describes Zero Escape: The Nonary Games as a collection containing the remastered 999 and its sequel, Virtue’s Last Reward. Its official listing gives 24 March 2017 as the collection’s release date and identifies Spike Chunsoft as both developer and publisher. If you are buying the original cartridge, verify the current region, condition, and stock of a listing for “999 Nintendo DS” because physical availability changes.
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How many endings are there?
Count six on Nintendo DS and in the remaster: True, Coffin, Axe, Safe (Zero Lost), Knife, and Submarine. The iOS Novel’s Door 3 branch raises its total to seven by adding Syringe.
These are not seven completely independent stories. Most branches reuse the same escape-room progression and diverge according to the numbered doors you select. The Safe route establishes information required by the True route, while three short bad-ending branches and the optional Coffin result let you see the major alternate outcomes.
Recommended order for a complete save file
- Axe: Use any listed Axe sequence.
- Submarine: Use any listed Submarine sequence.
- Knife: Use any listed Knife sequence.
- Coffin (optional): Follow the True route before Safe has been completed and saved.
- Safe/Zero Lost: Complete the first-class cabin, laboratory, and steam-engine route.
- True: Start another run after Safe is recorded and satisfy all four story flags.
You can take Axe, Submarine, and Knife in any order. Coffin is the one result that needs special timing: after Safe has been completed and saved, the separate Coffin result is no longer available as an independent ending. In the remastered flowchart, completing True also marks Coffin as cleared, but that does not recreate the distinct pre-Safe cliffhanger scene.
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The numbers below are door choices, written in the order you encounter them. A sequence alone is not enough for True; that ending also requires four story checks.
| Ending | Door sequence | Extra condition |
|---|---|---|
| Axe | 5-7-1, 5-8-1, 4-8-1, or 4-7-1 | Do not complete every Safe/True requirement |
| Submarine | 5-7-2, 5-8-2, 5-3, 4-8-2, 4-3, or 4-7-2 | Any listed sequence reaches the branch |
| Knife | 5-7-6, 4-8-6, or 4-7-6 | Any listed sequence reaches the branch |
| Safe/Zero Lost | 5, then 8, then 6 | Choose Door 5 to the first-class cabin, Door 8 after the casino to the laboratory, and Door 6 to the steam-engine room |
| Coffin | Follow the True-route path before Safe is recorded | It ends at a cliffhanger and becomes separately missable after Safe is saved |
| True | Door 1 after the required setup | Safe must already be recorded, and all four story flags must be set |
| Syringe (iOS Novel only) | Door 3 branch | Not available on DS or in the remaster |
How to unlock the Safe (Zero Lost) Ending
Safe is the prerequisite for True, so make it your first major story completion after collecting the bad endings you want. Choose the following doors:
- Door 5: This route leads to the first-class cabin.
- Door 8: After the casino section, choose Door 8 to reach the laboratory.
- Door 6: Continue through Door 6 to enter the steam-engine room and resolve the Safe ending.
Record the result in your save data before attempting True. On the remaster, the flowchart makes this state visible; on DS, keep a manual save or note that you have actually seen the Safe result. Simply visiting part of the route is not enough—the ending must resolve and be saved.
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How to unlock the True Ending
Begin a new run after Safe has been recorded. The True route shares much of its path with the Coffin route, but the game checks four earlier interactions. Miss any one and the final Door 1 sequence will not resolve as True.
Flag 1: take Santa’s bookmark
At Door 4, in the second-class cabin, accept the bookmark from Santa. Do not decline it or leave the interaction incomplete. This item is needed for a later conversation with Clover.
Flag 2: answer June’s CO2 question correctly
In the kitchen, when June discusses carbon dioxide, select the response “It did seem rather odd.” The wording matters; choosing another response fails this story check even if your door choices are correct.
Flag 3: ask Seven about Ice-9
At Door 7, in the operating room, ask Seven whether he knows about Ice-9. The question is an explicit conversation trigger, not a passive discovery, so exhaust the relevant dialogue until that exchange occurs.
Flag 4: give Clover the bookmark
Also on the Door 7 route, hand the bookmark to Clover. You must first have accepted it from Santa at Door 4. If the bookmark is missing from your inventory, this flag cannot be set during that run.
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Finish through Door 1
Once Safe is recorded and all four flags are complete, proceed through Door 1. The ending will resolve as True. If the game produces Coffin or another result instead, do not keep repeating the final door: restart from a save before the missed conversation and audit each flag.
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How to unlock the Axe Ending
The Axe branch is one of the three short bad endings. Choose any one of these door sequences:
5-7-15-8-14-8-14-7-1
Do not simultaneously satisfy all Safe and True story requirements. If you are replaying from a late save, clear or restart the run so the game follows the bad-ending branch instead of carrying a completed True setup into the final section.
How to unlock the Submarine Ending
Use one of the following routes:
5-7-25-8-25-34-8-24-34-7-2
The three-digit paths and the shorter Door 3 paths are all valid. You do not need the Safe prerequisite for Submarine, and completing Safe beforehand does not remove this ending; the special lockout applies to the separate Coffin result.
How to unlock the Knife Ending
Choose one of these sequences:
5-7-64-8-64-7-6
As with Axe and Submarine, Knife is a branch ending rather than a prerequisite for True. It is efficient to collect it before Safe so your first completion pass covers all three bad endings without disturbing the Coffin timing.
How to see the Coffin Ending before it is locked out
Coffin is optional because it does not add unique story material beyond the cliffhanger encountered on the way toward True. It is nevertheless a distinct result and the only one that can become permanently unavailable in a completed save state.
To see it, follow the True-route path before you have completed and saved Safe. The run stops at the cliffhanger instead of continuing to the True Ending. Once Safe is completed and saved, the game no longer presents Coffin as a separate outcome. The remaster’s flowchart treats True completion as clearing Coffin, but players who want to watch the standalone Coffin result should make a backup save or perform this run first.
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How to get the iOS Novel’s Syringe Ending
The iOS Novel adds Syringe as a seventh ending. Enter the Door 3 branch to reach it. This route is edition-specific: Door 3 does not give DS or remastered players a Syringe Ending, and guides written for iOS should not be applied to those versions.
If you are using an iPhone or iPad, check that you are playing the iOS Novel rather than a port or collection with the DS/remaster route structure. The six common endings remain available, but your completion target is seven only after Syringe has been recorded.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A practical completion plan
Make a safety save before the first major split
Keep a manual save before committing to each door sequence. The remaster’s flowchart reduces backtracking, while the DS release benefits from separate save slots or written notes. Label saves by the next intended ending rather than overwriting a neutral file.
Collect the three bad endings efficiently
Run Axe, Submarine, and Knife first, using the table to choose whichever sequence fits your current position. These endings do not require the True flags, so there is no reason to perform the bookmark and dialogue checks during these runs.
Handle Coffin before Safe
If you want the distinct Coffin scene, complete it now. Do not save over the point before Safe until you have seen the cliffhanger, because Safe permanently changes what the game can return at that branch.
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Take Door 5, then Door 8, then Door 6. Wait for the Safe result to finish, and save afterward. This establishes the prerequisite state for True.
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Audit the four True flags in one fresh run
Use a checklist: Santa’s bookmark at Door 4; “It did seem rather odd” in the kitchen; the Ice-9 question to Seven at Door 7; and the bookmark given to Clover at Door 7. Only then choose Door 1 at the final decision.
Troubleshooting a missing ending
Door 1 did not produce True
- Confirm that Safe was completed and saved, not merely visited.
- Check the exact kitchen response: “It did seem rather odd.”
- Verify that you accepted the bookmark from Santa before trying to give it to Clover.
- Make sure you asked Seven about Ice-9 in the Door 7 operating-room sequence.
- Restart from before the relevant scene if any one flag is uncertain; replaying only the final door cannot repair an earlier missed trigger.
Coffin is no longer appearing
This is expected after Safe has been completed and saved. Use an earlier save, start a separate file, or rely on the remaster’s flowchart marking when True is cleared. A post-Safe replay cannot restore Coffin as a separate ending.
The route table does not match the game
Check the edition first. Syringe belongs only to the iOS Novel. The DS and remastered versions use the six-ending list and the door sequences shown above. Also confirm that you are reading door numbers in order from the current run rather than copying choices from a different branch.
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What changes between the original and the remaster?
The original DS version uses the game’s Nintendo DS presentation and touch-screen controls. The remaster in Zero Escape: The Nonary Games presents 999 with high-resolution graphics, Japanese and English voice acting, and a flowchart that helps you return to earlier branches. Both retain the six DS endings and the same Safe-before-True logic.
The iOS Novel is the outlier for completion planning because it includes Syringe. Its additional ending changes the count, not the definition of the six shared DS/remaster results. Choose the edition that matches your preferred controls and presentation, then use the corresponding ending count when checking your save file.
Quick Recap
Completion checklist
- Identify whether you are playing DS, the remaster, or the iOS Novel.
- Record Axe.
- Record Submarine.
- Record Knife.
- See Coffin before saving Safe if you want its separate cliffhanger.
- Complete and save Safe/Zero Lost through Doors 5-8-6.
- On a new run, set all four True flags.
- Finish through Door 1 for True.
- If playing the iOS Novel, take Door 3 for Syringe.
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