Aksys Games To Bring 999: The Novel To The US App Store On March 17

The popular Japanese Nintendo DS game, 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, is set to launch in an English language version for iOS later this month, on March 17. From what we understand, the game will be called “999: The Novel,” and it'll be optimized for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Based on a Japanese iOS port of the DS game developed by Spike Chunsoft, 999: The Novel will offer iOS gamers a “visual novel”-style experience rather than a direct port of the original title. This means the DS game's puzzles have been removed, and that the resolution of artwork has been increased in order to better suit the displays of Apple's iOS devices.

There'll also be a flowchart feature that lets players jump between different points in the story, according to Polygon.

The original game first launched for the Nintendo DS back in December 2009, and its Japanese iOS port surfaced in May last year. Publisher Aksys Games explained in a recent blog post:

999: The Novel is a thrilling choose your own path story from acclaimed writer Kotaro Uchikoshi that takes readers on a suspense-filled journey full of danger, terrifying choices and unexpected twists toward a variety of endings that may or may not see them coming out alive on the other side.

However, we're not yet sure how much the title will retail for on the U.S. App Store once available – though we'll update this article if more information surfaces online.

As mentioned, 999: The Novel should launch on March 17. We'll let you know once it surfaces on the App Store.

In the meantime, see: Big Changes Coming To Apple's Maps App In iOS 8, Apple's iTunes Radio May Soon Be The Second Most-Popular US Music Streaming Service, and Apple May Pull The iPhone 5c, But Not Its Design.