9.03m

In March 2011, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan caused a tsunami to hit the Oshika Peninsula in the Tōhoku region of northeast Japan. The tsunami reached 40.5 metres in height at Iwate Prefecture and killed at least 11,450 people, with 2,539 still missing as of March 2015. The tsunami and earthquake also resulted in catastrophic meltdowns in 3 reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex, forcing the evacuation of everyone in a 20 kilometre radius of the plant. Then Prime Minister Naoto Kan called the Tōhoku disaster Japan’s “toughest and most difficult crisis since World War II”.

In 2013, to commemorate those killed or displaced by this disaster, Scottish indie studio Space Budgie came out with 9.03m, a minimalist adventure game set on Baker Beach, San Francisco. As an unnamed character, we are tasked with sifting through various assorted items washed up years after the tsunami. Each item is adorned with a butterfly (9.03m’s favourite motif), and scratching it off will reveal some sort of detail about the item, usually the name of the child who owned a toy or the date engraved on a wedding ring.

If this seems insensitive it’s because it is. 9.03m wants to tackle lofty concepts such as loss and displacement, but fails to do anything other than have nice visuals and music. It’s obviously not intended as a game, as there’s no challenge behind it, but it fails to fundamentally understand or represent the struggle behind losing a loved one. There is no sense of loss behind 9.03m’s monochromatic husk; no sympathy is truly expressed for any of the victims of the Tōhoku tragedy. In fact, Space Budgie here fails to bring forth anything profound whatsoever, instead presenting a mildly uncomfortable, borderline masturbatory frolic through somebody’s sympathetic afterthoughts about something that they perceived only as happening very far away and to people they don’t know.

I feel rather guilty for 'not recommending' this, given the subject matter and altruistic intentions of the developers, but I honestly don't really think 9.03m executes its ideas very well.

The aim of 9.03m is to memorialize the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. It certainly attempts this, and does so in a rather direct way. Characters are memorialized only by the a silhouette and the items they leave behind. Each character represents a sort of trope - we have a child with a train missing a wheel, a women with a wedding ring, an older man with a pocket watch, among others. The symbolism is very on the nose, and this sort of heavy-handed approach takes away from the purpose of being a memorial. Coupled with the nice but overbearing music, during these sequences 9.03m is basically saying, "YOU SHOULD FEEL SAD HERE. APPRECIATE YOUR LIFE. BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE DON'T HAVE IT."

It also doesn't really seem to have all that much to do with a tsunami. Each time you collect an item the water on the beach recedes a small bit, but given that the beach is Baker Beach from San Francisco and that there's no evident tragedy here... well if I didn't know what the game was about then I probably wouldn't have really got it. It's generic enough that it fits as a memorial for basically any loss of life.

I will say that I do like the art style and the environmental sounds. The crunch of the sand as you walk is quite nice. The last scene is also well put together - I love the imagery there from the butterflies ascending and sheer number of people.

It would be hard to recommend this as a game in the traditional sense, and I hesitate to use the term "walking simulator" because that is frankly too irreverent. That aside, it is an experience like nothing else.

I'd spent a lot of time researching the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, and when this game was released with its proceeds going to charity, there was never any question that I would buy it. It took me much longer to play it, and to this day I've only gone through it once--but it was a worthwhile experience. These days I think the word "art" may be thrown around too loosely when it comes to games, but in this case it applies, taking a tragedy and making it accessible without dehumanising it. 9.03m captures history.


Disclaimer: I previously reviewed this game for Kotaku's reader-run blog, Talk Amongst Yourselves.

Really mixed feelings about this one. I agree with all the negative reviews and I also agree with all the positive reviews...

Let’s first start with the Scottish developers which can be found here http://www.spacebudgie.com/ who made this 9 minute memorial tribute that plays out like some sort of visual Hallmark card 'Sorry for your loss' with a sobering indigo/blue palette beach which entices you to go further and further into the dissipating waves while accompanied by a well-fitting orchestrated piano soundtrack of musical poetry.

It’s an interesting premise when a visual art/game suggests that a normal tombstone which displays a person’s name, date of birth and time of death is impersonal and lacks the power to do good that can come from reflection on a victim’s stories, wonders, struggles and achievements that a person had made before their life was snuffed out. This raises a pertinent question. Is Media portrayals of loved ones a more fitting tribute and force that can do good than the simple old granite slabs that we hide in places known as cemeteries where seldom humans dare to tread?

20,000 people lost their life to this tsunami off the Japanese coast in 2011. Contrary to popular belief this game does not depict the lives of known victims, nor does it present a solemn list of names on which to pontificate in the end. Instead from a first person perspective your lead across a serene beach following the trail of a glowing butterfly which is a Japanese symbol for the soul. These butterflies will lead you to dark silhouettes that represent lives cut short, their stories being trapped in precious items that have washed ashore. When you find the hidden butterfly trapped in the item in question, the soul moves on and you then follow another butterfly that flutters ahead to the next shadow and soul waiting to be released. Eventually you’re confronted by the myriads of butterflies and shadowy figures and their stories which the waves/deluge have covered over.

The problem is that just as a tombstone is too dry and really inadequate to properly commemorate the tumult of any human life lost, 9.03m is really no better and is pretty shallow in length, meaning and design to be a long-lasting force of good. Player’s interactions with the precious items in question seem fleeting, frivolous, flotsam. Maybe that was the motto? We have no way on Earth that currently really honours the lives lost and our personal memories of those people are a personal symphony mingling beautiful musical notes covering when things fall silent.

I really can’t fault the developer’s intentions, and I can't fault it since this was their first project. I also can't fault them since they NOW donate 100% of all profit to charities. For those that loved this game I really recommend you to take a look at a game called 'Homesick' which follows a similar premise, but carries much more depth.

I guess in final thankyou developers for the experience. How we will remember the dead in future? I guess we will just have to wait and see...

https://youtu.be/PAabTY44P3k

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9.03m is technically not a game, but an interactive video. It makes aware the warning signs and effects of a tsunami to the player. 9.03m is a very deep and meaningful game, and the money from every purchase of a copy contributes to two wonderful charities which helps the victims of the Tōhoku tsunami.

9.03m is all about symbolization, in which you need to figure the situation out for yourself. The total game doesn't take too long to complete, though the story is amazingly powerful. You're on a beach, on which the tsunami previously hit. Your task is to follow the glowing butterflies which lead you to the ghost of a victim. Heading to them in the dim moonlight, you will find a possession of theirs in which you need to find a clue to inform you of their name, history, etc. The whole game is based on supporting the victims and raising awareness, and in my opinion it has succeeded in that. 9.03m is not meant to be played as a game, more as a meaningful, sad and informative story.

The game is simplistic though meaningful. Symbols are a large part of the game, creating mystery and suspense. With all it's revenue headed directly to the two charities, this game is worth the full price. An enjoyable and meaningful story.

A monster named Joseph Stalin once said "A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic." Sadly, there is a cold, blunt truth in this statement. When we hear about a natural disaster or an ongoing war somewhere in the world, and read about the number of casualties on television screens, newspapers or history books, that's all we usually see: statistics. We live in an age that detachment and conformism are the norm, so it rarely bothers us enough to even think about collateral damage, if we are not a part of the collateral affected by it.

Here, all you'll ever find will be a collection of blurry scenes, scattered around a beach lot in San Francisco, painted in shades of blue and purple. Not one of the greater works of Unreal engine, surely. As we start the experience, we are asked to follow the butterflies and that's all we are going to do for the next 15 minutes, until the game ends. We walk in the beach lot, approach disappearing shades and discover phantom objects to contemplate on people that we know nothing about. We probably never will...

9.03m is not a game in the conventional manner. It is a really short, interactive art exhibition that serves as an empathy simulation. It is a tribute and a requiem for people who lost their lives in 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, aiming to humanize the victims by presenting hypothetical anecdotes from their lives, hopes and dreams. It is not a good game, neither necessarily quite successful in an artistic manner; but here with this specific project, it really is the thought that counts and nothing else. All profit made through the sales are sent to Aid for Japan and Redr charity organizations. With this ridiculously low price tag, it really is a choice of donating or not rather than buying a game.

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Straight up, let me say that I am neither a very "politically correct" nor "humanistic" person...so my review of this game is liable to read a little differently to some of the other "positive" reviews on this Store page. Truth is, I'm a borderline misanthrope who, given a choice between saving the rest of nature and saving "us", would happily herd us all into the great Dog Food Factory in the Sky. We really are, on the whole, a grubby and nasty little species who are probably fully deserving of a nice, big meteor in the face some time in the next few decades or so. Having said that, there are people who I love very dearly, and for whom I will no doubt feel at least a twinge of sadness for if and when they pass on; and fuck it, beyond all my smarmy cynicism and cold, rational analysis of us from a purely anthropological perspective, when all is said and done, I AM STILL HUMAN.

And I'll be darned if this tiny little twelve-minute fuck-turd of a game didn't almost make me cry.

But hey, I've caught a lot of flack lately for going off-topic and not just sticking to the nitty-gritty of "reviewing a game", so in the interests of being pragmatic...yes, it's super-short, yes, it has virtually no "gameplay" to speak of, and yes, it can be "beaten" by even the most unskilled of gamers. Hell, even your grandma can probably get to the end of this one. Having said that, if any of you people are still buying so-called "walking simulators" expecting anything BUT what I've just described, then you really are a bunch of wretched, unsalvageable FUCK-WITS, aren't you?

Ooops, a tiny bit of my misanthropy crept in there again. Sorry about that.

In my opinion, this "game" does what it sets out to do exceptionally well, and as I've possibly alluded to above, can potentially touch the heart of even stone-hearted mother-fuckers like my dear self. Sure, it's not TIMEframe - a "game" which genuinely makes an apocalypse into a thing of true beauty - but it's really quite affecting for the short time it plays out, provided you're open to such things. If you're not - and believe me, I bought this game actually looking FORWARD to writing a damning, hateful review - then really, you may as well save your fifty cents or dollar and go find some other cheap game where you can blow shit up. Me, I like to stop killing things every now and then to stop and smell the flowers...or failing that, the "napalm in the morning", if more applicable.

If there's one thing I actually DO like about humanity, it's art, and the limitless possibilities therein. This "game" is but one example. Take it for what it is, or leave it be. Oh, and Merry Christmas to one and all...me, I'm spending most of it alone, but that's just the kinda Scrooge I am. But I wish you all the best just the same, and if that mighty meteor DOES hit, I at least hope it's quick and painless for us all. Peace on earth and goodwill to all men (and all that good shit).

Verdict: 7.5/10.

Title: 9.03m
Genre: Indie
Developer: Space Budgie
Publisher: Space Budgie
Release Date: 12th Sep, 2013

Gameplay/Verdict

9.03m is an extremely brief walking simulator trying to make you think of the 15000 casualties of the 2011 Japan Tsunami as more than just mere numbers: it does so by letting you walk along a beach chasing a white butterfly and meeting shadows that leave meaningful items behind for you to examine.
This is an experience, not a game, and despite its extremely short length and very basic execution it does succeed in its goal .

PROS:

-eerie, minimalistic soundtrack

-dreamlike atmosphere

-manages to provide at least some emotional pull

CONS:

-the graphics can feel a bit too fuzzy at times

-extremely short at 15/ 20 minutes

-lacks any kind of gameplay

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=562817678

9.03m did manage to move me at times when I encountered certain items, it's hard to stay unaffected when certain things easily remind you of the young age or dreams of some of the victims. This is when it succeds in the goal it set for itself, when it takes a few examples out of the 15000 casualties so that you can briefly know something about them: the tragedy behind events with high death tolls is that the faces and lives of those lost are easily shadowed behind numbers and I appreciate what 9.03m tried to do hence my thumbs up.

Having said that it's short length and lack of any gameplay will surely turn some people off and I can easily concede that the message'd have been carried just as well using a video or other means. Is this brief experience worth your dollar? It's up to you to decide.

9.03m starts out with a simple objective of ''find the butterflies'' however as you find more and more of them you realise the gravity of what happened that day in japan. When you finally do find the last butterfly you are shown a simple image that will remind you that everyone who has lived, is living and whoever will live has just a unique of a life as your's with hopes dreams and struggles just as you do. I keep this game installed as a simple reminder of that fact.

What this game lacks in gameplay, it makes up for in feels. The music and art style really come together to set the perfect mood to bring a tear to your eye. These are the games I point to when people say the video games aren't an art form.

if it can make you feel... it is art

First and foremost, this is not a game...per say...More like an interactive video awareness. It's purpose is to give some awareness and dedication to those who lost their lives in the March 11, 2011 tsunami. Some of the funds raised are said to go to help with the victims and devistation from this...As of this review I have not yet checked into that fact...just so we are clear on that matter. I however did go through the game to experience it. I did find it moving and emotional, as when you are in the video you are aware of it's purpose and there are parts that will touch your heart. I recommend this particular item as it is meant for a good cause and would be a nice addition to anyone's library as just to have a quick little reminder of how precious life can be and how quickly the opportunities pass us by to realize that...sometimes much too late...I hope that everyone reading this will give 9.03 a chance. :)

I bought this a while back due to the backstory on the game and finally played it tonight. It took about 12 minutes to play through and was basically a tribute to the loss brought about by the 2011 Tsunami in Japan. Just a very pretty, contemplative look at the wreckage of such a disaster, provided in minimalist fashion via shadows that dissipate into items on the beach, which in turn represent the people who lost their lives, which in turn become butterflies (in the game anyway) whose souls flitter across the sky. Since all the proceeds from the game go to two specific relief charities, I would consider it to be a good investment, and it is a brief and yet touching game experience.

Made to remember the victims of the devastating Japanese tsunami in 2011, 9.03m pursues its goal quite decently in a proper first-person perspective. It is stressing simple, sparse and exceptionally short, yet subtly pensive and touching and beautiful in its mournful discretion.

The player interaction is however meaningless, and the overall impact of the dedicated tribute to the victims of the tragedy feel somewhat hollow. Furthermore, examining objects that dissolve into flying butterflies that seem to represent the spirits of the victims are considered a fairly cliché as well.

Given the rather insignificant price, half of which go to charity, this 15-minute experience of quiet memorial shall not pass unnoticed. Put your favorite time-consuming first-person shooter game aside and notice this for a minute.

6 / 10

How do I write a review about a game that was developed in the name of charity and stay objective. It's difficult to say the least, yet I find it difficult to recommend this to anyone unless you want to donate and it's on sale.

First of all, if I had to describe what this was, I would be more likely to call it an interactive art exhibit. The graphics and color choices are gorgeous of course, but all you do is walk on a beach, follow butterflies to items, spin the item until you locate another butterfly, then click on said butterfly, rinse, repeat.

It was designed to be experienced, not played or beaten, and the subject matter is supposed to illicit an emotional response from the user. Unfortunately, I don't think that subject matter was conveyed properly for it's intended results.

Honestly, if it wasn't for the discription on the store page, it would be hard for me discern the message this game is trying to convey. The idea is that each item you locate belonged to a victim of the Japanese Tsunami, however the game gives you no indication of this. After each item is located, the tide goes out a bit to uncover the next, maybe this was an artistic decision on the devloper's part to convey something deep. Locating the lost artifacts pushes the Tsunami back, acknowledging the victim's loss undoes the damage of the Tsunami, something like that? Maybe it's up to the player to discern for themselves how to interpert this. The focus of the game doesn't become clear until you locate the butterfly on the last item, which takes about 10 minutes from starting the game, if that. After which some text appears on the screen explaining the damage the Tsunami had done in Japan, then the credits roll.

I feel terrible about not recommending this game due to the nature of the title. How can you say no when a percentage of the profits go to the Tsunami Relief Fund? I want to make it perfectly clear that I in no way disagree with the game's message, and support the developers for donating to the charity through this title, I just disagree with it's design. The message could have been conveyed in a more understandable and focused way. As I played I knew what this title was trying to do, I just never felt that it accomplished it's task, and that's the only reason I couldn't recommend it.

Let this be a lesson to developers everywhere. Wanting to create a game to help educate the world of a foreign cataclysmic natural disaster, and to donate to a charity, is not enough. That game must be worth the time of the people donating, and more importantly, the game must make it's message clear. Otherwise people who wish to donate can just do it manually through the charity's website.

Thank you Space Budgie for developing this title and choosing to help out of the kindness of your hearts. I'm sure families all over Japan praise your work and thank you for your time. I wish more developers would put their talents to good use by creating things like this in the name of charity. Please don't take the fact that I'm not recommending this game as a personal attack in anyway, or a stance against your message. Don't ever stop creating and helping humanity the best way developers can. Your work is appreciated, maybe even more than you know. However, as a reviewer, I have to be honest, even though in cases like this one, I wish I didn't.

If you wish to donate to the Japanese Tsunami Relief Fund and other charities that the proceeds of this game are going towards without purchasing this game, here are some links.

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund
Aid For Japan
People and Skills for Disaster Relief

You find yourself in a beautiful scenario - no explanation whatsoever - only one phrase "find the butterflies". And so you do.

It's a very simple and well excecuted game. A good way to portrait an idea - maybe I shouldn't even call it a game, but may even a moving piece of art?

A delightful experience all by itself, and unique for those who have the patience and calmness to savour it.

Truly recommended for casual gamers, or those simply looking for a different take at games.

9.03m is an experience similar to Journey and Flower in that it's not necessarily a game in the traditional sense but a game that tries to tell a story. An important story. The developers have described the game perfectly, without 'spoiling' anything. Since it lasts about 10-15 minutes it's hard to tell anything about it without 'spoiling' things. Therefore, I will repost the description that the developers have posted so you get a better understanding of what it's about:

"9.03m, is a short, first person, art/empathy game for PC. Not a game in the traditional sense of the word; it aims to humanise, and remember the victims of the 2011 Japanese tsunami. The media is quick to put figures to death tolls in such disasters, and 9.03m tries to remind people of the individuals behind those figures.

9.03m is set on Baker Beach in San Francisco, where debris from the tsunami has washed ashore in the years following the tsunami."

This is exactly the game, without any spoilers. It's a sweet story accompanied by subtle graphics and beautiful music. And since some of the money earned is given to charity it's money well spent. Especially for this price.

[Rating: 72/100]

This "game" is not for everyone, only for those who can appericate it for what it is. A typical game review just can't do 9.03m justice because what 9.03m is and what it aims to makes you feel is nothing like a typical game at all. If you understand the context, through its short and unique use of symbolism, 9.03m is probably one of the most touching, real world relatable experiences that I've ever had while playing a game. Calling it a game doesn't even feel apropos. 9.03m is an experience, a touching, beautiful experience that will move you to the core.

All of my feels!!
10/10 *Rating isn't based on gameplay or story but instead how 9.03m made me feel*

Great concept - a game that is not a game - but an experience instead. I enjoyed it immensely, and it gave me a closer understanding of the real losses of the victims of the Tsunami. This is not for someone who loves beating a traditional game - you don't beat this, you experience it.

It only takes 15 minutes to finish, but at 2 euros, half of which go to Aid For Japan, it's definately worth buying.

It is a very, very short game, about 15-25 minutes of not-conventional gameplay.
It was supposed to be art, and i think they do it well, with a good atmosphere and a real good piano soundtrack.

For those who like to have new experiences - and an emotional one - and doesn't bother themselves with not traditional gameplay mechanics.