Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Published: 24 March, 2017
Genres: Visual novel, Sci-fi, Mystery, Escape Room, Time Travel
Estimated Game Length: 34 hours
The game
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is a much appericated rerelease that allows newcomers like myself step foot into this franchise. With the remastered graphics and added voice acting of 999, it also provides a reason for veteran fans to relive their past experience.
There are nine people, nine rooms, and nine hours. For both visual novels, you find yourself in an unfamiliar location, forced to particpate in a game by a masked identity named Zero. Their lives are at stake as they must learn to trust in one and another.
The Positives
The balance between puzzles and story. Zero Escape advertises itself as a visual novel with puzzle elements and it does not sway from it's original concept. Throughout the two games, you are greeted with various puzzles, all unique with different locations and mechanics. These puzzles change depending on your choices, which allows the player to feel in control of the story. Despite the vast amount of puzzles, it doesn't overwhelm the experience and overshadow the story.
The atmosphere. Both the music and environment helps to elevate the stakes as you play through each game. Both the stories of 999 and Virtue's Last Reward focus in enclosed spaces where the characters must circle around the map, leaving the players feeling lost in the mysterious environment where things aren't what they see. With the constant fast paced music, the rare moments of chilling silence effectively fills the player with regret in their decisions.
The diverse cast. I cannot think of one character who is overlooked in the community. In an overwhelming cast of nine characters per game, it is easy to believe that there would be several characters who are insignificant to the story. However, it is delightfully not the case as each character as their own time on screen, despite one or two special cases. Along with the beloved cast, the high quality voice acting was a wonderful edition to the story.
The Negatives
The repetitive gameplay. As a consequence to Virtue's Last Reward's wonderfully large range of endings, players must revisit previous gameplay to unlock new routes in multiple occasions. This becomes a significant part of the gameplay, though I am thankful that you are able to skip seen dialogue.
The unanswered questions. Sadly, both games hint to information that isn't fully explained. While this is issue is more prominent in Virtue's Last Reward ending, I understand that it is necessary to keep the players in the dark to explain in the sequel. However, it does leave myself and possibly other players unsatisfied as they are left with more questions than answers.
Overall
I failed to mention this beforehand, but I must state that Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is a must play for all sci-fi lovers. The two games covered topics of philosophy that left me in awe. It was a wonderful experience that I can easily replay again, which I have. 999 and Virtue's Last Reward's both have their own charms that I admired, as they tackled different issues involving time travel.