Zero Escape: The Nonary Games

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is a 2 in 1 bundle that includes the first two games in the Zero Escape trilogy. For those who know nothing about this franchise, it’s essentially a mystery visual novel series where escape rooms are the main interactive feature. It’s just as much a puzzle game as it is story based (both of which are extremely confusing at times). I constantly had a pen and paper next to me while playing and I don’t regret it, these games make you THINK. Without spoiling anything, I think it’s important to make clear that all Zero Escape games feature multiple endings. Do NOT stop playing once you hit your first game over. These games require you to play through multiple endings to access more of the story. It’s a unique design choice but these stories don’t work otherwise. The first game in this bundle, 999, is a remake of the original DS port with brilliant voice acting and 2D visuals. It’s largely considered the best game in the trilogy (though personally I prefer VLR). The only negative point I have with this game is that it can force you to replay through escape rooms you already cleared when searching for certain endings. Thankfully this is something the sequel fixes entirely, and 999 isn’t a terribly long game so it’s not a huge deal. The sequel, Virtues Last Reward is around twice the length of 999 and has a completely different appearance with 3D models and new atmosphere. It can be quite jarring at first and honestly, I really didn’t like VLR in the beginning. There was a bit too much change, I didn’t care for the story, and it felt like I was just hitting pointless endings constantly that meant nothing (spoiler: they weren’t pointless). It was only after about 15 hours I really started to care about the game at all. By the time I finished the game though I loved it more than 999 and it was so unlike anything I’d ever played. It’s definitely a slowburn but I’m so grateful for the experience. It’s hard to compare this franchise to any other game because of how original it is. If you’re not opposed to a fascinating story game that will make you rack your brain trying to solve a problem, I definitely recommend giving Zero Escape a shot. I can guarantee it will surprise you.

Both games are amazing. I am not a fan of the 3D models in VLR but the plot is still incredible. Love Kotaro Uchikoshi.

尽管[spoiler]时空穿梭改变命运 [/spoiler]的题材已经并不新奇，但是极限脱出还是给玩家带来了新的体验。其实对我来说最精彩的部分是露娜的塑造，[spoiler]一个冷静的、服从的，但却永远保持善良的格鲁特016。从最开始对脸谱化圣母的无感，再到后面开始疑惑：露娜似乎完全没有想逃生的欲望，猜测其是0；到最后明白她身份的恍然大悟。[/spoiler]比起其他穿越时空作品带给人更多的是热血与宏大，善人死亡带给我更多的是对生命与存在的茫然，以及荒凉。第一次感到震撼是[spoiler] 西格玛看见了K的脸，第二次则是西格玛流出了白色的血，这种对自我存在与生命的怀疑清楚地传递给了我。[/spoiler]在不同的故事线中，每个人的选择都会摇摆不定，[spoiler]但只有露娜的选择始终如一；善人死亡精彩的点之一就是给予了除主角以外的人“不变”，除了命运、勇气与坚持这些美好的品质以外，程序当然也是不会变的。九人游戏是对于露娜的“中文房间”，但露娜比出题者回答得还要好。对人类的单一模仿和程序设定下的善良与在生存下的团结或自私的面目相比，很难说哪个才是正确。本来以为，露娜只是一个脸谱化的圣母，在极端生存环境下，虽然刻板，但好像也习惯了这样的存在；出人意料的是，她只是一个拟人的机器人，她的圣母，是带有冷漠疏离的观察性质的，如果要怜所有人，那必不能对某个人格外热情，尽管因为设定了主角的缘故，露娜在西格玛这里第一次表达出了自己在生命、善恶与程序之间的迷茫以及爱意；但我也并不想认为露娜是对西格玛有真情的，她的真情只奉献给她的主人，或是说，只是程序；遵守命令与保护主人是两条相反的路，如青鸟一样，露娜的幸福就在身侧，却也转瞬即逝。露娜也仅仅是一个模拟生态园里的机械青鸟……一定会有一条世界线里的露娜是正在追寻幸福、已经得到幸福的吧…[/spoiler]

極限脱出シリーズ３部作のうち最初の２作品がセットになったゲーム セール時の価格で１作目の「9時間9人9の扉」のみをプレイするならおすすめ ストーリーが面白すぎて途中脱出パートが邪魔だと感じてしまった ２作目「善人シボウデス」は同様に脱出パートが面白くない+3Dになったことで前作より操作性が悪くなってます ストーリーはまぁ面白いんだけど同じようなシーンを何度も見なきゃいけない+無駄な演出が多くきつかった 未読スキップ機能を設定でオンにできるのでおすすめします

I am very fond of this series; I have played it twice (first time during Lockdown), and for weeks afterward, I continued to catch imaginary references to Zero Escape in various contexts. [h3]I believe this game appeals to a vast audience[/h3] - [b]Fans of science fiction[/b] - [b]Enthusiasts of escape room puzzles[/b] - [b]Players who enjoy choices matter and multiple endings mechanics[/b] During my first playthrough several years ago, I was strongly captivated by it, as puzzles are my Special Interest. This second run allowed me to engage with the game both emotionally and with a critical mind. While the game has its flaws, I believe it stays compelling despite that. [h3]Flaws[/h3] - [b]Stereotypical Characters[/b]: The second installment closely resembles the first, especially in terms of character relationships and roles (e.g., enemies, insiders, plot twists involving who knows what or whom). - [b]Increasing Difficulty[/b]: Unlike 999, which maintains a consistent level of (let's be real, minimal) challenge, VLR tends to spike in difficulty towards the end. The final puzzle is particularly challenging. I enjoyed this side of VLR, but I understand that others might find it somewhat unfair. - [b]Credibility[/b]: A concern I share with the Danganronpa series is the lack of realistic behavior; characters do not eat, drink, sleep, or act naturally given the extraordinary circumstances that should impose some serious concerns for basic survival (other than escaping). - [b]Skip Mechanics[/b]: Skipping dialogues can be inconsistent, especially if you revisit explored branches. When certain elements are unlocked, dialogues may change, which can be tedious due to the slow pace, especially in VLR. - [b]Untied Ends[/b]: I was disappointed that some characters seemingly disappear without resolution. For example (spoiler ahead), [spoiler] I wish Quark had a connection to Q in ZTD, and that his headgear had a deeper significance [/spoiler] - I found myself imagining logical connections thoroughly. - [b]Inconsistency[/b]: Character development between the games sometimes feels inconsistent; I will avoid going into details to prevent spoilers. - [b]Animations[/b]: Across the three main titles (mind that: ZTD is not included in this bundle), the art style changes significantly, and not always for the better. - [b]Character Design[/b]: There are instances of visual repetition, such as [spoiler]the older lady in 999 and Alice[/spoiler]. - [b]Resolution[/b]: I experienced some issues at certain points; however, I cannot recall the specifics right now (sorry). - [b]Controls[/b]: Using mouse and keyboard was somewhat frustrating. - [b]Computer Adaptation[/b]: The UI can be cluttered, especially when switching modes in 999. - [b]Plot Holes[/b]: There may be some inconsistencies or potential plot holes introduced by the latest twists. - [b]Sexualized[/b] (character design) [h3] What I appreciate about the game:[/h3] - Engagement with [b]scientific topics[/b] - Collectibles that deepen immersion into the lore - Hidden codes leading to Golden Files - Branching story paths - Humor, including some cheesy jokes - A notepad feature (though it’s not optimized for PC) - [b]Infodumping[/b] (which I personally enjoy, though others might not) [h2] I honestly think this one is a must for puzzle games collectors and sci-fi freaks.[/h2]

学数学学得快崩溃了想放松一下，打开游戏，发现数字推理还在追我，他妈的

This will be the review only of "999 game" for now. I haven't yet played Virtue’s Last Reward (VLR) which is also included under " Zero Escape: The Nonary Games" As this is a Nonary Game let's keep the review in 9 paragraphs: [h3]1 – First impressions [/h3] I've bought the game as a fan of Danganronpa series, after I learnt they did more of 'death / solve the mystery' games. Didn't really expected anything, only checked it was released in 2010 on Nintendo DS, so here on steam we play a ported version. The technical implementation of the port is fine, didn't have any bugs with it. [h3]2 – Plot [/h3] Long story short we're a group of strangers kidnapped to play mystery "Nonary Game" (game about nines lol) to escape a ship. For me the premise was catching, What's the reasoning of the antagonist? What's with the number 9?) All the mystery and exploration of 9 motive and other tropes ( [spoiler] telepathy titanic research)[/spoiler]) were surprisingly good realized scratching the autistic nerve of deep diving into useless trivia. [h3]3 – Gameplay [/h3] Gameplay wise - as player we dive into two parts of interactions: Visual Novel parts and Escape Rooms. In Visual Novel we just read the text, deciding from time to time about the course of action. Surprisingly, choices matter and lead us to [spoiler] 6 [/spoiler] different endings. Escape Room is split for solving, mostly trivial puzzles. One room takes from 10-20 min to solve. If you have some computer science background you might have a lot of fun cause a lot of the solutions are based on some tricks with numbers! [h3]4 – Puzzles[/h3] As mentioned above - mostly trivial, but it so grounded they keep you engaged. I probably forgot most of them as the solution weren't 'genius, of the box designs' but good enough to let you relax after the narrative part in Visual Novel fragment. [h3]5 – Dialogues[/h3] Most of dialogues are just ok. For me, there's a lot of redundancy in describing the enviro around, next steps etc. (if you know anime you know what I mean). On the other hand, the story bits are neat, and reasoning of characters feels logical, which is a huge plus! Also all dialogues have voiceover and it keeps you on track all the time. [h3]6 – Characters[/h3] Characters are toned, which gives them more mundane motivation. If you seek exaggerated characters go play Danganronpa. I didn't feel huge drive from them, but they did logical decision, so it motivated me to focus on the plot. [h3]7 – Pacing[/h3] In my opinion, the first part of game goes, story wise, pretty slow. The stakes are low. Characters just discuss recent events, no thoughts on the master plot. Situation changes when you reach any ending. The endings give good plot twists and I totally recommend reaching the true ending - as it basically explains half of the game and how coherent it was designed. [h3]8 – Artstyle[/h3] You feel the years of the game. The designs for me actually feel much older than 2010 - maybe cause of the 'semi- realistic' setting. Also - it's a Japanese game so expect the UI and render part to feel 10 years older than Western games. Yet, after all - everything is coherent and keeps you in the immersion. A nice touch are some animation on the characters reactions and talking mouths. For me it's super cool and much better than just static portrait. [h3]9 – Summary[/h3] Overall Score: 9/10 Totally worth playing if you fan of death games and not afraid of some reading, especially when voiceover is included!

Тут перша та друга частини. 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors: Справжній шедевр. Сльози в кінці. upd: Virtue's Last Reward: 3D розчарувало. Фінал непоганий, але задовгий.