LogFAQs > #934057688

#62. Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward


Oh hey, another visual novel, although this one revolves more around puzzles than choices, so it has more traditional gameplay! While Im not as high on Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors as most fans of the series (as you can see, its the only one of the three that didnt make the top 100), I did enjoy it enough that, when I saw they had made a sequel, I decided to give it a shot. There were a lot of things I liked better almost immediately. I thought the Prisoners Dilemma Ally/Betray system and all the different permutations it provided was really interesting. It made the end of each round really tense, as well as providing a lot of intrigue. Along those same lines, I liked Virtue Last Rewards flowchart system since it made it easier to get back to choices so you could make the other one, or you could see what you still had to do, unlike in 999, where you had to complete the entire game first and then go back to the start (Ports of 999 would switch to that flowchart system, thankfully). Either way, the story just has more variety than the first games did because of all the different routes and potential pairings for puzzle rooms. I also enjoyed the bonus files the game gives you for finding both passwords in puzzle rooms, so it gave me a reason to be as thorough as possible. The puzzle rooms are generally pretty fun, although they arent the main draw of the game.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I liked Virtues Last Rewards cast better than 999s, especially Sigma over Junpei as a protagonist. Not to say theyre all great or likable. Dio in particular is a douchebag, but I dont think youre supposed to like him anyway. But Sigma, Phi, Luna, K, and Tenmyouji were all good. I thought Zero Jr. was awesome, and I wish the game had used him more. I liked that VLR had a lighter tone at times, since 999 could be a little too serious. I found the main plotlines really compelling. I thought all the morphogenetic field stuff in 999 was kinda whatever. They found a way to pull it all together at the end in a memorable way, but overall, I didnt find it all that interesting. Virtues Last Reward, on the other hand, had me hooked and wanting to get to the end of the game to get the answers to all of its mysteries.

And the answers did not disappoint either. I loved the endgame because it just went totally crazy in a good way. Virtues Last Reward was blowing my mind left and right as I completed the various routes. Generally speaking, Im the type of person who isnt actively trying to figure out the plot or solve the mysteries a story throws at you because I enjoy the feeling of being shocked by the answer. As such, this game was right up my alley. I could never have anticipated the twists and turns this game takes. My personal favorite is Lunas ending because its a good mixture of plot bombs and tugging at your heartstrings, especially once Blue Bird Lamentation starts playing. Virtues Last Reward got me super hyped to see how the trilogy would conclude in the next game, and thats what you want the middle part of a trilogy to do.

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