Current Events > just starting Virtues Last Reward (potential spoilers)

(+) Yeah! (+)

boy did this game not need a monokuma-type character. I understand that there's more rules so someone needs to facilitate it, but idk, I loved the eeriness of being alone on the ship in 999

ill prob get more used to him tho
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metralo posted...

I loved the eeriness of being alone on the ship in 999

Good news! You get just that!
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oh does he go away? he's stopped to talk to us a whole bunch so far, but I've only played through one puzzle and the first vote.

cool then
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metralo posted...

oh does he go away?

Doesn't go away but only talks in that first section of the game. Consider the bunny the opening act only.
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that wasn't a good mystery bump
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Enjoying it?
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I thought the voice acting was kind of cheesy at times. Still an okay game though, but the atmosphere doesn't compare to the first game's (which was deliciously creepy).
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Im pretty sure his producers told Uchikoshi he had to make his game have a more light hearted tone with this game for sales reasons

DoGCyN posted...

Enjoying it?

Havent played too much, just finished the second escape room. Im gonna play it more now that I finished xenoblade

Milkman5 posted...

Im pretty sure his producers told Uchikoshi he had to make his game have a more light hearted tone with this game for sales reasons

that makes sense
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M3sterybumper posted...

Dat better?

i actually wanted to update this thread so yea

i got a "bad ending" and an unfinished ending (sigma was about to say who planted the bombs, but it ended because I need to finish another story line)

tbh I actually already like it more than 999 despite my initial reaction. I love how thats a main story mechanic now, the jumping between alternate universes, rather than just an end game twist. can't wait to see how it unfolds
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For the best experience (at least in my opinion), take the middle path, do everything you can on it, do the same for the left and right in that order, and then get what you missed the first time around in that same order.

Virtue's Last Reward is a fantastic game and probably the best of the series. I much prefer it over 999.
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Garioshi posted...

For the best experience (at least in my opinion), take the middle path, do everything you can on it, do the same for the left and right in that order, and then get what you missed the first time around in that same order.

I happened to go with the right path the first time lol. I basically just stuck with Phi as much as I could and chose betray against alice, and it brought me that way. I'm gonna finish out that path (by choosing ally instead of betray) and then go for the straight left after that.

i really like the whole ally/betray thing. its a clever way to create a rift and create alternate paths.
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metralo posted...

Garioshi posted...

For the best experience (at least in my opinion), take the middle path, do everything you can on it, do the same for the left and right in that order, and then get what you missed the first time around in that same order.

I happened to go with the right path the first time lol. I basically just stuck with Phi as much as I could and chose betray against alice, and it brought me that way. I'm gonna finish out that path (by choosing ally instead of betray) and then go for the straight left after that.

i really like the whole ally/betray thing. its a clever way to create a rift and create alternate paths.

The path I described is best if you don't want to be stopped by locks. It's the most fluid and reveals the twists in the best order, in my opinion.
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ah, I see. yeah, I was already hit with a lock, so maybe I'll decide to go in the middle. 999's endings aside from the two main ones (which were fantastic) were pretty terrible and didn't matter the order so I kinda assumed that, but clearly this one is more important order-wise. do you happen to remember which door I start with to go the middle path? the first puzzle I did to set me on the right path was the infirmary I think... had 4 rooms and some smut on the wall that I had to erase off to find symbols. a bunch of telephones and a book of Schrodinger's cat

if not, i'm sure i'll find it out quickly next time I play. was just convenience lol
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metralo posted...

ah, I see. yeah, I was already hit with a lock, so maybe I'll decide to go in the middle. 999's endings aside from the two main ones (which were fantastic) were pretty terrible and didn't matter the order so I kinda assumed that, but clearly this one is more important order-wise. do you happen to remember which door I start with to go the middle path? the first puzzle I did to set me on the right path was the infirmary I think... had 4 rooms and some smut on the wall that I had to erase off to find symbols. a bunch of telephones and a book of Schrodinger's cat

if not, i'm sure i'll find it out quickly next time I play. was just convenience lol

Magenta leads to the lounge and goes down the left path. Yellow leads to the infirmary and goes down the middle path. Cyan leads to the Crew Quarters and goes down the right path. The right path has a ridiculous number of locks, so it should definitely be saved for last.
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oh, yeah it was Crew Quarters that I went through. good to know I happened to choose the worst path lol.

well, I won't bother going and choosing ally for alice then.
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Yeah, don't bother. Also, get all the game overs. They're all unique and worth seeing.
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Milkman5 posted...

Im pretty sure his producers told Uchikoshi he had to make his game have a more light hearted tone with this game for sales reasons

That's exactly what happened. 999 sorta bombed in Japan because it was perceived as too dark, so there was a conscious effort to make VLR less so. I recall hearing that way back.
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dotsdfe posted...

Milkman5 posted...

Im pretty sure his producers told Uchikoshi he had to make his game have a more light hearted tone with this game for sales reasons

That's exactly what happened. 999 sorta bombed in Japan because it was perceived as too dark, so there was a conscious effort to make VLR less so. I recall hearing that way back.

Yes, that's why the new execution method was implemented.

Also, TC, any ideas on who planted the bombs?
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Garioshi posted...

Yeah, don't bother. Also, get all the game overs. They're all unique and worth seeing.

oh of course, after 999 I'm aware that they intend me to get these things,

Garioshi posted...

Also, TC, any ideas on who planted the bombs?

honestly, no clue. I probably won't play it for a day or two so I'll think it over.
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Garioshi posted...

Also, TC, any ideas on who planted the bombs?

I'm going off of absolutely nothing here but I've gotta think it was Phi. Obviously Sigma and Phi's relationship are the focal point of this game and Phi knows a lot more than she's letting on, given how she also knows how to jump between alternate universes/timelines too. she could know almost everything that's going to take place, and post-escape from whereever the fuck they are, detonate the explosives.

but my memory is too poor to remember who and where everyone was at which times. I assume it couldn't have been Alice and Quark since they're infected with Radical-6 at the time of the second and last bomb finding. but who fucking knows. I have like 5 days off and I'm gonna pound em out.

i assume there are blatant hints that I'm passing by as normal occurrences (like Akane getting fevers) but I haven't picked them out
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Garioshi posted...

Yeah, don't bother. Also, get all the game overs. They're all unique and worth seeing.

when i was going for the plat, only need to get all but 2 game over paths i ended up doing them all anyway just to see what happens.

at least i'll be able to play it once again on ps4 (if the game ever goes on sale for a reasonable price).
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I liked the game structure better on VLR by far, but I liked the story of 999 better. I think it also used the console it was on better than VLR did, though that's in part because VLR was on 2 consoles on launch.

And there were just more mind blown kinda moments in 999. And I wasn't impressed with their Game Theory first week of class stuff that they blew up and took it all the way to the end goal in VLR. For me anyways, VLR came at a bad time, when Game Theory was my favorite and hardest class that I've ever taken in my life, and I felt really unimpressed with how VLR handled it.

There was also that I liked Akane and Junpei better than Sigma and Phi. Though that ironically changed with ZTD >.> but that's a whole other subject
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Ive heard ZTD, ending wise at least, is awful and was my primary reason for starting the series.

Im a sucker for great series with poorly receipted endings. I always wanna see if I feel differently or feel the same, and how it could possibly set so many people off
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metralo posted...

Garioshi posted...

Also, TC, any ideas on who planted the bombs?

I'm going off of absolutely nothing here but I've gotta think it was Phi. Obviously Sigma and Phi's relationship are the focal point of this game and Phi knows a lot more than she's letting on, given how she also knows how to jump between alternate universes/timelines too. she could know almost everything that's going to take place, and post-escape from whereever the fuck they are, detonate the explosives.

but my memory is too poor to remember who and where everyone was at which times. I assume it couldn't have been Alice and Quark since they're infected with Radical-6 at the time of the second and last bomb finding. but who fucking knows. I have like 5 days off and I'm gonna pound em out.

i assume there are blatant hints that I'm passing by as normal occurrences (like Akane getting fevers) but I haven't picked them out

interesting
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working through that middle story line now. wtf at that old woman found dead in the AB room. that didn't happen in my other path..
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yknow, as im playing this Im just thinking, wtf, why is 999 the one everyone talks up? this game is just so much better. Im so much more invested in the story and characters, in 999 the only thing that really hooked me was the true ending because of how crazy it was. in this one its like, wtf, whats the relation of quark and the old guy? why are Alice (which her being here is weird in itself given the events of 999) and Clover here? who the fuck is K? whats dio got to do with anything? at least luna is a nurse, if radical-6 is really a thing I understand why she could be involved.

in 999 I felt like... well junpei and akane have an interesting relationship, I wonder why theyre here. idk why the rest of them really matter though. theyre backstories and how they related were cool but I cant really say I was terribly interested.

Im glad I ended up proven wrong about this game, shoulda gave it a better chance. if I was more into puzzle games Id have beaten it by now but puzzles arent my thing. just a sucker for a good story
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metralo posted...

yknow, as im playing this Im just thinking, wtf, why is 999 the one everyone talks up? this game is just so much better. Im so much more invested in the story and characters, in 999 the only thing that really hooked me was the true ending because of how crazy it was. in this one its like, wtf, whats the relation of quark and the old guy? why are Alice (which her being here is weird in itself given the events of 999) and Clover here? who the fuck is K? whats dio got to do with anything? at least luna is a nurse, if radical-6 is really a thing I understand why she could be involved.

in 999 I felt like... well junpei and akane have an interesting relationship, I wonder why theyre here. idk why the rest of them really matter though. theyre backstories and how they related were cool but I cant really say I was terribly interested.

Im glad I ended up proven wrong about this game, shoulda gave it a better chance. if I was more into puzzle games Id have beaten it by now but puzzles arent my thing. just a sucker for a good story

A lot more people played it, I suppose. A sequel will by default have less people playing and talking about it.
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I've always thought that Zero Escape got popular with VLR and 999 was kinda unknown
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metralo posted...

I've always thought that Zero Escape got popular with VLR and 999 was kinda unknown

999 was a hit on gamefaqs. For what that's worth.

I remember I only got the game because I saw it in so many DS threads so I finally bought it years later

yeah, that was the case for me too, but still, gamefaqs is a pretty small site. 999 deserves all of the attention it gets for sure, but I never heard places other than gamefaqs talk about ZE until VLR
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metralo posted...

yknow, as im playing this Im just thinking, wtf, why is 999 the one everyone talks up? this game is just so much better.

I think you'll understand when you finish the game.
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quick thoughts as I'm going through middle path

dio is a shitbag
I'm surprised K is holding up this nice guy act for so long, he must know something. he was even nice about him "incapacitating" alice in the AB room
alice's death was likely a suicide given the effects of rad-6 but could be a red herring
tenmyoji is a bro and I feel bad betraying him
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wtf @ clover ending
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metralo posted...

wtf @ clover ending

Yep, that's the shock ending.
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Honestly, I'm glad I picked up 999 when it came to steam. The original game seemed interesting, until I heard about how you had to unlock endings. In puzzle games, the concept just fell flat for me. Thank goodness Steam put in a jump function.

As for ZTD....expect mixed results from people when you get to it. Some people l9ve the ending, I personally didn't care for it or the game as a whole honestly. VLR was good but 999 still stands out to me.
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VLR is probably the best of the series but all of them are pretty great. Even though people bitch a lot about ZTD I still found it to be enjoyable and had a lot of amazing moments even if it is the weakest of the bunch. Also really excited to see TC's reactions to the tons of reveals.
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Yeah, will keep updating. Last night I got to a directors office after discovering that everybody aside from quark was found murdered. It spooks me knowing that little shit is running around doing something. Anyways, I couldn't get past the username/password screen. It kept showing memento mori/remember death over and over again and acting like I should know this username/password but I really have no clue what it could be, so I'm doing another path for now.

And I'm looking forward to ZTD too, the premise of the game sounds weird but I'm a sucker for mixed received endings.
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metralo posted...

Yeah, will keep updating. Last night I got to a directors office after discovering that everybody aside from quark was found murdered. It spooks me knowing that little shit is running around doing something. Anyways, I couldn't get past the username/password screen. It kept showing memento mori/remember death over and over again and acting like I should know this username/password but I really have no clue what it could be, so I'm doing another path for now.

And I'm looking forward to ZTD too, the premise of the game sounds weird but I'm a sucker for mixed received endings.

There's a few sections like that. Just keep doing what you're doing and things will play out.
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Yeh, I knew there were, like on the right path with the bombs, but the icon in the flow is a question mark for those ones that blocked me. This one isn't, so I thought I should know. But oh well that's fine I'm sure I'll get to it soon enough
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oo so dio planted the bomb.. or at least the zero bomb. so its implying that dio infiltrated to shelter and killed the old woman? and that woman was supposed to be part of the game? interesting thats shes not on the right side of the story. but then again, we havent found any bombs yet either in any of the middle/left story lines.
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It is impossible to have a character named "Dio" and not have them be a gigantic asshole.
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mario2000 posted...

It is impossible to have a character named "Dio" and not have them be a gigantic asshole.

But he's such a fun character to have around.
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Yeah he was an absolute shit bag in almost every path so far, just figured he was a dick for the sake of being a dick though
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I had a sneaking suspicion that K was Sigma (or somehow closely related) but I never had a good reasoning behind it.

I think it was the whole getting woozy part on the left most path, when Sigma and Phi were in the surveilence room or whatever. He feel asleep for seemingly no reason, and then shortly after that K and Dio were found dead. That combined with Sigma also feeling woozy right before killing himself in the clover ending, Ks body being nowhere found in the piles of our dead friends. It was an outlandish theory for sure. But there must have been some reason why we never see Ks face.

Cool ending! Now I got the Username for the directors office, just gotta find the password.
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metralo posted...

I had a sneaking suspicion that K was Sigma (or somehow closely related) but I never had a good reasoning behind it.

I think it was the whole getting woozy part on the left most path, when Sigma and Phi were in the surveilence room or whatever. He feel asleep for seemingly no reason, and then shortly after that K and Dio were found dead. That combined with Sigma also feeling woozy right before killing himself in the clover ending, Ks body being nowhere found in the piles of our dead friends. It was an outlandish theory for sure. But there must have been some reason why we never see Ks face.

Cool ending! Now I got the Username for the directors office, just gotta find the password.

But if K is Sigma, who are you playing as?
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well, do we ever see my face/hear my voice? The game has just led me to assume that Im the same person from the memory in the beginning. Could be implanted memories into the main character. Or a sigma from another timeline jumped into this one and entered Ks suit. If that even is possible..

Fuck I dunno shit is just getting more confusing as Im getting endings lol
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There are lions eating suns everywhere and I have no idea wtf it means
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