First Screenshots of 999 Successor Emerge

[The Wooster]

First Screenshots of 999 Successor Emerge

​

Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward bears more than a passing resemblance to 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors.

Rising Star Games has announced that they'll be publishing Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (or Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die, as it's called in Japan) in Europe this November. The visual novel/puzzler is an obvious spiritual successor to 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, which confused the heck out of DS gamers back in 2010. Aksys has already announced it'll be publishing the NA version of the game by the end of the year. The title is being released for both 3DS and the PlayStation Vita.

[gallery=862]

Zero Escape seems to share the same premise at its predecessor; a diverse set of characters, all harboring dramatic secrets, are kidnapped and forced to play a deadly game of puzzle solving and betrayal. Chunsoft has confirmed the game takes place in the same universe as 999, but notes that it's a self-contained story. Still, there do seem to be some recurring characters, so I'd suggest playing 999 first, if you can find a copy.

Unlike 999, Zero Escape uses 3D models rather than static 2D artwork. It also seems to have some animation outside of its cutscenes. The puzzles seem somewhat similar; an eclectic mix of abstract minigames, lateral thinking challenges and classic Resident Evil style key hunting. Judging by the screenshots, it's also nice to see that the characters have retained their talent for pointing out the blindingly obvious.

Source: Siliconera [http://www.siliconera.com/2012/08/10/the-first-english-screenshots-of-zero-escape-virtues-last-reward/]




Permalink

 

[Shinsei-J]

...This looks ... awesome?
I'll have to find and pick up the first one.
Speaking of DS games I'm still waiting for a sequel of "The World Ends With You"

 

[Jorec]

So is this going to be the first "3D" visual novel? Seems like a big milestone in the VN industry. Feel free to correct me If I'm wrong though, I don't play a lot of VNs.

 

[The Wooster]

I have mixed feelings. The first game was great, but the story was a load of hooey and the bizarre 'twist' at the end didn't make even the slightest bit of sense. So it's kinda sad that this game probably won't tie up the loose ends that marred the original game.

I beg to differ, the final ending was on the best game endings I've come across. It not only explained most of the story, it even tied in with the game mechanics in a very clever, meta kind of way.

I agree with you about the loose ends though, I'm hoping 999 fills in some of the blanks.

 

[Asimus]

So is this going to be the first "3D" visual novel? Seems like a big milestone in the VN industry. Feel free to correct me If I'm wrong though, I don't play a lot of VNs.

Nope, it's not the first one. Anyway, good art looks much better compared to outdated 3D in my opinion. 999 art was pretty bad though.

 

[Alterego-X]

So is this going to be the first "3D" visual novel? Seems like a big milestone in the VN industry. Feel free to correct me If I'm wrong though, I don't play a lot of VNs.

They are not unheard of, for example Ever 17 got a 3D remake for the 360.

It's more common in console dating sims with gameplay, like Love Plus, than proper PC Visual Novels, since the 3D models can also be used for interactive gameplay scenes, but it would be too expensive to animate the longer, linear novels for the hell of it.

 

[Evil Smurf]

Wants..... So glad I have a DSi

 

[Penguinplayer]

I have a Nintendo 3DS and I heard all kinds of good things about 999, but I have yet to pick it up.

Considering Persona 4 Arena just released and Way of the Samurai 4 is no far away, I don't think I will have to money to buy it anytime soon. Still looks pretty cool.

 

[blackdwarf]

aaah, i can remember that dark week i played the first 999. me and a friend played it both and we were both afraid of the dark for a week because of it the atmosphere of the game is GREAT! it is indeed really text heavy, but that didn't stop me from playing it multiple times because of the multiple endings.

 

[TJC]

999 was an underappreciated little gem on the DS, coming out at a time where only babysitting and pet care simulators were flooding the market but BY GODS that shit was wordy.

999, you do have pictures to show us what's going, you do not need to explain it overly detailled what is happening and you do not need characters state the obvious AGAIN after the narrator already did it.
Seriously, the text created redundan-ception. I was so happy there was a skip ability after the first playthrough. I abused it HARD.

I still loved it because I have a strange affiniy for these psycho manga (and their convuluted storylines) and it does have a crazy axe murderer which is always a plus. Multiple endings, great atmospheric sounds (that creaking was quite unnerving) and a couple of fun twists made it worth plowing through these endless wall-o-texts.

Now this? Prolly more of the same but these 3D... things are freaking ugly compared to the sprites used in 999... yuck...

why are people so insistent on using 3D even when it adds FUCK all? This will probably be again endless scrollings of (hopefully well-edited) text and some cute cutscenes. no need for a third dimension WHATSOEVER!

 

[Alterego-X]

999 was an underappreciated little gem on the DS, coming out at a time where only babysitting and pet care simulators were flooding the market but BY GODS that shit was wordy.

There are some Visual Novels out there with word counts of 600.000 to 800.000.

By it's genre's and medium's standards, 999 was relatively short. To complain that Visual Novels are wordier than an average video game, is like complaining that the average video game is longer than the average movie: they have entirely different goals.
Just like games are slower than movies because they often want you to get busy with a scene's gameplay instead of just checking them out one after another, likewise Visual Novels are slower than video games, because they are inherently literary experiences, that don't just present scenes as a necessary background for gameplay, but describing them in detail is the point of their whole narrative storytelling.

 

[TJC]

999 was an underappreciated little gem on the DS, coming out at a time where only babysitting and pet care simulators were flooding the market but BY GODS that shit was wordy.

There are some Visual Novels out there with word counts of 600.000 to 800.000.

By it's genre's and medium's standards, 999 was relatively short. To complain that Visual Novels are wordier than an average video game, is like complaining that the average video game is longer than the average movie: they have entirely different goals.
Just like games are slower than movies because they often want you to get busy with a scene's gameplay instead of just checking them out one after another, likewise Visual Novels are slower than video games, because they are inherently literary experiences, that don't just present scenes as a necessary background for gameplay, but describing them in detail is the point of their whole narrative storytelling.

I guess that's why I mentally cut off the visual stimuli after a while knowing it will be rehashed in text form later on. And I enjoyed the experience but what is problematic (even for literary experiences) is redundancy which the game a quite few moments of. First, the situation is stated by the narrator and then again by the characters in the dialogue. Even if you leave out the visuals that's redundant and plain mediocre to bad writing.

Now, I haven't played many visual novels (in fact none aside 999) but I can't imagine that being the standard for these stories just to reach some high score word count?

 

[Polite Sage]

Dammit, still have to keep playing the first, I heard it's great but...good god, all that text...and I am VERY tolerant of overdrawn text.

No reason to bash a visual NOVEL for having text. It's like complaining that an FPS game has too much shooting or that there is too much fighting in Soul Calibur.

the final ending was on the best game endings I've come across. It not only explained most of the story, it even tied in with the game mechanics in a very clever, meta kind of way.

Uchikoshi just self plagiated the ending and last twists from Ever 17. It's literally pure copy pasta. Actually the whole game itself was a bastard child of Ever 17 and Killer Queen.

Also, Escapist is shit at getting their headlines right. Again.

 

[Jorec]

So is this going to be the first "3D" visual novel? Seems like a big milestone in the VN industry. Feel free to correct me If I'm wrong though, I don't play a lot of VNs.

They are not unheard of, for example Ever 17 got a 3D remake for the 360.

It's more common in console dating sims with gameplay, like Love Plus, than proper PC Visual Novels, since the 3D models can also be used for interactive gameplay scenes, but it would be too expensive to animate the longer, linear novels for the hell of it.

Alright, thanks.

 

[D Moness]

Hope this gets a european release (do not think 999 did and the 3ds can not play 3ds imported games)

It will really suck if it didn't get released

 

[natster43]

Oh god I am excited for this game. I loved the original one and really want to get this one.

 

[VinLAURiA]

I guess that's why I mentally cut off the visual stimuli after a while knowing it will be rehashed in text form later on. And I enjoyed the experience but what is problematic (even for literary experiences) is redundancy which the game a quite few moments of. First, the situation is stated by the narrator and then again by the characters in the dialogue. Even if you leave out the visuals that's redundant and plain mediocre to bad writing.

Now, I haven't played many visual novels (in fact none aside 999) but I can't imagine that being the standard for these stories just to reach some high score word count?

In the game's defense, there is an in-story reason for the narration and characters to repeat each other a lot, even though it isn't really brought to light until the true ending.

That said, the in-story reasoning behind that particular plot twist still doesn't make a lick of sense. I had accidentally spoiled myself on it beforehand and it was still tugging at my suspension of disbelief. Sure, it integrated very well with many of the story elements and the design of the game itself, but...

Spoiler: I mean, really?

You're actually playing as the kid version of your girlfriend, who's been mind-controlling your character the entire game and is a telepathic mastermind whose thoughts travel through time?