Zero Time Dilemma Reviews
Zero Time Dilemma is a more than fitting end to a series already known for its gripping narrative and compelling characters. Director/writer Kotaro Uchikoshi has outdone himself here and delivered, most assuredly, his magnum opus. This is narrative risk-taking and some of the best storytelling available in the medium that manages to overcome its presentational flaws to offer a must-play experience.
Following in the footsteps of its brilliant predecessors, Zero Time Dilemma continues to bring a thrilling form of storytelling that can only be done with the interaction of the video game medium.
Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma will not be to everyone’s tastes; that much is obvious. An eclectic mix of puzzle solving and non-linear visual novel narrative, Zero Time Dilemma’s inconsistent conundrum quality and distinctly no-frills presentation aren’t enough to seriously detract from the impressive calibre of its numerous idiosyncrasies.
Zero Time Dilemma is a satisfying conclusion to the Zero Escape series, but I feel it’s missing a final challenge room to test my wits.
Zero Time Dilemma is an immensely satisfying conclusion to what might be one of the best, best told stories in the history of the medium.
While it ends up feeling a bit like the weakest game in the series so far, even a weak Zero Escape game is still an absolute delight, and Zero Time Dilemma is no exception.
Zero Time Dilemma carries some deep themes of morality, mortality, and identity, making for an intelligent, worthy story.
Although the ending might not be one that fans expected, Zero Time Dilemma is a great game, with a lot of shocking twists and turns within its story. And being able to even have a finale to the Zero Escape series proves that we’re all in the best possible timeline.
If you’re a fan of the Zero Escape games, I don’t need to convince you to buy it, since you probably were already going to do so anyway. If you’re a newcomer and want to get into the Zero Escape series, play the first two games before you even consider playing Zero Time Dilemma, as it offers a much more rewarding experience if you have.
All in all, I really enjoyed Zero Time Dilemma. It feels like a fitting conclusion to the series, and gives a number of characters a pleasing amount of closure — even if it is in alternative timelines in some cases! It also features some of the series’ most truly horrifying bad endings, so if you enjoy that sort of thing you’ll have a good time. And, of course, most importantly, if you enjoy Uchikoshi playing with narrative conventions and structure, you’ll definitely have a blast here.
It lacks the charm and wit of Danganronpa, but Zero Time Dilemma, like its prequels, is still valuable, smart, and stimulating. Its presentation really badly hurts it, but once you push past that distaste, what you're left with is an intense, engaging and intelligent narrative with some thoughtful and well-designed puzzle rooms to sort through.
A brilliant, dark, twisted tale reminiscent of the phenomenal Steins;Gate, and one that will get players digging into every possible branching pathway to experience every facet of the story and finally understand the truth beneath this marvellous tale.
Every setback and every unexpected revelation will draw you further into Zero Time Dilemma's joyously convoluted world and make you all the more doggedly determined to uncover the truth.
Zero Time Dilemma is a fairly decent port for the PS4. It features slightly revamped visuals but still suffers from the same awkward animation and a slow paced story that will take a while to properly set up.
Zero Time Dilemma is an incredible game and a worthy conclusion for the Zero Escape series that finally arrives on the PlayStation 4. It's transition from the Vita to the PS4 was handled with a lot of care, being done in the best way possible.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The game delivers an exciting story with its wonderful and interesting concepts in addition to its entertaining puzzles. This installment may attract more players than its predecessors as it relies on cut scenes more than reading texts. I prefer the previous games (999 and Virtue’s Last Reward) more, and I highly recommend to give the whole Zero Escape series a try.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Chime has done it again with Zero Time Dilemma, giving us a game that is a must-have for fans of visual novels, and even more so for fans of the series.
As the third entry in the series, Zero Time Dilemma takes a lot of inspiration from the past games while lacking anything innovative to move the series forward. It is arguably a great game but it often feels less polished compared to its predecessors and the presentations suffers as a result.
Zero Time Dilemma is the weakest game in the trilogy, yet it's an unmissable piece of the puzzle that every Zero Escape fan needs to play. It isn't the satisfying conclusion hoped for, it has some uninteresting characters, and the pacing is off, but even with the unanswered questions, there is still a story here that warrants playing through, especially as it develops and wraps up the arcs of the familiar, better and more important characters in the overall narrative.
Make no mistake about it, Zero Time Dilemma is a disappointment, but it's mainly because fans of the franchise are such devoted ones. Taken on its own merits, without looking back to how the series was, it is certainly not a bad game, and has some excellent qualities that leave it an overall good experience, and definitely not a bad one.