Zero Time Dilemma Reviews
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.
Sadly, despite an attempt to include in-depth story threads and bring in intriguing puzzles, Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma falls down on too many occasions. Be it the convoluted yarns that do not tie things together well enough, puzzles that fluctuate in difficulty and interest levels far too much, as well as a poorly thought out flowchart system that leads players into numerous dead ends, either requiring sheer guesswork and random replaying of certain scenarios, or caving in and using online guides.
Zero Time Dilemma is an impressively polished, unsettling ride, but whether it's worth playing is entirely dependent on your previous experience with the series. If you've played and enjoyed the first two games in the trilogy you'll absolutely love Zero's last stand. You'll find the same twisting, twisted narrative, the same satisfyingly tricky puzzles, and plenty more of Uchikoshi's signature style, and watching the story's climax unfold after three games is a real rush. If you haven't played the first two games but you're interested in the series, this isn't the best place to start — to really enjoy it, you'll want to have both Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (on DS and iOS) and Virtue's Last Reward (on 3DS and Vita) under your belt before jumping in here.However you arrive at Zero Time Dilemma, if you're into the series' mix of horror and Hegel you're in for a treat — and you may never look at a snail the same way again.
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.
Final chapter in intriguing narrative adventure series brings back favourite characters, but fails to go out with a bang
It’s by no means the best Zero Escape game, but it’s a fitting end to the trilogy’s story arc and – animation aside – it’s an excellent way to spend a few evenings.
Zero Time stands as the weakest of the trilogy, but still a satisfactory visual novel in its own right.
Zero Time Dilemma is the weakest entry in the series but still worth a gander to find out how it all ends/begins/continues.
Even when the narrative fails to drive the plot, the game’s well-designed room-escape puzzles pick up the slack.
Despite having dozens of questions early on, by the end of the long twisted journey, I found everything to be resolved—or even left unresolved—in an extremely satisfying way.
Zero Time Dilemma is nothing short of a world class conclusion to the Zero Escape trilogy, thanks to its excellent narrative, its interesting and very developed cast of characters and a marvelous audio environment. While not all of the trilogy's loose ends are brought together and its visual environment could certainly improve, this is a game that is compulsory for all the series' followers as well as to virtually anyone else.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Zero Time Dilemma is a small masterpiece of storytelling and a strong warning about human nature. A truly, unmissable game.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
Spike Chunsoft does it again, combining intuitive, puzzle-based gameplay with one of video gaming's best narratives in the wonderful Zero Time Dilemma.
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.
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
Despite its flaws, Zero Time Dilemma is one of the more compelling titles released this year. You will find few other games like it, both in quality and plain weirdness.
And that’s that. Zero Time Dilemma is an amazing game of equivalent overall caliber to its predecessors, and its ridiculous, complicated take on scientific theories and horror thrillers is a must-witness. Despite being quite accommodating newcomers, I recommend the deep dive into the previous entries first, if anything, to be a buffer for the science-fiction you’ve yet to imbibe. Regardless, you’ll get great, well-rounded characters and a memorable trip into one of gaming’s greatest works of fiction even if you’ll scream, “Oh, come on,” as often as “Holy shitsnacks!” That’s me being at my most objective.