Zero Escape: The Nonary Games Reviews
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is an ideal game for those who value twisted stories and puzzles that force the brain to effort. On PlayStation 4 you will not find better this kind of production. The compilation is good enough that even gamers which are not fan of this genre should try it.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Those who haven't yet experienced either 999 or VLR are in for a real treat. Both games were already excellent in their previous incarnations, but The Nonary Games bundles two definitive editions together in one simple, appealing package.
In the end, The Nonary Games is a fantastic bundle with games that are both fun to play and very entertaining in the story department. Any fan of puzzles games and visual novels should pick this bundle up without a doubt. Even people looking for a great story should give this a look. It has the makings of a good "starter" visual novel. I can't suggest it enough. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go play Zero Time Dilemma.
Developer Spike Chunsoft knocks it out of the park with The Nonary Games. The puzzles in both 999 and Virtue’s Last Reward are challenging and rewarding, but it’s their stories that really make you stop and think while trying to figure it all out.
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is the best way for you to play two of the most frequently overlooked visual novels out there. The additions to Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors bring new life to a underrated gem, and Virtue’s Last Reward is still as close to perfect as it was when it was first released. If you want to experience two of the best stories from the last generation of handhelds, this is the best way to do so.
Uchikoshi has insinuated, speaking like a lawyer, that the Telltale-style of the third Zero Escape game may not be his preferred method compared to the visual novels on display with The Nonary Games. It's not clear whether the door has truly closed on Zero Escape in the long run, but in the short term I implore you, if you value plot, character, and sound in videogames at all, to invest in The Nonary Games as soon as possible. It's a choice you won't regret, and were we in a death game ourselves, I'd bet my life on it.
Smart without being overbearing, Zero Escape: The Nonary Games continues to set the bar for its genre.
I have a certain reverence for the Zero Escape series and hold it is certainly one of my favorite franchises. The narrative weaves a tale of corruption and deception, creating a deadly thriller where you want to find out the outcome. The Escape Rooms are great, especially VLR’s excellent rooms. This is a must play whether you do that on Vita or PS4. Once you have played both of these don’t forget it’s Zero Time Dilemma which I absolutely adored, giving it a perfect score. I’m not sure what’s next for Zero Escape, but I hope they continue with the series!
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games stands as the definitive way to experience two of the best (and criminally underrated) visual novels to date. If you have yet to check out Uchikoshi's brilliant series, now is the time to do so.
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is a perfect addition to any visual novel fan's collection. Both games are truly a work of art that combine mystery and horror to tell a story that is so gripping that it's almost impossible to put down. The only thing missing is the inclusion of the third entry of the series, Zero Time Dilemma.
The Nonary Games is a fantastic package that has two of the best adventure games of all time in a single package with worthy enhancements to 999 which remains one of my favourite games of all time.
The Nonary Games is a compilation of two magnificent games.
Review in French | Read full review
As you might expect, the idea of jumping one’s consciousness through time and reliving events with different possible outcomes does get a little convoluted by the end of proceedings — but it does make consistent internal sense according to the logic established by the story. It also sets up the next game, Zero Time Dilemma, very nicely indeed — though interestingly at the time Virtue’s Last Reward was originally released, a third and final installment in the Zero Escape series looked like it might not happen.
Suffice to say, 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors remains a classic with good reason. If you’re not an experienced visual novel reader, its relatively brief length (by comparison to some other titles) makes it quite accessible, and its interactive room escape sequences help break things up with some actual “gameplay”. And if you’re a visual novel veteran, you owe it to yourself to check out a true masterwork of the medium; a wonderful example of how the interactive elements of visual novels can very much distinguish them from traditional linear media.