Game World: Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward

Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward

Developer(s)	Chunsoft
Publisher(s)	^NA Aksys Games ^EU Rising Star Games ^AUS Rising Star Games
Director(s)	Kotaro Uchikoshi
Artist(s)	Kinu Nishimura
Writer(s)	Kotaro Uchikoshi
Platform(s)	Nintendo 3DS PlayStation Vita
Release date(s)	^JP February 16, 2012 ^NA October 23, 2012 ^EU November 23, 2012 ^AUS November 2012
Genre(s)	Visual novel
Mode(s)	Single-player
Media/distribution	Nintendo 3DS Game Card PlayStation Vita Card

Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, released in Japan as Kyokugen Dasshutsu Adventure: Zennin Shibou Desu (極限脱出ADV 善人シボウデス^?), is a visual novel developed by Chunsoft. It is the sequel to the Nintendo DS title 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and is created by the same staff, including writer-director Kotaro Uchikoshi and character designer Kinu Nishimura. The game contains full voice acting (English and Japanese in the North American version and only Japanese in the European version), and is rendered in 3D models, rather than 2D sprites like its predecessor. Though the story is self-contained, it contains several references to 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors.
The title was officially confirmed for a late 2012 release by Aksys Games (which also published the North American version of its predecessor) in North America via Nintendo Power magazine's March 2012 issue. It will be published in the PAL region in November 2012 by Rising Star Games.

Plot

Characters

The cast of characters in Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward. Pictured from left to right: Zero III, Luna, Quark, K, Tenmyouji, Phi, Sigma, Clover, Alice, Dio.

The game relies upon nine characters introduced at the start of the game. Each of the characters wears a watch-like device that identifies them, as well as keeps track of their score in the game.

Sigma (シグマ Shiguma)- An ordinary college student who has been abducted and thrown into the Nonary Game. Or is there more to it...? Sigma is a generally bright, honest young man, although he can be a little... inappropriate at times. He’s easily swayed by his emotions, which makes him a poor choice for a game about trust and betrayal. He serves as the game's protagonist. In the animated promotion movie, he is voiced by Kōsuke Toriumi in Japanese, and Troy Baker in English. He is unvoiced in the game itself.
Phi (ファイ Fai) - Her cold intelligence comes across in her curt speech and no-nonsense attitude. Is she an ally? Or is she the enemy? She is voiced by Chiaki Omigawa in Japanese, and Karen Strassman in English.
Dio (ディオ Dio) - A mysterious man with a singular sense of style. His comments are often insensitive or downright mean, although whether this comes from intentional malice or simple ignorance is unclear. He is voiced by Yoshimasa Hosoya in Japanese, and Liam O'Brien in English.
Tenmyouji (天明寺)- A stubborn, grumpy old man. He seems to have no patience and less trust for anyone in the group. He is voiced by Rokurō Naya in Japanese, and J. B. Blanc^{[citation needed]} in English.
Quark (クォーク Kwōku)- A sweet and cheerful boy. His childlike curiosity and boundless energy hide an exceptionally clever and analytical mind. He is voiced by Rie Kugimiya in Japanese, and Erin Fitzgerald in English.
Luna (ルナ Runa)- A kind and quietly intelligent young woman. She speaks softly, and always advocates for the most peaceful, optimistic solution. She is voiced by Mamiko Noto in Japanese, and Laura Bailey in English.
Clover (四葉 Yotsuba) - A slightly unpredictable young woman. Apparently this isn’t her first Nonary Game. She is voiced by Yukari Tamura in Japanese, and Wendee Lee in English.
Alice (アリス Arisu) - An exotic, focused, powerful woman. The reason behind her dislike for shirts is unknown. Her body water is rumored to be Ice-nine.She is voiced by Atsuko Tanaka in Japanese.
K (K Kei) - A mysterious man in a suit of what appears to be armor. His face is hidden by a mask, and no one knows his name or his age-not even him. He is voiced by Daisuke Ono, and Travis Willingham in English.
Zero III (ゼロ3世 Zero San Sei) is a CGI (Computer-generated imagery) rabbit that serves as the gamemaster and oversees the progression of the Nonary Game. An AI that gives penalties to those who go against the rules. It gets its instructions from "the true Zero", who appears to be one of the 9 players. It is voiced by Tarako in Japanese, and Cindy Robinson in English.

Story

Sigma, the main character, is kidnapped and awakens in an elevator with a girl named Phi, who seems to know him. Zero III, a talking rabbit, appears on a computer monitor in front of them and tells them they must escape the elevator; the pair find themselves in an abandoned warehouse alongside seven other people.

Their goal is to escape the building. However, they find themselves enrolled in a game known as the Nonary Game: Ambidex Edition, which relies on a system called "Bracelet Points" ("BP"), which are won by cooperating with or betraying other players. A player is allowed to leave the warehouse if only they possess nine or more BP; however, if a player's BP reach zero, they are killed by a lethal injection.

Gameplay

There are two main types of gameplay in Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward. As a visual novel, the game primarily involves interacting with non-player characters and making choices that alter the outcome of the story. The player is given the additional responsibility of choosing whether to betray a character, or to cooperate with them. If both characters choose to cooperate, they both gain BP. However, if one character betrays another, the character being betrayed loses points while the traitor gains a greater amount of points. If both characters choose to betray, no points are gained or lost. (This is a slight variation of the prisoner's dilemma, a classic problem in game theory.) The plot and ending of the game will vary depending on whether the player chooses to betray or cooperate with other characters.

The game also contains various puzzles, in which the player interacts with the environment in order to escape from a room. Solving puzzles can drastically alter the environment of a room. If the player fails a puzzle too many times, the characters in the room with them will offer hints on how to complete it, eventually revealing the solution to the puzzle. However, the game also introduces a slightly harder difficulty to the game in which during puzzles, the non-player characters will not give hints.