Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward

Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward

The game's cover art, featuring two stylized characters: Phi and Sigma, both seen from the shoulders and up and looking off to the side. Above them, a hooded figure wearing a gas mask is shown, facing the viewer. The game's logo, vertically centered between the hooded figure and Phi and Sigma, shows the words "Virtue's Last Reward", with an interpunct between each word. "Last" is written in red, while the rest of the logo is white.

North American cover art, featuring the characters Phi (left) and Sigma (right)
Developer(s) Chunsoft[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)
Director(s) Kotaro Uchikoshi
Artist(s) Kinu Nishimura
Writer(s) Kotaro Uchikoshi
Composer(s) Shinji Hosoe
Series Zero Escape
Platform(s) Nintendo 3DS
PlayStation Vita
Release date(s)
  • JP February 16, 2012
  • NA October 23, 2012
  • EU November 23, 2012
Genre(s) Visual novel, adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward[lower-alpha 2] is a visual novel adventure video game developed by Chunsoft. It was released in Japan on February 16, 2012, and in North America and Europe later that year, for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. It is the second installment in the Zero Escape series, and a sequel to the 2009 game Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors.[lower-alpha 3]

The story follows the player character Sigma, a college student who is abducted and forced along with eight other individuals to play the Nonary Game, which puts its participants in a life-or-death situation. As the story progresses, the characters begin to unravel the secrets behind the Nonary Game, as well as its true purpose. Like its predecessor, Virtue's Last Reward follows a branching storyline that concludes in one of 24 different endings based on decisions made by the player. The gameplay alternates between progressing through the game's narrative, and navigating and completing escape-the-room puzzle scenarios.

Development for the game began in response to 999's positive reception in North America. Virtue's Last Reward uses 3D models for the characters and environments as opposed to the 2D illustrations present in 999, a decision that proved challenging for Chunsoft. The script was written by game director Kotaro Uchikoshi, with character designs by Kinu Nishimura and music composed by Shinji Hosoe. Aksys Games and Rising Star Games localized and published the game for their respective regions.

Upon release, Virtue's Last Reward received positive reviews from critics, with praise directed toward the story, characters, and voice acting, with some criticism towards the game's puzzles. However, the game was not commercially successful, which led to the development of its sequel to be put on indefinite hiatus. Development was eventually resumed, with a release date set for June 2016.

Gameplay

A screenshot of an Escape room. The room contains a metal contraption with a safe, while the game cursor hovers over a fire extinguisher.
The Escape sections are shown from a first-person perspective, with the player being able to move between pre-set positions.

Virtue's Last Reward is a visual novel adventure video game[6] in which the player assumes the role of a college student named Sigma.[7] The gameplay is divided into two types of sections: Novel and Escape. In Novel sections, the player progresses through the storyline and converses with the non-playable characters. These sections require little interaction from the player as they are spent reading the dialogue and other text that appears on the screen.[8] During Novel sections, the player will sometimes be presented with decision options that affect the course of the game. One recurring decision option is a prisoner's dilemma type of choice where the player needs to choose to "ally" or "betray" the character or pair of characters they are pitted against, with different results depending on what choices the two parties picked.[9]

In between Novel sections are sixteen different Escape sections,[4] which occur when the player finds themselves in a room from which they need to find the means of escape.[2] They are presented from a first-person perspective,[10] with the player being able to move between different pre-determined positions in each room.[11] To escape, the player is tasked with finding various items and solving puzzles within the room, reminiscent of escape-the-room games.[12][13] At some points, the player needs to combine objects with each other to create the necessary tool to complete a puzzle.[12] The puzzles include various brain teasers, such as Lights Out and sliding puzzles.[13][14] In each Escape room, a safe can be found, which can be opened with two passwords. One of these passwords gives the player the key needed to escape from the room, while the other grants access to a hidden folder that provides the player with additional backstory or other supplementary information.[9] The player is given hints to the puzzle solutions by the game's characters, with the amount of hints and content of them depending on whether the player has set the puzzle's difficulty level to "hard" or "easy".[7]

Along with Novel and Escape sections, the player is given access to a flowchart that allows them to immediately revisit or "jump" to any previously completed section without replaying the game from the beginning.[15] This allows the player to transition to an earlier branching point in the story and choose a differing option that causes the story to progress in another direction.[12] For example, the player can jump to previously completed rounds of the Ambidex Game and ally with their opponent instead of betraying him or her, and vice versa.[16] While there are 24 endings available,[6] many endings are initially inaccessible and must be unlocked by experiencing events or learning information in other plotlines. For example, if a particular plotline cannot progress because a required password is unknown, the player must jump to other plotlines and find it before returning to the original one. The player is thus required to jump often between the alternate plotlines in order to advance the game towards the ultimate ending.[12]

Plot

Characters and setting

A drawing displaying the nine participants, as well as a rabbit.
The characters of Virtue's Last Reward. From left to right: Zero III, Luna, K (back), Quark (front), Tenmyouji, Phi, Sigma, Clover, Alice, and Dio.
Each character description is taken from the Aksys Games website.[17]

Similar to its predecessor, Virtue's Last Reward features nine main characters who are kidnapped by an unknown individual called "Zero". The player-controlled Sigma is joined by Phi, a girl with a "no-nonsense attitude"; Dio, a rude and insensitive man; Tenmyouji, an elderly man; Quark, an energetic child; Luna, a kind and quiet woman; Clover, an unpredictable girl who also appeared in 999;[6] Alice, a powerful and focused woman; and K, a man who wears a full-body, irremovable suit of armor. Along with the nine participants, Zero III, an artificial intelligence who appears in the form of a CGI rabbit, controls the Nonary Game.[2] Zero III is nicknamed "Zero Jr." by the participants to distinguish the entity from the human Zero, who is in turn nicknamed "Zero Sr."[18] Aside from Sigma, each character is fully voiced acted in both Japanese and English.[19]

The game is set in an abandoned warehouse-like facility, containing a number of different rooms filled with puzzles,[7] where Zero forces the characters to participate in the Nonary Game. The characters are affixed with bracelets that display a point value that is initially set at three. During the game they participate in rounds of the "Ambidex Game", in which they have to choose to "ally" or "betray" the other characters.[2] The choices made affect the players' bracelet points: if two opponents both choose "ally", each individual gains two points; if the two opponents both choose "betray", no change occurs; and if one opponent chooses "betray" while the other chooses "ally", the opponent who chose "betray" gains three points while the other opponent loses two points.[16] Participants who gain at least nine points are able to escape, while those who reach zero points are put to death.[20]

Story

In 2028, Sigma is abducted and placed inside an elevator with Phi. Zero III appears on a monitor and informs them that they are participating in the Nonary Game and that they must escape the elevator before it falls. Upon escaping, they find themselves in a warehouse-like facility with seven other individuals: Dio, Quark, Tenmyouji, Luna, Alice, K, and Clover. Zero III informs the group that nine individual bracelet points are necessary to escape the facility, and points can only be earned by participating in the Ambidex Game.

At this point, the story begins branching into different timelines that can be experienced in any order, depending on the choices made by the player. While completing the first set of puzzle rooms, the participants learn of a pandemic caused by Radical-6, a virus that slows down its victims' cognition and drives them to suicide. Although dependent on a given timeline, the characters either discover the murdered body of an old woman or nuclear fusion bombs. Additionally, the pasts of the other players are explored: Luna is a humanoid robot, tasked with maintaining the Nonary Game; Tenmyouji willingly joined the game together with his adopted grandson Quark after being promised a chance to find a certain woman; Alice and Clover are Department of Defense secret agents tasked with stopping the religious cult Free the Soul; and Dio is a member of Free the Soul. Dio had murdered the old woman and took her place in the game so as to plant the bombs. In the timeline leading to the game's ultimate ending, Sigma defuses each bomb, while Dio is restrained and incapacitated.

The remaining participants proceed to the next set of puzzle rooms. As Sigma, Phi, and Tenmyouji complete their room, they uncover a holographic message of the old woman, the same woman Tenmyouji has been looking for, Akane Kurashiki. Akane and Zero Sr. had developed the AB project to train Sigma and Phi to transport their consciousnesses through time. This occurs shortly thereafter, and this time, they subdue Dio before he can kill Akane. Akane explains that the game's dangerous elements were necessary to speed up one's brain to transport one's consciousness through time, and each participant was infected with Radical-6 to amplify this increase. The Nonary Game was designed so Sigma and Phi could experience multiple timelines and retain what they learn in each one. Sigma and Phi's consciousnesses are then returned to the present, where they find everyone has cooperated to acquire enough points to escape.

The group leaves the facility and emerges in a desert landscape on the Moon. The year is 2074 and most of humanity was killed by Radical-6 after it was unleashed by Free the Soul from a Mars mission test site in 2028. They re-enter the facility and discover a cold sleep pod. K explains that he grew up in the facility with Zero Sr. and Akane, and each person was brought to the facility to recreate the events that the two had previously experienced. Clover, Alice, and Phi were abducted in 2028 and placed in cold sleep until the Nonary Game began. The pod opens to reveal a clone of Sigma, and then K reveals he is actually Akane in disguise. Depending on whether or not Dio murdered Akane in a given timeline, either Sigma's clone or Akane was occupying K's armor, a quantum superposition.

Akane explains that Sigma, after being abducted in 2028, had unknowingly jumped to 2074 and is inhabiting the body of his elder self. Sigma is Zero Sr., destined to jump back to the year 2029 and develop the AB project. Sigma had created his clone, named Kyle, as a spare in case his body was damaged. The chief goal of the AB project was to transport Sigma's and Phi's consciousnesses, with all their future knowledge, to 2028 to prevent the Radical-6 pandemic; Dio sought to prevent this goal. Akane then attacks Phi and Sigma, transporting their consciousnesses to 2029. Sigma spends the next 45 years developing the AB project, while Phi is kept in cold sleep. In 2074, Sigma and Phi jump back to 2028 and infiltrate the Mars mission test site, but the events inside remain unknown to the player.

Development

Virtue's Last Reward was developed by Chunsoft and directed by Kotaro Uchikoshi, with character designs by Kinu Nishimura[4] and music composed by Shinji Hosoe.[21] Uchikoshi previously led the production of 999,[22] and had intended for it to be a stand-alone game; however, due to 999's positive reception in North America, he decided to continue the series.[23][24] In order to cut down on costs, Uchikoshi asked Chunsoft if he could develop Virtue's Last Reward and its eventual sequel simultaneously, as both games would use the same engine and digital assets; Chunsoft accepted the proposal, and green-lit production.[25]

One of the biggest changes between 999 and Virtue's Last Reward was the switch from 2D illustrations to 3D environments and character models.[26] While the original intent was to keep the art style from 999, the development team wanted to utilize the 3D features in the Nintendo 3DS. However, since the system had not been released yet, the team was under the assumption that the new features would require 3D character models.[27] Uchikoshi remarked that the art style switch proved to be a challenge for Chunsoft, as "the whole experience is different as far as programming, and that changes the script and other elements".[26]

Story and themes

Virtue's Last Reward marked a tonal shift from the suspense present within 999, to a more relaxed and exploration-heavy atmosphere. Uchikoshi stated that the results of a Japanese survey indicated that players who did not purchase 999 thought it looked scary; he "didn't have a choice but to tone it down" for Virtue's Last Reward as directed by Chunsoft.[28] Uchikoshi worked alongside a sub-writer, who would help identify problems present with the story.[29]

When writing the game, Uchikoshi began by writing a basic story, after which he designed the characters he felt were necessary to the story. He aimed to create a balanced cast of supporting characters, in terms of genders, personalities, and ages represented;[30] when making character personalities, he used the Enneagram of Personality as reference.[31][lower-alpha 4] An important thing to him when making characters was to create a mystery behind them, to make players curious about who the characters are and what their pasts were like.[26] Another important element was the use of misdirection: By deliberately making certain characters seem like bad people, he would get players to focus on them more, making it more difficult for them to see who the "real bad guy" is.[32] He decided to not give Sigma a strong personality, in order to make it easier for players to empathize with him. Because the Moon was one of the game's major themes, the character Zero III appears as a rabbit in reference to the moon rabbit in Japanese folklore.[30]

Several changes were made to the initial plot of Virtue's Last Reward. During one scene in the game, Dio handcuffs Clover and Tenmyouji to a sink, which prevents them from participation in the Nonary Game (the punishment for not participating is death). Originally, Dio was meant to "do something even more messed up" to Clover, but the president of Chunsoft opposed this scene due to "ethical reasons", after which it was changed.[31][lower-alpha 5] In addition, the game originally ended with humanity dying out, at which point a character would go back in time and change the past so that the future would be saved. Uchikoshi later felt this ending was "a bit crisp and sudden" and inappropriate following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, so it was changed to be more positive.[33] Uchikoshi also considered including several scientific and philosophical theories/experiments, but that eventually were left out, including: Dissipative system, Monty Hall problem, Gödel's incompleteness theorems, Toxoplasmosis, Folie à deux, Capgras delusion, Fregoli delusion, Sally–Anne test, and Project MKUltra.[31][lower-alpha 6]

Localization

As with 999, Aksys Games localized Virtue's Last Reward for its North American release. Nobara Nakayama translated the game text from Japanese to English, which was then localized by editor Ben Bateman.[34] Bateman later stated that overcoming various translation issues was one of the hardest aspects of editing Virtue's Last Reward. Although Uchikoshi had written the game with the English language audience in mind which avoided several plot-related translation problems, a few jokes did not translate properly, and had to be changed during localization. Additionally, there were two characters who "talked like animals" in the Japanese version of the game: Zero III, who added "-usa" to the end of its sentences, which is the first half of usagi (the Japanese word for "rabbit"); and Sigma, who added "-nya" (the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound cats make) to the end of his sentences whenever he talked about cats. Bateman solved this by writing rabbit and cat themed puns.[35] Another major challenge for Bateman was keeping track of the story moments from each branching path. It was important to know whether information regarding each character had been revealed yet to the player, as this would ultimately affect the word choice and attitude of each line of dialogue.[34]

For voice casting, the localization team was sent a list of people who might fit the roles, along with short reels for each actor. Once the actors had been chosen, Bateman wrote the voice direction, which were short blurbs the voice actors saw next to the line they were supposed to say, so they would know how to perform it.[35] While the North American version of the game allows the user to select either Japanese or English audio tracks, the European version, which was released by Rising Star Games, only features the Japanese audio track.[36]

Promotion and release

To promote the game, Chunsoft released an original video animation,[37] which Aksys Games later dubbed in English.[38] Released in December 2011, it was created by the Japanese animation studio Gonzo, and serves as an introduction to the game, showcasing the characters as well as the basic Ambidex Game rules.[37] In addition to the video animation, a Flash game was produced and made available on the official Japanese Virtue's Last Reward website. The gameplay of the untitled Flash game has the player attempt to open a metal door by quickly clicking on it. As the door begins to open, Clover is revealed on the other side, and the player begins clicking on her breasts.[39] Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku was perplexed by the Flash game, stating that "as it is pretty much the antithesis of everything presented in Virtue's Last Reward, I truly wonder how this flash game is supposed to convince anyone to play the full title. Perhaps it's just due to a [public relations] department following the old adage: 'sex sells'."[39]

Virtue's Last Reward was released in Japan on February 16, 2012.[4] During its initial week of release, the 3DS version sold 9,307 copies while the PlayStation Vita version sold 6,538 copies.[40] The game was then released in North America on October 23, 2012, and in Europe on November 23, 2012;[3][41] this was the first Zero Escape game to be released in Europe.[14] People who pre-ordered the North American version of the game through Amazon.com received a replica of the bracelet that the characters wear; a similar pre-order bonus had been given out for 999.[19] The bracelets would later become purchasable through the Aksys Games store, with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross and Hurricane Sandy relief.[42]

Shortly after the game's release, players discovered a game-breaking glitch in the North American 3DS version: saving the game in specific Escape sections would corrupt the saved game data, forcing the player to restart the game from the beginning.[43] In response, Aksys Games recommended that players avoid saving during Escape sections.[44] On August 26, 2013, almost a full year after the North American release, Aksys Games announced that the glitch had been patched in the Nintendo eShop version; some players, however, continued to report that the glitch still existed.[45]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic88/100 (3DS)[46]
84/100 (Vita)[47]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1UP.comA-[13]
Adventure Gamers[9]
Destructoid9.5/10[2]
Edge7/10[48]
EGM9/10[8]
Eurogamer7/10[49]
Famitsu34/40[5][lower-alpha 7]
Game Informer8.75/10[51]
GameSpot8.5/10[7]
IGN9.5/10[52]
Nintendo Life8/10[14]
RPGFan90%[53]

Virtue's Last Reward received positive reviews from critics. The aggregate-review website Metacritic rated the Nintendo 3DS version 88/100,[46] and the PlayStation Vita version 84/100.[47] Virtue's Last Reward was the second highest rated 3DS game of 2012 and is tied for the eleventh highest rated 3DS game of all time on Metacritic.[54][55] It was also tied for the seventh highest rated PlayStation Vita game of 2012 on Metacritic.[56]

The story received high acclaim from critics.[7][8] Kimberly Wallace of Game Informer found that the game "adapts to every possible outcome, resulting in a branching tale full of suspicion and tension". She also lauded the plot twists, commenting on how "you never feel safe with anyone or certain about anything."[51] Heidi Kemps of GameSpot praised the storytelling, that the plot "immediately grabs you and rarely lets go, going from a creepy horror premise to interpersonal character drama to mind-blowing sci-fi concepts expertly".[7] Famitsu reviews felt that the interconnected storylines were well written, and complimented the flowchart.[5] However, Edge noted that, despite having a "narrative that often leaves you startled and bewildered", it lacked the shock value of its predecessor.[48]

The cast of characters were well received.[13][51] Bob Mackey of 1UP.com said that "despite the 'anime-ness' of a few characters – along with an occasionally inconsistent tone – Zero Escape doesn't have to work hard to get you to care about its cast".[13] Martin Robinson of Eurogamer appreciated the believable cast, and that each character is powered by real emotion.[49] The voice acting was also praised. Lucas M. Thomas of IGN called the voice acting "among the best performances I've ever heard in any game, period".[52] Tony Ponce of Destructoid wrote that "everyone has their moment to shine, to deliver a powerful performance that mere text couldn't hope to convey."[2]

While the Escape sections were generally well received,[2][7] some reviewers were critical of the puzzles and controls.[14][49] Austin Boosinger of Adventure Gamers found the puzzles to be dull and uninspired in their variety, but appreciated their connections to the scientific and mathematical themes presented in the game.[9] Mike Manson of Nintendo Life noted that using the 3DS stylus to turn was oversensitive, while John McCarroll of RPGFan echoed his views with the Vita's touchscreen controls.[14][53] Robinson criticized the inventory menus as "cumbersome".[49]

Accolades

Virtue's Last Reward received several awards and nominations from gaming publications. The game was awarded Handheld Game of the Year from GameSpot,[57] Best 3DS/DS Story from IGN,[58] Best Handheld Exclusive from Game Informer,[59] as well as Best Story and Best Graphic Adventure from RPGFan.[60][61] The game received nominations for Best Narrative at the 13th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards,[62] and Game of the Year from Kotaku,[63] Pocket Gamer,[64] and GameSpot.[65] Gamasutra and Amazon.com placed the game within their non-ranked lists of the Best Games of 2012 respectively,[66][67] while 1UP.com called Virtue's Last Reward one of their Favorite Games of 2012.[68]

Sequel

Main article: Zero Time Dilemma

In December 2012, Uchikoshi mentioned details of the third Zero Escape game,[69] stating that it would be the last entry in the series.[70] By June 2013, he finished planning the story, but development had not yet begun.[71] However, less than a year later, it was announced that the project was put on hold indefinitely in response to the series' poor commercial reception in Japan.[72] Uchikoshi examined the possibility of financing the development through the use of crowdfunding on a website like Kickstarter, but felt that the idea would not be persuasive enough for it to meet the goal; he also sought out opportunities with executives and investors.[73] The series' fandom created Operation Bluebird, an online campaign to raise awareness of the series and support the game's development, in response to its hiatus.[74][75]

On March 18, 2015, Aksys Games launched the website 4infinity.co, which only consisted of a countdown timer. Fans of the series began speculating that the number fonts on the countdown timer resembled the fonts from 999's cover art, which led some to believe that the countdown timer would end with an announcement regarding the third Zero Escape game.[76] The countdown ended in July, which coincided with the 2015 Anime Expo.[77] During the Expo, Aksys Games held a panel in which they announced the continued development of the game.[78] It is currently set for a June 2016 release, under the new name of Zero Time Dilemma.[79]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ The game was originally developed by Chunsoft, who later merged with Spike to form Spike Chunsoft, two months after the Japanese release of Virtue's Last Reward.[1] In the North American and European versions of the game, the developer is credited as Spike Chunsoft.[2][3]
  2. ↑ The game was titled Virtue's Last Reward in Europe,[3] and Kyokugen Dasshutsu ADV: Zennin Shibō Desu (極限脱出ADV 善人シボウデス) in Japan. The Japanese title has two meanings: "Extreme Escape ADV: Good People Die" and "Extreme Escape ADV: Want to be a Good Person".[4][5]
  3. ↑ Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is often referred to as simply 999. For this article, it will be referred to as 999.
  4. ↑ Question 66
  5. ↑ Question 30
  6. ↑ Question 36
  7. ↑ Famitsu‍'s total score out of 40 is composed of four individual scores; Virtue's Last Reward received scores of 9, 8, 9, and 8, totaling 34/40.[50]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Yip, Spencer (March 13, 2012). "Chunsoft And Way Of The Samurai Maker Spike Merge". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ponce, Tony (November 10, 2012). "Review: Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward". Destructoid. Modern Method. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "Virtue's Last Reward". Nintendo UK. Archived from the original on July 30, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "【まり探】“善人シボウ”に込められた意味とは？ 『極限脱出ADV 善人シボウデス』発売直前記者発表会レポート". Dengeki Online (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. February 15, 2012. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "極限脱出ADV 善人シボウデス". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Archived from the original on November 23, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 Lada, Jenni (February 28, 2012). "3DS and Vita both getting Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward". Technology Tell. NAPCO Media. Archived from the original on October 20, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kemps, Heidi (October 25, 2012). "Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 30, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 Patterson, Mollie L. (October 23, 2012). "The Reward of Genre Diversity". Electronic Gaming Monthly. EGM Media LLC. Archived from the original on August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Boosinger, Austin (December 17, 2012). "Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward Review". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  10. ↑ Jenkins, David (November 27, 2012). "Virtue's Last Reward review – novel interaction". Metro. DMG Media. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  11. ↑ Riley, Adam (November 20, 2012). "Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward (Hands-On) (Nintendo 3DS) Preview". Cubed3. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Davison, Pete (December 11, 2013). "JPgamer: Another Number Nine". USGamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Mackey, Bob (October 24, 2012). "Zero Escape Review: Choose Your Own Misadventure". 1UP.com. UGO Networks. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Manson, Mike (December 5, 2012). "Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (3DS) Review". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  15. ↑ Arendt, Susan (October 29, 2012). "Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward Review". The Escapist. Defy Media. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  16. 1 2 Yip, Spencer (October 24, 2012). "Everybunny Should Play Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Zero Escape Series". Aksys Games. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  18. ↑ Chunsoft (October 23, 2012). Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward. Aksys Games. Level/area: Crew Quarters. K: From now on let's refer to the Real Zero, the one behind all this, as 'Zero Sr.' Which would, of course, make the AI 'Zero Jr.'
  19. 1 2 Carter, Grey (September 17, 2012). "Virtue's Last Reward Rewards Pre-Orders". The Escapist. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  20. ↑ Schreier, Jason (October 18, 2012). "The Game That's Keeping Me Up All Night". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  21. ↑ Meyerink, Stephen. "Kyokugen Dasshutsu ADV Zennin Shibou Desu Soundtrack". RPGFan. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  22. ↑ Yip, Spencer (September 3, 2010). "999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors Interview Gets Philosophical, Then Personal". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  23. ↑ Uchikoshi, Kotaro. "Behind Zero". Aksys Games. p. 1. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  24. ↑ Chapman, Jacob Hope (August 13, 2015). "Interview: Zero Escape series creator Kotaro Uchikoshi". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 21, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  25. ↑ "AX 2015 Uchikoshi/Zero Escape panel" (Video). Aksys Games. YouTube. July 5, 2015. Event occurs at 15:08. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  26. 1 2 3 Drake, Audrey (April 22, 2013). "Down the Rabbit Hole: The Narrative Genius of Virtue's Last Reward". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  27. ↑ Sahdev, Ishaan (November 1, 2012). "Virtue's Last Reward Director On Going 3D And The Future Of Visual Novels". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on August 13, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  28. ↑ Yip, Spencer (May 29, 2013). "999 And Virtue's Last Reward Creator Chats About Suspenseful Visual Novels". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  29. ↑ Priestman, Chris (July 5, 2015). "Zero Escape 3 Takes Place In Mars Facility And Will Make You "Question Philosophies"". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  30. 1 2 Sahdev, Ishaan (October 26, 2012). "Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward Director On Designing Characters". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  31. 1 2 3 Uchikoshi, Kotaro. "Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward – Q&A". Aksys Games. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
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