Zero Escape: The Nonary Games

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.

I like games that are able to explore serious ideas in an entertaining and subtle fashion. If you weren’t aware of the academic weight that drives the two titles in The Nonary Games, you wouldn’t be missing anything. It’s not essential to understand how game theory works, how it explains human behaviour, and why that’s all relevant to the deeper themes that 999 and Virtue’s Last Reward explore. If you want to take it, simply, as a cracking series of visual novels with sublime puzzle design, you can do that. But, if you’re like me and do take game narratives seriously, then these two are right up there with the best in the industry, and sticking them together into a single package makes them completely essential.

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.

This is a fantastic presentation of two top-notch virtual novels. My only major quibble is that player is never made aware of how important it is to play the two games in the correct order. It’s not enough to see a couple of endings in 999 – if players don’t make it to the true ending before moving on to VLR, it will be casually spoiled in the most off-handed way imaginable. Beyond that, very little goes wrong here, and I’d say that this one of the best visual novel experiences I’ve had.

It's definitely a great collection, and a must have for visual novel and adventure aficionados. The lack of Zero Time Dilemma in the package, unfortunately, makes it hard for newcomers to understand the whole Uchikoshi epic, and is an unfortunate choice in an otherwise amazing return.

The Nonary Games contains two of the best-known escape room games (except for perhaps Crimson Room) together in a timeless package. The updates to 999 make it the most definitive version to date, although Virtue's Last Reward feels just the same as it did the first time around.

For newcomers, Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is an essential purchase. You've got two excellent games that tell a wild and wonderful story that will stay with you for a very long time, and combine that with the engaging puzzles and you've got a recipe for a quality experience. For returning fans, it's a tougher sell: your purchase mostly balances on the enhancements of the PS4 edition, in which case we can only confidently recommend the package if you're looking to do a play though of the improved Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors.

One of the best video game stories of all time, perfect escape room puzzles, 10/10

In my 30+ years of playing games, 999 (the 1st half included in this game) is simply the best game I've ever played, none can match this. VLR (2nd half) has some minor plot holes, but vast majority of the game is still masterfully done. VLR's story might be weaker than 999, but the puzzles are simply the best.

I tried Danganropa Reload before this, and was completely appalled by the lack of interactivity. It just seemed like I was hitting X to no good end. I was assured that the Nonary Games were better, and indeed they were. However there was still an awful lot of hitting X to be done. So I played the game for a while and solved some of the puzzles. Every now and then there seemed to be a choice to be made, but it wasn't clear to me what I was trying to achieve by those choices. And then all of a sudden the game ended, badly. Whut? So it seems that the choices were meaningful, and had I understood the consequences of them, I might have done better. However every other thing I had to do had been explained in such excruciating detail that I figured that these choices were of no great consequence. Now, I could go back and make different choices and achieve a different ending. But that would involve a whole lot more tapping X to get through the really boring stuff I've already seen. Sure, I could do some different puzzles, but the puzzles really weren't very good. So I have no motivation to return to this game. In fact I think I'll avoid anime games altogether, I am not seeing the value in them at all.

I love the first story, the second for reasons I cannot explain made me rolly my eyes. Still, its well worth the money.

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