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IGN Preview of Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward
999 fans, get ready for 999 part two. Aksys Games took a risk late last year, pouring tons of time and effort into an American localization of a title that initially seemed like it might be too Japanese to succeed here in the States. It was 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors -- a visual novel/text adventure for the Nintendo DS.
That genre is a rarity here in America, making 999 a niche product right away. But even more polarizing was the fact that it was rated M for Mature, making it an adults-only affair.
An M-rated game on Nintendo's DS? And it's a visual novel? And its name has six 9's in it? It was all too odd of a combination to not be intrigued, and intrigued I was as I reviewed 999-- I absolutely fell in love with the total mind bender contained within its tiny cartridge, my brain liquefying with each different plot twist and alternate ending.
Tons of you must have loved it too, because multiple print runs of the title sold out throughout the holiday season and beyond. 999 was a total risk, and a total hit.
And now the modern cult classic is thankfully and unsurprisingly getting an all-new sequel. Titled Gyokugen Dasshutsu ADV: Zennin Shiboudes (or, translated, Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die), the game is currently halfway through development. It's coming to Nintendo's handheld for an encore appearance, this time on the newer and more powerful 3DS. PlayStation fans will also get to enjoy the backstabbing, betrayal and gruesome murders on a version for the upcoming PlayStation Vita.
How do we know gruesome murders will play a part? Well, this is a 999 follow-up after all -- and "Good People Die" being the new subtitle is probably a pretty good clue to the content contained within. Those good people will be all-new heroes, though, as the cast is populated by all fresh faces this time around.
Sigma is the name of our new leading man, the fellow in the middle dressed like the guy at your local drive-through oil change place. The adventure begins when he wakes up to find himself trapped in an elevator with Phi, the white-haired lass to his left. The two of them then encounter a talking rabbit and, after running away, meet up with the seven other players in this new round of the Nonary Game.
Yes, 999's diabolic numbers puzzle is back. Each character will once again have a devilish wristwatch locked onto their arm, and they'll once again have a numeral on them -- 1 through 9. The original used this foundational element to frame its storyline, forcing characters to come up with different numerical combinations to advance through locked doors placed in their paths.
This new Nonary Game is an "Ambidex Edition," according to the game's official trailer. Could that mean two numbers per player? Two wristwatches, one on each arm?
And the early promotional material has raised other questions, too. Is this really a 999 sequel? Or could it be a prequel? An alternate dimension? A dream sequence? How is there a talking rabbit? Why doesn't Sigma remember how he got into that elevator? Will all the rest of the characters also be named after Greek letters?
Hopefully we'll get some answers to those questions soon, but not too many -- the more mystery that remains when we start playing it, the better.
But one last gripping question will absolutely need to be addressed as soon as possible -- will this game come to America? I'm confident it will, given 999's success, but I'll feel a lot better when Aksys alleviates my doubts and puts out the press release.
©2011-08-30, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
That genre is a rarity here in America, making 999 a niche product right away. But even more polarizing was the fact that it was rated M for Mature, making it an adults-only affair.
An M-rated game on Nintendo's DS? And it's a visual novel? And its name has six 9's in it? It was all too odd of a combination to not be intrigued, and intrigued I was as I reviewed 999-- I absolutely fell in love with the total mind bender contained within its tiny cartridge, my brain liquefying with each different plot twist and alternate ending.
Tons of you must have loved it too, because multiple print runs of the title sold out throughout the holiday season and beyond. 999 was a total risk, and a total hit.
And now the modern cult classic is thankfully and unsurprisingly getting an all-new sequel. Titled Gyokugen Dasshutsu ADV: Zennin Shiboudes (or, translated, Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die), the game is currently halfway through development. It's coming to Nintendo's handheld for an encore appearance, this time on the newer and more powerful 3DS. PlayStation fans will also get to enjoy the backstabbing, betrayal and gruesome murders on a version for the upcoming PlayStation Vita.
How do we know gruesome murders will play a part? Well, this is a 999 follow-up after all -- and "Good People Die" being the new subtitle is probably a pretty good clue to the content contained within. Those good people will be all-new heroes, though, as the cast is populated by all fresh faces this time around.
Sigma is the name of our new leading man, the fellow in the middle dressed like the guy at your local drive-through oil change place. The adventure begins when he wakes up to find himself trapped in an elevator with Phi, the white-haired lass to his left. The two of them then encounter a talking rabbit and, after running away, meet up with the seven other players in this new round of the Nonary Game.
Yes, 999's diabolic numbers puzzle is back. Each character will once again have a devilish wristwatch locked onto their arm, and they'll once again have a numeral on them -- 1 through 9. The original used this foundational element to frame its storyline, forcing characters to come up with different numerical combinations to advance through locked doors placed in their paths.
This new Nonary Game is an "Ambidex Edition," according to the game's official trailer. Could that mean two numbers per player? Two wristwatches, one on each arm?
And the early promotional material has raised other questions, too. Is this really a 999 sequel? Or could it be a prequel? An alternate dimension? A dream sequence? How is there a talking rabbit? Why doesn't Sigma remember how he got into that elevator? Will all the rest of the characters also be named after Greek letters?
Hopefully we'll get some answers to those questions soon, but not too many -- the more mystery that remains when we start playing it, the better.
But one last gripping question will absolutely need to be addressed as soon as possible -- will this game come to America? I'm confident it will, given 999's success, but I'll feel a lot better when Aksys alleviates my doubts and puts out the press release.
©2011-08-30, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved