Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward - Nintendo 3DS

One of the most elegantly designed games I've ever played, Virtue's Last Reward uses the interactive medium to tell a story that could be told in no other way.If you liked Chunsoft's prequel 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors you will love this game, and it pays off that experience with narrative and thematic call-backs that will make you smile. Virtue's Last Reward takes everything that was great about the first game and expands and improves on it exponentially, taking one of the neat twists of 999 and turning it into a central gameplay and storytelling mechanic. Saying too much more would spoil the fun, but this game acknowledges the role of the player in the interactive story-telling process of gaming itself and uses it in the most satisfying, thought-provoking and entertaining way.Even if you've never heard of 999 or just think you'd have any interest in something that describes itself as a "visual novel," just know that you're in for an incredible and unique experience with this game.Virtue's Last Reward's story stands on its own and will have you needing to know what exactly will happen next - or might have already happened. Nor is this is just an intellectual exercise - the characters and the superb voice-acting (the actors playing the roles of Phi and Tenmyouji are particular stand-outs) will make you *care* about exactly how the story will unravel and you should be ready for some real emotional jolts along the way.This game's somewhat schizophrenic mixture of "escape the room" logic puzzling and text-heavy novel passages will not be for everyone, but if you've ever loved an adventure game or the kind of thought-provoking science fiction of Ray Bradbury or Rod Serling, you owe it to yourself to take this journey.PS There is one bug with the 3DS version that anyone interested in this version of the game should be aware of: Do not save your game while in one of the puzzle rooms, as it will corrupt your saved progress (apparently this is not an issue in the PS Vita version). However, as frustrating as this was to discover on my own, this is not a game-killer as it's completely avoidable once you're aware of it, and it in no way diminishes the considerable pleasure and hidden rewards of this incredible videogame.

Gameplay (8/10)For the most part, the escape sequences were fairly challenging, straightforward and fun. However there were some puzzles that were very obtuse or could be beaten through simple trial and error.Story(10/10)Without giving anything away, I was completely blown away by most of the big reveals. The story is engaging and makes you want to find every ending.Sound(8/10)I do love the music in Virtue's Last Reward, and the music is appropriately played. However you will find that some of the music is played all the time, and becomes a bit repetitive.Graphics(9/10)This one surprised me. Looking at the previews for this game, all the characters looked blocky and stupid. But when I played the game myself, the characters were beautifully rendered. Sure they aren't perfect but it doesn't detract from the game one bit. I played mostly with the 3D off, but when it was on it did some work. Not too highly emphasized, for good or for bad.Replayability (7/10)I think you will catch most stuff the first time through. The puzzles will be the same and will be able to be skipped the second time through, knowing the safe passwords. But the story is engaging enough to warrant a replayOverall I'd give Virtue's Last Reward a solid 9/10Pros+Engaging story tieing back into 999's world+Challenging and diverse room escape puzzles+Beautiful music+A fairly good cast of characters, with some 999 friends that you'll recognize+A long playtime so you get your money's worth+Hard and easy mode for escape sequencesCons-Basically a transition game between 999 and this game's upcoming sequel-Some nonsensical steps in solving escape puzzles (especially for getting the gold files)-Music gets somewhat repetitive