Zero Escape: The Nonary Games

A truly fun game, you'll even get used to the different artstyle of the second one. Don't use the Nighttime Filter when playing tho, got stuck in a room because I couldn't differentiate between green and blue lmao.

The butler is the killer and Rosebud is a sled. There, that's the most benign spoiler you're gonna get reading this crap. Now go play the damn game.

(also, the NDS version of 999 is far superior; this one's still playable and has voice acting but if you have a choice, play the original)

An incredible cast, fun puzzles, and a genuinely mindbending story make 999 an absolute classic and worth playing completely blind if possible. While I don't like VLR's cast as much, the dramatically raised stakes and refined puzzles make it a more than worthy sequel to the first.

The Zero Escape games are fantastic, and are decent to mediocre escape rooms. The first game is the strongest, the second on is alright, and the third game is so bad it's good in a different way.

Loved the puzzles and multiple endings aspect. Wish they could do a little better on the puzzle hints and such, but still a very solid game overall.

Let me preface this by saying there are significant aspects in both games that for different reasons affected my overall experience negatively. I was THIS close to dropping VLR, and there were a few moments that left a bitter taste in my mouth after i was done with both games. I'd say I enjoyed ~90% of the first game and ~85% of the second, but mind you the second one took me much longer to complete, so those 15% make a decent chunk of unpleasant time.

I'll start with VLR, because there are some rather drastic changes i wasn't prepared to face after having finished 999 that I wish someone had warned me about.
First, the obvious: the hillariously bad 3d models were giving me a stroke every time they would decide to spam some ugly emote.
A certain character has this idiotic fucking smile on their face even if the tone of the conversation is utter doom and gloom, all those guys' fingers look like deformed carrots and sausages, their toothless mouths are nightmare fuel, their over-the-top reactions look so potato-ish and ridiculous that it unironically took away the excitement from some pretty significant moments for me. After drooling over the gorgeous, detailed, animated 2d sprites from 999 for twenty-five hours, I was brought down to earth and then dragged further below the surface to be stuck with those hellish creatures for another fifty.
Alright, staying on topic of VLR, moving on to the next obvious egregious thing: ?????making the players watch fucking doors being opened and closed and making every transition from point A to point B a 1 to 5 minute cutscene. Not much to say here, just... brace yourself for this unskippable horror and try not to lose your mind, or lose track of everything that's happening, while sitting there staring at this masterful storytelling maneuver.

Also, I thought i would vibe with Uchikoshi's mindfucks, cause I loved both AI games start to finish and that was the series that introduced me to Spike Chunsoft. But I was wrong: while I enjoyed the dialogue a lot (aside from a few weird overly sexual jokes), the "big reveals" left a bitter taste in my mouth. Maybe the lack of a silly dance in the end felt wrong?..

Anyways, TLDR I had a great time, but there were significant flaws and I personally didn't fuck with the endings. Also, I'm glad I kept playing VLR despite the annoying slow start and the things I mentioned. There was a lot of contemplating, but sticking with it for those first 8 or so hours and finally getting things moving afterwards was worth indeed.

Nine Persons, Nine Hours, Nine Doors and its sequel game Virtue’s Last Reward (abbreviated as 999 and VLR respectively) are an excellent duology of games that while primarily are visual novel games, feature puzzle elements in the form of escape rooms that need to be solved to progress the plot. In some cases, story events can happen within escape rooms themselves. I would not dare call either game perfect of course, but they both do so much right! Nearly all the puzzles in each game are engaging alongside some minigames spread throughout that also serve as brain teasers, there is a great cast of characters loveable and despisable alike all with well-written dialogue, and the music is great to listen to (especially in 999’s case, holy moly I fell in love with the OST so quickly!).

All that said let us get this out of the way now: 999 is a much better-balanced game between the two, but I feel VLR makes up for its low points with higher highs. Those low points being its presentation: the music sadly is not as memorable as 999’s, and visually does not look as great either due to primarily using 3D models (originally made for the Nintendo 3DS mind you) for characters and environments. The dialogue skipping feature also sometimes does not work as intended, as the slightest difference in dialogue will cause it to stop and play the dialogue as normal..even if the scene is pretty much the exact same as it was on another route. In one case I have had that seemingly happen for no reason too, despite the dialogue being the exact same? Seeing there are a whopping nine endings in VLR comparatively to 999’s five, with each route having unique escape rooms to go through..it can get pretty tiring the 6th or 7th time reading that same slip of paper involving the AB Game. You also cannot skip cutscenes like say, waiting for doors to open and close or making your character run across the map any faster even with the skip feature. And again, since there are nine different endings each on their own route, there is going to be a lot of these transitions... Not enough to take a huge chunk of the game’s run-time of course like some folks might exaggerate, but it is undeniable padding.

As for those high points... The gameplay! Seriously: VLR is a huge step up with its puzzles and I appreciate the game not being afraid to give me some genuine head scratchers, most notably with the late-game escape rooms. The inclusion of being able to write or even draw notes of your own in-game is a great addition too which is especially important for reasons I refuse to spoil here. I have always appreciated it when games let you take notes and build puzzles around note-taking (The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks my beloved) and while VLR’s usage of it is not ground-breaking at all I still found it to be a thoughtful inclusion with how much you will inevitably be jotting down clues that many escape rooms have. In addition, there are now two solutions for each room: One of course lets you escape and continue the game, while another rewards you with bonus written material. Usually, the material in question does not add all that much, but it was still satisfying earning each of those secret files. Honestly the only negative I have with VLR’s escape rooms are the camera controls. Speaking as someone who used a keyboard and mouse throughout their time playing this, it was way too easy to accidentally examine things I had already looked at as opposed to moving the camera left or right.

As for the Nonary Games Collection here on Steam, I would say Spike Chunsoft did a great job in faithfully porting both games over. Bringing VLR’s flow chart system over to 999 saved a lot of time and solved likely the biggest criticism the original Nintendo DS game had, although it was confusing to wrap my head around at first. Same goes for the Adventure and Novel modes in 999, which is in itself a work-around to the DS’s two screens. Both games have English and Japanese voice acting and I am happy to say the English VAs genuinely had great performances!

If you are at all interested in visual novels and puzzle games, or maybe you are looking for a game to serve as your entry-way into visual novel games, please give this collection a shot.

Great games, they're actually some of my favorites, fantastic story, made by the same company that made Danganronpa so if you enjoyed that series, you will certainly love this one too. I highly recommend giving it a play if you enjoy Telltale style games or enjoy watching Anime or choice-based games with rich in in-depth stories, mysteries and theories. Playing these games are basically like watching an Anime + Telltale.

Some of the puzzles and mysteries are bit of a challenge kind of like how older Zelda games would have a puzzle in a dungeon to get the key, some things will really challenge the mind and require critical thinking skills. The voice acting is also very good in this trilogy, featuring some well-known voice-over actors. The games include Humor, Drama, Action, Mystery. I played through the first 2 games twice, first time together with my Nephews on Xbox, we all enjoyed the story and we all worked together on the puzzles. Then I replayed them both again here on Steam myself, and I plan to play the third game again as well. The second game is probably my most favorite, although all 3 are good. The English Dub is honestly some of the best voice acting, it's really good.

Also, for future players you can skip through conversations in a new timeline so you don't have to have repeated dialogue again, many don't know this, you can also review maps/files at any time. And the game won't allow you to skip if you haven't listened to the dialogue yet at least in the second game, which this is very nice so anything new won't be skipped, I'm thinking this goes for the first and third game as well. Oh make sure to save often.

I recommend playing all Zero Escape - Nonary Games in order to avoid spoilers, so Zero Escape 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, then Zero's Last Virtue, then Zero Time Dilemma.

what

Everyone should zero escape, it will take over every braincell in your head and change the way you see numbers forever, its been 4 years since i first played this game and it hasnt left my brain. I own this game on 2 consoles now PLAY ZERO ES-

What a ride!

I spent the whole day finishing the first game and all its endings. The story-telling is organic and the pacing works well. Feels good to give my brain a lil mental exercise.

Can't wait to fire up the game again for the 2nd installment.

Game works wonderfully on Moonlight.

I genuinely think this whole series is the greatest story ever told and I'll continue to buy and play it on every platform available.

999：4/5
VLR: 5/5
I had some trouble with using the flowchart. I thought the progress of solving rooms could be synced across save files, but this was not the case. In either of these games, it's best just to use one save file. I realized this rather late, which made me replay significant parts of 999 to unlock the TE.
999 feels a little redundant; the rooms are kind of grouped together, so to reach an ending, you finish one room from each group. VLR does not have this problem, because the rooms are changed after making the decision (probably a design choice of the gamemaster). VLR also has a broader selection of puzzle minigames. Both games have decent stories, but VLR is a little confusing at first when I first read about all the quantum physics stuff. I had to search online for discussion posts, which helped me clear up my confusion.

Absolutely had fun with this series! Played it once before on console, playing again to finish it. Love the characters and lore in the series.

Fair warning, it might crash on Steam Deck! Had it crash twice in random scenes - both in 999 and VLR.

Both of these games are incredibly well-done and interesting in ways that I wasn't expecting. On the sci-fi side of genre, both 999 and VLR wind up being thought-provoking and encourage interactivity with the story, including trying to connect the pieces of the branching storylines yourself. They offer plenty of replayability as well! Highly recommend for anyone interested in traditional point-and-click adventures as well as visual novels, as they are really a hybrid of the two genres.

One of the best visual novels I've played (or read?). What you get here is actually two games: 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and Virtue's Last Reward.

What should you expect? A story loaded with sci-fi references, challenging puzzles, and a memorable cast of characters. Both games rely on these dynamics to deliver one of the most unique experiences out there.

Ignore the playtime, already played the originals way back in the day. While 999 has a good amount of its punch removed due to the original narrative heavily relying on the NDS' dual screens, Virtue's Last Reward remains one of the most brilliant mystery thriller plots ever with no compromises made for the PC port.

What it lacks a bit in characterization it makes up tenfold in the nail bitingly tense narrative that's incredibly satisfying to unravel. Even if 999 was the worst game ever (it's not, it's one of the best VN's ever made), it'd be worth playing just to experience Virtue's Last Reward to the end. Buy it, play it, your life will be that little bit more rich for it.

Half of VLR gameplay is watching map and doors open and close. Why is this even in the game.

999: genuine peak writing, great cast and fantastic plot twists and gameplay.

VLR: please make sure you go in blind(for both of them but ESPECIALLY this game) beyond amazing story, the puzzles are challenging but still doable and once again a great cast, the way these games link in the end is absolute cinema

It's worth it for the English voice acting in 999 alone. If you want to believe that a world where anime dubs aren't awkward and directionless is possible, look no further.

Of course, the writing is also really good.

For puzzle enjoyers this is a must!! Really cool games, great puzzles, nice story, very deep quantum entanglement Schroedinger plot. 10/10

i've heard quite a lot about the zero escape series in the past, so my expectations were decently high going into this (specifically 999). needless to say, these games do NOT disappoint. arguably some of the best vns to date. the blend of gameplay functions and narrative (ESPECIALLY the branching routes) is a genius and engaging mechanic very very few vns are able to pull off. if you like point and click puzzle games, high tension mysteries, who-dunnit murders, and just a sprinkle of deranged, you'll love zero escape.

999 is definitely the stronger of the two. i think it makes for a great standalone title just by itself. right off the bat, the game is absolutely DRIPPING with tension- no matter how much time passed, i was able to spend almost the entirety of my playthrough hanging on the edge of my seat. the mc is charming and relatable, and the supporting cast really really shines. one of the very few times a game made jokes that were consistently making me laugh, and the english vas' performances enhanced the delivery even more. the puzzles are the perfect blend of being satisfying without frustrating, although there were a few times where i got stuck just because i couldn't find something. it was never long enough to really bother me, but i know this might get to some people! the story can be a bit wacky (there's a lot of pseudoscientific jargon) at times, but trust me, you will not be able to tear your face away from the screen. i do however, really recommend using a spoiler-free guide once you've gotten your first couple of endings if you want to see all of them, because there are some very specific paths and decisions you have to follow. overall an utter gem of a game that i truly believe everyone MUST play at some point.

my feelings on VLR are not quite as strong. all in all, it was an enjoyable experience, but i don't think that it was really able to capture my heart the way 999 did. the aesthetics of the main setting didn't resonate as strongly with me, and the characters (while well written) unfortunately take more of a backseat in this game. you will also hear about 10x more pseudoscientific/philosophical monologues this time, so buckle up! the puzzles definitely spike in difficulty, and you'll be going through significantly more here. you also WILL need to write certain clues and such down. the memo pad is alright on pc, but i'd just suggest grabbing some pen and paper. if 999 had a strange premise, VLR is FARRRRR OUT. but weirdly enough, it works? i think the endings of the different routes are also amazing. crazy, but amazing. for a sequel, VLR does a great job, even if i still favored the first game in the end.

despite all the time it took me to unlock all of the flowcharts, i don't regret a single minute spent playing. zero escape will have you rolling in emotions for days, and i couldn't recommend it more.

best puzzle game ive played in a long while, and 999 is an amazing game in general. VLR is good too, but nowhere near the perfection 999 is.

I don't play a lot of visual novel style games, but I knew that this series was very highly regarded and wanted to give it a shot. As of writing this, I have not yet completed the trilogy, just the 2 featured here, but I will still share my thoughts. Overall it was an enjoyable experience to go through, though it definitely lost my interest at points due to the slow burn nature of it and certain stretches of the game where not a lot of new information is being presented to you as you backtrack through the various branching paths. The story however was really engaging and I found myself completely hooked as things finally came together in both games. Here were my intitial thoughts after completing each game.

Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (999):
Although it took me some time to really get sucked into it, once I was, I couldn't put it down. Watching the story unfold, uncovering the different endings, and finding out how it all fit together was really satisfying. I will say that some of the puzzles in the game felt more like a way to waste time rather than actually engage me though. Rarely did I feel smart for figuring out a puzzle, nor did I find them very rewarding, but thankfully each puzzle goes by pretty quickly so it wasn't a huge deal. The main reason I was here was for the story anyways and I feel as though it delivered. I still have some questions left unanswered, but I believe that will change as I dive into the next game in the series. It's a bit silly, a little convoluted, and maybe even a bit confusing at times, but I can't say I was bored. The experience as a whole left me wanting more and because of that, I give it a thumbs up.

Virtue’s Last Reward:
A much larger endeavor than the previous game that I found myself having more trouble sticking with. Given that this game has far more branching paths, there's obviously more story to consume and read through, but a lot of what transpires in certain paths is largely the same with characters just having slightly different dialogue options. This made going through certain paths feel far more tedious up until you start getting to the endings of each path when the pieces start coming together. This game also wastes a TON of time showing you traversing through the setting of the game. Half of your time is spent watching doors open, seeing yourself move along the map, or flipping levers. There's is no way to speed these moments up (from what I could tell) and it takes up a lot of time making certain parts of the game drag on far more than they should. The puzzles I feel were pretty in line with the first game. There were a few that made me struggle a bit, and some that felt more like a way to slow me down rather than an actual puzzle, but overall they were enjoyable and didn't overstay their welcome. Now with all of that out of the way, the main part of these games is of course the story. And boy what a story it is. Some of it, at least to me, seems a little far-fetched (particularly dealing with the number 6), but beyond that, the amount of twists and reveals once everything finally starts coming together is incredible. I am genuinely impressed with the story that was crafted and how everything tied together and even looped back to things from the first game. Maybe I just wasn't paying enough attention, or maybe it's partially due to the fact that I was chipping away at the game so slowly, but almost all of the reveals the plot offered me caught me off guard and the ending leaves you on such a cliffhanger that really makes you want to jump in and close out this wild journey with the final game. It just checks all of my favorite boxes when it comes to these types of stories. Genuinely enjoyed it, though some QoL updates to make getting through tedious animations could have greatly helped.

Two very ambitious games, amazing puzzles, great characters, and interesting stories. There is a lot to like about Zero Escape and I heavily recommend it for anyone looking for a fix of puzzles, characters, and intrigue. Though 999 is my favorite for my preferences, ZLR is immensely ambitious and really does pull the rug out from under you constantly, definitely a rollarcoaster.

Amazing games with amazing stories that hooked me instantly, especially 999.

Really well made games with an interesting story and good plot twists. Worth the pay off in the end. I do think the ability to skip dialogue should be better when it's repeated dialogue just from other characters to make doing different lines easier.

Really interesting stories and the puzzles are pretty consistently great. Good blend of escape room puzzling and high concept philosophy stories.

Perfectly respectable puzzle thriller visual novel with a survival game setup. The writing isn't amazing by any means, but the scenarios and puzzles are sensible enough for the kind of game it is. Of the two, 999 stands up better. Playing on a handheld is definitely the way to go, as that's what the games were originally designed for. Playing on a big screen feels a bit clumsy.

I think the flowchart in this port is such a massive QOL improvement to 999 that it outweighs any potential drawbacks. Playing the original DS game is a slog due to the game kicking you back to the very first room of the entire game after each ending (of the 16 endings, by the way, only 3 are not "bad" endings. take notes!). The voice acting is also top notch.
You probably know what you're in for if you're looking to play VLR.

Great game, ended up being one of my favorite franchised games of all time.
the gameplay is complex and entertaining and the story is very captivating, truly a work of art.
would recommend to everyone I know in a heartbeat.

If you're interested in this series, please buy this bundle to support it but do yourself a favour and find a way to PLAY THE SUPERIOR DS VERSION OF 999.

The Steam version simply WILL NOT offer the same experience.

Go in blindly and trust me (and others in the review section) on this.

I 100%'d the trilogy on 3DS and only purchased the Steam version to support the games and write a review.
All spoiler-free:
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999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

Arguably the best in the series. While I recommend viewing all 3 games as one complete story, 999 works well as a standalone title.
There’s something inherently terrifying about being trapped in an unknown, confined place. Right from the start, the game masterfully builds a sense of dread, helplessness, and mystery. Compared to the other 2 games, it has a special charm to it.
Narratively, 999 is difficult to describe. It delves into multiple interesting themes, motifs and concepts both philosophical and (pseudo)scientific. It's detailed, complex, logical, unpredictable and absolutely brilliant. The original DS version brilliantly utilizes the dual screens for both storytelling and gameplay, one of the reasons the Steam remaster is heavily criticized.


The cast is great. Unlike VLR, 999 integrates story segments into the escape rooms sections. This creates a good balance of gameplay-character development, the way the characters' unique personalities and backstories unfold feels natural and well-paced. There isn't a single character that feels out of place, uninteresting or forced.


The art direction is top notch across the trilogy, but 999’s 2D artwork stands above the rest. The original sprites have tons of charm, thanks to the LEGENDARY Kinu Nishimura (best known for their work on Street Fighter).


The soundtrack is phenomenal. Sadly, while it shines here, the other 2 games in the series reuses it and often to the point of overuse. One of my biggest beefs with the other games is the way they severely overuse the track 'Trepidation' lowering its impact. In 999, the track is treated with the weight it deserves, reserved for the most intense, chilling and perfect moments... it is memorable and you'll never forget the first time you'll hear it.

One last thing: This series is best experienced blind. If after 999’s True Ending you're still unsure, please keep going. IT IS worth it.

The game knows exactly what it wants to be, and what kind of story it wants to tell you, but you don't. You will have to figure it out and find out.

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Virtue Last Reward

My favorite from the trilogy! It's by far one of the most intriguing experiences I've ever played. No other game has managed to grab me quite like VRL has. The mysteries and intertwining story elements are fantastic. The game won’t hold your hand when it comes to knowing and remembering critical information - which feels really rewarding. It also features the hardest puzzles in the series.


VLR is ugly. It took me a while to get used to the 3D models, I was shocked at how bad they looked at first. Kinu Nishimura delivered some stunning artwork for the game, but sadly, the 3D models don't reflect that quality.
The setting is an empty, cold warehouse type of facility... which may feel more unnerving than 999’s ship, depending on taste of course.


The soundtrack reuses tracks from the first game, some are SO overused that it ends up lowering their impact on storytelling. It’s worth noting that because the game is much longer than 999, it’s only natural to hear the same tracks more often.


Despite VLR making full use of being a sequel to 999, the nature of its narrative is pretty much a double edged sword:
❌ The gameplay loop can feel repetitive and often suffers from bad pacing.
Unlike 999/ZTD, the character development is barely there during routes. Instead, you're infodumped towards/at the very end of specific routes, as if you were following a trail of bread crumbs that sometimes leads to a delicious loaf, but sometimes just a slice. As a result, getting to know the chracaters and their background and motives feels a tad forced than either of the other 2 games, where - as I mentioned before - you learn this information during the escape room sections. Additionally, some routes feel a bit more soulless than others.
✅ It delivers a brilliant story with incredible twists and payoffs.
Since it’s the second game, you’re already invested and have certain expectations. After playing the first game, your perception shifts, therefore the game doesn't need to constantly hold your attention. While a lot of the complaints go to the game's pacing, I’d argue that it’s at least partly intentional: a bigger setup for a bigger twist, with more information to analyze and theorize about. You might think it can’t possibly one up 999, but somehow it does. At least, it did for me.


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Zero Time Dilemma

This a good but heavily flawed final act. Definitely the trilogy's weakest game. It's best appreciated if you're already invested in the ZE story AND you accept its circumstances: the game was canceled, uncanceled, given <2 years of development and a small staff & virtually no budget. The final game, sadly, isn’t even what Uchikoshi originally envisioned, but it’s a miracle it actually released.


ZTD is uglier than VLR. It makes VLR look good. The character design is not as good as 999/VLR, due to Rui Tomono taking the artistic lead (probably due to budget.) but it's not bad. Unfortunately, the 3D models ARE BAD. On top of that, the characters constantly make comically exaggerated expressions, and the camera often zooms in on them in a distorted, awkward way. Some characters do look better than others, but in the end they all look pretty rough. Ironically, the only character who looks good is the NIER Emil-looking kid… cause you can’t see his face...


It really saddens me to say that the setting and characters often feel like they’re just a means to an end and not very well developed. The game clearly suffers from having a smaller script, though on the plus side, it cuts back a lot and is a shorter game with virtually no repeated content. (A big improvement compared to VLR.)
Another major drawback when it comes to the characters, is that splitting them into separate groups in ZTD meant far fewer opportunities for meaningful interactions between the different teams.


Like VLR, the storytelling has pros and cons. This time the "routes" are split in the Fragment System, which is narratively brilliant, as it REALLY reflects the core nature of the story, asking you to literally piece together the plot like a puzzle. However, it can be confusing and/or even off putting for some as keeping track of what’s actually happening takes more effort from the player.
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Conclusion...

I can’t recommend this series enough, not just to VN fans, but even to those who don’t usually play/like VNs, just because the storytelling is so incredible that anyone who loves a great mystery should experience it at least once in their life.
It’s a perfect example of how video games can be just as powerful a storytelling medium as any other form of art.


This is a series you’ll remember forever. Its narrative has the power to shape you. It’s truly a gem.


Sadly, it didn’t get the recognition it deserved on release, likely due to a mix of factors: horror VNs’ lack of popularity in Japan, the negative association with the number 9, incoherent art direction, character designs struggling to appeal to the eastern audience (looking at you, Danganronpa), and the more complex story.


Life is unfair. But this series is one of my favorites, so maybe this timeline isn’t so bad after all.

this is without a doubt my favorite visual novel series of all time hands down nothing can change that, not even a certain other installment that may or may not have ruined everything.. but that's besides the point if you're reading this, buy and play zero escape right now don't look anything up about it just play it ***right now***

Absolutely fantastic game. Honestly for puzzle lovers and escape room lovers, there's no other game quite like this one. The puzzles are well thought out and the storyline is as thrilling as it is immersive. As they hand you pieces of the puzzle, each progression raises the stakes higher. Every new piece of information learned unlocks more important clues, which leads to even more mind-bending puzzles. It's like you're slowly building a tower of Jenga, and as you anticipate for that final, inevitable piece that topples the grand tower to the floor, it's a satisfying conclusion that provides both relief and a yearning for more.

Highly recommend, plus a wonderful community if you're a streamer looking for a fun game to stream on twitch!

I've only play 999 so far but I have to say it was crazy good, seriously this is a must play game.

Only thing I can fault it on is the fact that it is a very slow burner but it's still a 10/10 game.

Straight up one of the best visual novel series I've ever had the pleasure of playing.
Also ain't no way VLR has both the best supporting character and the worst supporting character ever put in a video game. 9/9

Best story+puzzle game I've played. 10/10

I was very excited to get this game for my steam deck, as I loved it on my 3DS back in the day. However, in the short time I've played it, I have experienced multiple crashes. It's hard to get invested in a game when I am constantly worried about losing my progress. I got it on such a significant discount that I don't regret it and will probably try it out on my PC to see if that's more stable, but if you're planning on playing this on steam deck, I'm not sure I can recommend it.

Absolutely love this game. Awesome characters great story and some amazing puzzles.

So far I’ve only played the first game but it was amazing. I can’t recommend it enough. The puzzles are fun and a decent challenge. Characters are charming and the story goes to some really interesting places.

Second game uses a different art style and 2 hours in I’m still trying to get used to it. But I’m not really in position to say much more considering how far in I am

The first game is definitely worth playing with a very complete story with escape room-esque game play. The sequels have more of the same game play but the story is flimsier.

A warm blanket of gory nostalgia, super glad to be able to replay some of my favorite games. I played both of the games (999 and VLR) on DS nearly a decade ago and was thrilled to see them here on steam! Highly satisfied that a flowchart was added to enable players to jump to different parts of the story in 999 because this feature was not on the DS version.

999 and VLR was pretty good compared to the 3rd game. Memorable characters, good storyline and somewhat fun puzzles, I think "3D" attempt killed the spirit of it.

this is actually the best game ive ever played i bought this after playing 999 for the first time and now im gonna play vlr after replaying 999

If Virtue's Last Reward doesn't end with Sigma and Alice having the most primal, feral sex alive it's the worst game of all time

Perfect. Perfection storytelling, Peak music, Peak voice acting.

ZTD is great, interest visual novel. Needs a few quality of life improvements such as faster skipping of text, and a better explanation of the flowchart which doesnt make much sense at first glance.

VLR seems like it hasn't been fixed up as well for PC - it's clearly designed for a handheld. The notepad would be a great idea if i could type in it - very clunky to try to write things with a mouse. It also crashes all the time for seemingly no reason, so i've had to go through dialogue more than once which is tedious. as. hell. I am now trying to save every five minutes or so so I don't have to.

Both have great voice acting and seemingly pretty interesting characters with mysterious backstories.

Originally I didn't recommend this game because of the jarring finale of 999, but VLR handled its mechanics so much better that I would recommend this game simply to play VLR.

999 and VLR are both fantastic games. It feels like watching a movie and occasionally you solve a puzzle here and there. The writing and puzzle design is good most of the time but there are the occasional turds like the infamous elevator scene.

I tried to keep spoilers to a minimum.

999:
The game has a truly unique and interesting setting, you are trapped on an antique sinking ship with a bunch of strangers and you have only 9 hours to escape from a jigsaw-esque nightmare. In my opinion the game only really starts after you get your first bad ending. At that point I was paranoid and it felt like I couldn’t trust anyone. The game is perfectly designed for this, the bad endings give you small clues towards the story but they don’t reveal too much to keep you guessing.
What I don’t like about 999 is the canon ending, not only is the final puzzle one of the worst in the entire trilogy but also the weird story twist really doesn’t fit into the rest of the writing and don’t even get me started on the awful post-credit scene that reveals the villains motive.


VLR:
The setting of this game has more of a sci-fi feel but really you are just trapped in a warehouse which is kinda boring. However this game has more interesting puzzle rooms because each room has 2 solutions and there is just a lot more variety. Another thing that is new to this game is that after each round you have to survive in a prisoners dilemma situation. VLR managed to truly surprise me a couple of times because you think you know something only to find out that you actually don’t know anything.
A big problem of the game is that it has so many timelines that are really similar and you often only play 1/3 of a timeline that it is really hard to keep track of the current story.
I also think this games true ending is kinda meh better than in 999 but they hamfisted in another weird twist and when things don’t make sense they just handwave it away with a load of nonsense.

this game makes my brain explode in a good way when trying to explain the lore, i love it