Virtue's Last Reward

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Virtue's Last Reward
Virtues Last Reward Logo.jpg
Logo of the game
Original title 極限 脱出 ADV 善人 シ ボ ウ デ ス
transcription Kyokugen Dasshutsu Adobenchā: Zennin Shibō Desu
Studio Spike Chunsoft
Publisher
Senior Developer Kotaro Uchikoshi
Erstveröffent-
lichung
  • JapanJapan February 16, 2012
  • United StatesUnited States October 23, 2012
  • European UnionEuropean Union November 23, 2012
  • AustraliaAustralia November 29, 2012
  • GermanyGermany 15 March 2013
    		•
    platform Nintendo 3DS , PlayStation Vita
    genre Japanese adventure
    language English (text), Japanese, English (voice output)
    Age rating
    USK approved from 16
    PEGI recommended for ages 16+

    Virtue's Last Reward ( VLR for short ) is a Japanese adventure game . It was developed by Spike Chunsoft and released in Japan in 2012 for the handheld consoles Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita (PSV for short). The game belongs to the sub-genres Visual Novel and Escape the Room . The publishers Aksys Games and Rising Star Games were responsible for the market launches in North America, Europe and Australia at the end of 2012 .

    The game is the successor to Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors ( 999 ; DS , 2009) and the second part of the Zero Escape series. The focus of Virtue's Last Reward is the plot. It revolves around the kidnapped student Sigma, who wakes up in a warehouse with eight other kidnappers. Here the nine people are forced to take part in a gruesome game known as the "Nonary Game: Ambidex Edition". Several times in the game, the player can make decisions that affect the further course of the plot.

    Japanese game developer Kotaro Uchikoshi was the project manager and author of Virtue's Last Reward . The trade press discussed the game positively and praised it for its plot and its narrative form. The focus on the action that can be influenced by the player is a special feature of Virtue's Last Reward . Despite the positive response, the title did not sell well in Japan. It turned out to be financially unprofitable for the manufacturer and is considered a niche title.

    Game description

    The game play of Virtue's Last Reward consists of two parts. The first part is made up of the "Novel" sections, in which only the plot of the game is told through dialogues . Most of them are set to music and can be read in parallel by the player. The second part deals with the so-called "Escape" sections ("Escape"). Here the player has the task of solving a series of puzzles so that the protagonist can escape from a room.

    Game mechanics

    "Novel" Sections

    In the "Novel" sections, the player follows the plot, which is presented from the first person perspective through conversations between the protagonist and non-player characters (NPCs) and through the narrator's inner monologue . The protagonist acts as the narrator.

    The plot is not linear. In some places the player can make decisions that affect the course of the plot. He may choose the groupings of the nine people from several possible options and choose between the options “ally” and “betray” (“betray”) several times during the course of the action. The flow of action splits at each of these decision points. Thus, every decision influences the course of the plot, with a total of 24 different endings in Virtue's Last Reward . In order to complete the plot, it is necessary to play through several endings and thus obtain information with which further branches of the plot can be unlocked.

    Within the game, the flow of action is graphically visualized using a tree diagram . This is called "flow" in the game and the player can access it at any time. It provides an overview of the parallel storylines and allows the player to jump to any point in the story that has already been played through at any time. Thanks to the flow, the player does not have to read the entire story again to reach an alternate ending. Instead, it is possible for him to skip passages of text or to jump directly to points in the plot where the timelines split.

    "Escape" sections

    The narrative is interrupted by the " Escape " sections. These usually take place before the player makes a decision that separates the flow of the game. In these sections the protagonist is locked in a room with up to two other characters and must escape. These passages are reminiscent of the point-and-click genre. Here the player can control the camera to look around the room and collect clues, or interact with objects. The aim is to solve puzzles, successfully complete mini-games , combine two or more collected items into a new one or use items. At the end of this linear chain of events, the player is given a code that the characters can use to open a safe. The key cards it contains will open the door so the characters can escape and the storyline can proceed.

    action

    scenario

    On December 25, 2028 , the student Sigma was attacked and kidnapped by a masked person on his way home from university. When he wakes up, he finds himself locked in an elevator. Besides him there is a girl named Phi who makes a cool and smart impression and seems to know him. To escape from their prison, the two must solve a series of puzzles. Then they find themselves in an abandoned warehouse. Here are seven other abductees: the rough Dio, the stubborn old Tenmyouji, the curious boy Quark, the reserved Luna, the unpredictable Clover, the self-confident Alice and a figure in armor who has lost her memory due to retrograde amnesia and K. is called.

    From an artificial intelligence called Zero III in the form of a rabbit, the nine people learn that they are all participants in a game that Zero III calls "Nonary Game: Ambidex Edition". The goal is to escape from the building. To do this, they are randomly divided into groups of three, which in turn are separated into two parties. Then they have to choose independently of one another whether to ally with the other party (“ally”) or to betray them (“betray”) (see prisoner's dilemma ). If both opt for “allied”, both parties receive two BPs (“bracelet points”, for example: “bracelet points”). If they betray each other, nobody gets a point. If a person cheats on their counterparty while they are voting “ally”, they will receive three points, while the other party will lose two points. Each participant's BPs are displayed on a non-removable wristband. Once someone has accumulated nine BPs, they can open a special door that will stay open for nine seconds, allowing anyone with nine BPs to escape. Then the door remains locked forever. If a player loses all BPs, he is killed by a lethal injection by a poison in the bracelet. In addition, the involuntary participants learn that the mastermind behind the kidnappings and the nonary game, known as Zero Sr., is one of the nine people.

    Course of action

    In the course of the plot a subconscious ability of Sigma is revealed, which allows him to travel uncontrollably in parallel worlds and which is triggered by strong emotions or in key situations. In the parallel worlds, the Nonary Game took place differently due to Sigma’s decisions and consequently different events occurred. In the individual timelines, arguments and mistrust arise between some of the nine people; in some timelines, participants and an unknown old woman are found murdered, fueling suspicion within the group.

    In addition, the nine people inside the warehouse, which is cut off from the outside world, discover evidence of an epidemic caused by the Radical-6 virus, which is said to have killed a large part of the earth's population. However, none of the nine people can remember such a catastrophe. Sometimes symptoms of this virus - slow brain activity and eventually a strong urge to commit suicide - also appear in some of the nine people. In a timeline, Sigma encounters the hologram of Zero Sr., who has the appearance of an old man. In yet other timelines, people find hidden anti-matter bombs that threaten to destroy the entire building and can only be defused using secret codes.

    Over time, the ability of consciousness to leap through space and time matures so that Sigma can remember events from the timelines of the parallel universes. For example, he gathers background knowledge about the other prisoners. As agents of the Ministry of Defense, Alice and Clover are looking for a terrorist cult called "Free the Soul", which has already "hosted" two nonary games in the past few years. Clover was already a participant in the first two Nonary Games, while Tenmyouji is the main character Junpei from 999 and was involved in the second Nonary Game. Quark is also his adoptive grandson. Luna is a robot known as " GAULEM " who is in the service of the masterminds of the nonary game. Dio is the head of a terrorist group called the Myrmidons , which belongs to the cult "Free the Soul". He is also a clone of Left, the brother of the cult leader Brother. Sigma also learns that Brother launched the Radical-6 virus out of mourning for his late brother Left. Antimatter bombs were detonated on Earth to fight the virus, but they wiped out almost all of humanity. It was also Dio who hid the antimatter bombs found in some timelines in the warehouse.

    Since he has experienced the individual codes in other timelines, Sigma can, with the support of Phi, whose consciousness is also able to overcome space and time, stop the bomb detonations and put Dio out of action. The prisoners then collect enough BPs together to be able to escape the camp complex together. They found out that they were in a test building on the moon the whole time, that all nine people were infected with Radical-6 all the time and that the year is 2074. So there are almost 50 years between Sigma's abduction and his awakening.

    Later, the dead old woman who was found in other timelines appears who was not killed in the current timeline and goes by the name of Akane Kurashiki. She turns out to be one of the minds behind the so-called AB Project, within the framework of which the Nonary Game took place. She explains to Sigma that Zero Sr. is really who he will be. The consciousness of the young student Sigma and the old scientist Dr. Klim had overcome space and time and swapped bodies so that Sigma is actually in the old body of Zero Sr. Akane has been in the armor of K, which is Sigma's cloned son, all along in the current timeline. Akane further explains that the aim of the AB Project conceived by her and Sigma was exclusively to teach Sigma's awareness through emergency situations the ability to jump in space and time. This should enable him to travel back in time and prevent the terrorists from "Free the Soul" from spreading Radical-6.

    Akane then lets Sigma and Phi travel back to the moment when she is about to start the nonary game. Here she explains that she is actually the ninth participant. However, she will be killed by Dio, so that he sneaks into the game. Her death and Dio's intrusion into the game were part of the plan. Dio was smuggled into the game by his superiors so that he could manipulate the AB Project. After this explanation, Sigma's consciousness travels again through space and time. He finds himself in the year 2029 and is planning the Nonary Game together with Akane. She tells him that over the next few decades he will develop all the fundamentals for the project - including robot and clone technology. The game then ends with the words "END or BEGINNING" ("END or BEGINNING"). It remains to be seen whether Sigma can really prevent the outbreak of Radical-6, as is Phi's true identity.

    History of origin

    development

    In August 2011, the Japanese video game magazine Famitsu reported for the first time that Chunsoft was developing a successor to Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors for 3DS and PSV. The development team is essentially the same as that of the predecessor. The game was directed by Kotaro Uchikoshi , who also wrote the plot, while Kinu Nishimura was involved as a character designer. It was said that development was about halfway through by this time.

    According to Uchikoshi, the development of Virtue's Last Reward began due to the positive response that its predecessor received 999 in the United States. He first wrote the main features of the plot and then created the characters. He paid attention to balance and oriented himself on the nine personality structures of the Enneagram . According to him, the fact that the antagonist Zero III is represented as a rabbit is based on the folklore of the hare in the moon widespread in Asia and - like the name of the character Luna - is an allusion to a revelation at the end of the plot of the game.

    Uchikoshi named the theses of the British biologist Rupert Sheldrake (* 1942) on morphic fields as an important source of inspiration for the plot of Virtue's Last Reward as well as that of its predecessor 999 . Further topics within the game are the prisoner's dilemma , Schrödinger's cat , the Chinese room and people with extrasensory perceptions . The latter are referred to in the game as "Esper". Your consciousness has the ability to access information from the morphic field within the game universe. In addition, the visual novel Kamaitachi no Yoru ( Super Famicom , 1994) by Chunsoft was a central inspiration for the two Zero Escape games.

    Uchikoshi said the atmosphere in Virtue's Last Reward is less creepy and violent than the previous one. He cited the results of market research studies carried out by the developer studio in Japan after the release of 999 as the reason for this . Accordingly, some potential buyers felt put off by the extreme atmosphere of the game. Therefore, Uchikoshi was commissioned by his superiors to create a shallower atmosphere for the successor.

    As with the predecessor, all characters in Virtue's Last Reward were originally supposed to be displayed as two-dimensional sprites . Since the developers wanted to exhaust the possibilities of the 3DS and believed that polygon- based models were necessary for this, the designers finally designed the characters in three dimensions. Due to the program characteristics of the project, these models are not calculated in real time , unlike initially planned . In an interview, Uchikoshi summed up that the designers of the models did a good job. In the end, however, the game does not differ much from the style of its predecessor. In addition, the full potential of the autostereoscopic 3D effect made possible by the 3DS has not been exploited.

    Localization

    As for its predecessor, the game manufacturer Aksys Games , which specializes in the translation of Japanese games, was responsible for the western localization of Virtue's Last Reward . To this end, Noba Nakayama and other translators translated the game's texts, which were then adapted for the American market by Ben Bateman. They were advised on the content of Uchikoshi.

    Music and synchronization

    The pieces of the game are penned by the Japanese video game composer Shinji Hosoe .

    The recordings for the English voice output began in May 2012. The following table gives an overview of the characters and their Japanese or English voice actors .

    character Japanese speaker English speaker
    Sigma Kosuke Toriumi Troy Baker
    Luna Mamiko Noto Laura Bailey
    Dio Yoshimasa Hosoya Liam O'Brien
    Phi Chiaki Omigawa Karen Strassman
    Tenmyouji Rokuro Naya JB Blanc
    Alice Atsuko Tanaka Tara Platt
    Clover Yukari Tamura Wendee Lee
    Quark Rie Kugimiya Erin Fitzgerald
    Zero III Tarako Isono Cindy Robinson
    K Daisuke Ono Travis Willingham

    • Troy Baker dubbed Sigma in the English language OVA.

    • Mamiko Noto, the Japanese spokesperson for Luna

    • Tara Platt spoke for the North American version of the game Alice.

    • Right: Wendee Lee, the English voice actress for Clover

    • Travis Willingham, the English spokesman for K

    title

    Several potential Japanese titles for Virtue's Last Reward were under discussion during development. The final three suggestions were Uragiri x Girigiri (German: "Treason vs. just barely"), Want to be Saved? Then Die (dt. About: "Do you want to be saved? Then die") and Good People Die (dt. About "Good people die"). The final proposal was agreed with scissors, rock, and paper . So the game came in Japan as 極限 脱出 ADV 善人 シ ボ ウ デ ス , Kyokugen Dasshutsu Adobenchā: Zennin Shibō Desu ( Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die , dt. About: "Extreme escape adventure: Good people die") on the market. Extreme Escape Adventures is the Japanese equivalent of Zero Escape .

    Apart from that, there were other name options to choose from. These included the titles Sigma Control (German: "Sigma control"), Lost Escape (German: "hopeless escape"), Contagious Distrust (German: "contagious mistrust"), Escargo , Human-mode Killer , Nine Mice Bite the Cat (Eng. About "nine mice bite the cat") and Sigma and Phi and Tenmyouji and Quark and Alice and Yotsuba and Dio and Luna and K are All Trapped in Weird Place! Oh no! (Eng. about "Sigma and Phi and Tenmyouji and Quark and Alice and Clover and Dio and Luna and K are all trapped in a strange place! Oh no!").

    In March 2012, Ben Bateman, responsible for the North American localization, explained in a guest post for the English-language video game website Siliconera why Virtue's Last Reward was chosen as the English title . According to him, the Japanese Zennin Shibō Desu essentially has two different statements: "These good people will die" or "I want to become a good person". Since the literal translation “good people die” does not emphasize both statements equally, the localization team worked with Uchikoshi to pinpoint the key messages. The two phrases “Virtue is its own reward” and “Gone to his last reward” (paraphrase for the death of a person) were created. The name Virtue's Last Reward was born from the combination of both phrases . According to Bateman, it is to be interpreted in two ways: "The only reward for virtue is death" and "Virtue is ultimately rewarded".

    publication

    marketing

    To market the Japanese version of Virtue's Last Reward , the manufacturer released a game based on Adobe Flash that can be played free of charge on the Internet . It is very different from Virtue's Last Reward : Its aim is to open a door with a quick click of the mouse and hit the breasts of one of the female game characters. Richard Eisenbeis of the Kotaku website rated the game as a fan service and described it as the antithesis of Virtue's Last Reward .

    In addition, Chunsoft published an original video animation (OVA) for the game, animated by the animation studio Gonzo , in which the events at the beginning of the plot are retold. Aksys published a version of the OVA with English dubbing for the North American market launch of the game.

    The official soundtrack for the game was released in Japan on April 19, 2012 . The album, released by SuperSweep under the title Kyokugen Dasshutsu ADV Zennin Shibou Desu Soundtrack , contains 33 tracks on two CDs.

    Launch

    On February 16, 2012, Spike Chunsoft released Virtue’s Last Reward in Japan. The market launch in North America by Aksys Games took place on October 23, 2012 under the full title Zero Escape Volume 2: Virtue's Last Reward . Pre-orderers could receive a limited-edition wristwatch based on the bracelets from Virtue's Last Reward . In Europe, Rising Star Games launched the game on November 23, 2012, and in Australia on November 29, 2012. In Germany, the publication did not take place until March 15, 2013 at Koch Media . In North America and Europe, the game is only offered in English; the text of the European version is based on that of the North American version. In addition, both English and Japanese voice output are available in the North American version, while only Japanese can be heard in Europe.

    In Japan, a free demo of the game was released on February 1, 2012 in the Nintendo eShop of the 3DS. For the North American market, a demo of the game was made available exclusively for PSV and is available on the PlayStation Network and was released on October 2, 2012. In Europe, however, the demo is available for both consoles; it was published in the 3DS eShop on November 15, 2012.

    Sales figures

    According to market research firm Media Create , the 3DS version of Virtue's Last Reward debuted at number 12 on the Japanese video game charts with over 9,000 sales. The PSV version reached 15th place with a good 6,500 sales. According to the series creator, the Zero Escape titles are more popular in North America and Europe than in Japan, where they caused losses for the manufacturer.

    reception

    Reviews

    reviews
    publication Rating
    3DS PS Vita
    4players 88% 88%
    Destructoid 9.5 / 10 k. A.
    Edge k. A. 7/10
    Eurogamer 7/10 7/10
    Famitsu 34/40 34/40
    Game Informer 8.75 / 10 8.75 / 10
    GameSpot 8.5 / 10 8.5 / 10
    IGN 9.5 / 10 9.5 / 10
    Nintendo Life 8/10 k. A.
    N zone 88/100 k. A.
    Official PlayStation Magazine (UK) k. A. 90%
    Meta-ratings
    GameRankings 86.75% 85.56%
    Metacritic 88/100 84/100

    In the rating aggregator Metacritic , the 3DS version of Virtue's Last Reward has a meta rating of 88 out of 100 points calculated from 15 reviews, while the version for the PlayStation Vita was rated with an average of 84/100 points. In GameRankings, the 3DS version with a meta rating of 86.75% from twelve individual reviews is also ahead of the PS Vita implementation, which here has an overall rating of 85.56%.

    Lucas M. Thomas from the American video game website IGN wrote in his game review that Virtue's Last Reward made up for some of the shortcomings of its predecessor. The graphics and animations of the game are better than those of the predecessor. Thomas also praised the voice output and in particular the flow system, which saves time for the player. He described the actual plot as “complex, tricky and deeply satisfying” (“complex, mind-twisting and utterly satisfying”). He also praised the characters in the game and how they evolved over the 30+ hours it took for the player to complete the plot. According to Thomas, the "Escape" sections are a good break-up.

    Thomas summarized that Virtue's Last Reward surpassed its predecessor in quality, but recommends playing 999 beforehand .

    “This sequel is more twisted, more brutal and more memorable than that first volume, it's solidified Zero Escape as a series, and it's an experience I recommend to every gamer - if you're over 18, and if you've played 999 first . Virtue's Last Reward builds an unforgettable story on the dilemma of a choice: Will you ally, or will you betray? ”

    “This sequel is more tangled, brutal and memorable than the first volume, it solidifies Zero Escape as a series, and it's an experience I recommend to any gamer - if they're over 18 and if they've played 999 before. Virtue's Last Reward creates a memorable storyline about the choice dilemma Will you team up or will you betray? "

    - Lucas M. Thomas : IGN review, 2012

    The content of the 3DS version of the game is identical to the version published for PSV, said Thomas in his review. Graphics and sound are better at PSV. The 3DS implementation, on the other hand, convinces with the 3D effect and the touchscreen integration with stylus support, which makes it much easier for the player to take notes within the game.

    Viktor Eippert wrote in the German video game magazine N-Zone at the end of 2012 that Virtue's Last Reward is mainly about "trust, decisions with serious consequences and the exploration of the incredibly exciting and at the same time very confused story". The "gloomy atmosphere" of the game lets the player feel "threat and uncertainty". He noted many “mindfucking moments” in the plot, but also a “fragmented narrative” that made it difficult for the player to keep track of things. Nevertheless, the story is so well structured that "the uncertainty, the irrepressible curiosity" always drives the player to continue playing.

    Kimberley Wallace of Game Informer magazine attested the game to have a very well-written plot and extremely believable characters. Wallace emphasized the flow system and the ability to fast-forward dialogues that had already been read as being convenient for the player. She described the 3DS version of the game as the better implementation, although it was graphically inferior to the version for the PSV. The touchscreen controls work better on the 3DS thanks to the stylus support.

    Martin Robinson of the video game website Eurogamer had mixed comments about Virtue's Last Reward in his game review . He mainly assessed the structure of the plot positively, as the characters are believable and many different individual strands would confidently combine into a larger whole within the plot. Robinson was critical of the actual content of the game. The characters are archetypal . In addition, starting the game requires a lot of patience and is not very motivating. In the plot he saw a string of unbelievable plot turns that oscillated between "sensitivity and lack of taste" ("tenderness and tawdriness"). He named the "Escape" passages as a "terrible marriage between Hershel Layton and Jigsaw" ("horrible marriage between Hershel Layton and Jigsaw"). He is referring to the protagonist of the puzzle game series Professor Layton and the antagonist John Kramer of the horror film series Saw .

    The editors of the British video game magazine Edge called Virtue's Last Reward a "page turner" (Eng. About "captivating book"), which integrates the player strongly into his plot. It requires him to establish the larger context of the action himself. However, especially at the beginning of the game, the atmosphere is less dense and threatening than in the previous game. The "Escape the Room" sections are not too long, which is why they did not delay the plot inappropriately long. At the same time, however, they are difficult enough to satisfy the player. The Edge criticized the control of these sections as unnatural.

    Awards and leaderboards

    Virtue's Last Reward has been nominated for several awards, some of which have received awards. For example, the game was nominated for Best Plot Game of the Year at the Game Developers Choice Awards 2012. Game Informer magazine named the game the best handheld exclusive game in 2012. In IGN 's Game of the Year Awards, Virtue's Last Reward won the award for best storyline in a DS / 3DS game and was also nominated for best storyline in a PSV game.

    The English-language website Gamasutra , which is primarily aimed at game developers, included Virtue's Last Reward in its list of the ten best games of 2012.

    analysis

    Bob Mackey of 1UP described Virtue's Last Reward at the end of 2012 as a mixture of an extensive Stephen King work and the concept of a playbook in which every negative ending gives the reader necessary information.

    Christian Nutt from Gamasutra wrote at the end of 2012 that the plot and gameplay of Virtue's Last Reward are not separate. Rather, the action of the game is also its game mechanics. As a reason, Nutt cited his view, according to which the player actively explores the “complex but coherent” and full of ideas. The player must absorb every moment of the plot and place it in the larger context of the narrative. Thus, he himself occupies a decisive position for the storytelling.

    successor

    In December 2012, the Zero Escape series creator Kotaro Uchikoshi confirmed work on a third installment in the series, in which some characters from Virtue's Last Reward will return. He also announced that the game will be set between 999 and VLR .

    In early 2014, Uchikoshi said that development of the third zero escape game had not yet started because the manufacturer had not accepted the corresponding plans. The reason for this are the poor sales figures for the first two games in Japan. In order to be able to implement the game at some point, Uchikoshi announced the search for alternative financing options.

    At the end of June 2016, the successor was released under the title Zero Time Dilemma for Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita and Microsoft Windows .

    Web links

    Remarks

    1. ↑ a b In the Japanese version of the game it is called Yotsuba.
    2. ↑ The predecessor of Virtue's Last Reward , 999 , deals with the events from these two nonary games.
    3. ↑ In Roman mythology, Luna is the goddess of the moon.
    4. ↑ Sigma was only set to music in the anime clip for the game.
    5. ↑ a b The Famitsu rating is made up of four individual ratings. In the case of Virtue's Last Reward , these were 9, 8, 9 and 8.

    Individual evidence

    1. ↑ a b c d e Anoop Gantayat: ChunSoft Developing 999 Successor for PlayStation Vita and 3D: Kotaro Uchikoshi and Kinu Nishimura team up for new title. In: Andriasang. August 24, 2011, accessed April 26, 2014 .
    2. ↑ a b c Release Dates For Nintendo 3DS And Nintendo eShop Games Coming This Year. In: Siliconera. August 13, 2012, accessed April 28, 2014 .
    3. ↑ a b c Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward Only Has Japanese Audio In Europe. In: Siliconera. October 4, 2012, accessed April 28, 2014 .
    4. ↑ a b Anoop Gantayat: 999 Successor Dated: 3DS and Vita adventure title arrives in February. In: Andriasang. November 4, 2011, accessed April 26, 2014 .
    5. ↑ a b German-language microsite about the game. In: Nintendo. Retrieved April 18, 2014 .
    6. ↑ a b Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward. In: GiantBomb. Accessed June 1, 2014 .
    7. ↑ a b Tjark M. Wewetzer: Virtue's Last Reward - Final release date for Germany. In: PlanetVITA. February 13, 2013, accessed May 18, 2014 .
    8. ↑ a b Richard Eisenbeis: I Don't Remember Virtue's Last Reward Being About Breast Slapping. In: Kotaku. May 17, 2013, accessed April 22, 2014 .
    9. ↑ a b c Anoop Gantayat: Good People Die Has 24 Endings. In: Andriasang. January 13, 2012, accessed April 26, 2014 .
    10. ↑ a b Anoop Gantayat: First Look: Team 999's New Vita / 3DS Adventure: Escape from elevators, bunnies and girls who lie about their cup sizes. In: Andriasang. August 25, 2011, accessed April 26, 2014 .
    11. ↑ a b Mike Mason: Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward Review. In: Nintendo Life. December 5, 2012, accessed April 18, 2014 .
    12. ↑ a b Interview 1: Behind Zero by Kotaro Uchikoshi, Part 1. (No longer available online.) In: virtueslastreward.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016 ; accessed on May 2, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / virtueslastreward.com
    13. ↑ Interview 4: VLR Q&A with Kotaro Uchikoshi (question 66). (No longer available online.) In: virtueslastreward.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017 ; accessed on May 15, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / virtueslastreward.com
    14. ↑ Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward Director On Designing Characters. In: Siliconera. October 26, 2012, accessed April 28, 2014 .
    15. ↑ a b Virtue’s Last Reward Director On Going 3D And The Future Of Visual Novels. In: Siliconera. November 1, 2012, accessed April 28, 2014 .
    16. ↑ Interview 4: VLR Q&A with Kotaro Uchikoshi (questions 36 and 44). (No longer available online.) In: virtueslastreward.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017 ; accessed on May 15, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / virtueslastreward.com
    17. ↑ Virtue's Last Reward Creator Talks About The Essence Of Visual Novels At GDC Panel. In: Siliconera. April 1, 2013, accessed June 6, 2014 .
    18. ↑ Interview 4: VLR Q&A with Kotaro Uchikoshi (question 71). (No longer available online.) In: virtueslastreward.com. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017 ; accessed on May 15, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / virtueslastreward.com
    19. ↑ Interview 2: Translating Zero by Noba Nakayama, Part 5. In: virtueslastreward.com. Retrieved May 2, 2014 .
    20. ↑ Interview 3: Zero In by Ben Bateman, Part 3. In: virtueslastreward.com. Retrieved May 2, 2014 .
    21. ↑ a b Kyokugen Dasshutsu ADV Zennin Shibou Desu soundtrack. In: VGMdb.net. Retrieved April 22, 2014 .
    22. ↑ Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward - details on voicework, Euro release and more. In: GoNintendo. May 9, 2012, accessed April 22, 2014 .
    23. ↑ Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward. In: Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved May 18, 2014 .
    24. ↑ Kyokugen dasshutsu: adobencha zennin shibo desu (2012 Video Game): Full Cast & Crew. In: IMDb. Retrieved May 18, 2014 .
    25. ↑ a b Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die Had Many, Many Different Titles. In: Siliconera. November 2, 2011, accessed April 25, 2014 .
    26. ↑ Ben Bateman: The Thinking Behind The Title “Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward”. In: Siliconera. March 14, 2012, accessed April 25, 2014 .
    27. ↑ Anoop Gantayat: Good People Die Opening Anime: Get a first look at the opening, which is produced by Gonzo. In: Andriasang. December 7, 2011, accessed April 26, 2014 .
    28. ↑ Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward OVA By Studio Gonzo In English. In: Siliconera. October 19, 2012, accessed June 1, 2014 .
    29. ↑ Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward Getting Another Batch Of Pre-Order Watches. In: Siliconera. September 24, 2012, accessed April 28, 2014 .
    30. ^ Anoop Gantayat: Good People The Demo Available Today on 3DS. In: Andriasang. February 1, 2012, accessed April 26, 2014 .
    31. ↑ Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward English Demo Up On PlayStation Network. In: Siliconera. October 2, 2012, accessed April 28, 2014 .
    32. ↑ Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion And Myst Explore The Nintendo eShop. In: Siliconera. November 15, 2012, accessed April 28, 2014 .
    33. ↑ This Week In Sales: Love Is In The Air. In: Siliconera. February 22, 2012, accessed April 28, 2014 .
    34. ↑ a b Christian Nutt: Virtue's Last Reward director takes to Twitter to speak about series' struggles. In: Gamasutra. February 13, 2014, accessed May 20, 2014 .
    35. ↑ a b Anoop Gantayat: Love Plus, Theatrhythm and Binary Domain Score 10s in Famitsu. In: Andriasang. February 8, 2012, accessed April 26, 2014 .
    36. ↑ Tony Ponce: Review: Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward. In: Destructoid. October 11, 2012, accessed April 18, 2014 .
    37. ↑ a b Jörg Luibl: Test: Virtue's Last Reward (Adventure). In: 4Players. March 13, 2013, accessed May 18, 2014 .
    38. ↑ a b Heidi Kemps: Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward Review. In: GameSpot. November 7, 2012, accessed May 18, 2014 .
    39. ↑ a b c d e f Lucas M. Thomas: Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward Review: Ally, or betray? In: IGN. October 24, 2012, accessed May 15, 2014 .
    40. ↑ N-Zone 05/2013, p. 52 f.
    41. ↑ a b c Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward for PlayStation Vita Reviews. In: Metacritic. Retrieved April 18, 2014 .
    42. ↑ a b c Kimberley Wallace: Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward: Building Upon A Graphic Adventure Legacy. In: Game Informer. October 23, 2012, accessed May 18, 2014 .
    43. ↑ a b c Martin Robinson: Virtue's Last Reward review: Novel ideas. In: Eurogamer. December 17, 2012, accessed May 18, 2014 .
    44. ↑ a b Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward review. In: Edge. December 4, 2012, archived from the original on December 7, 2012 ; accessed on May 18, 2014 .
    45. ↑ a b Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward for 3DS Reviews. In: Metacritic. Retrieved April 18, 2014 .
    46. ↑ a b Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward for 3DS. In: GameRankings. Retrieved April 18, 2014 .
    47. ↑ a b Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward for PlayStation Vita. In: GameRankings. Retrieved April 18, 2014 .
    48. ↑ N-Zone 01/2013, p. 22 f.
    49. ↑ 13th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards. In: Game Developers Choice Awards. Retrieved May 18, 2014 .
    50. ↑ Awards. In: virtueslastreward.com. Retrieved May 18, 2014 .
    51. ↑ Best of 2012. In: IGN. Retrieved April 21, 2014 (English).
    52. ↑ a b The 10 Best Games of 2012. In: Gamasutra. December 21, 2012, accessed May 20, 2014 .
    53. ↑ Bob Mackey: 1UP's Favorite Games of 2012: Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward: Chunsoft shows off the possibilities of the visual novel with their complex portable thriller. (No longer available online.) In: 1UP. December 24, 2012, archived from the original on May 20, 2014 ; accessed on May 20, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.1up.com
    54. ^ Another Zero Escape game in the works, Junpei confirmed to return. In: GoNintendo. December 1, 2012, accessed May 18, 2014 .
    55. ↑ Zero Escape 3 Will Take Place Between 999 And Virtue's Last Reward. In: Siliconera. March 27, 2013, accessed April 28, 2014 .
    56. ↑ Seabastian Zelada: Zero Time Dilemma in the test: exciting puzzle thriller with a strong atmosphere. In: PC Games. July 7, 2016, accessed July 16, 2016 .
    This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on June 25, 2014 .