Unputdownable. Guaranteed to make you wish Vita/3DS has longer battery life.
1. Gameplay: (9/10)
There are 2 parts of the gameplay: the Escape and the Novel.
The Escape sections cover a total of 16 rooms. If you have played some 'escape the room' flash games, this is essentially the same thing. Thankfully there is almost zero pixel-hunting here, and the game guides you just like the pebbles in "Hansel and Gretel". Each room has plenty of clues to help you understand the puzzle, but you still need to do the thinking to solve it. A couple of rooms might have a 'logic gap' in their puzzles though. Personally, I managed to clear about 10-12 of them without any guides. On the other hand, the Novel sequences basically prompt you to click on the touchscreen or the X button to keep reading about what other characters have to say and sometimes, the protagonist's monologues. Sounds boring? Yeah, I think I shouldn't have written that sentence. Of course, the catch here is the story. I'll elaborate in the next paragraph. By the way, it is possible to play VLR conveniently using only touchscreen, apart from 2-3 puzzles which are more naturally solved using D-pads than tilting the Vita. It's good to see a developer utilising Vita's touchscreen properly and not merely as a gimmick.
2. Story: (10/10)
Gamespot categorises this game as an 'adventure'. Wikipedia classifies VLR as a 'visual novel'. I agree with Wikipedia more. I'm not trying to go into a genre war here, I just want to clearly say that the term 'visual novel' describes this game better. VLR is story-driven. It has a lot of texts. It requires you to think and understand. Playing 999 might be helpful, though VLR does a good job in providing a sufficient backstory about 999 that is relevant to the game. Also, if you have watched "The Butterfly Effect" (A 2004 film starring Ashton Kutcher), I think it has the most similar concept in story-telling as compared to VLR. Both of them deal with multiple choices and -- upon seeing how your choice pans out -- how you can go back in time to make another choice which you think will have the best outcome. Even if you are lucky to get the 'true' ending path in the 1st try, you will encounter 'locks' which prevent you from seeing it early. Unfair, you say? Fear not, for the 'bad' ending paths are not all dark and gloomy. All paths contribute equally to the story, be it for character development, providing background information or for unlocking the 'true' ending. So there is a sustained motivation for you to discover all paths, to satisfy the 'what if I choose the other option?' curiosity which admittedly plays a major role in this game. In total, there are at least 16 endings, 2 for each of the 8 NPCs and a couple of 'true' endings. I estimate that getting 100% completion in this game will take around 50-60 hours.
3. Graphics: (8/10)
The resolution of environmental textures is rather low. The characters' animation looks well-made though. In contrast, texts are very sharp. Also, there is a noticeable lag when you open the in-game menu.
4. Audio: (9/10)
Excellent voice-acting. This is definitely vital in bringing the script to life. It makes a lot of difference between simply reading and actually listening to the dialogue. The VA is limited to the Novel sequences, but it is more than enough. The background music also adds a certain eeriness during the Escape sequences while keeping the tension high during the Novel sections. More tracks & variation would have been welcomed -- after walking through 80% of the story, I started to notice the same tracks being played time and again.
VLR is an amazing addition to the growing library of AAA Vita games. I think there is still a lack of original Vita titles that really define a 'Vita experience' apart from Gravity Rush. Without trying to discredit, I believe P4G & Disgaea are essentially remakes (with substantial extras, of course), while Uncharted and CoD:BO Declassified are franchises that have already made their name in non-Vita consoles. VLR freshens this up by bringing a whole new experience in a new genre, to boot. (Well, relatively new to the English-reading audience, at least.)
VLR is definitely worth its $35 price tag in full. I highly recommend this game.