From realistic characters to those "What the hell just happened?!" moments. ZE:VLR isn't all that seems.
The concept of the story is very interesting. You play as Sigma and are taken on the early hours of Christmas morning and wake up in an elevator. Next to you is a mysterious girl named Phi, I actually became quite attached to her character even though you hardly learn anything about her until her Ending path. After a conversation with a talking rabbit named Zero III, who is accustomed to making rabbit puns, you find you way out of the elevator and you are joined by seven other people, assumed to have also been taken.
Every character has a watch with the number 3, a colour and either the words 'SOLO' or 'PAIR'. Zero III appears again to tell you that you all must take part in a game called The Nonary Game: Ambidex Edition. The game entails different coloured Chromatic Doors and difficult puzzles. It's also revealed to escape you have to get the number on your bracelet to 9 by gaining BP (Bracelet Points), these are obtained by playing the Nonary Game. 3 must play against each other in a game of trust, choosing between 'Ally' and 'Betray'. And to make trusting each other that bit more awkward, it's revealed that on of the player taking part in the Nonary Game, is actually Zero, that man/woman who brought them all here in the first place.
So after a good few hours into the game, I realised that my first impressions were completely wrong! The game has an incredibly well written and intense story line, nothing slips about the plot, you can guess but you will always end up wrong. (Well I did anyway!) And the more you learn about what's going on, the more you want to play, the more shocked you are, I didn't expect this game to be like this. This game can range from emotional to confusing to sometime making you a little bit angry.
The game is lengthy also, with 24 endings, each character having an ending as well as having bad ending too depending on your choices. Just remember, there is always something bigger than you expect in this game. Always.
Rating:
Gameplay: 9 - The gameplay is this game is great, the puzzles are extremely hard and you will need to use your brain to work out what you need to do, they are wonderfully done, something so minute can be a clue, so be on the look-out! It could be improved yeah, I sometimes found that I clicked one place and it went to another, but it didn't take away from the experience.
Story: 10 - One of the best story lines in a game for me. It was just incredible, I couldn't wait to see what happened next and I was never once disappointed.
Characters: 10 - I know it's odd to rate characters but I am, it's my review I do what I like.
The characters in this game personality wise can be compared to everyday people. There is not one over the top character, no one is unrealistic in their character traits, and it's so interesting to see what lengths these characters will go to just to survive.
Overall: It is, without a doubt, one of the best games I have played this year, if not the best, and I think the reason I love it so much is because I went into it not knowing what to expect. I have loved every minuet with this game and I find it such a shame that it had to finish. I definitley recommend this game to anyone who has a 3DS or PSVita, I promise you will not be disappointed.