Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward is the epitome of what a mature story driven handheld game is supposed to be.
Virtue's Last Reward picks up where the last game left off, but in very unexpected ways which you will learn about as you play through the game. I will be doing this review under the assumption that you've played 999 because really, unless you only own a Vita, there's no reason for you to not play 999 before playing Virtue's Last Reward, meaning that if you haven't played 999 and want to play this game, DO NOT read this review and hop onto my review of 999 :D
Story: 10/10
You play as Sigma, a college student who is abducted from his car and placed into the Nonary Game, however this time it's with a twist called the Ambidex Edition. In 999, you only had to worry about splitting up into the appropriate groups and work together to escape, in this game, while you still have to split up into groups and work together, you don't have set number bracelets like in 999, everyone starts off with 3 BP (bracelet points) and must earn (or lose) through playing the Ambidex games, which is basically choosing whether or not you want to ally or betray the person you just worked together with. The game explains it thoroughly so I'll spare you the details. In 999, you had to find the #9 door to escape, in this one, the #9 is revealed immediately, you have to raise your BP to 9 (or higher) in order to escape BUT the door will only open once.
After playing 999, you can expect a lot of twists and really confusing events and information to be relayed and just like 999, Virtue's Last Reward does an amazing job of addressing and tying together everything in a way that makes sense but is still very trippy. One thing I absolutely loved was how Virtue's Last Reward didn't rely on any of the same "twists" that 999 had, such as Zero being one of the 9 people (Virtue's Last Reward reveals that immediately since it'd be obvious that Zero has to be one of the participants of the Nonary Game).
The story of this game will consistently keep you guessing, paying attention to every detail and formulating theories in your head about who's what and what everyone's purpose in the Nonary Game is as well as the ultimate goal of VLR's Nonary Game, it's easily one of the best stories I've ever experienced in a video game. There is a TON of dialogue and if you are someone who doesn't like reading, then this is most certainly not the game for you.
+ Perfectly crafted story
+ Loads of twists and surprises
+ Game ties up all twists and addresses everything flawlessly
+ Does not rely on the same twists present in the first game
Visuals: 9/10
The game is not the prettiest game on the system, and it doesn't have to be nor does it try to be. The setting is a bit drab and lifeless but that's the point, you are trapped in an isolated warehouse with 8 other people and are trying to escape, you're not exactly going to be witnessing some beautiful scenery and stunning settings. Some of the rooms do look very nice but the best part of the visuals are the characters themselves, being fully rendered in 3D this time, it gives the characters more life and movement that was lacking a bit in 999.
+ Characters are perfectly animated
+ Some rooms are vibrant and good looking
+ Visuals are serve their purpose and set the atmosphere well
Sound: 10/10
MAJOR step up from the previous game, VLR now is fully voiced (except for the main character) and has a much wider variety of soundtracks. Like 999, the music of the game mainly serves to add tension and urgency to what you're doing, while other tracks set the scene or add to the event in the story that's taking place. It's extremely well done and adds another layer to the overall atmosphere of the game.
Voices are all extremely well done, each actor matching their character perfectly, with Zero Jr. stealing the show with her hilarious but demented dialogue she has with the cast of characters, which all the more makes it perfect that she doesn't overstay her welcome (as I'm sure many would get annoyed with it if she had a greater presence).
+ Great soundtrack that adds to the atmosphere
+ Perfectly voiced characters
Gameplay: 10/10
Two of the major issues present in 999 were the fact that you'd have to replay through portions of the game repeatedly as well as going through the same puzzles over and over again and VLR addresses both of those issues with amazing results. First off, VLR introduces a "Flow Chart" which allows you to see the path you are going down as well as allowing you to jump to any event in the game so if a decision you made results in a bad ending, no problem, just jump to moment before you made the decision and choose something else. As for the puzzles, you will NOT have to replay through any puzzle ever in the game, every path offers its own unique set of puzzles, so while 999 had around 12 puzzles I believe, VLR has around 25, all of which are very tricky. What's also good about this game is that it offers an "Easy" mode for whenever you're stuck on a puzzle, while I'm sure you will want to do your best to ensure you never select this, there might be a time where are you stuck in a room that'll really get your head scratching, and due to the nature of this game, I highly doubt you'll want to look up guides in fear of stumbling upon a spoiler. The game is never unfair though, if you can't figure out a puzzle, it's because you didn't explore certain parts of the room and haven't figured out the purpose of an object you've picked up.
The game also added in a "Memo Pad" which allows you to write down any solutions or passwords on it which you MUST utilize unless you want to make life hard on yourself. The game will challenge your ability to deduce information, as well as memorize codes, passwords, and events and do a lot of calculations. When I say this is a mature game, I mean it also in the way that'll challenge you mentally and not just giving your mature content.
Now I did say that almost everything is better in VLR, the one thing that is actually worse are the controls. Everything felt tight and solid in 999, since the game is now fully in 3D, the controls don't feel as solid and navigating through a room is not as quick and easy. There are some motion controlled games and they work very well, but if they don't, just reset the system (happened to me and I thought it was the game). The controls are still fine, but in comparison to 999, they will take some getting used to.
Where 999 had 6 endings (although you can get everything you need to know with 5 of them since 1 was just a dud), Virtue's Last Reward has a total of 10 endings along with 9 duds (which you still want to go through out of sheer curiosity).
+ Intelligently designed puzzles
+ Wider variety and never having to replay the same puzzles
+ Double the amount of endings
+ New features to help you out
+ Overall game challenges your mentality and intelligence
- Controls are a bit worse than 999
Value: 10/10
The problem I have with most story driven games is that they typically don't last long, well this game should take you between 35-40 hours, depending on how well you tackle each puzzle. While there are multiple endings, all of them tie into each other and you HAVE to go through certain endings in order to unlock others so while many games' multiple endings are optional, every ending of this game is required in order to beat the entire game.
+ Up to 40 hours
+ Game requires you to go through each ending
Overall: 10/10
From start to finish, Virtue's Last Reward will put you through an amazing ride that'll challenge, move, and screw with you. You learn to empathize as well as feel bothered when a character betrays you. You care about most of these characters and want to do what you can to ensure that everyone escapes safely. It's truly a "mature game" and Zero Escape has become one of my absolute favorite series of all time and I can't wait to see what else Spike Chunsoft has in store for us.