Appreciate the game for what it is, and not what you think it should be, and you will have a good time. This review is written after my second playthrough, and the first time I *HATED* the entire series, but as I’ve got older, I’ve appreciated it more and more. 999 < ZTD <<< VLR IMO.

I will keep spoilers to a minimum. I recommend not looking up anything and going in 100% blind as the twists and turns are what you are paying for.

There are two games in this collection, 999: Nine hours, Nine persons, 9 doors and Virtues Last Reward. 999 is split into two different sections, the novel section and the puzzle sections. The puzzles are fun but simple. Nothing is too complicated, and as far as I know almost nothing is on a timer, so for the most part its a fairly relaxing ride gameplay-wise. Keep a pen and paper around and search everything. But this is standard for the genre, and nothing new.

999 starts with Junpei being kidnapped by a person in a mask, and waking up in what appears to be a cabin on a ship. You were placed there to play a death game, and stakes only rise from there. Everything else I can say is a spoiler, so I will refrain. The subject matter can get reasonably dark but it is nothing unexpected. Gore is toned down, but death for the most part is handled with reasonable gravitas. Most of the game is fairly by the numbers, but slowly things get crazier and crazier. The story is fairly good, the twists are reasonable and meaningful and structurally the game is well put together. However, I find the dialogue to be jarring and grating. There are other reviews which go over it, and they have already described its state much better than I can. However if you push through and enjoy the ride instead of fighting it, you will be rewarded with a reasonable story, that is adequately explained. For all its eccentricities I find it charming. That being said, I have been told that the localization team had problems when trying to translate the game, and that I can 100% believe. Also in this port the final puzzle was radically (heh) changed for the worse, but I can understand why. The discussion requires spoiling good portions of the game, so look it up after finishing the trilogy. You will be risking spoilers otherwise.

VLR is very similar to 999, at least superficially, but I view it as the standout of the trilogy. It starts in a similar way: You are Sigma, and have been kidnapped by… someone who is dressed as Zero from the first game. You were kidnapped and brought to what looks like an elevator, and told to escape or die. Instead of being alone, you are with a young woman, Phi.

Already this should be raising flags, as everything was wrapped up by the end of the first game. Then you are introduced to a talking CGI rabbit, called Zero the Third, and at this point you should realize that the game *KNOWS* it is messing with you. VLR is not just a sequel in the traditional sense of the term. Sure it continues the story from 999, but it knows that it has to raise the stakes. It has to not only continue the story but subvert the player, since the player already knows that 999 was filled full of twists.

Surprisingly, I feel that VLR delivers on these promises. The twists are for the most part believable (though why Sigma is there, I feel could have been done better), and hinted throughout. There are around 30 different branches in the story, and they all contain clues. Foreshadowing is appropriately handled, and I believe you could have figured out some of them from the information given. Each character has their own motivations, and it is one of the few instances in gaming where characters will lie. Why they are lying is reasonable and believable, and for the most part every single question is answered. There is some technical discussion on quantum mechanics, but it is very pop-sci, and if you can handle a modern Sci-fi blockbuster, you can handle any of the science infodumps. I went in thinking I would hate it, but I came out loving it. VLR is a masterpiece.

one of those, once in a lifetime game experiences. playing both games fresh was something i can never have again.

999 review: great, loved it a lot
virtue's last reward review: worst piece of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ i have ever played, i would rather play a game written entirely using the text prediction function on my phone that's how much i hate it. it was like if someone tried writing a crossover fanfic with danganronpa using ai dungeon. i wish 999 and this mistake were sold separately so that i wasn't forced into having on my computer a game that, if it were a baby, should have been aborted