Summary

Release Year: 2009
Genres: Adventure, Point-and-click, Puzzle, Visual Novel
Platforms: Nintendo DS, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One
Developers: Chunsoft
Publishers: Aksys Games, Spike

Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors: A Gripping Visual Novel with Deadly Puzzles

Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is a visual novel video game developed by Spike Chunsoft and originally released in Japan in 2009 for the Nintendo DS. The game was later ported to iOS and PlayStation Vita, and an updated version was released for Windows in 2017.

The game follows nine people who are kidnapped and trapped in a facility known as the Nonary Game. The participants are forced to play a series of deadly games in order to escape, and they must work together to solve puzzles and uncover the secrets of the Nonary Game.

Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is a gripping visual novel with a complex and well-written story. The game’s characters are well-developed and relatable, and the puzzles are challenging and rewarding to solve. The game also features multiple endings, which encourages players to replay the game to see all of the different outcomes.

Story

The story of Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors begins with nine people waking up in a strange and unfamiliar facility. They are all wearing bracelets with numbers on them, and they are soon greeted by a mysterious voice that tells them that they are participants in the Nonary Game.

The participants are told that they must work together to solve a series of puzzles in order to escape from the facility. However, the puzzles are deadly, and if the participants fail to solve them, they will be killed.

The participants must also vote on which one of them will be executed at the end of each round of the game. If they fail to reach a consensus, they will all be killed.

As the participants play the game, they begin to learn more about each other and about the Nonary Game. They also begin to suspect that there is more to the game than meets the eye.

Gameplay

Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is a visual novel game, which means that it is played by reading text and making choices. The game is divided into chapters, and each chapter is divided into sections. Each section consists of either text or a puzzle.

The text sections of the game advance the story and introduce the characters. The puzzle sections require the player to solve a variety of puzzles, such as logic puzzles, math puzzles, and spatial puzzles.

The player’s choices in the game affect the story and the ending. There are multiple endings to the game, and the player’s choices will determine which ending they get.

Characters

The nine participants in the Nonary Game are:

Junpei Tenmyouji: A university student who is kidnapped on his way to a summer festival.
Akane Kurashiki: A nurse who is kidnapped while working at a hospital.
Santa Shimada: A taxi driver who is kidnapped while driving a fare.
Lotus: A young girl who is kidnapped while playing in a park.
Clover: A stripper who is kidnapped while working at a club.
Seven: A mysterious man who claims to be the mastermind of the Nonary Game.
Quark: A scientist who is kidnapped while working on a top-secret project.
Snake: A professional gambler who is kidnapped while playing in a casino.
June: A woman who is kidnapped while visiting a museum.

Themes

Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors explores a number of themes, including:

The nature of good and evil
The importance of cooperation
The power of hope
The search for meaning in life

Reception

Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors received critical acclaim upon its release. The game was praised for its story, characters, puzzles, and multiple endings. The game was also a commercial success, selling over 500,000 copies worldwide.

Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors has been ranked as one of the best visual novel games of all time. The game has also been praised for its influence on the visual novel genre.

Legacy

Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors has spawned two sequels: Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward (2012) and Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma (2016). The three games are collectively known as the Zero Escape trilogy.

The Zero Escape trilogy is known for its complex and well-written stories, its challenging puzzles, and its multiple endings. The games have been praised for their ability to make players think about the nature of good and evil, the importance of cooperation, and the search for meaning in life.

The Zero Escape trilogy has been a critical and commercial success. The games have sold over 1 million copies worldwide and have been translated into multiple languages. The games have also been adapted into a manga series and a novel.

Conclusion

Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is a gripping visual novel with a complex and well-written story, challenging puzzles, and multiple endings. The game is a must-play for fans of visual novels and murder mysteries.