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Will you ally … or betray? The choice is your’s in Virtue’s Last Reward for the PlayStation Vita.
Virtue’s Last Reward, the sequel to the cult import-only DS game 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, is a the sort of game you don’t see very often in the West. Visual Novels are a genre that has mostly been confined to Japan, but Virtue’s Last Reward shows that intricate stories such as its own should be enjoyed by all.
You take the role of Sigma, a young man who wakes up to find himself stuck in a small room, with a mysterious girl being its only other inhabitant. He will soon find that he is far from home and has been forced to play a dangerous game; the Nonary Game. Along with eight others, he must find a way out of the complex he is imprisoned in, all while figuring out who is behind it all.
To find the password, and in turn the key, you have to solve a number of different puzzles throughout each room. This is usually done by finding items or hints, then using what you have found to complete different minigames. Some minigames use the Vita’s gyroscope, usually to slide boxed around. Thankfully you are able to use the D-pad for these which ends up being a lot faster.
While each safe contains a key along with story related items, there is also another compartment that you can unlock by finding a second password. This usually requires you to complete harder puzzles without hints from the game. These extra puzzles allow you to unlock files, which flesh out the story further. With the reward for completing each room being more of the game’s amazing story, you will want to persevere even when some of the later puzzles feel like you can’t complete them.
While Virtue’s Last Reward’s story and gameplay are refreshing, there are some problems which stop the game from reaching even greater heights. One of the most notable is the omission of English voiceovers in the PAL version of the game. While this is understandable (licencing two sets of voiceovers would be expensive), it still feels like we’re missing out, especially with a game that is comprised of mostly dialogue. Thankfully, the localisation is top notch and helps to convey the characteristics and mannerisms of each character, but the lack of English voices is still a feature that will be missed.
Another disappointing part of Virtue’s Last Reward is the graphics. While the characters models look decent, they don’t look as nice as the 2D character portraits from the previous game. The 3D does allow for some smoother animations though, and 2D artwork is still used occasionally. Most of the environments also look pretty samey and bland, with only a few of them being visually interested. While this doesn’t matter too much since you’ll usually be focussed on the current story or puzzles, it would have been nice if there was more variety between areas.
With challenging puzzles and a gripping story, Virtue’s Last Reward is a game we recommend that any Vita or 3DS owners should buy. The game is surprisingly lengthy, with it taking around 30 hours to complete everything, and the ending is mind-blowing. Best of all, you don’t need to have played 999 to understand everything, with most of the important events of the previous games being explained to you throughout the story. This is definitely a game not to be missed, and I for one can’t wait for the next game to be released.
it/olp
We captured all screenshots from our PS Vita review version.
Genre: Visual Novel
System: PSVita, 3DS
Version tested: PSVita
Price: 29 GBP /40 US-Dollar / 28 Euro (Retail: UK/US/DE – similiar prices in PSN and eShop)
Developer: Chunsoft
Publisher: Rising Star Games
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