The Discussion Thread -Day #41- The 15th Annual Greatest Games Event

[Salnax]

49. Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (PC)

Visual Novels are a medium I've enjoyed, but I won't exactly be posting a lot of them in my Top 50, mostly because a lot of them barely qualify as games. However, Virtue's Last Reward manages to include enough gameplay in interesting ways that I have no hesitation about it qualifying for this Top 50.

The premise of Virtue's Last Reward is that a group of 9 characters are placed in a mysterious location and have to play a life-or-death game to escape. Progress is made by performing escape room challenges in a "point and click" style of gameplay as well as navigating the many twists and turns of the narrative. Overall, the story is a gripping tale with interesting characters that will require solving various brainteasers and spending many hours reading boxes of dialogue.

Spoiler!

What truly makes Virtue's Last Reward exceptional is how the game handles its multiple paths. In short, this game is one of many pieces of media to feature the concept of a multiverse. The difference is, instead of being the usual cheap storytelling gimmick, this multiverse is used to create challenges and puzzles that require jumping back and forth in time. The game's true finale will require players to hop forward and back in time and complete 20+ endings to collect every scrap of information needed to reach the credits.

Virtue's Last Reward is a strong visual novel from the get-go, but its the Spoilers that elevate it to greatness.