This was one I really had to digest for a while after beating it. This is maybe the most exhausting game I have ever played and thought about. There is so much info, so much sci-fi nonsense, so many twists, that after playing I didn't think I liked it very much. Now that it has sat with me, I have an unbelievable amount of respect for this game, and all the crazy ideas it had, even if there are plenty of plot holes and weak justifications. This game makes 999 seem like a grounded, realistic story

Started on the 3DS but had to switch to the Vita version because I ran into the legendary game-breaking bug. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I didn't like this game nearly as much as its predecessor. It started off really strong, I liked the initial situation, the characters, the voice acting. I was also very impressed by the puzzle rooms. Unfortunately, the story became a bit too wild and nonsensical for me towards the end. In 999, I had the feeling that I could enjoy the story because it didn't get too stupid. There was a "supernatural" element there too, but I could accept that more than here. Unfortunately, this game got very, very stupid in the last third :D That's a shame, I had high expectations for the game because I liked the predecessor so much.

Virtue's Last Reward é piiiiica. Em termos de história, ele compensa a falta de um plot twist tão maneiro quando a do 999 no DS com vários plot twists que não são tão fora da caixa como o do 999, mas que ainda assim geram muita surpresa. Novamente comparando com o 999, os puzzles não são taaao legais assim. Se baseiam muito em ficar olhando e tentando memorias os arquivos e aplicar eles no puzzle em si. E o final é meio longo demais e o final final final mesmo achei meio anticlimático, ainda mais novamente comparado a delicia que é o final do 999.
No fim das contas o Virtue's Last Reward ainda vive muito na sombra do original, mas a grande escala da historia e os novos plot twists sustentam muito bem

y'know, i really liked this game. i had a good time playing through all the different routes, getting to the different endings, and even had a pretty good time with most of the puzzles. i can't really think of a better way to adapt the prisoners dilemma to a videogame form. all your choices really do feel like you're making significant decisions. the ultimate conclusion of the game was insane, but enjoyable. it does make sense, even if it took me a while to understand what the fuck was happening.

the 3D models in this one are 'fine' at best. early into playing, i found them to be incredibly distracting, and the closeup prerendered shots of the 3D characters interacting just look plain,,, bad, at least on the original 3DS version. the game environments are 3D, but honestly i think it woulda been way better if they had kept the same 2D art style that 999 had that makes its character designs feel so charming. there's little usage out of the advantages of having 3D character models, outside from extremely scarce fully animated 3D segments that are never more than a few seconds long. the style of the models just feels off and as if everyone's made of plastic, and lacking in a good visual style like other 3D VN characters, such as the 3DS installments of ace attorney.

the characters and voice acting were also mostly just,,, fine. overtime, i grew to like some of the characters at least some amount, but this cast isn't all that great compared to its predecessor. there's some nice moments of interactions, and i like the most important characters to the story, but some things really bother me. there's several jokes from our main character that are just blatant sexual harassment that feel incredibly out of character, like as if they were just put in the game as a joke, but i didn't find them funny and was instead just really uncomfortable every time they came up. the voice acting ranges from actively improving the experience, usually in more unique important moments, to feeling weirdly stilted and awkward. actually listening to the way some of these characters sound in the English voice acting made me feel like "whuh" sometimes.

overall, i think i definitely still liked 999 more. 999 felt like a much more emotional experience, especially with its conclusion, that makes it feel like a much more special story to me. i think this story is cool too, no doubt, but it doesn't carry that same charge that 999 did when it had me sobbing constantly in its final act. there's so much in this game conceptually and plotwise that it does feel a little bloated at times, and i wonder if some elements could have been removed to make the rest even stronger. i will definitely be thinking about this game and its concepts for the few weeks. excited to play ZTD even if it doesn't seem like it's anywhere near on the same level as 999 and VLR.