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Release Date And Other Details For Zero Time Dilemma Revealed
During a GDC press session, Aksys Games unveiled a number of details about the upcoming third game in the Zero Escape series. The biggest bit of news is that the game now has a release date: June 28 for PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS in the US and Europe. The game will be released in Japan on June 30.
Aksys dropped a number of other tidbits that fans of the series will likely find interesting:
- Zero Time Dilemma will be coming to Steam. There is no release date yet for this version.
- When asked whether or not the two previous entries (999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and Virtue's Last Reward) would be coming to Steam as well, Aksys Sales and Marketing Manager Daniel Miscevich said the company didn't know the answer to that question.
- Though this is the third game in the series, it's sandwiched between 999 and VLR chronologically.
- Characters from both VLR and 999 will appear in Zero Time Dilemma.
- The text-heavy visual novel portions of the previous games will not be in Zero Time Dilemma. Instead, cinematic sequences will replace them.
- Zero Time Dilemma is intended to be plot-independent of the other two games so that newcomers to the series will be able to jump in with this installment. However, the game will answer fans' questions about events in 999 and VLR.
- The player will sometimes be able to switch between characters who are trying to escape the same situation to make them work together.
- Players will be able to play the game out of order if they so choose.
- The game will have scenarios with randomized outcomes. During our demo, one sequence was centered around a revolver with three real bullets and three blanks being held to a character's head. The first outcome was a blank being fired. When the sequence was reloaded, this time a bullet fired, killing him.
- The US will be receiving a physical and digital release. Europe will only receive a digital one.
- Zero Time Dilemma will be the final installment in the Zero Escape trilogy.
You can find our review for the previous installment, Virtue's Last Reward, here. Editor Kim Wallace gave it an 8.75 and wrote that "Virtue’s Last Reward kept me addicted, challenged, and constantly guessing."
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