Zero Escape: The Nonary Games (2017)

Developer: Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Adventure
Rating: 4.7 of 5, 7,251 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 35 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A tense, puzzle-driven escape room thriller where narrative twists and character distrust build a slow-burning psychological dread.

tensemysteriousatmosphericpuzzle-heavystory-richpsychological horrorsuspensefuldifficult

What players say

Players praise the story twists and character focus across both games, but split on Virtue's Last Reward: some find it too convoluted and slow-paced compared to the tighter first game. The puzzles are forgiving for newcomers, though the flow system and occasional PC crashes frustrate some.

Screenshots

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games screenshot 1

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games screenshot 2

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games screenshot 3

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games screenshot 4

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games screenshot 5

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More by Spike Chunsoft

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.