I've been waiting for this. In my games of 2012 post a while back I mentioned a little title then known as Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die, the sequel to the wonderful (and mind-screwy) 999: Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors.

Today, Aksys formally announced GPD'll be coming to America under the title Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, with 999 to now be considered part of the Zero Escape series.

For those not in the know, both games focus on a group of 9 people trapped in a sealed location (a sinking ship in 999, a locked-down warehouse and laboratory in VLR) and forced to play a life-or-death game, the Nonary Game. In 999, each player is assigned a number via a bangle strapped to their wrist, and must create groups whose digital roots are the numbers painted on the locked doors before them. Break the rules, and a bomb implanted in the player goes off.

VLR instead opts for a version of the prisoner's dilemma; each player has a certain number of "bangle points", visible on their bangle; players who reach 9 or above can open the '9' door and escape. Each round of the game sees three groups of three form (in one pair and one solo player); at the end of each section of the warehouse, sides can choose to betray their partners or cooperate. Betrayal by both sides nets nothing for anyone; cooperation by both grants everyone two points; one cooperation and one betrayal nets the traitor(s) 3 and penalizes the betrayed 2. Drop to 0 points, and your bangle injects you with a lethal poison.

...And between making the life-or-death choices of who to group with or who to betray, there's some very fun escape-the-room gameplay going on. Good stuff.

Anyways, to celebrate, I've changed my sig banner to one of Phi and Sigma, the protagonists of VLR. If I get time I might make a rotating banner with the VLR cast, but that's a pretty big if. I highly recommend 999 if you can find it (though, fair warning, it's rated M for a reason.)