In an update on the game’s official website, Aksys Games have posted an interview that they held with the director of Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward, Kotaro Uchikoshi. The game is the sequel to 2010’s acclaimed Nintendo DS game, 9 Persons, 9 Hours, 9 Doors, and will be released for both the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. Uchikoshi spoke out about working on the game, as well as the worldwide response to it. You can read the full interview on the website, but a few of the things that he had to say were particularly interesting. Contrary to what you’d expect, the game has actually received the most attention from western gamers, rather than Japanese ones:

…before the release of the Japanese version of Virtue‘s Last Reward, we released our PV [Promotional Video] and OP videos on YouTube. Most of the comments we received on them were in English. We analyzed the access logs, and a mere 30% of visitors were from Japan. The remaining 70% were from the English-speaking countries. In the Japanese game industry, it is extremely rare for such things to happen—especially before a game is even localized. This made us realize that 999 was a work that was loved not only in the US, but all over the world.

He also talked about the game’s theory, which is a big part of the complex narrative that it features:

To the best of my knowledge, though, there’s no accidental intervention in game theory, which is—to me—the most charming thing about it. With roulette, or dice, or shuffled cards, the outcome is just probability. The fun in this theory comes from the logical prediction of an individual saying, “I think the other person is going to take this type of action so I’ll do this.” But at the same time, humans don’t always make logical and rational decisions, and if everyone aims for their personal gain and makes a rational decision based on that, not only will it cause a disadvantage for the group, it’ll also cause a disadvantage for them personally. This title depicts that dilemma, which is what I think is particularly interesting.

The game is a rare example of a Japanese visual novel game receiving an English localisation. Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward will be released in the US next month, and will be published locally by Rising Star Games for both handhelds in November.

For now, you can view Aksys Games’ teaser trailer for the game below:

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