The Dangerous Nature of Hype

About three and a half years ago in November of 2011, my husband (boyfriend at the time) heard about a game that sounded right up my alley. It was a cult classic visual novel on DS with fairly intricate puzzles and a complex logic-driven story by the name of 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors (a.k.a. 999).

When I read the basic premise behind the game, I was already hooked. Yet a brief glimpse of what I was getting into did nothing to prepare me for the twists and turns of 999. It was a masterpiece of storytelling that fit perfectly into the visual novel genre of gaming. No other medium—be it film, novel, comic, or television—could do justice to this fantastically haunting tale. I loved every second of it. Gripped by the game’s intensity, I couldn't put it down and ended up pushing through every wonderful, suspenseful moment within a week.

If you've played 999, you'll see it.

The conclusion of 999 was so imaginative that I had to share with someone. My poor future husband claimed he would never play it and therefore let me spoil the entire thing for him as I retold each incredible scene. I spilled my guts for an hour or two while traveling from city to city. He patiently listened while probably thinking I was an overly excited weirdo. I guess that’s not a new development in our lives, but I do count myself lucky he still proposed a couple years later.

So you can imagine my joy at the news that there was a sequel to 999 inbound and scheduled to release on the 3DS a few short months later (February 2012). Out of the blue I was going to receive a second masterpiece! This one was entitled “Virtue’s Last Reward”. Thankfully, the second entry in the now-labeled “Zero Escape” franchise did not disappoint. Ponderings of quantum physics, psychology, mathematics, and moral dilemmas enhanced an already excellent puzzle game. I felt adequately challenged from the experience and enjoyed the story it shared.

The only problem laid in the incomplete nature of the game. Its finale left me with several unanswered questions and a lack of closure. I knew at once this was a setup for an epic trilogy, and I knew I would have to wait impatiently for the next entry.

Except the third game was nowhere in sight. It was revealed on February 13, 2014 that (unfortunately) the games were financially unsuccessful in Japan and that the western market being in the black had little weight in determining Zero Escape 3’s fate. Uchikoshi, the game's creator, connected to his western audience via Twitter and explained that while he wanted nothing more than to create the game we all wanted, it was not in the cards. Heartwarmingly, he explained, “I believe there is still hope. ZE3 will definitely be released somehow, someday!” and added “I will continue to seek a way out,” referencing the catchphrase associated with his own escape puzzles.

Zero Escape 3 is still in the box.

But as time went on, the eventual creation of the game seemed to become less and less possible until fans (myself included) lost hope completely. It was a long and painful process, but I finally decided to let Zero Escape go and accept the cliffhangers that plagued the second title in the series. I turned to other games with similar tones and stories like Danganronpa and adventure games by Telltale. I tried to forget the painful lack of Zero Escape 3.

You might see me cry. Maybe.

Interestingly, Aksys Games Localization, Inc. began a teaser site (http://4infinity.co) in mid-March this year that changed everything. It began with just a counter set to “0303”. Now I understand it is unheard of for a localization team to announce anything. It’s crazy. I get it. But because of the obvious connection to Zero [Escape] 3, the small community of fans suddenly grew restless and started a conversation everyone had put to bed over a year ago when they originally lost hope. I saw hundreds of posts on forums that verbalized how I felt: a very earnest yet reluctant response, almost dissociative in nature. Excitement, yet distrust. Intense loyalty for Uchikoshi, yet a severe disillusionment regarding the profit-driven video game industry.

A screenshot of the original counter on Aksys's 4infinity.co website

I personally felt so torn seeing the teaser site that I couldn’t contain it. Like a teenage girl that had been hurt too many times, I wasn’t sure I was ready to be vulnerable again. But if this was real... if this was what I desperately hoped it was… If, if, if. For a long time, I adopted the “I’ll believe it when I see it” shield and crouched behind it, terrified of getting my hopes up only to have them come crashing back down yet again. But as time has gone on and clues have been exposed, I have slowly opened up to the hype.

So here I am, a good three-ish months from the teaser countdown being finished (if our calculations are correct), and I have allowed myself to get excited. I hate that I have, because I will be crushed if this isn’t real. It is the game I most want to see right now, even above Kingdom Hearts 3, Uncharted 4, Fire Emblem: If, Persona 5… I even want this more than a prequel to The Last of Us set between the first and second chapters!

Sidebar to Naughty Dog (because I’m sure they totally read this blog): Just contact me. I’ll fill you in on all my great ideas for your fungal apocalypse universe.

So that’s that. There is hype. I am letting myself succumb to it. I am vulnerable and hopeful, and it's scary.