The next game from the writer of Zero Escape is coming out in ~2 weeks and there's barely any buzz

[Kolx]

AI: The Somnium Files is coming out on Sep 17th in the west, and it seems no one is talking about the game.

What gives? Did ZTD really damage his reputation to the point where most of the fans don't get excited anymore? or is just a marketing issue (not like the previous games had that much of a marketing either)? it feels weird that this was just 4 years ago with a ton of hype on the old forum:



And now... nothing.

 

[Astarte]

VLR and ZTD came out, cementing his status as a hack that can write great unintentional comedy.

I'll still play it though.

 

[Rezsolution]

4 years ago...damn. I'm gonna wait for reviews. I was one of the few that liked ZTD despite it's err....issues. Was that Punchline game any use?

 

[Kalor]

ZTD definitely killed some interest or made it a "wait and see" purchase but the lack of marketing is probably the main issue. It'd be pretty easy for it to fly under people's radar.

Personally I'm really looking forward to it as everything they've shown or talked about have been interesting.

 

[Pedro]

What gives? Did ZTD really damage his reputation to the point where most of the fans don't get excited anymore? or is just a marketing issue (not like the previous games had that much of a marketing either)? it feels weird that this was just 4 years ago with a ton of hype on the old forum:

Click to shrink...

Little of column A, little of column B. I'll wait for opinions on it and maybe pick it up, but yeah ZTD made me lose a good deal of interest in his projects.

 

[Joqu]

ZTD is what killed any hype as far as I'm concerned. But I'm willing to check it out if impressions are great.

 

[DarkChronic]

I didn't hate ZTD as much as some folks (but I do agree the ending was really shoddy for a series wrap up).

I'm really excited for this one. I love those Zero Escape games so damn much. Don't know if they'll ever match the brilliance of the first game's ending.

 

[Sandfox]

The marketing for this game has been poor and some of the people who do know about it lost interesting in Uchikoshi after ZTD. The Zero Escape series also wasn't really all that big in the first place for there to be a crazy amount of hype.

They used a virtual idol to market this game in the west, which makes no sense.

 

[ara]

The gameplay parts haven't looked that great to me and ZTD was what it was, so I'm taking a wait-and-see approach. But I fucking looove Ever17, Remember11, 999 and VLR, so I can only hope this is a return to form for Uchikoshi.

 

[eXistor]

Very much looking forward to it, I really liked Punchline too and even ZTD with all its issues.

 

[Auberji]

The zero escape games were for a relatively small audience too and didn't get that much coverage bar bluebird so seems about right to me?

 

[ChaosSmurf]

Extremely excited for it myself, but I don't particularly want to discuss it on a forum where people have decided ZTD is bad (for reasons I've never really understood - it's one of my favourite games of all time)

EDIT: and VLR as well apparently?????

EDIT EDIT: also re: marketing there was a video a week for months, they've been at multiple events, and there's a livestream today, idk what more y'all want, especially from a Japanese publisher.

 

[Korigama]

AI: The Somnium Files is coming out on Sep 17th in the west, and it seems no one is talking about the game.

What gives? Did ZTD really damage his reputation to the point where most of the fans don't get excited anymore?

Click to shrink...

Yes.

Personally, my patience was already low after VLR, ZTD only solidified my belief that Zero Escape should've begun and ended with 999. Uchikoshi had no plans for a story spanning a trilogy, and it showed.

 

[Foxnull]

VLR and ZTD killed all hype I may have had left for the guy. He struck gold with Ever17 and 999, but I guess that's in the past.

 

[Snowfruit]

The marketing has been pretty sparse, I forget the game exists sometimes.
I bought ZTD blind because I had faith in it after the previous 2 Zero Escape games being great, that was a mistake so I'm waiting for impressions on this one.

Also September is just crowded as hell.

 

[DreamsthatFade]

I tried Punchline and thought it was completely awful. I'll play AI and have it preordered, but I dont really have any hype for it.

 

[IceBear]

His ZTD made me never want to touch visual novels, especially japanese ones, ever again.

 

[Mass_Pincup]

I'll probably get it at some point but not Day one like I did for ZTD.

That might be my worst ever let down.

 

[iag]

Still have to play ZTD. Bought on last steam sale but no time for it, yet.

 

[N64Controller]

Zero Time Dilemma disappointed me a lot, but I'm still a fan of the series overall. Didn't even know this was coming. Wow.

 

[hat_hair]

4 years ago...damn. I'm gonna wait for reviews. I was one of the few that liked ZTD despite it's err....issues. Was that Punchline game any use?

Click to shrink...

Punchline was a fun anime but a terrible game. Don't play it.

 

[atomsk]

I've got it preordered, but I've purposely kept myself in the dark on any details about it.

 

[Tom_Cody]

I have Somnium Files preordered and I'm definitely looking forward to it, but I'm not insanely "hyped" for it for a few reasons.

I loved the Zero Escape series, but this is something different and I haven't been quite able to wrap my head around it yet.

To complicate things, there is A LOT of promotion, but I'm torn over whether I should dive in or whether I should stay away to keep everything related to the game fresh for when I play it. If anyone has opinions about this I would love to hear them.

And finally, there are just a lot of other good games stealing my attention right now. I'm playing Fire Emblem (with a little Smash on the side) and I can't wait to play Dragon Quest when that comes out.

 

[Rodento]

It's a niche title with modest marketing, is normal.

I'm in day one, never got the incredible negativity towards ZTD around here even with its flaws, but I don't think people that like his games and this type of titles is gonna pass because of it.

 

[Nanika]

I wasn't even aware of it. But like some other here this time I'll wait for review, I'm already quite busy anyway.

ZTD certainly was a disappointment after VLR, with the main twist being a massive finger and the lack of a satisfying conclusion. Yet it also had a few very powerful scenes.

 

[Herb Alpert]

Don't Care about the buzz, I'm just waiting for the release to buy it without thinking

 

[Korigama]

His ZTD made me never want to touch visual novels, especially japanese ones, ever again.

Click to shrink...

Root Double wound up being more along the lines of what I had been looking for after being disappointed with VLR and ZTD, even coming from the same director as Ever17. The Enneagram system for getting additional paths/endings could be annoying without a guide, though.

 

[Rodento]

Edit: Ops, double post

 

[darkness]

I'm gonna guess lack of marketing. I loved 999 and VLR yet I had no idea this was coming out so soon.

 

[Rosebud]

I'm hyped

 

[Jaysc]

I'm hyped for this game even though I never finished zero escape series. Mystery games are the best.

 

[ZeroX]

I mean Zero Escape wasn't exactly a big series, it just went from a small but vocal fanbase to just a small fanbase.

How was AI received in Japan / by importers? e: Oh it's not out yet! Yeah we'll see how reviews fare.

 

[Deleted member 2180]

ZTD was such a massive disappointment, yet here I am hyped for this game.

 

[Starlatine]

VLR is awful too now? I remembered the game being liked recently, what happened?

 

[Toño]

It's my Switch pick of September! And I didn't watched any trailer and only a handful of screen shots

 

[Twelvy]

I can't wait to play this. I'm still waiting for the reviews though.
This kind of game rarely has a big marketing. They made a lot of youtube videos, so I guess they are targeting the fans

 

[tommyv2]

As someone that adored ZTD, bring it on! Even if these games keep getting worse, they started at such a high bar that it'll be 10 games before I'm disappointed.

 

[Kemono]

I didn't even know it was his new game.

Awesome. Will buy for sure after i finish ZTD.

 

[ZeroDS]

I didn't even know it was his new game.

Awesome. Will buy for sure after i finish ZTD.

Click to shrink...

Famous last words!


Honestly it's a wait for reviews plus sales for me. ZTD burned me so much i can't buy anything from him on name alone anymore

 

[Brazil]

I already have it preordered, and I'm really looking forward to it.

I find no joy in discussing games like Uchikoshi's or Danganronpa on the internet. The hot takes are insurmountable.

 

[stone616]

It's is a niche title with modest marketing, is normal.

I'm in day one, never got the incredible negativity towards ZTD around here even with its flaws, but I don't think people that like his games and this type of titles is gonna pass because of it.

Click to shrink...

I didn't dislike ZTD. It was acceptable to me. I think hype killed it for others.

 

[mrmickfran]

I forgot it was coming out, tbh

Wtf is up the VLR hate in this thread?

 

[megalowho]

Marketing issue for me, was not aware. I'll play this for sure.

 

[Etrian Darkness]

It is coming out in September. Which also is a problem. The game is getting no push next to a mountain of other releases.

 

[Toño]

I already have it preordered, and I'm really looking forward to it.

I find no joy in discussing games like Uchikoshi's or Danganronpa on the internet. The hot takes are insurmountable.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I pre-ordered it without knowing anything. I can see me running the game the first time at the release, and being surprised that the game is a dancing game. But what dancing game could be!

 

[BearPawB]

I didn't know people didn't like ZTD?
I played it and enjoyed it as much as the others...what do people dislike about it?

 

[Zalman]

- Non-existent marketing
- Too many games coming out in September
- For me, personally, Zero Escape is far from my favorite in the genre

I'll probably give it a go at some point if word-of-mouth is good.

 

[Hamchan]

It's a visual novel with no marketing. Even the Zero Escape games, his most popular games in the West, weren't some amazing successes. If I recall the series was pretty much done after VLR due to lack of sales in Japan.

I wasn't the biggest fan of ZTD either but he gets a lot of faith from me for Ever 17, 999 and VLR being excellent. Looking forward to the game.

 

[Dead King]

His ZTD made me never want to touch visual novels, especially japanese ones, ever again.

Click to shrink...

His most "western" game made you not want to touch Japanese visual novels ever again?

 

[banter]

Lack of marketing, I didn't even know there was a new game from them coming and I have all of the Zero Escape games.