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9/08/2018

Zero Time Dilemma Part 1

The final part of the Zero Escape trilogy begins!

Watch Highlight: Zero Time Dilemma from spoonshiro on www.twitch.tv

Unanswered Questions

  • Who is the current Zero?
  • We know who Junpei, Akane, Sigma and Phi are from previous games, and Diana is presumably linked to Luna from ZTD.  But who are the other four, and is there some deeper reason for their appearances in DCOM?
  • What is Reverie Syndrome, and why does Carlos know about it?
  • Three phrases appear in graffiti on the walls: "Let the game end where I treat two", "Let's inhibit the virus" and "When a curious hate oozes calamity".  Phi presumes that the one team D sees is an anagram, but what do any of them mean?
  • The Force Quit box says "something" will be stopped, but what exactly will?
  • Why is Team D's Force Quit box so much heavier than Team Q's?
  • What is Diana's "other reason" for joining DCOM?
  • How does Q know so much about the Heart Ripper and their victims, especially when he cannot seem to remember who he is or why he is in the game?
  • Q is stuck with a helmet he cannot seem to remove.  Said helmet seems to have a keypad built into it.  What is the purpose of this helmet?
    Real life references/myths
    • Junpei's line about "the One fighting against the computer AI" is a reference to The Matrix and its sequels.
    • The Monty Hall Problem is a brain teaser, popularly associated with the game show Let's Make a Deal and bearing the namesake of its long-time host, Monty Hall.  As in the actual problem, it is to the player's benefit to switch their choice.
    Path Summary (First decision - Sun Ending)
    • Zero confronts the group, explains the premise of his game and what is at stake, and then tosses a coin - one side red, one side blue.  Carlos is told to pick which side it landed on.
    • Carlos picks Red, and sure enough, the coin is red.  All nine participants are drugged and awake outside with no memory of what transpired.
    • SUN ENDING UNLOCKED
    Path Summary (Opening Vote - Split)
    • Carlos picks Blue, but the coin landed red side up.  As a result, the three teams are placed into the game with memories erased and are told they cannot leave until at least six of them are dead.
    • Zero appears to the group as they awake and makes it clear that his message is pre-recorded, causing Phi to ponder two possibilities - either Zero is already dead, or he is one of the nine players in the game.  They are all told that all three teams must vote for another team, and a team that receives two votes will die.  Not voting is not an option either, as failing to vote will cause a team to be immediately executed.   As a result of this, Team C devises a plan to split the votes so that nobody will die.
    • The gambit is successful and all three teams survive.  As a reward for following instructions, Zero does not erase their memories.  The next round of the game begins...
    Path Summary ("Monty Hall")
    • After completing their puzzle, the room begins to flood with carbon dioxide.  Carlos, Akane and Junpei are confronted with a choice of ten lockers, only one of which contains a gas mask that will save one of them.  They pick one and eight open, leaving only two possibilities.
    • Carlos chooses the right locker, revealing the mask.  He and Junpei quickly discover that it can only save one of them, and they agree to save Akane.
    • Akane is next seen at the exit, showing that only she, Diana and Sigma are still alive.  Their fate is unknown as she steps through.
    • TO BE CONTINUED...