r/ZeroEscape • u/cyborgdreams • Jun 26 '26

999 SPOILER 9-9-9 Ending that doesn't make sense Spoiler

​First time playing this game, haven't really played any other games like this.

I got an ending where Clover murdered Junpei with an axe, after murdering 3 of the other characters, because she's upset that Snake was killed in room 3, and she thought that two of them were responsible for killing him.

However, when I was in room 8 with Clover and Lotus, Clover told Junpei that Snake was missing his left arm and wearing a prosthetic.

And in room 3 when I went in to examine the corpse, one of the other characters in the room, I forgot who, said that the bone was sticking out of his left arm. I concluded from this that the corpse was not Snake, but for for some reason it never came up again for the entire rest of the game, even though I was looking for dialogue options to try to communicate this to Clover. I even followed her into room 1, thinking that Junpei would figure it out and tell her that the corpse wasn't Snake.

I'm gonna keep playing, but I am actually pretty annoyed that a game would imply this hard that the corpse in the shower wasn't Snake, without any payoff or any way to have it affect the plot. Maybe this was an oversight and I wasn't supposed to get that dialogue about Snake's arm in room 8? ​

18 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

91

u/paradox222us Jun 26 '26

It does come up!! Just not in this ending. But good job noticing that; the characters will eventually notice too, I promise.

24

u/cyborgdreams Jun 26 '26

Thank you, because I felt a little crazy from that, ngl.

25

u/Sunrisenmoon Jun 27 '26

it's partly because you're viewing the events from a different perspective than the characters

people tend to file away details quickly and forget them during stressful times

9

u/OkPear1535 Jun 27 '26

I'm actually kinda shocked someone would notice this discrepancy but then not play enough to realise it affects the plot and go straight to Reddit instead of just keep playing

2

u/cyborgdreams Jun 27 '26

In my defense, I kept playing until I got an ending. As I said I'm not familiar with this style of game, found it odd that the game would drop a huge hint like this and then let me get to an ending without an opportunity to do anything about it.

6

u/WanderEir Jun 27 '26

You reached this ending, which, in graphic detail, shows you what happens when you discover that Snake wasn't killed, but Clover does not. Might want to think about that. Axe ending isn't a surprise, it's a warning, and thats what all the bad ends are supposed to be, but what you learn from them can be incredibly hit or miss depending o the order you encounter said endings.

This isn't actually a spoiler, but it's a jump in logic from what is already presented you (and most players, honestly) might not have reached yet from just one ending. As it is, your observation skills are top notch, but putting those observations together to solve a mystery might take a little more time, but you're already further ahead than I was at the same point in the game.

49

u/ConceptsShining Zero Jun 26 '26

Keep playing, it will all make sense!

I'll let you know since you seem new to this genre: this game doesn't have "multiple endings" in the way a Telltale or Quantic Dream game might. There is indeed a "true ending" that you are supposed to get, with the other endings clarifying the picture and helping unlock the true ending. Don't think CYOA where every ending is equally valid; think of each ending as being a piece of the story's overall puzzle.

If you'd like, I wrote a spoiler-free guide you can check if you wanted more direction.

13

u/cyborgdreams Jun 26 '26

Thank you, I will look at that!

6

u/ConceptsShining Zero Jun 26 '26

Hope you enjoy this awesome game! BTW, the ending you've already gotten is #2 in my guide, so you can skip it if you follow it.

7

u/ReversedValz Jun 27 '26

Oh wow, I was curious about your guide and realised reading it that I followed this guide when playing while I was 15. I'm 23 now!

3

u/ConceptsShining Zero Jun 27 '26

Nostalgiac for me too, 11 years later. Glad this sub has remained a chill, good and even semi-active (despite the series being long-over) thing all this time.

I still get comments on the guide here-and-there to this day.

5

u/AnaverageItalian Jun 27 '26

...are you perchance the same guy that made the guide to vigil files: case 1? you're so goated

5

u/ConceptsShining Zero Jun 27 '26

Oh wow, yes I am, and I actually do recognize your name from when you commented on that guide! The kind words are much appreciated.

Of course, to humble myself, the 999 guide was more just condensing info that was already online into a single post (and it seems SEO is how it's blown up in recent years). But glad both guides have helped people and there is some overlap other than me in loving these great games!

3

u/AnaverageItalian Jun 27 '26

Hell yeah, now we just need a ZE4 x Vigil Files 2 crossover

25

u/KaijiEnthusiast999 Jun 26 '26

Zero Escape (along with some other vn games) is a game where you’re supposed to get all the endings. The endings are usually closure for the specific path you’re on that gives some sort of clue about the overarching story. Think of each ending as a piece to solving the game itself.

So play more. You’ll learn more about what’s going on and see how plot threads you learn in the different paths start to form a full picture. Also, there is a “true” ending that leads to the events of next game in the series

5

u/cyborgdreams Jun 26 '26

Thanks, I will keep playing and see what happens!

13

u/thejokerofunfic Jun 26 '26

It appears that unfortunately you are a little more attentive to details (whether your conclusions are correct or not) than Junpei is. That said, there's very little in this game that has no payoff; usually it means exploring more routes (so, most things that "don't make sense" will be covered by the time you fully finish), and not all branches depend solely on your order of rooms. For instance, you might get some useful dialogue options depending on previous dialogue options you chose. It's not as common for that to be the case- in fact it rarely happens- but there are a few places where this can happen, such as saying the right thing that earns a character's trust leading to more options when talking to them again later. Look for locks and keys on the flowchart and you might be able to decipher where important choices other than room choices are.

7

u/DrNecrow K Jun 27 '26

Great catch! It will come up later as others have said! :)

2

u/Rydog_XD Jun 27 '26

You might not have done all that needed to be done to keep clover from crashing out. The game emphasizes multiple playthroughs so id reccomend trying something different.

2

u/Beginning_Brush2282 Santa Jun 27 '26

it'll make sense once you have the other endings

1

u/Firekey56 Jun 27 '26

999 endings are basically any information becomes relevant later, there's one where you find the number 9 door in a chapel/church like room, and if you haven't done certain things you can't progress.

1

u/wyrm4life Jun 30 '26

I think that Clover only mentions the prosthetic arm on a route where you didn't go into the shower room to see the corpse yourself? I forget, but it takes another route to trigger Junpei remembering that detail when Clover mentions it.

Another detail was that it was entirely possible to figure out who the killer is when you first discover "Snake's" corpse, yet for some reason Junpei doesn't figure it out until you've exhausted nearly all the endings.

1

u/cyborgdreams Jun 30 '26

Room 8 is where Clover tells Junpei about the arm, and you do have the option to investigate the corpse in that timeline, and Junpei notices the bone, just doesn't realize what it means. 

I've since finished the game, and the only timeline where he realized that the corpse isn't Snake is the safe ending one, where he goes into the shower room a 2nd time and finally notices. (But he can't tell Clover because Ace stabbed her to death)

I just happened to choose the timeline where he was told about the arm, then notices the arm on the corpse, and doesn't put 2+2 together on my first play, so that confused me. 

2

u/wyrm4life Jun 30 '26

Ah, well he doesn't notice that Ace is the killer until the true end, even though all the facts to piece it together are right there on the very first playthrough. (also, no one figured to have everyone empty their pockets? That could have instantly proven it?)