Zero Context

Content warning: Kamaitachi no Yoru contains scenes of blood, dismemberment, murder, suicide, and transmisogyny, which are discussed briefly in this episode. Axe and Nathalie take a break from Zero Escape for the holidays, having scored an all-expenses-paid trip to a ski lodge from a mysterious and generous listener. The time off gives them a chance to finally play the seminal sound novel, Kamaitachi no Yoru (Chunsoft, 1994) AKA Night of the Sickle Weasel, but unfortunately, the game becomes all too real as bodies start to pile up with the ceaseless snow. As frenzied accusations threaten to lock up our hosts for good, they search for a branch of the flow chart which will get them out of this nightmare… This episode covers- Kamaitachi no Yoru: Rinne Saisei (Chunsoft, 1994) AKA Night of the Sickle Weasel or Banshee’s Last Cry. Next time on Zero Context- Choose [C Team] -> Play the [Akane in front of Roman numerals] fragment -> Play all outcomes- Choose [Q Team] -> Play the [team standing by a sink on broken glass] fragment -> Play all outcomes- Choose [D Team] -> Play the [team looking at a blue button] fragment -> Play all outcomes Things Discussed- Otogirisō (Chunsoft, 1992)- The Portopia Serial Murder Case (Chunsoft, 1983)- HITME (xiri, 2021)- Sharin no Kuni: The Girl Among the Sunflowers (Akabeisoft2, 2005)- ryukishi07- Project Kamai translation group- Kamaitachi no Yoru’s storied history- Canada names- How to make better visual novels- Making Silent Hill f in OnScripter- Inventing visual novels to get your girlfriend into games- Getting porn for finishing the book- Never trying to solve the murder as a woman in a mystery novel- Uchikoshi’s GDC presentation talking about KNY’s influence on Virtue’s Last Reward- Not associating with Mikimoto- The Transmisogyny Route- The Chunsoft dungeons- 12 persons, 12 hours, 12 doors- Turning the game off from the inside- Amr Al-Aaser’s excellent canon fire essay on the game- Saying goodbye to Twitter Intro: “Amber Crescent Moon” by Kouta KatoOutro: “Wonderful Introduction Time” by Kouta Kato and Paul McCartney Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, keep up with them on Cohost @wingblade and @BOOitsnathalie, and follow the show page for exclusive memes and research notes. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com, and tell your mom about us.

Content warning: this episode briefly discusses suicide and child abuse In an eerily brief set of fragments, Axe and Nathalie must contend with poison capsules, rotating rooms, and a belligerent shotgun wielding Eric as they scramble towards a still ambiguous resolution. They scan some brains and swing some hammers before confronting a troubling child abuse backstory and its many unfortunate connotations. After the dust settles, Nathalie unveils a new set of 10 predictions that just might be her ticket our of this twisted game, and our hosts look forward to a holiday reprieve from Zero as they jump to a different game entirely. This episode covers the fragments- [C Team] -> Poison- [Q Team] -> Pop Off Next time on Zero Context- Kamaitachi no Yoru: Rinne Saisei (Chunsoft, 1994) AKA Night of the Sickle Weasel or Banshee’s Last Cry. Next next time on Zero Context- Choose [C Team] -> Play the [Akane in front of Roman numerals] fragment -> Play all outcomes- Choose [Q Team] -> Play the [team standing by a sink on broken glass] fragment -> Play all outcomes- Choose [D Team] -> Play the [team looking at a blue button] fragment -> Play all outcomes Things Discussed- Voice actor corner: Eric (JP: Akira Ishida; EN: Keith Silverstein)- The terrifying passage of time (happy one+ year to us)- How to pronounce Char Aznable- Fentanyl- #notmyculture- Professor Akane Layton- Eric gets the hammer power up- The children’s puzzle game Rush Hour- What’s Uchikoshi doing???- Assigned serial killer at birth- NScripter visual novels- Fantasian (Mistwalker, 2021) Intro: “Ustulate Pathos -Record-” by Shinji HosoeOutro: “Morphogenetic Sorrow” by Shinji Hosoe Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, keep up with them on Cohost @wingblade and @BOOitsnathalie, and follow the show page for exclusive memes and research notes. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com, and tell your mom about us.

Content warning: this episode briefly mentions alcoholism and suicidal ideation After escaping from a eerily familiar shower game, Axe and Nathalie stand before the exit ready to emerge into the humid Nevada air. Instead, they are treated to incoherent asides about alien mouths, tournament statistics, and the existential weight of many worlds. In another reality, they trudge through the worst rec room puzzle yet, bearing witness to a particularly pathetic and angry Junpei, who is just as confused about this new pacifist Akane. Just as the numbers align and freedom appears in sight, something grabs our podcasters and pulls them back in. The show’s not over yet. This episode covers the fragments- [D Team] -> First Come, First Save- [C Team] -> First Come, First Save- [C Team] -> Anthropic Principle Next time on Zero Context- Choose [C Team] -> Play the [team standing in front of a red poster] fragment -> Play all outcomes- Choose [Q Team] -> Play the [Eric staring at the camera next to someone in a tube] fragment -> Play all outcomes Things Discussed- Voice actor corner: Junpei (JP: Tatsuhisa Suzuki; EN: Evan Smith)- Mother (as in mommy)- Zero Reverse Theorem- Alien hand syndrome- Secret Agent Junpei- Carlos the gay sis-con American Hedgehog- Cat people brain worms- Getting owned by a dice puzzle, again- Divorce coded Akane- How cool the American flag is- Red River “admiring each other’s guns”- The anthropic principle- Existing in the universe God abandoned Intro: “Ustulate Pathos -Record-” by Shinji HosoeOutro: “Morphogenetic Sorrow” by Shinji Hosoe Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, keep up with them on Cohost @wingblade and @BOOitsnathalie, and follow the show page for exclusive memes and research notes. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com, and tell your mom about us.

Content warning: this episode discusses scenes involving characters melting and being burned alive, and a brief mention of suicide Awakening from an explosive nightmare, Axe and Nathalie are thrust into not one, not two, but three deadly decision games. First, they must choose whether to save themselves and doom the others to an acid grave. Then, they play a round of cosmic Russian roulette, potentially killing our favorite boy Sigma to save Phi from a familiar death by fire. In the timeline where they miraculously make it through, they are then suddenly poisoned and must decide if it’s possible to trust the antidote sent by supervillain girlboss Akane. Could she be behind Zero’s mask yet again? This episode covers the fragments- [Q Team] -> First Come, First Save- [D Team] -> Fire Next time on Zero Context- Choose [D Team] -> Play the [team looking at a yellow button] fragment -> Play both outcomes -> Play the unlocked fragment- Choose [C Team] -> Play the [team looking at a yellow button] fragment -> Play both outcomes -> Play the unlocked fragment- [BONUS FRAGMENT] Chose [C Team] -> Play the [team in a rec room] fragment -> Play all outcomes Things Discussed- Voice actor corner: Q (JP: Aki Toyosaki; EN: Jonquil Goode)- A callout post from Gab’s defense attorney- Oh no this game has themes- Inaction as a game mechanic- The Sleeping Beauty Paradox- Q getting arrested- Diana x Phi- Getting owned for not reading the puzzle instructions- Sigma turning a woman that hates him into a robot servant- The artbook prequel I forgot to link last time- Snail lore- Not trusting the process- Diana’s Joker face- Uchikoshi’s pony parade Intro: “Ustulate Pathos -Record-” by Shinji HosoeOutro: “Morphogenetic Sorrow” by Shinji Hosoe Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, and keep up with them on Twitter @wing_blade_ and @BOOitsnathalie. You can follow the show and get exclusive research notes on Cohost. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com, and tell your mom about us.

Content warning: this episode discusses scenes involving heavy blood and gore, and briefly touches on suicide. After a brief 90 minute absence, Axe and Nathalie return to Zero Time Dilemma ready to dive into the game’s first set of puzzles. Once again trapped in a pantry, Nathalie gets hung up on a sliding door diagram but eventually the pair unlocks the freezer and its gruesome rewards. Elsewhere, they fumble through yet another lesser library, unlocking a small arsenal in the process. Things quickly go south, however, when the duo comes face to face with an unexpected murderer… This episode covers- Repeating the [Vote] until each team has died once -> Playing the [Akane chainsaw] fragment -> Playing the [Q with a crossbow] fragment Next time on Zero Context- Choose [D Team] -> Play the [gun in front of Diana] fragment -> Play all described outcomes- Choose [Q Team] -> Play the [Q in front of a yellow button] fragment -> Play both outcomes -> Play the unlocked fragment Things Discussed- Voice actor corner: Carlos (JP: Tomokazu Sugita; EN: Andrew Bowen)- Cat ear headphones full of bombs- Metatext and meta-metatext- The iPod shuffle of inventory systems- Skeuomorphism, baby- Akane replacement theory- Akane. Wielding. A. Chainsaw.- Zero Escape movie fancast, Part 1- Fragmented fragment writing- Night of the Sickle Weasel (Chunsoft, 1994)- The US health care system being so bad you join a death game- Mira performing animal husbandry on her husband- Dreading this game having thoughts about gender- Blood Outfit cheat codes Intro: “Ustulate Pathos -Record-” by Shinji HosoeOutro: “Morphogenetic Sorrow” by Shinji Hosoe Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, and keep up with them on Twitter @wing_blade_ and @BOOitsnathalie. You can follow the show and get exclusive research notes on Cohost. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com, and tell your mom about us.

Returning after volunteering on a Mars colonization experiment, Axe and Nathalie are back in the Nevada desert for the third and final (?) Zero Escape game, Zero Time Dilemma (Chime, 2016). Immediately thrust into another death game, Axe digs into the tumultuous development process, Nathalie gets trapped in a coin toss timeloop, and they both delight in how outrageous an experience they’re already having. Too bad they won’t remember this… This episode covers- Starting Zero Time Dilemma -> [Losing] the coin flip -> Playing each team’s fragment -> Following the [Gab] vote Next time on Zero Context- Repeat the [Vote] until each team has died once -> Choose Team C -> Play the [Akane chainsaw] fragment -> Choose team Q -> Play the [boy with a shotgun] fragment Things Discussed- Zero Time Dilemma’s development and staff (read more about Operation Bluebird in this cohost)- How this season will be structured (I’m in control now)- Failing to read instructions- Being unable to remember this JPRG- The Snail of History- For Want of a Nail- Flow charts for the flow chart- Pivoting to being a Sam Barlow podcast- A bunker full of sickos- Hanging out at the cheese bar Intro: “Ustulate Pathos -Record-” by Shinji HosoeOutro: “Morphogenetic Sorrow” by Shinji Hosoe Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, and keep up with them on Twitter @wing_blade_ and @BOOitsnathalie. You can follow the show and get exclusive research notes on Cohost. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com, and tell your mom about us.

Content warning: suicide plays a central role in Virtue’s Last Reward and is discussed briefly in episode. After what feels like an eternity within the barren halls of Virtue’s Last Reward, Axe and Nathalie escape into a world they scarcely recognize. With little time to process what’s occur, they are funneled back into the facility where the facts of this diabolical game are finally disclosed. Is Akane as twisted as she seems? Who is the worst dad among us? Does anyone really care about being tortured for science? No? Sorry? Hey, put that knife awa— Next time on Zero Context- Start Zero Time Dilemma -> [Lose] the coin flip -> Play each team’s fragment -> Follow [Gab] vote -> Choose [C-Team] -> Choose fragment with [Akane holding a chainsaw] Things Discussed- Voice actor corner: Old Akane (JP: Yoshiko Sakakibara; EN: Cindy Robinson) and Young Akane (JP: Miyuki Sawashiro; Ali Hillis)- Post VLR syndrome- “The Video Game Endings We'll Never Forget, For Better Or Worse” by Kotaku Staff- Final Fantasy XIII game club- Opening the catbox again…and again…- Demanding more from branching narratives- Axe reaching through their notes app termite mound- Secret worst Cube sequel- Putting L in the Nonary Game- Supervillain girlboss Akane Kurashiki- How radical radical-6 is- Time travel paradoxes (I’m sorry)- “A Spoiler Filled Interview With Zero Time Dilemma’s Director” by Siliconera Staff (Note: it is in fact filled with ZTD spoilers)- Project Bluebird direct action- Maybe the last reward was the friends we made along the way- Prior predictions- Your questions answers Intro: “Virtue’s Last Reward ～Piano～” by Shinji HosoeOutro: “Demise” by Shinji Hosoe Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, and keep up with them on Twitter @wing_blade_ and @BOOitsnathalie. You can follow the show and get exclusive research notes on Cohost. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com.

Content warning: suicide plays a central role in Virtue’s Last Reward and is discussed briefly in episode. Returning to the director’s office, Axe and Nathalie use their months of nonary knowledge to finally hack into the lion computer, finding no puzzles and fewer answers. Unmoved by Phi’s pleas to take our BP and leave, we abandon her in the elevator for another date in the garden with Robo Luna. She clues us in on some mysterious plans within plans, murders she didn’t commit, and teaches us how to build a faraday cage before disintegrating in our arms. Surely, this was all for a good reason… Next time on Zero Context- Go back and complete any outstanding bad ends- Go back and get any missing gold files- Choose the [Red] door -> Vote [Betray] -> Choose the [Cyan] door -> Vote [Betray] -> Vote [Ally] and continue to the end of the game Things Discussed- Voice actor corner: Zero (JP: Akio Ōtsuka; EN: Jamieson Price)- Cube (Vincenzo Natali, 1997)- Lemnisca’s Ever17 Anniversary Interview with Uchikoshi & Nakazawa- Nintendo Power’s 999 interview with Uchikoshi- CORRECTIONS- Quark’s ending?- Supervillain girlboss Akane- Milk-E-Voli- Voight-Kampff tests- Surprise Zero III epilogue- Danganronpa: Zero Despair Girls- I, Robot (Isaac Asimov, 1950)- Seeing the termite mound (it’s YU-NO)- Virtue’s Last Reward oral history- WikiHow faraday cage- A death game for business majors- Questions for YOU Intro: “Virtue’s Last Reward ～Piano～” by Shinji HosoeOutro: “Demise” by Shinji Hosoe Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, and keep up with them on Twitter @wing_blade_ and @BOOitsnathalie. You can follow the show and get exclusive research notes on Cohost. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com.

Content warning: suicide plays a central role in Virtue’s Last Reward and is discussed briefly in episode. After a long sleep in the cryogenic pods, Axe and Nathalie are thrust back into Virtue’s Last Reward, the final end just out of reach. They fumble with dice in a neglected archive, spilling milk all over their hands, but manage to make it back to the garden with both arms attached. Alas, Luna crushes their robot dreams, revealing them to just be normal podcasters before everything explodes. Next time on Zero Context- Start at the [Yellow] door -> Vote [Ally] -> Choose the [Red] door -> Vote [Betray] for a game over -> Return and vote [Ally]- Start at the [Magenta] door -> Vote [Ally] -> Choose the [Green] door -> Vote [Ally] -> Enter the computer password -> Vote [Betray] for a game over -> Return and vote [Ally] Things Discussed- Voice actor corner: Zero (JP: Akio Ōtsuka; EN: Jamieson Price)- Special thanks to Vivian Lamb for her VLR flowchart- The Neverending Nonary Games- America’s favorite death game- Rock, paper, time travel- Being tortured by having to rotate a 3D die in my mind- Melting under the weight of false continuity- Losing Morphogenetic Jeopardy- We live in a videogame operator society- Missing two important things…- End of Evangelion (sigh)- The Blue Bird by Maurice Maeterlinck, for some reason- Things in my death game that just make sense- Tenmyouji’s flying Kamen Rider kick: [file missing]- Instagram Boomerang on my bomb poison watch- Two cyber arms full of cum Intro: “Virtue’s Last Reward ～Piano～” by Shinji HosoeOutro: “Demise” by Shinji Hosoe Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, and keep up with them on Twitter @wing_blade_ and @BOOitsnathalie. You can follow the show and get exclusive research notes on Cohost. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com.

Content warning: suicide plays a central role in Virtue’s Last Reward and is discussed briefly in episode. Jumping all the way back up the termite mound, Axe and Nathalie finally enter the cyan door, a choice they maybe should have made at the start. They learn about Schrodinger’s Cat, Erotic Units, Prime Decomposition, and several other Wikipedia pages while reveling in the impeccably designed garden puzzle. Unfortunately, they are once again betrayed and forced in the last act to contend with deflating 3D models and gender roles no amount of annihilation energy can destroy. Next time on Zero ContextChoose the [Cyan] door -> vote [Betray] -> Choose the [Green] door -> Vote [Betray] for a game over -> Return and vote [Ally] Things Discussed- Voice actor corner: Alice (JP: Atsuko Tanaka; EN: Peggy O'Neal)- I want fewer choices with worse consequences and I’m not kidding- Hashihime of the Old Book Town (ADELTA, 2016)- Schrodinger’s Cat- Easy mode for babies- Rhyzome-9 (the best one)- ALL-ICE- Dark (Baran bo Odar, 2017)- Primer (Shane Carruth, 2004)- Solving the prisoner’s dilemma with boss fights- Punch Line (MAGES, 2016)- The computer in your brain Intro: “Virtue’s Last Reward ～Piano～” by Shinji HosoeOutro: “Demise” by Shinji Hosoe Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, and keep up with them on Twitter @wing_blade_ and @BOOitsnathalie. You can follow the show and get exclusive research notes on Cohost. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com.

Content warning: suicide plays a central role in Virtue’s Last Reward and is discussed briefly in episode. After the last bewildering lock, Axe and Nathalie take the long way down to warehouse B and finally get some answers. They learn about inflation with Tenmyouji, fend of Clover’s advances, and come face-to-face with the termite architect himself, Zero. Unfortunately, not even root beer can lessen the sting of a friend’s betrayal… Next time on Zero ContextChoose the [Cyan] door -> vote [Ally] -> Vote [Ally] -> Vote [Betray] Things Discussed- Voice actor corner: Tenmyouji (JP: Rokuro Naya; EN: Dave B Mitchell)- Special thanks to Noire Blue for their well organized video walkthrough- Finally playing Survivor- Keeping promises- Saying Danganronpa three times in the mirror- HI-SEAS simulated moon colony mission- No. 1 Granpa Tenmyouji- Trapezoids from hell- Tenmyouji: Become Joel- Who needs a mom when you have root beer?! Intro: “Virtue’s Last Reward ～Piano～” by Shinji HosoeOutro: “Demise” by Shinji Hosoe Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, and keep up with them on Twitter @wing_blade_ and @BOOitsnathalie. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com.

Content warning: suicide plays a central role in Virtue’s Last Reward and is discussed briefly in episode. After a brief taste of freedom, Axe and Nathalie plunge back into Virtue’s Last Reward, running headfirst into a lock before much of anything happens. Desperate to move on and (hopefully) get some answers, they fumble through a poorly arranged lab, detail the mathematical effects of Radical-6, and once again wish better for Clover. Exhausted and possibly infected with anime sickness, they close out the episode struggling to think of any reason to put cults in videogames. Next time on Zero ContextChoose the [Yellow] door -> vote [Ally] -> Choose the [Blue] door -> Vote [Betray] for a game over -> Return to the AB game and vote [Ally] -> Vote [Betray] for a game over -> Return to the AB game and vote [Ally] Things Discussed- Voice actor corner: Quark (JP: Rie Kugimiya; EN: Erin Fitzgerald)- What route?- Daddy Sigma- Being bad at Survivor- The Mustache Laboratory- Not so rad Radical-6- Category:Video games about cults- Getting virtue pilled- Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001) Intro: “Virtue’s Last Reward ～Piano～” by Shinji HosoeOutro: “Demise” by Shinji Hosoe Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, and keep up with them on Twitter @wing_blade_ and @BOOitsnathalie. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com.

After weeks locked in the Virtue’s Last Reward lounge, Axe and Nathalie finally step through the 9 door, only to discover a barren desert awaiting them. With nowhere left to go, they ponder the broken logic of the prisoner’s dilemma, why they have all these gold files, and who gets to use the big rock. Before fully crumbling under the weight of so much cursed knowledge, they stumble upon a transmitter and receive a message from what remains of the outside world. Next time on Zero ContextReturn to the first [Yellow] door AB game and vote [Ally] -> Choose the [Red] door -> Vote [Betray] -> Return to the second AB game and vote [Ally] Things Discussed- Voice actor corner: Dio (JP: Yoshimasa Hosoya; EN: Liam O'Brien)- Destroying the prisoner’s dilemma with facts and time travel- Tracking Uchikoshi’s choice making- Eating three fish a day- Drinking acid water from the genocide facility- Math Blaster is a death game- Merriam-Webster’s Gold File Dictionary- I guess there’s cults now- Dio’s deflated possibility space- Digital root of the bomb code- A second, smaller nonary game- The sad shadow of 999- Addressing our listener’s burning questions Intro: “Virtue’s Last Reward ～Piano～” by Shinji HosoeOutro: “Demise” by Shinji Hosoe Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, and keep up with them on Twitter @wing_blade_ and @BOOitsnathalie. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com.

Content note: brief mention of incest in relation to YU-NO around 51:00 Axe and Nathalie groggily awake sometime after the start of Virtue’s Last Reward, only to discover they’ve been locked inside a cryogenic pod! Struggling against limited oxygen, they race through a blur of incomplete discoveries: Dio’s an imposter, K has daddy issues, and Sigma really needs to start writing things down. As the hallucinations set in, Nathalie discovers a set of additional rules that might just let her escape this twisted game if she can predict how it all ends. Voting closes in 3…2…1… Next time on Zero Context Begin at the first AB game and vote [Betray] -> Vote [Betray] -> Return to AB game 2 and vote [Ally] Things Discussed - Voice actor corner: K (JP: Daisuke Ono; EN: Travis Willingham) - Algebra darts - Zero the Third coin ride - Why is everyone so bad at Survivor? - Bad Bad Ends - Speculate about the mystery, just don’t try to solve it - Where’d the morphogenetic field go? - Death Game Journey of the Zoombinis - Eating lore bricks off the the Lost wiki buffet - Passing the Morphogenetic Field AP exam - Failing the Morphogenetic Field AP exam - VLR might be bad for podcasting - YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World (ELF Corporation, 1996) - Nathalie’s additional rules and predictions - Prisoner’s Dilemma Download Play Intro: “Virtue’s Last Reward ～Piano～” by Shinji Hosoe Outro: “Demise” by Shinji Hosoe Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, and keep up with them on Twitter @wing_blade_ and @BOOitsnathalie. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com.

Content warning: suicide plays a central role in Virtue’s Last Reward and is discussed briefly in this episode. Axe and Nathalie venture further into Virtue’s Last Reward, getting trapped waiting for the password reset email as murder abounds. The workplace comedy death game continues to expand absurdly outward, treating our hosts to even more thought experiments, cryptic anagrams, and anime sicknesses. Will the nineth lion eat the sun? Could a child be behind it all? Can we ever escape The Chinese Room of our mind? Voting closes in 3…2…1… Next time on Zero Context Begin at the second set of Chromatic Doors and go through the [Blue Door] -> Vote [Betray] -> Return to AB game 2 and vote [Ally] Things Discussed - How locks work - Voice actor corner: Luna (JP: Mamiko Noto; EN: Laura Bailey) - Flow charts and skip functions - Puzzles are good again - Sex comedy translation challenges - Evil child mastermind Quark - Sigma’s 180° Resident Evil spin - Rare Earth Metal Grindset - Do (not) try to solve the mystery - Power the GOLEM - The Chinese Room - SHE KNOWS EVERYTHING - Knox’s 10 Mystery Commandments - Clover’s sick ass belt buckle Intro: “Virtue’s Last Reward ～Piano～” by Shinji Hosoe Outro: “Demise” by Shinji Hosoe Subscribe on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts. You can support Axe and Nathalie on their respective Ko-Fi pages, and keep up with them on Twitter @wing_blade_ and @BOOitsnathalie. Send your questions/comments/complaints to questions@kritiqal.com.