Zero Escape: The Nonary Games bundles Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and Virtue’s Last Reward, which means a clean completion route is less about solving one room at a time and more about controlling branches, flowchart locks, and cleanup. This guide is written for players who want to finish the story without getting trapped in repeated routes, then close out Steam achievements, previews, and VLR archive files with a sane plan.
The short version: play 999 first, use its endings as a warm-up for flowchart logic, then treat VLR as a lock-and-key board. Do not worry about perfect first-run routing. The Nonary Games version lets you jump through the flowchart, and both games are built around learning information in one branch before returning to another.
Spoiler warning: this walkthrough names routes, ending requirements, story locks, late-game passwords, AB Game choices, and achievement cleanup conditions. It avoids explaining the biggest story twists, but it cannot stay spoiler-free while still being useful for 100% completion.
Before You Start
- Keep one notes file. Write down door routes, VLR safe passwords, and any lock that says it needs another branch. Your future self will thank you.
- Use the flowchart deliberately. After a key event unlocks, check the flowchart before replaying long stretches. In VLR especially, keys and locks are the real progression system.
- Do not skip room files in VLR. VLR’s archive-style completion asks you to collect files and open safes with the optional Gold File route, not just escape each room once.
- Leave VLR’s final branch for last. Several late locks expect you to have cleared character endings first, so rushing the Phi route creates dead stops.
- Coffin in 999 is awkward, not dangerous. It can be missed after Zero Lost, but it does not carry a unique achievement. The important achievement cleanup is finishing the proper endings and previews.
Completion Roadmap
| Stage | Goal | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finish 999 bad endings | They unlock ending achievements, teach door logic, and expose the mystery without requiring strict key routing. |
| 2 | Clear Zero Lost in 999 | This is the key requirement before the True Ending route can resolve properly. |
| 3 | Clear 999 True Ending | Use Door 4, Door 7, Door 1 with the required white-key conversations and bookmark events. |
| 4 | Start VLR with Yellow and Magenta branches | These branches unlock early character endings and provide prerequisites for later story locks. |
| 5 | Work through Cyan branches | Cyan contains several late locks and feeds into Sigma, Quark, and Phi progression. |
| 6 | Revisit every VLR room for Gold Files | Each puzzle room has a normal safe route and a harder optional route. Do both before calling the room complete. |
999 Endings Route
999 is driven by numbered-door choices. In the Nonary Games version, the flowchart makes backtracking less painful, so the route below is tuned for completion rather than a blind first playthrough. If you want a more dramatic narrative order, you can swap the first few bad endings around; just keep Zero Lost before True.
| Ending | Reliable Door Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Submarine | Any route that reaches Door 2 late; commonly 5 > 3 > 2 | Community references list several valid door combinations for this ending. Use it as an early bad ending and move on. |
| Knife | 4 > 7 > 6 | This route shares early structure with the True route, but ends before the final unlock path. |
| Axe | 5 > 8 > 1 or 4 > 8 > 1 | Several door combinations can reach it. Pick one and let the flowchart record the branch. |
| Zero Lost | 5 > 8 > 6 | This is the important normal-ending route. Clear it before attempting the True Ending. |
| Coffin | 4 > 7 > 1 before Zero Lost is complete | Optional for story curiosity. It is missable after Zero Lost, but the checked sources agree it is not needed for a unique achievement. |
| True | 4 > 7 > 1 after Zero Lost, with all white-key events | This is the ending you should save for last in 999. |
999 True Ending Keys
The True Ending path is not only a door route. You also need a chain of events that the flowchart marks as keys. If one key remains locked, replay from the earliest missing event rather than replaying the entire game from the start.
- Enter Door 4 and accept the bookmark from Santa in the Second Class Cabin route.
- In the Kitchen route, choose the dialogue option that treats the ice-9 story as odd or worth discussing.
- After entering Door 7, bring up ice-9 in the Operating Room conversation.
- Give the bookmark to Clover before leaving the Operating Room route.
- Complete Zero Lost at least once, then return to the Door 4 > Door 7 > Door 1 path.
If you reach Door 4 > Door 7 > Door 1 too early, the game can stop at Coffin instead. That is not a failure; it simply means the Zero Lost requirement or one of the white-key events is missing.
999 Achievement Cleanup
Steam app data lists 38 achievements for the whole collection. The readable community references split that as eight 999 achievements plus the VLR set, though the Steam app page itself only confirms the total count. For 999, the practical cleanup list is simple:
- See the Submarine, Axe, Knife, Zero Lost, and True endings.
- Unlock all Memories of Escape by entering every escape room route.
- Watch all previews. If a preview does not appear, check whether you skipped Coffin or another branch preview.
- Solve the final question during the True Ending route.
- Finish all scenarios. If the scenario grid looks incomplete, use the flowchart to jump to the last missing node instead of replaying from the prologue.
The main trap is emotional, not mechanical: players see Coffin labeled as missable and assume they broke the save. You probably did not. Coffin is a cliffhanger version of the True path before the needed knowledge is available. It is useful for completionists who want every icon, but it is not the route that carries the story.
VLR Flowchart Rules
Virtue’s Last Reward is more demanding because its flowchart is not just convenience. It is the puzzle. Story locks block routes until you learn information elsewhere, and the game expects you to use that information across branches.
- Padlocks are branch gates. If a lock has an X, you are missing a required event, ending, or room solution.
- Keys are usually dialogue or knowledge triggers. They stack in order. If the earliest key is locked, later keys on that route will usually stay locked too.
- AB choices are route inputs. Ally and Betray are not moral labels for completion; they are switches that lead to endings, game overs, or later locks.
- Gold File passwords matter for 100%. In most VLR rooms, solve the easier escape path, then solve the harder version for the bonus file before you leave for good.
- Character endings unlock other character endings. Clover, Dio, K, Alice, Sigma, Quark, Luna, Tenmyouji, and Phi are interwoven.
VLR Recommended Ending Order
This order follows the structure that appeared most consistently across the readable VLR references: start with branches that have no heavy prerequisites, then clear the lock-heavy branches, and save Phi for the finale.
| Order | Ending | Route Choices | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clover | Yellow door, Betray Tenmyoji, Green door, Ally Quark | None |
| 2 | Tenmyouji | Yellow door, Ally Tenmyoji, Blue door, Ally Tenmyoji, White route | Solve the Laboratory route at least once when the lock asks for it. |
| 3 | Dio | Magenta door, Betray Luna, Red door, Betray Clover | None |
| 4 | K | Magenta door, Ally Luna, Blue door, Betray K | Clover Ending |
| 5 | Alice | Cyan door, Ally Alice, Blue door, Betray Alice | Dio Ending and Laboratory puzzle knowledge |
| 6 | Sigma | Cyan door, Betray Alice, Green door, Ally Clover | Alice Ending plus the relevant Cyan/Green lock knowledge |
| 7 | Quark | Yellow door, Ally Tenmyoji, Red door, Ally Dio | Dio, Alice, Tenmyouji, and Sigma progress are commonly listed as prerequisites for the hard lock. |
| 8 | Luna | Magenta door, Ally Luna, Green door, Ally Luna, White route | K and Sigma endings provide needed credentials. |
| 9 | Phi / final route | Cyan door, Betray Alice, Red door, Ally Phi, then the final White route | Every other major ending and the late story locks. |
Do not read this table as the only possible play order. VLR is designed to tolerate detours. The point is to prevent the common frustration loop where you push the Phi path too early and repeatedly hit locks you cannot yet open.
VLR Story Lock Notes
When a VLR lock stops you, ask two questions: Do I need an ending? and Do I need room information? Many locks are solved by reaching another character ending. Others are solved by clearing a room, seeing a password, or collecting knowledge from a different branch.
| Lock Type | Typical Fix | Player Mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Character ending lock | Finish the named branch, then jump back to the locked route. | Replaying the same AB choice and expecting a different result. |
| Laboratory knowledge lock | Go through Yellow > Ally > Red and solve the Laboratory room. | Assuming a room clear in another branch counts when the lock asks for specific knowledge. |
| Credential lock | Use information earned from K, Quark, Sigma, or Luna routes. | Looking up a terminal code without understanding which ending teaches it. |
| Final route lock | Clear all other major endings first. | Trying to force Phi as soon as the Cyan/Red path opens. |
VLR Puzzle Room Cleanup
For achievements and full archive cleanup, do not treat a VLR room as complete just because you opened the exit safe. Most rooms have a normal escape password and a harder Gold File route. You can return later, but it is faster to clear both while the room logic is fresh.
- Elevator: learn how safe passwords are structured and collect the earliest files.
- Infirmary: separate the treatment puzzle from the Gold File puzzle; the clock-board logic is easy to reverse if you rush.
- Laboratory: this room is a prerequisite for multiple locks, so clear it early and confirm the flowchart key changed.
- PEC: track the suit, small keys, and color code carefully. It is a classic “one object left behind” room.
- Director’s Office: keep the business-card, globe, and laptop clues grouped in your notes.
- Lounge and Pantry: read the file clues twice before entering values; both rooms punish half-remembered ordering.
- Rec Room: billiards and darts solutions are file-driven, not guesswork.
- Gaulem Bay: the radio/frequency chain feeds into a long word solution; write the intermediate clue down.
- Security: colored chair passwords and puzzle variants make it easy to mix one terminal with another.
- B. Garden, Archives, Control Room, and Q: these late rooms are where file completion matters most. Q contains one of the last archive files, so do not leave it half-cleared.
Late VLR Codes Worth Recording
The references captured for this article include late-route passwords and bomb strings. These are useful for cleanup, but use them carefully: at least one captured discussion notes that some passwords may differ by language version. The safest method is still to solve the relevant branch in your own save and use the flowchart’s recorded knowledge.
| Use | Captured English Reference | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Two Headed Lion ID | GTFDML016 | Sigma route knowledge |
| Two Headed Lion password | MILKEVOLI | K route knowledge |
| One Headed Lion ID | KURASHIKI | Quark route knowledge |
| One Headed Lion password | JUMPYDOLL | Quark route knowledge |
| Bomb No. 1 | BQZ RGJ DXR | Tenmyouji route clue |
| Bomb No. 2 | EQD DYR NTK | Sigma route clue |
| Bomb No. 3 | LXQ LHC NMR | Alice route clue |
| Bomb No. 0 | LXA QNS GDQ | Dio route clue |
Common Mistakes
- Trying to get the 999 True Ending before Zero Lost. If the route cuts off, go finish Zero Lost and replay the required white-key path.
- Ignoring 999 previews. Ending achievements may pop while preview cleanup remains unfinished. Check the scenario/preview grid before leaving 999.
- Using VLR Gold File passwords without collecting files. The safe may open, but you still want the files attached to the room route.
- Confusing game overs with failures. VLR game overs are part of the flowchart. Clear them when they reveal information or fill a branch.
- Forgetting which AB vote belongs to which branch. Always write “door, partner, vote, next door” in one line. It prevents a lot of wrong jumps.
- Assuming every online route table is identical. 999 has multiple valid door routes for some bad endings. If sources disagree, trust your flowchart state and the branch label you actually reached.
Final Cleanup Checklist
| Checklist Item | 999 | VLR |
|---|---|---|
| All endings seen | Submarine, Axe, Knife, Zero Lost, True; Coffin optional but useful for completion icons | All major character endings plus required game overs and final Phi route |
| Flowchart locks cleared | White-key chain complete for True | Story locks opened with ending and room knowledge |
| Room completion | Every escape room route visited for Memories of Escape | Every escape room safe opened for normal and Gold File routes |
| Achievement risk | No unique achievement is tied only to Coffin, but scenario/previews can still need cleanup | No missable endings in the checked references, but archive cleanup requires room revisits |
| Best final action | Open the scenario grid and fill any blank node | Open the archives/files list, then revisit rooms with missing files |
Sources and Credits
Official game metadata and screenshots are from the Steam store listing for Zero Escape: The Nonary Games. Route and cleanup notes were cross-checked against readable community walkthrough references captured during preparation; pages that returned 403 or verification screens were not used as factual sources.