There are few games that better fit the label "cult classic" than Kotaru Uchikoshi's Zero Escape series. First, there was 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, a Nintendo DS visual novel that gained a following in the West almost entirely from a combination of word of mouth and a few strong reviews from critics. Its follow-up, Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, was a similar story — it was well-loved by those who played it, and for a time, it seemed like progress on a a third Zero Escape game had stalled completely, largely for budgetary reasons.
Now, a few years later, the third Zero Escape game is on its way: Zero Time Dilemma, a continuation of the series due out this June featuring a cast of new and returning characters and an all-new, cinematic 3D art style. On a recent trip to Tokyo, we visited Spike-Chunsoft headquarters to check out the game, and while we were there, sat down with Uchikoshi to see whether his uniquely cruel style of visual novel could translate to Super Mario Maker.
Above, watch Uchikoshi talk about his design process and experience with Mario Maker, before creating a Mario Maker stage with a wicked twist that calls into question your very motives for playing challenging platformers. Then, play the stage for yourself: the stage is called "Mario's Decision Game," and its level ID is 31D7-0000-0241-CA1A — add it to your Mario Maker bookmarks by heading to the level's page on Nintendo's official Mario Maker bookmark site.
For more from Uchikoshi, check out our full interview with him on his upcoming game Zero Time Dilemma.
Have a game developer you'd like to see try their hand at Mario Maker? Let us know in the comments and they may appear in a future episode!
(Music: NΣΣT)
