Danganronpa (ダンガンロンパ) is a Japanese video game and anime franchise created and developed by Spike Chunsoft.The series follows different groups of high school students who have been trapped in a location and forced to murder one another, then identify the culprit. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Jabberwock Island—You and your classmates were ready for fun in the sun until Monokuma returned to restart his murderous game! Trapped in a kill-or-be-killed situation, your only hope rests in solving the island’s mysteries.
Let me start by saying that Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is one of the craziest, but most awesome story-based games I have played in quite some time. This was originally released for the PSP the better part of a decade ago and I am kind of mad at myself that it ha taken me so long to play this, but man I am glad that I finally have!
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Welcome To Hope Peak’s Academy
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is the kind of game that is very story-driven. The game is set in an “elite” school for gifted people and you playing as Makoto, get accepted into this school via some kind of lucky lottery system as you are pretty much average in every way. Upon arrival, you are knocked out and awaken where you are faced with this mean bear who informs you and the other students that you are held captive and the only way out is via murdering other students and getting away with it!
School Life
The gameplay of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is split into two sections. First up we have Class Life. Here you can traverse the school in the first-person point of view you move an icon around the screen that allows you to interact with characters and the environment. You have two sections of gameplay in the School Life portion of the game. One sees you being able to talk to classmates, getting to know them better, taking notes and so on. The other is where you come across a crime scene and must look for clues and figure things out. You get various skills that you can make use of to help you.
Class Trials
The other main section of the gameplay is the Class Trials and this is where your detective work comes into play. The students will have a heated discussion about who the killer is and you need to pay close attention here. Nonstop Debate, Hangman's Gambit, Bullet Time Battle and Closing Argument are the ways that the gameplay is split up and it is actually a great deal of fun. Having to pay attention, challenging what people say and then giving out your closing argument as you nail who you think the killer is! It is good stuff indeed and the kind of game that really does have you on the edge of your seat.
Overall, I think that Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is a really cool game. Think of it as a darker and more intense version of the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney-Justice for All. It literally had me hooked about five minutes in and it was the kind of game that I legit did not want to stop playing. It is worth noting that while the PSP version is great, they did release a better version for PC which is what I have played so I would recommend that you play that one over the original.
Final Score: 9/10
Pros:
- The story is truly fantastic
- Lots of characters to talk to and get to know
- Many layers to the gameplay
- The presentation is great
- It is a very addictive game
Cons:
- The story might be a bit dark for some
- Some of the dialogue on occasion repeats
Once again, Team Danganronpa has dropped the third version of the game to facilitate its fans to continue accessing the horrific world of children characters who wake up in a fortified campus only to realize that they were kidnapped and placed in the school. The version is a step up from Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair whose environment is behind a resort in a tropical island. The major difference is the story line but gimmicks about gameplay is the same. Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony is a killing game and the 16 students have to strive to stay alive in a murderous world that is characterized by winding story twists and turns of their despair-inducing adventures.
This new version does not drift afar from the previous two versions as the graphics is still anime like and the game bolstered in a pop art fueled hybrid adventure just like the others. The game features adventure exploration, courtroom drama and murder mysteries that need solving through investigations.
The Plot of the Game
The 16 students wake up to find themselves trapped in the fortified school where no one can get out or come in. A bloodthirsty bear mascot Monokuma is responsible for their predicament and wants them to participate in a killing game where they have to murder each other.
Danganronpa V3 Gameplay
Danganronpa V3 is divided into three segments where the students have to participate in classmate interactions, exploration in daily life which comprises of activities that contrast the ever so murderous horrors and grisly investigations that dominate the game. However, the first person wandering along the narrow school walls and unlocking of different levels gets kind of old and boring. It is a calm endeavour after being geared up for some action and horror.
But I must agree that the story development and free time sequences where you can have conversations with your classmates and grow particularly close to them makes it worth your while. It is more intriguing and delightful to learn more about the other characters that you grow close to.
Class Trials
It is during the class trials that things get quite spicy. Danganronpa V3 treats you to a wide array of mini-challenges involving timely based minigames, minesweeper, race games and other forms of puzzles. These minigames stimulate a sense of high stakes emotional tension of arguing uniquely.
During the trial, the game allows you to lie but the penalty solicited is huge that it will make you consider whether the lie worth your while. However, in some scenarios, it is important to lie. The false statements are engineered to shoot down an argument but as I said, the lie is costly.
The Characters
I must say that you will find that the most unique and appealing feature in Danganronpa V3 is the characters. You would find them wonderfully weird with each having a unique personality. For instance, hulk Gonta is speech impaired but extremely lovable. Gonta loves insects and desires to be a gentleman by trying to help everyone.
Free Danganronpa Play
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- It is long and twisted to give you a ride of your life
- Anime graphics are appealing
- A superb cast of characters
- Brilliant soundtrack
Danganronpa Game Order
Cons:
Danganronpa Characters
- Replaying debates is repetitive
- A large amount of dialogue