The
world of Danganronpa is based at the prestigious Hope's Peak Acadmey,
where ultimate students of their fields (brilliant examples include Ultimate
Fashionista, Ultimate Fanfic Writer and Ultimate Gang Leader) are
scouted to attend this elite high school that boasts guaranteed success later in life. This sounds all well and good, until
protagonist Makoto and the other students find that everything isn't
what it seems and are now trapped inside the school. The only way
out? Killing a classmate and not getting caught will allow a student
to 'graduate', but if they're caught they'll face punishment, as in,
their own execution. If the wrong student is selected as the main
suspect of the murder, the rest of the class is subject punishment
while the killer is set free. It's a pretty dark story, but the
students are next required to kill anyone – they have the option to
live a communal life together. In turn, this plot characters many
morality and though-provoking questions for the player and the game
is filled with a wonderful cast of amusing and zany characters to
lighten up the game and solve the mystery with.
Umm... |
The
show shopper for the game is Danganronpa's immersive story and
atmosphere. Like a good book that sucks you in, Danganronpa has that
effect with it's constantly moving plot full of incredibly
interesting characters and surprises. The plot is constantly moving
until the very end, decorated with wicked twists and turns that kept
me guessing throughout the 25+ hours of story. What I was happy to
see is that in the games six main chapters, there was only
one where I was 100% sure who the killer was - each mystery is
heavily veiled, requiring careful examination of all possible
evidence to get the right clues to find the blackened student.
Thanks
to music, voice acting and quirky graphics, the game's atmosphere
does a lot to keep it's mood and essentially never break character.
The game's graphics are rendered in a 2.5D art style, with 2D characters placed on a 3D background. Cutscenes also look unique, combining anime art and sketch artwork to create a visual style that is distinctly it's own. One of my favourite parts of the game's graphics that if a
part of the game really doesn't need crazy artwork, it instead uses a
retro feel, with pixel art and sprites used on things like the map or each
character's door signs. The music and visuals all have a distinct
feel that fits perfectly - things like having gruesome murder scene
but hot pink blood and dark looking school corridors lit by a neon
light create a disturbingly dark but light-hearted
feel that fits the game perfectly. Partnered with incredible voice
performances whether you choose the English or Japanese voice track,
the game is well-polished and stylish all at once.
Taking
advantage of the visual novel format, Danganronpa's detail heavy and
absorbing story is delivered in the best way possible between it's
text and gameplay functions. While the game is text heavy, the way
Danganronpa adds gameplay to the visual novel format is smart and fits the 'who-dun-it' vibe
by using puzzle-like elements. In each chapter, the first half goes
through Daily Life, where you're taken through the chapter's main
story and get the chance to get to know the cast through the
mini-social sim Free Time section. Once a murder occurs, the chapter
switches to Deadly Life. You're given Investigation Time where you
find the Truth Bullets you need for the Class Trial in the form of
evidence from the scene of the crime. During Class Trial time, you
literally shoot down weak ideas spoken by the class members, using
the Truth Bullets you found earlier to counter against
contradictions.
I was
impressed at how the Class Trial takes full advantage of the PS
Vita's hardware, incorporating the back-touch pad, front touch-pad,
triggers and other buttons all in this one section of gameplay, which isn't something
I've seen in a Visual Novel style game. Class Trial throws in
timed mini-games such as Hangman's Gambit (a mini-hangman-esque game)
and Bullet Time Ballet (to my delight, a mini-rhythm game
for when someone is mouthing off suspiciously) to keep things
interesting and finishes off with a puzzle game where you put
together a chronological comic of all the events that have been
proven as fact in the class trial. The whole experience, along with the story
each murder and the school's own mystery unfolding really kept me on my toes and I found myself becoming as shocked as the other character when a surprising fact was unveiled.
If
you like Visual Novels, are looking for an introduction or a game to
lose yourself in, let me suggest one of my new favourites, Trigger
Happy Havoc: Danganronpa. The plot left me entangled in it's depths
for nearly 25+ hours and I was at the edge of my seat the entire
time. Partnered with varying gameplay elements and styles to keep
things interesting, it cannot be missed by fans of Visual Novels and
rich stories for on the go. At this point in time, I call it the best
visual novel game I've ever played and one of PS Vita's finest.
Score:
10/10
Just play
with the crazy bear, goddamit!
Trigger Happy Havoc: Danganronpa is available for purchase now at Play-Asia.com.
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Trigger Happy Havoc: Danganronpa is available for purchase now at Play-Asia.com.
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What did you think of Danganronpa? And what's your general opinion on monochromatic, deranged bears?
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Note: This article does contain an affiliate link. You can read our Affiliate Link Policy here.
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