[ENG] Danganronpa and The Beauty of Narration

(Polska Wersja Dostępna Tu! - [PL] Dangaronpa i Piękno Narracji)

(Kind Spoiler Warning. I really can't tell what will considered as a spoiler for each person – one may perceive story reveals, plot twists, character arcs and so on as spoilers, whereas other may perceive really minor informations and basic knowledge as a spoiler so... To keep everyone on the same page – I will try to keep spoilers at bare minimum but be warned – there WILL be many things one should know after completing prologue or first chapter of each game. I won't go further as well as I won't give important story reveals – just basic information and knowledge that is contained before second chapter. With that in mind – let's go!)

(P.S I will try to keep screenshots from each part so they are accurate but I also need to keep spoilers at bare minimum so... If for example screen from Danganronpa V3 appears in Dangaronpa 1 description that means I just couldn't find an appropriate screenshot from the first installment)

Danganronpa... A fight between hope and despair, fight which only grows stronger as the story progresses – one could summarize an entire franchise in these brief words but... It's a colossal understatement. There is so much more to Danganronpa than initially meets the eye. I have heard about this franchise some time ago, I think it was two or three years ago, a friend started talking to me about Danganronpa, he tried to lure me into the franchise but I resisted. Not because of the graphics or type of the game (More about it in a second). I just delayed it until I was totally sure I want to play it... Well, the time has come. I gave the series a shot and I loved it instantly – so much so that I completed the entire trilogy in two weeks.

There are also anime episodes and manga about Danganronpa but... I really don't recommend taking these alternatives over the games. Danganronpa games are that good BECAUSE of the gameplay factor so... Sure, feel free to watch the anime and read manga, but really – be sure to play the games.

Aaaaaaand about the graphics and game type – well... Let's start with simple thing – graphics. If you don't like anime or anime graphics... Give these series a shot nonetheless. Not only you will find a story that will probably become one of the best stories you have seen but I really think you will get used to graphics pretty quickly. I will talk more about the gameplay when I will be talking briefly about each installment, but... To put it shortly – it's a visual novel. There is a lot, and I mean A LOT of reading in this game, but thanks to the characters and story this gameplay is more than amazing.

One could ask – what makes these games so amazing? Well... Maybe let's start from the beginning:

(The most prestigious academy in the world - Hope's Peak Academy)

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

Beginning of the entire franchise is a bit cliche, one could say that it's naive and innocent. Our protagonist is Makoto Naegi, a normal high school student who somehow got accepted into the most prestigious academy in the world – Hope's Peak Academy. To attend it, you need to fulfill 2 requirements – You have be the very best at what you do and you already need to be attending high school. What do I mean by 'very best'? Well... Hope's Peak Academy is a home for Ultimate Talents. While Makoto is researching before his send off to the Academy – he learns that he will be in a class with Ultimate Swimming Pro, Ultimate Pop Sensation, Ultimate Baseball Star and so on, and so on... Everyone is Ultimate and only Makoto seems... Normal. He has no Talent what-so-ever and got accepted into Hope's Peak by pure luck thus making him – The Ultimate Lucky Student.

This naive and somewhat cliche beginning quickly transforms into something completely different. Once Makoto steps into Hope's Peak, he suddenly dozes off and when he wakes up – he finds himself in a classroom, windows are blocked with iron plates. Once he gets out of the class, he meets other students. The Ultimates. Everyone briefly introduces to one another and suddenly, a mysterious voice calls them to the Gym. When everyone gets there... Monokuma, a robot-bear who claims himself as the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy arrives. And let me say this – Monokuma is one of the best 'evil' characters I have ever seen, it's a type of antagonist that you both love and hate at the same time. Back to the topic – Monokuma says that the students will be trapped in this school for the rest of their lives... Buuuut if someone really would like to get out – there is one way. Murder another student and don't get detected (Or either – don't leave any evidence or clues that would point to you). When a student is killed and his/her body is discovered by three or more people – the investigation begins. It's at that time where surviving students have to find all the possible evidence and then present them in a Class Trial. If a Killer is selected wrong in a Trial, he gets to live and everyone else dies; if a Killer is selected correctly – he dies and everyone else survives.

That's the basic introduction to the game and from here, this twisted killing game begins.

(Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, one of the best antagonists I have ever seen)

I would really like to talk about the characters but... Every statement about them is a possible spoiler so I have to settle with telling you that these are one of the best-written characters I have ever seen in a video games. You can get Gifts from a Machine in the Shop, Gifts drop randomly so you can't really choose what you get, but if you give an appropriate Gift to an appropriate Student (Shh... I dunno, the most basic example – A Swimsuit for Ultimate Swimming Pro) – your relation, your bond with them will get stronger and in return you will receive Skill Points and Skills for Class Trials (Don't misunderstand – Skill Points represent how many Skills you can have. E.g – If you have 10 SP you can't equip skills that cost respectively 5 and 6 SP).

Plus the Voice Acting is on-spot. I have played with both Japanese and English dubs and... In majority of 'Japan-themed' games I would settle with Japanese dialogue, I really think that English VA's done a hell of a good job. Although there is little-to-no dialogue in normal gameplay, they really shine during the Class Trials. The cherry on top of this beautiful game.

Okay, okay, but I'm mentioning these Class Trials and I still haven't started explaining them... Aaaand I won't start for a short while. You see, gameplay is divided into three structures. The 'friends and gifts' one in the most basic one. 'Free Time'. Second one is Investigation which is... Kinda more interesting. You search through a crime scene and related places. Each clue you get turns into a 'Truth Bullet' for a Class Trial. Often there are a lot of Clues and game kinda expects you to remember important details (Not that you can't check them during Trial – you can, but some things are only said or mentioned briefly and... You kinda need to remember these at least... Well... Briefly, if you want to see all the contradictions in Class Trial). But there's not really more to that – Murder, Investigation, Clues, Talking. That's mostly the Investigation mode. So let's head to the most exciting part of this game

(The Ultimates. Best of the best in their field)

Class Trials! After Investigation all of the remaining surviving students are sent into a Class Trial. I explained the basics of it before. The objective is to point the Killer out using logic, evidence and reflex. Why reflex? Well, that's the juice of Danganronpa – the Debates. During the Debates, students will be talking one after another in real-time and you need to find a lie or contradiction in their statements, then you need to fire a Truth Bullet that shows why is this a lie or contradiction. Students talk quite fast and sometimes a window for shooting the Bullet is small – that's why reflex. Logic... Kind of obvious, you need to connect facts to find a contradiction and be able to shoot through it. Class Trials are often a bit long, full of twists and unexpected outcomes. Although the Debate is the juice, there are few minigames – for example Hangman where you try to remember a keyword; rhythm game where you try to silence a certain student who is shouting and thus making the Debate harder and so on.

Once you deduce who is the Killer – they will be executed in a gruesome, grotesque manner. And then Trial Ends, very often with Chapter ending soon after. But if I can give you a small hint... If there is a murder, and clues point to someone way too obviously – you can probably exclude that character as a potential killer. Note that I said probably. You can never be too sure... Or I could just prank you with this whole statement? Who knows?

Though it's true the game is quite linear (For example you can't miss a thing during Investigation since the game will tell you that 'I need to investigate this area more') but... I don't really think it's bad, it's an amazing game with storytelling and characters that will either make you forget it's linear or quickly accept the way it is.

(On the way to Class Trial, each installment features elevator! ~ Danganronpa V3)

The plot of the first Danganronpa is amazing and the final arc is a masterpiece I genuinely love it. Each murder is a cleverly plotted mystery waiting to be solved and as the game progresses, plot gets more and more twisted and surprising. I haven't felt like this in a longer while.

I... I don't even have to mention Soundtrack. This is pure gold created by Masafumi Takada (And I could copy and paste this Soundtrack paragraph into every installment of the series but there's no point), every track fits perfectly and they change on the run, really building up the atmosphere and situations. I am even listening to Danganronpa OST right now when I'm writing this article.

You will understand once you play the game. You will understand why music is so amazing in these games. Monokuma theme or music during the Class Trials is something one can never forget after playing through at least first installment of Danganronpa. Scrum Debate music from Danganronpa V3 is a perfect beat for an actual argument between two groups of people (New World Order is a personal favorite of mine, chills and emotions that I get whenever I hear it is something beautiful)

Don't get thrown off by the graphics. This game is a PSP port and it was originally made for that small handheld console so the graphics on your awesome FullHD or even 4K monitor can... Can be a bit painful at first, but really, it's better than you would expect from a PSP to PC port.

Each installment offers few bonus game modes upon completing the main story arc. In some of them you can for example build-up relations with students without fear of any one of them suddenly dying or anything.

And – reading, watching, listening someone who constantly praises this game and tells how good it is can be a bit annoying, but... Trust me, you will understand once you play. Almost every single person who gave Danganronpa a chance, loved it. Don't believe me? Go and read countless positive reviews out there (But be wary of spoilers).

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

A very important disclaimer – in order to fully understand the story presented in Danganronpa 2, you HAVE TO know the story of it's predecessor. The same stands still for the latest entry – Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. In order to understand V3 you need to know the story of Danganronpa 1 and 2. With that out of the way, let's get started in a similar manner:

Danganronpa 2 starts... Weird. You get this deja vu feeling, once again someone is standing in front of Hope's Peak Academy – Hajime Hinata. Once again seemingly normal student that once again suddenly finds himself in a classroom full of talented individuals. And whereas Makoto Naegi was an Ultimate Lucky Student... Hajime seems to have forgotten his Ultimate Talent.

In this part you will meet for example Ultimate Nurse, Mechanic, Yakuza or Gamer. Each and every single character once again has a deep and colorful personality, voice acting and character arcs. There's not much to say here. Gifts and everything mentioned in the first installment just gets even better here. Just like in every installment, each person should find a character that he/she will love from the start. Aaaand there is that one guy called Nagito but... I can't really say anything about him since even the tiniest scrap of information may be a potential spoiler but... His character arc is something amazing. You may hate that guy, but you have to admit that his arc was something extraordinary.

(Usami - robo-bunny 'teacher')

Suddenly the 'Teacher' arrives, a robot-bunny called Usami who says that the School Trip will begin immediately. The Classroom falls apart like a dismantled cardboard box and students find themselves on a peaceful, tropical island. Usami informs students that there is nothing harmful on this island and students should spend best of their time here. It's a really bizarre beginning considering where the first installment began but... This tropical paradise quickly turns into a hell on Earth when Monokuma makes his great comeback. With full pride and happiness he annouces that Killing Game has just began and thus... The hell of Hope's Peak Academy was going to unravel again. This time on Jabberwock Island. Oh, and there is a mysterious timer on a Central Island (Jabberwock Island is divided into 5 separate Islands connected to a Central Island). Which slowly but surely counts down. Students will find all kinds of buildings on islands – from the most basic shop and airport, to hospital and theater, to factories and amusement park.

Not-so-long after Monokuma's takeover, first murder occures... And each case from now on is more twisted and some are even... When I can't say much, but some will leave you with your eyes wide open and a solid 'WHAT?!' coming out of your mouth.

('Guess who's back, back again')

Graphics are somewhat better but since Danganronpa 2 was also a port – it's visible. And it also put some technical limitations due to originally being released on a console (I'm not saying consoles are worse, but logically – PSP where first Danganronpa was released was significantly less powerful than modern, mid or even low-end PCs)

There are also a lot of improvements to Class Trials. Much more minigames, improved minigames from the first installment and... A brand new Debate option. This time you won't necessarily need to refute a lie or contradiction, sometimes you will need to AGREE with someone to prove facts or confirm a suspicion or theory with your evidence.

To put it very shortly – Danganronpa 2 does everything Danganronpa 1 did and does it better. Plot of Danganronpa 2 is full of surprises and the final arc... Oh my fricking God, what a final arc that was! I... I don't really have to talk about second or third Danganronpa installment that much because... Everyone who completed Danganronpa 1, doesn't need reassurance or motivation to play next installments. They just feel they want and need to do it so...

And here comes the part that hit the hardest!

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

I said as much in Danganronpa 2 fragment but... In order to fully understand the twists, meaning and many things in the story presented in V3, you need to know what happened in 1 and 2 installment.

This part starts once again in a familiar yet bizarre manner. Our protagonist, Kaede Akamatsu, Ultimate Pianist, gets out from the locker and looks around. She quickly figures that she is in some kind of school. Before Kaede is even able to gather her thoughts – another student falls out from locker that was next to Kaede's locker. A guy called Shuichi Saihara, Ultimate Detective. Two of them quickly head out of class and... The player quickly realizes – it's not longer Hope's Peak Academy (which arc is finished in anime called 'Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School), nor Jabberwock Island. Shuichi and Kaede arrive at the Gym where they meet the rest of the Ultimate Students.

This part once again has a range of colorful characters but... I think this part introduces the most interesting Ultimate Talents – Ultimate Aikido Master, Ultimate Supreme Leader, Ultimate Maid or Ultimate Anthropologist just to name a few. Nothing much to add here, Relations and Gifts work in the same way as in previous installments and voice actors are once again on-point with their voices and dialogues.

(Kaede Akamatsu, The Ultimate Pianist)

Let me say this – Kaede Akamatsu is the best, most charismatic character out of all three protagonists. Don't get me wrong Makoto and Hajime were good, but... You know, you could feel that they are kind of dull – not that you should be surprised, after all they were trapped in a twisted killing game, but even Kaede in the same situation tries to stay positive.

And here's another addition. Monokubs. There are 5 of them and each and every one of them is annoying in their own way. Children or... Well – Cubs of Monokuma. We learn that we are in a place called 'Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles'... Yes. It's a long name. Monokuma annouces another killing game that 'Will continue until there are only 2 survivors or 1 killer left'.

Whereas Danganronpa 1's action took place in Hope's Peak Academy – an enclosed space, Danganronpa 2 on Jabberwock Island – somewhat open space, Danganronpa V3 mixes both of these. Academy for Gifted Juveniles is an enclosed space, but Students can get outside to the courtyard and walk around. When Kaede goes outside for the first time with Shuichi they instantly see an enormous wall surrounding the Academy. This is one of many mysteries lingering in this part... Well, each part had a lot of mysteries and unknowns, but I feel like there are more of them in this part. Maybe it's just my feeling, I dunno.

(The Monokubs)

The murders in this part are just like the characters – most interesting, with unexpected twists and... Well – murders are one of the most twisted and well-thought grotesque atrocities. Each investigation, just like in every part, is a constant mystery and unsureness.

Graphics are significantly better than in the first or second installment and it's for a very simple reason. Danganronpa V3 was made for PS4, not only for handheld consoles and I think that this made the graphics as well as porting the game for PC much better.

Remember when I said that 'it's the part that hit the hardest'? Well, this part is the most emotional from the entire Trilogy, I cried quite often in this installment and I am not ashamed of even a single tear shed. It just shown me that characters were written in so amazing way that I felt connected to them and I felt pain when something happened to those I liked the most.

(Brand new cast of Ultimate Characters!)

And ending... Holy frick. This ending will melt your brain and the entire series. It will leave you questioning a lot of things but... This ending has also split the community in half. One half really loves this ending whereas the other half got mad about it. I think I'm somewhere in the middle... I don't say this ending was necessarily bad, but I didn't like it very much either (Just because I didn't like it very much doesn't mean I didn't cry a lot during it)

There were once again few changes to the Class Trials. Minigames were once again changed, upgraded and added, but... There are also few types of Debates now. The normal, most common – Nonstop Debate – features piercing through lies, agreeing with fact and... An entirely new feature. Lying. Yes, in Danganronpa V3 sometimes it's necessary to lie yourself in the Debate to progress it. There is also a Mass Panic Debate – where three people talk at the same time and you need to find a contradiction in one of three statements and... My personal favorite – Debate Scrum (I would asdd a screenshot from Debate Scrum, but it's too big of a spoiler). Where students are separated into two teams (Due to constant disagreement with each other) and you and your team need to argue back the other team and push your conclusion so you can push the Trial further.

Danganronpa V3 is a bit of mixture. It takes many things from the previous parts and... Well – it makes some of them better and some of them a tad bit worse. Ending of V3 is also controversial but... I must say it was very brave to make such an ending so I gotta give credit where credit is due. Maybe I feel so mixed because of the rush I got from Danganronpa 1 and 2 that I didn't expect such arc and changes in the third installment.

SUMMARY

To summarize this trilogy of ongoing war between hope and despair I must say... That this game has changed my view on games overall. It has surprisingly became one of the most important series in my life... I think it may have to do with a fact that I started Danganronpa 1 after dealing with some dark thoughts and it helped me recover quicker than I expected (which may sound as a paradox considering what the killing game is all about). But even if I played it some other time... I think it would still become really important series in my life.

Danganronpa has not only shown me the beauty behind 'weird' games (After all, many current Danganronpa fans probably thought that this game is just weird before they played it) but it has shown me the beauty behind pure narration (Don't get me wrong, there are games like Witcher 3 where narration and story is gorgeous, but there is also a lot of action. In Danganronpa – the most action you get is Class Trial [and honestly these trials got my heart racing sometimes much more than fighting with a boss in some action-RPG title and having to face it with barely any HP left])

It features one of the best characters that have ever appeared in video games, character and story arcs are beautifully intertwining and finishing each other. Many of the characters, their motivations, their words as well as the entire story presented through the trilogy will leave you questioning many things and wondering about other possible Trial outcomes (Not that it's possible to get other outcome but... If someone other died in place of certain victim for example).

Personally I have spent about 100 hours on the entire Danganronpa Trilogy and despite that most of it has been reading text... I never felt bored, quite the opposite, with each passing hour I wanted to know more. It has been an amazing journey. I haven't felt like that in a really long time. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy most of the games I play and I am often curious but... Danganronpa was a whole 'nother cup of tea...

(To avoid bigger spoilers - look at the Monokuma one more time)

I will probably play through bonus modes of each part as well as maybe repeat some chapters from each part, but for now – I must say that Danganronpa changed both my life, my view on games and has shown me the beauty that can lie behind narration-and-character-driven storytelling.

If you would ask me few years ago, if a game without 'action' (If by action we consider I dunno, shooting, sword-slashing etc.) would interest me? I would probably laugh it off, but now... Damn, I will repeat myself but – Danganronpa has became one of the most important game series in my entire life and gaming career (which... says quite a lot in my honest opinion, after 16 years and hundreds of completed titles I didn't think there would be something that will surprise me and change my views... Well, I'm proud and happy to say that I was wrong)

I strongly recommend the entire Danganronpa series. Even if you say 'It's not for me, I don't like these graphics or game type'. Give it a shot. Play the game until the end of the first Trial and then decide. Remember – many Danganronpa fans (including me) weren't sure about playing through even the first game but... From my personal experience, my doubts and worries were swept away after initial hour or two into the first installment so... Just try it – silence your worries, doubts, prejudice and sink into this world.

Build relations with colorful cast of characters, participate in a twisted game where lives of your just-met 'friends' are constantly on the line. Solve the mysteries behind Monokuma, Hope's Peak Academy, Jabberwock Island, the Killing Game and find out if you can put an end to this twisted, cruel game.

Kind Regards,

Wing.