ALL the anime tropes
Danganronpa is one of those series I would typically browse past. It wasn't the anime aesthetics or the pretty basic looking set-up, it was the story description that put me off. “Despair” is an abstract idea, not easily defined, especially in the constraints of a linear story. Well, people kept on asking me to review it and occasionally even I buckle to peer pressure. Just not for anything important.
I am glad to say that I was totally right. Danganronpa doesn't do much with the idea of 'despair'. What it does do with it though, it does really, really well. That's right, this is one of those times when I play a game recommended to me and don't detest it. I'm sure Danganronpa's fans will stop pestering me now.
Danganronpa is a difficult one to describe without any major spoilers, but the main conceit of the story is a simple one – you are trapped in a place and you want to leave, other people are with you, you don't know much about these people, nor do they seem to know much about you, but you're all trapped together and trying to survive. It's a good, strong base for a story that focuses on individual characters, their backstories, behaviours and motivations. That is where the main driver for the story comes in: Monokuma. He's a pervy, funny but genuinely quite vicious character who acts as an antagonist within the game. His ultimatum: whoever can kill a fellow prisoner and not get caught will be freed, the others will be murdered by Monokuma and his deathtraps. To facilitate this Monokuma instigates a trial system, where everyone has to vote for who they think is the killer.
Turning the characters against each other so they obfuscate the facts and end up hating one another is a stroke of genius on the games part. It feels like you're Super-Anime Columbo and we all want to be Columbo. Making the player doubt the evidence from crime scenes, with some deaths being quite gruesome and upsetting, often with very difficult and controversial reasons and methods, makes it feel like a witch hunt of sorts.
So, murder-mystery gameplay, nicely done. Bright and crisp artstyle juxtaposed against the horror of the human soul, of very individual despair. Lovely, lovely stuff.
And this is the point where I upset the fans by pointing out that it's far from perfect (please don't kill me). The logic of the game is a little weak, leading you to select answers which are correct only for the game to tell you “no, that's wrong”. Then to ask the same question afterward and accept the same answer. It's a pretty big issue with murder mystery games and an issue that Murdered: Soul Suspect also had. Going through unnecessary baby-steps in case the player missed how smart the game is just makes it feel a bit too pleased with itself at times. If the player can figure something out from the information they've gathered then let them show their working out, don't just demand that it must be done a particular way that is less logical than the way the player has figured out.
Controls can be a bit laggy on either mouse and keyboard or controller, this is massively irritating during the timed parts of the trials. For the most part though, they're functional and can be compensated for relatively easily.
I found the characters are very typical archetypes but they were characterised so well that I just didn't care. THIS is how you take tired tropes and make them work. Yes, you have the pretty, ditsy girl but by giving her some depth to her background and a reason for her behaviour you make a character that is endearing and interesting. There's a stereotypical high-school biker who has one of the best storylines in the game, certainly one of the saddest and smartest.
Sakura is my wife now, you can't have her
All in all, I really liked this game. It's a bit sparce in regards to music and graphics but the story, and the intelligent way it deals with complex and often awful issues, sold me on it entirely. I enjoyed it so much I went and bought the second one in the series already, so I recommend it even if you're not keen on the anime-centric design as it's story is actually pretty impressive for such a basic premise.
Tenebris Play is ran by DM-Jo, the worlds' most poop-obsessed Dungeon Master. She recently forced the players to work their way through a Remora Giants insides and was genuinely upset when they escaped through it's anus. She is currently writing her first D&D mini-game book, “Gnomes” which will be available when she finally gets it finished.