Played on PS4. Available on: PSP, PS Vita, PS4, PC

Right after finishing Danganronpa 1, I immediately jumped to 2. Danganronpa caught my interest, and I wanted (and want) to see the series through. While I loved Danganronpa 1 (I really did) I also had my fair share of complaints, though. Danganronpa 1 was great, but I still remember feeling a bit underwhelmed by some of its aspects, namely its mini games during the trials and the murders themselves. The cases of Danganronpa 1 felt like they lacked inspiration a tad bit. Did Danganronpa 2 fix this problem? I’m happy to say it did! That’s not the only thing either – everything in Danganronpa 2 is an improvement/augmentation compared to Danganronpa 1, even aspects of the first game that…did n’t necessarily need to be changed.

What is Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair?

Danganronpa is a murder-mystery/social-life hybrid. In the second game in the series you play as a character named Hajime Hinata, a much more defined character than the previous protagonist. The whole plot is that you’re on an island, and eventually learn that you have two choices: live in harmony with the other students that you’re with, or kill a classmate, hope you don’t get caught, and “graduate,” everyone else dying when you do. It’s a cool concept with a LOT of potential, potential that, in the second game, is definitely capitalized upon. My main problem with Danganronpa 1 was that it didn’t take those extra steps that it could have taken. What I mean is that the game wasn’t as risky as I would have liked. Like, there’s a lot of fairly elaborate plots and happenings in Danganronpa 1, but they don’t even compare to Goodbye Despair. The murders in this game are often much more satisfying to figure out than anything the first game had. This game’s second half is summed up pretty well with the word “insanity,” and that is for a reason.

A game that lacks realism

I loved this game…but a part of me definitely didn’t at first. My main problem with Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, up to case three, was its lack of realism. Don’t get me wrong, the first game wasn’t very realistic in terms of happenings. Some aspects of the series straight up aren’t realistic at all, even. However, I was still expecting more realism than what was there. Do I love this series? Yes, absolutely. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t recognize its flaws. Danganronpa is very flawed, and while I actually found Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair even more entertaining and enjoyable to play than its predecessor, that didn’t change the fact that I had more problems with it than I had with the first game throughout playing. These problems eventually went away, granted. Danganronpa 2’s cast, as soon as it became developed, revealed itself to be fantastic, with a few characters even going past that and becoming some of my favorite characters to ever be in a video game (Nagito, Chiaki, Hajime). The game was very cliché at first, and a part of me kind of disliked it because of that, but that quickly changed. It almost feels like it was done that way on purpose, as to, perhaps…surpass expectations. That’s the only reason I can think of. Or perhaps the writers were just becoming more comfortable over time.

In terms of characters and interactions, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is exaggerated. Why I love this series so much is kind of because of the ridiculous situation the students are put in. The fact that the situation is there allows for the story to progress like it does and allows for the things that happen to happen. The context is debatable in terms of realism, yes, but certainly understandable in terms of entertainment value. Basically, approach this experience with an open mind and you’ll probably have a lot of fun. In fact, I think that’s a really safe bet. I can tell you that growing to love this series isn’t something I was expecting to happen when I first got into the first game. It surprised me, a lot, and that’s all because of how fun it ended up being. That’s not limited to the dialogue either. Danganronpa, despite the reload version that I played (on PS4) occasionally featuring low resolution textures, has an awesome art style. The daily life mechanic is fun and immersive. The deadly life moments are gritty, intense, and exciting. The very format of this game, its core concept, is pretty great. I also loved how in the second game you felt the after effects of the murders happening, which was one of my complaints with the first one while playing it. You could literally feel the, unfortunately, despair from the characters as their classmates got murdered, and the murderers got found.

Daily living

I’ve already spoiled a small amount of the story, but playing past the first hour mark should reveal what I’ve revealed to you so far. The fact that the students have to kill each other in Danganronpa to return home is something that’s established really early. It isn’t for the first hour or so though. How the game goes at first is that you end up on this island with no memories of how you got there. Shortly after you’re met with a talking plushie called Monomi, who tells you that as long as you gather every Hope Fragment, the hope fragments being gathered by talking to classmates, you will be allowed to return home. No mention of murder. However, things quickly go awry, as Monokuma comes into the picture. Another talking teddy bear, Monokuma tells them that they have to kill each other, or live in harmony on this island forever. It’s…pretty much when he first shows up that I began having mixed feelings about Danganronpa 2’s plot progression (until chapter 3 where I began to love it). See – while Danganronpa 1 is sometimes unrealistic, Danganronpa 2 takes that lack of realism a step further. It’s even more exaggerated than the first game and, well, I wasn’t a fan of the lack of realism in the first game.

The daily life aspect, just like Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, is pretty well done. Talking to your classmates is always enjoyable and engaging. My only real complaint here is that I sometimes felt more could be said. Side stories going beyond just visiting a place or casual conversation would have been great. However, this isn’t a huge complaint, as the character building of Danganronpa is achieved well through this mechanic. It feels absolutely integral to the game, and helps you get attached to the characters, which is great, especially if you’re a masochist like I am. Danganronpa is a game that plays with your emotions, that’s made apparent by the concept. These moments are very relaxing and light, yes…but I suspect that may be the point. To offer a balance to the other mechanic, deadly living, which is self explanatory in what it is compared to the other one, and to make you attached to the characters, the game and you knowing full well that that relationship could be cut off at any time. That is the brilliance of Danganronpa.

Murder, investigation, trial.

You wake up, you step outside, and you find out that a murder has happened. Immediately after the body is found by three or more people, an announcement plays on the intercom that states a class trial will begin soon. You then begin investigating. Visiting every place that you feel should be visited, you look at everything that happened and try to piece together the truth. That is Danganronpa’s hook. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, while great during its social interaction scenes, shines during its murder cases. The cases of Danganronpa 2 are elaborate and enjoyable to figure out. They’re undoubtedly a highlight of this game. The feeling I got every time I found a body isn’t a feeling that could be replicated with most pieces of entertainment I’ve seen. You know it’s going to happen, and yet it’s surprising anyway.

After the investigation you arrive at the trial grounds. This is where every student works together to find out who murdered the victim. The murder trials are great because they allow you to piece together what happened, and given the murder cases in this game are very entertaining, that’s great. Every murder has a satisfying outcome and an interesting build up. The developers really did do a great job here. However, then there are the mini games. The shooting system – don’t get me wrong, I get it. I think it could be overhauled but it does work well. But everything else feels borderline unnecessary. I would argue that the trials of Danganronpa 2 (and 1) are made to be considerably worst because of their mini games. It’s especially bad with 2 though. It’s like – they felt they needed to improve everything, but it’s pretty easy to tell interesting concepts for mini games aren’t their forte. Maybe 3 will prove me wrong on that front though, who knows.

The next few paragraphs are spoiler territory.



The place where spoilers reside.

You’ve been warned. You’ve been warned. I feel a need to talk about the simulation aspect of Danganronpa 2. Okay, so. Near the end we find out the characters have been in a simulation throughout our playtime. This explains why there were killer robots, and why the characters have an island to themselves. There’s just too much nonsensical stuff happening in Danganronpa 2, even compared to the first game. This means they had two roads they could have went down – the whole thing is a simulation or Danganronpa’s logic knows no bounds – and they chose the former. Everything’s then explained to you, more or less, and it’s done in a somewhat satisfying way. This may be off base, but I get the feeling that the writers didn’t have the plot planned out while writing. What threw me off mainly is the countdown being meaningless. At the very least I feel the writers of Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair originally had something planned for the countdown, and then changed course halfway through. I felt the ending was a lot of explaining, and while the explanations made a good amount of sense, they felt like they were a way to justify the lack of realism that the game had throughout…which makes perfect sense, yes. I guess the whole thing felt like a last second decision, over something that was meticulously thought out. I’m not completely certain why I feel this way, but another thing that throws me off is the inclusion of Byakuya during the beginning. If he really was the ultimate imposter, why did he choose Byakuya specifically, and why was he determined to save the students and build up such a convincing backstory. Maybe this is just me really wanting that aspect of the series to go in a different direction though. I thought the simulation reveal was super cool, don’t get me wrong. It’s insane as a concept, and it is pulled off quite well. These are nitpicks over anything else. What I’m trying to say, I guess, is that while Danganronpa 2 was a bunch of fun, and while I was very involved with the game throughout playing, I still have qualms. The Japanese tropes that were present in the first game, amidst its somewhat-realistic feel, came back for the first half of this game (with a vengeance), and didn’t completely leave for the second. It felt like a game with cohesion and structure, yes, but with a bit of an identity crisis regardless. The second half (case 3 and onward) is really great. The characters at that point really start to become relatable and the tropes take a big step back. I would say that my favorite Danganronpa game from the third case onward is pretty easily the second. But don’t misperceive that as saying that everything about the second game is better than the first. That’s far from the case.



Conclusion

Danganronpa 1 and 2 are great games. They both have strengths and weaknesses, and both games’ weaknesses are mostly forgiven, from my point of view, because of how entertaining and fun the games are. They were great experiences and…seriously, great job Spike Chunsoft! Keep up the great work!

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair gets a 8.5/10.

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