The sequence of each game is basically the same. You start out each chapter generally getting a feel for the parts of the school or island that you have new access to, and at the same time getting to know your classmates. After that short time of peace, it will be shattered in a way that will give a motive to one or more students among your group. After that motive is acquired, a murder will happen and then it will be your job to investigate who perpetrated the murder. Early on you are informed that the only way to leave the island is if you murder one of your fellow students and then get away with it. So you are always required to solve the murder no matter what; if the killer gets away with the murder, everyone else will get executed. If the murderer is discovered, then only they will be executed. The last part of each chapter involves a courtroom scene that is the most gamey aspect of the whole experience. It is the only part of the title that may require some twitch reflexes, but there is some room for error. If you are observant enough to already know how the murder happened and suspect who the perpetrator was, then you will be able to make up for any lack of gaming ability.
While there are those common threads between the two games, there are still some fairly significant differences between the two. The most obvious difference is that they take place in much different environments. The first game all takes place in Hope’s Peak Academy, but the second game seems to all take place on a chain of islands called Jabberwock Island. There are also some minor changes, such as adding more bonus games and collectibles. But it should be pointed out that the courtroom scenes in the 2nd game also tend to be much more difficult than the first game. Each sequence has new added elements that tend to require more button presses and faster reflexes. To me, that is a slight negative because I’m not really there for the gameplay, I’m there for the story. However, in every other way I’m going to have to slightly disagree with our previous review of Danganronpa 2 and say that I actually like it more than the first game. The story is certainly less simple and iconic, but I think it turned out to be a little more interesting as a result. Also, I have to admit that the mystery surrounding the main character ended up adding some extra flavor to the story. There were also subtle additions to the formula like requiring 3 students to discover a body for the Investigation Phase to begin, and by having a major market available it gave the murders and the personal defense more variety.
So if you are new to this series and you can stand the brutal story and fairly strong philosophical underpinnings, I cannot recommend this series enough. It’s easily one of my favorite Visual Novel series of all time. It gets me even more excited to play the third game now that they have primed us for the upcoming release of that game with this re-release on the new console. I’m a little concerned that they are going to add so many new courtroom games that it’s going to make it too difficult for primary Visual Novel players, but that’s really my only hesitation about more from this franchise. So then we have to address whether this new package is worth a 2nd purchase. And to me, the only reason to purchase this a second time is if you really need to have it on your PlayStation 4 just to have them all on the newest console, or if you don’t have access to your original PS Vita versions. Other than that, the resolution is only slightly better, and there is nothing added to the games. From all appearances there were no actual changes beyond what they already did to the PC Steam ports. The artwork is pretty crazy on the original games and in the new 1080p format, but you are either a fan of it or you aren’t. Regardless, the story will always overwhelm the art at some point in your adventure and you will grow fond of how extremely expressive all the characters are. The music doesn’t have much variety, but it is kind of an eclectic mix of murder mystery staple tunes and anime hi-jinks. I wouldn’t really consider the songs worth buying a soundtrack for, but playing these games again gave me more fondness for the tracks because of that sense of returning to something that I loved.
It’s frankly a little disappointing that they didn’t really add anything new with this release, even if it’s just to pique the interest of the old fans and convince them to put down their ducats again. The price of $39.99 is not bad when you compare it to other new release games, especially when you consider it’s two games in one. The first game is a little shorter than the second game is, but they are both of fairly standard visual novel length at about 15-20 hours each, depending on how good your detective skills are. So you are getting your money’s worth there if you are new to the series. You can also spend some extra time in School Life and Island Life modes after you finish the game to polish off all those friendships and see everyone’s dialogue options that you missed during the main game. But the fact that they are both several years old, and the first game was originally a PSP game (before it was released in the West), may make them a bit pricey for just the chance to own these on a new system. So for players that are fresh to this series, I cannot recommend this package enough, for those who already own the first two, your mileage will depend on your disposable income.
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Review Copy Provided By The Publisher
