Danganronpa

[Danny Felixe 330]

Wanted to make this topic since there seems to be a few here who play or have played this game series. And also because I wanted somewhere to write chapter by chapter feelings for the new one

For those who haven't played, Danganronpa is a detective-y visual novel game made by Spike Chunsoft. It consists of 3 main titles (Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair and Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony) and one third person shooter spin-off (Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls). There are also a couple of animes from this

Generally you play as a high school student with an ultimate level talent trapped in an enclosed area with a group of other ultimate level students and a walking talking stuffed bear telling you that you need to kill each other then face a class trial in order to leave. Your character needs to look at the clues and solve who killed one of the fellow students in order to survive. And you also get time to interact with the other characters in your class to build up friendships which you gain perks for doing so

I will be posting thoughts on the V3 game as I go through it but feel free to also talk about your experiences/thoughts on the series if you'd like 

[Danny Felixe 330]

Sorry about the double post. Wanted to give my view before I got too far ahead. Especially considering the first person has been killed off before I did my initial view of the characters from the prologue  I also had a couple of notes on the game so far

So starting off

Game so far 

Initial feel is fairly interesting. It's interesting to see the exact same characters meeting part being done twice with the only difference being how the protagonist and the secondary character (for now) reacted to their situation. Some insider knowledge for the player. Especially since one other character referred to information shortly through the game that the audience heard during the original character meeting/introductions

Speaking of introduction, I didn't really enjoy the intro screen as much as the other games. Music was somewhat low key and the blend of the previous games and anime leading into showing the new characters felt a little out of place to me. Dunno. Just didn't like it as much in the end

Final point I have is the student handbook seems a little laggy for me. The previous two games would bring up the student handbook immediately when I called for them. And doing activities in the student handbook would happen immediately This one occasionally takes a few seconds. I'm ot sure why really and it's not a big problem. Just a little irritating. Especially when saving

Oh yeah... and something that is not really directed towards the prologue... but I visited the mono mono machine in the game during the first free time. I wasn't aware that I was able to visit earlier but apparently I missed a cutscene that I could've seen which makes me a little sad. Nothing can really be done about that tho. Also, the first time I did visit it I had like 350 monocoins. So it's really easy to get them from just smacking everything. Which I do like as I don't have to struggle getting them like in the previous couple of games. Oh. And due to the amount I had I was able to get all the gifts I could from the machine on my first visit there. I got to about 90% repetition before I started reloading saves just to complete it. I had only spent about 150 of those monocoins when I reached that point anyway so I probably could've done it without reloading anyway

Music
No spoiler in here. But it does have a soundtrack that I like

I said I didn't like the main intro music as much as the other two above... but I did love the Monokub's theme. Not as much as I love the original intro music, but I still love it It's the kind of music that I would listen on repeat for several days before I eventually get bored of it. I would've done so if I hadn't found another track outside of the game the same day that I like even more and am listening to as I write this review

This is a link to an extended version of the Monokub theme if anyone is interested in listening
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2XylhnF5bE

Characters
For this part I've put the character list with their talents and whether I like or don't like them below. So this is kind of spoiler free for people who want to look. I have an additional spoiler notation giving my reasons for those who want to see

Kaede Akamatsu - Ultimate Pianist: Like

I like this protagonist a lot. More so than the other 2 I've seen. She's not quite the blank slate the other two were and she already has a lot of hope which is nice. If I were to rate the 3 it would be Kaede > Makoto > Hajime. Haven't played Another Episode yet so I can't compare her to Komaru yet (yes... I know she's the protagonist in that one)

Shuichi Saihara - Ultimate Detective: Don't like

As someone who really liked Kyoko from the first game (second favourite character), Shuichi feels weak compared to her and kind of does the "Ultimate Detective" skill a disservice in my eyes. I mean sure, he has proven he does indeed have this role. Who knows. Maybe he'll improve during the trial. I mean Kyoko didn't have much to offer until the first trial came around in the first game. And Chiaki only started to shine and show herself as the next detective character during the second chapter. But Shuichi doesn't really feel like the detective character who you're supposed to like like Kyoko and Chiaki were

As a side note without looking at any evidence whatsoever I'm most suspicious of him at the moment. First trials always involve a character who is important. Not necessarily as them being the killer but them having involvement. And with Rantaro out of the picture, Shuichi is the only one who's really had enough screentime to warrant an important character. But I may have a change in opinion after looking at evidence. After all... we still need to see him without the hat

Tsumugi Shirogane - Ultimate Cosplayer: Don't like

I think Tsumugi with her comment. She feels pretty plain. She comes across as one of the plain characters who can't really help much but will make it to the end anyway because she's not got the killer instinct and she's not killable enough. Kind of like Hiro in the first game who I also didn't really like

K1-B0 (Keebo) - Ultimate Robot: Like

I'm kind of on the fence really but I think I like this character. He has a personality. And I can see some funny moments with him given how non-roboty he is for a robot

Kokichi Oma - Ultimate Supreme Dictator: Like

He's clearly the one who's going to mess up the trial for everyone else after having figured out who the real culprit is. And I love him. He manages to bring the "being an utter jerk" that Byakuya brung and the "crazy" that Nagito brung. Unpopular opinion really... but I didn't like Nagito that much. I didn't really give him proper time to find out more about him granted, but I still liked Byakuya more and he was my third favourite character in that game. That being said... Kokichi > Byakuya > Nagito

Rantaro Amami - Ultimate ???: Like

The game's amnesiac character. Always a given for these games. And I do like how calm he is while at the same time being kind of freaked out that he doesn't know. It feels like a nice balance. And he comes across pretty genuine. I did end up spending the first four sessions with him as I kind of wanted to see his personality a little more... which was a mistake as the third and fourth interaction gave me nothing. And well... he's dead so I didn't even get a perk

Himiko Yumeno - Ultimate Magician: Not sure
 

I like magic. I like magic tricks. And I'm also pretty lazy. So Himiko should be likeable for me. But at the same time, her attitude is kind of annoying to me. And her reluctance to admit her magic is tricks is understandable but I can see this irritating me in the future. So I haven't decided on her yet

Tenko Chabashira - Ultimate Aikido Master: Like

Need I say more with that face? It is probably the second best sprite I've seen. The first being from someone else here. Sprite aside, she's a pretty cute character for one who wants to throw degenerate males across the room. I like how hard she's trying to get Himiko to give her the time she wants

Miu Iruma - Ultimate Inventor: Like

Normally I'm not the biggest fan of the fan-service characters but I actually really like this one. I'm waiting for her to come up with not-so-clever insults to the other characters that'll make me laugh. At the moment she's high on my "talk to this character" list. Favourite girl at the moment

Maki Harukawa - Ultimate Child Caregiver: Not sure

She's pretty difficult to read right now. I think I'll like her more when she does something that'll involve her role a little more. But at the moment she's just a grumpy unapproachable character for me

Ryoma Hoshi - Ultimate Tennis Pro: Like

Now this is a character with an interesting backstory. And the only one I've seen in the series willing to give his life away for pretty much nothing. I think I'd like him more if he wasn't quite as mopey as he is but he's still one I'd like to hear more from

Korekiyo Shinguji - Ultimate Anthropologist: Like

NEED I SAY MORE??? Look at this beauty of a man! Yes man. He is apparently male (and pretty sure not pretending to be one gender like Chihiro). I will be talking with him after the class trial. He's really creepy and says some really weird stuff but I still really like him. Favourite character right now

Kaito Momota: Ultimate Astronaut: Not sure

Mmm... I don't know about this guy yet. He's somewhat likeable as the most normal seeming guy there. Kind of like how Leon was for me. But at the same time he doesn't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed. I suppose you need to have some smarts to be an astronaut so I could be wrong. I guess I'll see as time goes on

Kirumi Tojo - Ultimate Maid: Not sure

Again... kind of plain. She seems pretty nice though so maybe I'll warm to her

Gonta Gokuhara - Ultimate Entomologist: Like

He's a sweetie. I can see him being the favourite of a lot of people. He won't be mine because I'm not the biggest fan of characters who don't have some brains... and I don't really see him having much. Doesn't make him less of a sweetie. Plus, the biggest change of opinion on a character I've had so far was Sakura. So it's entirely possible I'll love him by the end of things depending on what happens

Angie Yonaga - Ultimate Artist: Don't like

Her Atua stuff is already starting to irritate me a little. That and she is way too happy. Thankfully I've not had too much interaction with her so far. And it's not too late to for her to change my opinion. I think I'd enjoy seeing her coming to the conclusion that her God is fake some point later in the story and having to come to terms with that. Probably won't happen but I have hope

Monokuma - Ultimate Despair Headmaster?

When did Monokuma turn into Mickey Mouse? His new higher pitched voice is kind of distracting. Maybe it's a sign that another character is controlling him? I dunno. It's weird

The Monokubs - Ultimate...err... children... mascots?

Interesting group. I like how they manage to act nice towards the characters while still calling them rude names like it's the norm. I can see Monodam being important in the future to the story. And I'm kind of feeling Monokid is not long for this world given how obnoxious he is. I do however like Monotaro and Monosuke. Monophanie is a little too cutsie for my taste

[Shinomi-chan 294]

I freaking love this game. Like I still haven't played it till the end, but so far.. so many heart breaking moments, and many more that gave me goosebumps.

I like your list and while I respect your opinion:

HOW DARE YOU NOT LIKE SMALL MAGICIAN GIRL?! ;_; (jk) But really I liked almost everyone. The only one I did not like nor do I still like: Kokichi. Well him and Monokuma. The Monokubs were too adorable to hate. Just you wait their crazy shenanigans. I have to say I actually got stuck on few occasions (until I later on solved them) But in no way is the game unfair. I like the newly added trial systems as well. They seem to add more craziness, and trial stuff in the games. Like in EVERY GAME. Not a bad idea of course. They still always manage to keep the games feel fresh, and different despite having similar settings. There's always a new gimmick to them. (and more adorable and cool characters to love) I hope you'll hype with me once you get further into the story. 

[Danny Felixe 330]

HOW DARE YOU NOT LIKE SMALL MAGICIAN GIRL?! ;_; 

Didn't say I don't like her. I said I'm not sure yet. I said what I said based on what little experience I've had with her so far

If I change my mind about characters I will usually update it. Probably by reposting the list each chapter. Tho there won't be any change this chapter as I've reached the class trial and everything is up to date so far. Mostly

I'd say how dare you don't like Kokichi. I expect he'll have some crazy shenanigans

[Shinomi-chan 294]

HOW DARE YOU NOT LIKE SMALL MAGICIAN GIRL?! ;_; 

Didn't say I don't like her. I said I'm not sure yet. I said what I said based on what little experience I've had with her so far

If I change my mind about characters I will usually update it. Probably by reposting the list each chapter. Tho there won't be any change this chapter as I've reached the class trial and everything is up to date so far. Mostly

I'd say how dare you don't like Kokichi. I expect he'll have some crazy shenanigans

oh HE DOES. But he seems... kinda... manipulative? You'll see. (and I hate people like that~) Otherwise he'd be cute cinnamon roll xD

and well she be a tired little magician girl. 

[Danny Felixe 330]

I can see the cute cinnamon roll 

Yeah. That speaks to the tired person I am. I'm just unsure because like Angie, I can see her repeating her character to the point where I'm going to get annoyed. She might not. I just want some time to see before I judge. Angie is already on the annoying scale more than she is tho

At the very least... I don't hate anyone here as much as I hated  

Himiko from DR 2. Least favourite character in the series so far

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So I just finished chapter 1

The trial 

So once you get passed the fact that Shuichi is too obvious to be the one behind it, Gonta not being the type of person to murder someone discreetly. At least not on purpose. I expect if he murders someone it'll be an accident. But he probably won't since he can't defend himself well enough. And getting passed the fact that Tsumugi's excuse is going to be accepted despite how weak it is but she was too far away and probably not gone long enough to have done it anyway... you're kind of out of viable suspects. However I remember seeing a post saying that I'd never guess who did the first trial a while ago when the game first came out. So that did get me thinking. And while I would've never thought it was Gonta, it wouldn't have been too surprising. But something I did think of that the game hadn't done... was that the protagonist was the culprit. So about halfway through the trial when Shuichi was first accused too early for it to be him, I ended up coming to the conclusion that Kaede was behind it. Which explained how weird she had been acting. Sure enough, Kaede became the first protagonist to actually be the real blackened. I did have a few suspicions before the trial but I was somewhat hoping it wasn't her. I did notice a space in the stacked books above the area Rantaro died. But I thought maybe Shuichi had just placed the ball there or something.

Either way... it was a fairly interesting play. Interesting but I do see some flaws in this trial. It was pretty convenient that the ball landed exactly where Rantaro's head was. It was pretty convenient that the heavy shot put ball didn't knock any books of the shelf. It was pretty convenient Monokuma played the music in the background as the ball was rolling through the metal grate. It was pretty convenient that Kaede and Shuichi met up with Kaito and Tenko to delay them just long enough for the shot put ball to land on Rantaro without anyone seeing it (tho I suppose Kaede could've delayed him a little if they hadn't. But the ball had to have just landed on Rantaro as they opened the door as the bookcase door was just closing which means the second picture from the camera with the flash had just been taken).

 These were things out of Kaede's control that worked out pretty well. I suppose there needs to be some conveniences for some trials. But usually things feel a lot more solid than this one. Maybe that's just my feelings

As a side note, the trial didn't seem to read my clicks or keyboard presses all the time. I didn't really see it happening for most of the trial but the multiple choice answers, the dance argument thingy and the closing comic all seemed to struggle at times. Multiple choice didn't read me scrolling down sometimes, dance argument wouldn't read my keyboard clicks... which is annoying since that's the entire thing. It wasn't TOO big a deal tho. And then there was the comic. Which I was spamming the A and D key at times as I couldn't move through the different comic options. It was really really annoying and I was there twice as long as I needed to be because the keys weren't being read

In terms of the mini games, the mass panic debate was a really neat thing to add. It seems pretty logical that a lot of people would speak at once in these situations so it was nice to see this being taken into account, the something scrum mini game I really really liked. Relatively simple but still really cool to play and just see who's on who's side and to just talk the evidence out. Hangman's gambit is a definite improvement on the second game and I suppose it's not as simple as the first game's was which is kind of neat. I think I saw a skill that talked about something called psychic taxi or something? Didn't encounter it yet. I feel like it'll be the improved logic dive by how the name sounds. Hopefully it'll be less frustrating. Dance game was always annoying. It's funny how the fever time version of it is now just how the game was on normal. But if my keyboard keys worked it would be less annoying. Final comic thing I really wish I could just do everything by mouse like you could in the second game. Finally there's the sword rebuttal thing which I only saved for last because its change would be pointless if it were not for the V counter thing which I also wanted to touch upon

I kinda like the V counter thing. It gives me something to aim at for more money. And I think I only missed one V counter during the trial. It's nice that it's not necessary too. It's just do it if you wanna. Another thing I liked that's not necessary is being able to lie at times during the trial. I mean sure you are forced to do a lie at parts, but there was another point during this trial that I got to lie. Which I really enjoyed finding (tho admittedly I did read somewhere that a certain music plays if you are able to lie which is how I found it)

I think that's about it on the trial

 

Character updates

Shuichi Saihara - Ultimate Detective: Not sure

I still see him as weak. I can see now why he was kind of blank slatey since hwas going to become the protagonist. Still thought Kaede was the best protagonist the games have had so it's sad to see her go. I'm willing to give Shuichi a chance tho as a protagonist. Because as just another classmate I didn't like him. But protagonists shouldn't be treated the same

 

 

Kaito Momota: Ultimate Astronaut: Like

While he did somewhat come across as a Hiro at the beginning, he has warmed on me a little now. I like how he wasn't as useless as he first came across. He did set up the meeting. He was more than willing to fight for people he believed in. And he punched Shuichi to prove a point. Good on him

Kirumi Tojo - Ultimate Maid: Like

I liked how level headed she was just before, during and after the trial. It's nice to have someone talking sense during the trial. I can see her as being somewhat of a side detective-y character that helps the main a lot. Though considering she did get something wrong during the trial which those types of characters never seem to do that might not happen. So pretty much her attitude in the trial has improved my opinion of her

Still don't like Angie. Found her annoying in the trial. Still don't like Tsumugi. I'd probably like her more if I understood her references sometimes. Korekiyo is still my favourite. And Miu is still my favourite girl. Her insults are great. Himiko and Maki I'm still not sure about. Need to see more of them before I judge. Both feel like they have room to develop

 

[Shinomi-chan 294]

In other words you love it so far?  (on my own experience the taxi thing controls pretty smoothly.

I was pretty heartbroken after learning that Kaede by an accident became a murderer. It was really awful going against her, this is just like that awful moment in Goodbye Despair where you have to decide the fate of a certain girl ;_; 

I DID like however that we had yet another boy mc with AHOGE! (the pointy hair/antenna thing) and idk what others say, I LOVE solving the murders and doing the mini-games (even if I do sometimes get stuck, due to my own stupidity) or maybe I shouldn't do almost all nighters with drawing before playing the game. Whichever. and so far I THINK that my actual logic, and skills have worked, since I have been able to tell who the murderer is. I may have not known the REASON or murder weapon, but definitely the murderer.

Hope you'll continue to play it though, and that you're going to laugh out loud :,3 and love the characters.

[Danny Felixe 330]

I love how I was writing my chapter 2 review as you reply to me 

Kaede becoming a murder was sad but I still give the edge to Chiaki being the murderer in Goodbye Despair sadder. I know Kaede didn't intend to be the blackened but she did intend to murder. Chiaki never intended to murder at all which made that a lot sadder. And then had to to push the others into voting her without being able to give away everything

The pointy hair does seem to be a consistent thing between all the protagonists. I suppose that's why Shuichi had the hat at first. To hide that he would be the replacement. Though that does make me suspicious of Keebo. He has a pointy hair thing too. Does that mean I'll get to play as him too?

Oh I am laughing out loud. Kokichi and Miu have made me laugh out loud the most. I think Tenko, Himiko, Maki, Kaito and Kiyo have also made me laugh at least once. I also got the cutscene of Ryoma destroying Kaito in the casino which was really amusing. As for loving the characters... still a bit of a way to go before the game ends. Plenty of time for the characters to mess up. But with a couple of exceptions I do like most of them

------------------------------

Anyway... so I just finished chapter 2 

Well... seems like I misjudged a few people. Certainly some things I wasn't really expecting. Going through the game first

Still having issues with the game reading my keyboard and mouse at times. Considering yesterday I played some Star Wars without my keyboard giving me any grief despite using WASD and my mouse in both instances, I don't think it's my keyboard and mouse that's the problem. I think the game has some issues reading them. And I don't know why. The game does start being set to controller mode by default. Which is an issue as I don't play games with controllers. Soooo I can't really swap

Next... the casino unlocked. It's nice that it's in favour of the player... but it is still pretty tedious to get everything. I bought all the stuff I could. And also got 3 of those key things. To which the game only let me use one of them on the first night (which for the record I got to spend with Kirumi. No resets. I just randomly got her). Then the next two nights I can only assume my character was too tired to do these mini games. Which is stupid and annoying because I wanted to try out more people. I mean what else am I going to use my monocoins for? I got all the presents I can from the monomono machine and it's so easy to farm the coins. Hopefully the game will let me try next chapter. I really want to see Kiyo because he seems like someone who'll give me a really interesting night. I really want to see how Tenko reacts to having a degenerate male as her ideal. Or maybe I'll appear as Himiko to her. Hmm... I wonder I'd appear as Atua to Angie... but I don't really want to find out. Finally I want to see Miu for the same reason as Kiyo. And to see which one is the more...interesting

Oh. And I got 2 more mini games during the trial. Both of them were really easy. Psychic taxi I got a B instead of an A on because I didn't realise I'd be marked on time and spent the time going at half speed to ensure I got everything (which apparently included running over Monokuma O.o ). I will say that at least for now it seems like an improvement on logic dive. Logic dive was an annoying mini game that tested your ability to jump over gaps at the perfect without phasing though what should be solid ground. I just need to avoid obstacles now and pick up blocks...and escorts. What an interesting addition to a class trial. The other game was pretty much a more time consuming multiple choice answer but it wasn't annoying at least

For the trial itself... what an interesting trial. I went in suspecting Angie. I not suspect Kirumi. Actually... I suspected Kirumi a little before the murder took place that she would be either victim or killed just because everyone was relying on her so much during the cutscenes. But going into the trial I wasn't even thinking about her as a suspect. Partly because of how truthful she came across in revealing where she was and how helpful she came across. I didn't think it was Himiko because she didn't come across as the killing type. And I suspected she would've wanted her magic show to be special for everyone so she could showcase her talent. Not ruin the show by using a dead body in part of it. Maki I was pretty certain was in front of her lab the entire time guarding her children in there... which is probably wrong given what's been revealed. And Kaito is going to be Shuichi's hope that dies in like chapter 5 so Shuichi can feel even more hope to keep going. Just like Chiaki except not as sad because Chiaki was the best and Kaito is not XP So yeah. Was pretty sure for most of the trial it was Angie.... until she of all people suggested the ladder was used for setting up the rope. Which everyone shot down but it was that moment where I realised it was Kirumi as she was the only one there to have been able to do it *sigh*. But you know... I'm glad that it wasn't an obvious killer. And overall I really enjoyed this trial. And it didn't feel as flawed as the first one. Only things I questioned really is where Kirumi got the third rope that held the rubber tube... which I guess would've been the warehouse. And why she didn't just go in the morning to remove the final bit of evidence quickly. But I guess that was because she could've been seen and there was the magic show to go to. Overall... pretty good

Right! Let's go to the characters!

The characters! (that were important enough to talk about and there certainly were a few) 

 

 

Shuichi Saihara

Please... stop being so weak. I don't remember Makoto or Hajime being this weak and self-doubting. I'm so glad Kaito is there to constantly put you back on track

Kokichi Oma

You sneaky little creep... but you make the class trial so much more funny by being there. Since the trouble-maker characters normally survive for most of the game I'm really hoping he's the same. Actually I'm sure he's the same. I'm sure I'm going to see a lot more of him. And that makes me happy

Himiko Yumeno

I'm... going to refrain from judging her too harshly. I feel it's a little unfair given how much of a change she just went through via... brainwashing I guess. If there's anything good about it then I suppose at least we got to see her finally use some energy to show us her talent. Even if she did then spend part of the trial making things more difficult for the other characters by not helping. I suppose a magician never reveals their trick or whatever

Tenko Chabashira

Speaking of Himiko... I feel really bad for Tenko. She's tried so hard to get Himiko for herself and Angie just swoops in and takes her instead. I could feel her love for Himiko especially in the class trial when everyone was accusing her. She doesn't get nearly enough credit for her actions protecting Himiko. Respect to her

Maki Harukawa

Well it's good to see her opening up a little m-... oh! Well that's somewhat unexpected. Maki just became a whole lot more interesting with that reveal at the end of the chapter. I mean she was starting to become a little interesting during the trial when she opened up. But that ending explains a fair bit. And I suppose will explain why she was guarding her door. I assumed she just had 'children' to take care of in there and she was either being overprotective or just didn't want others to see as it would be embarrassing for her

Ryoma Hoshi

This poor guy. I mean I didn't expect him to survive until then end but that kubs pad was such the final nail in the coffin for him. It was horrible to see. I could see why he wanted to see it and I thought it was a little selfish for everyone to deny him watching his own one. But seeing that was pretty horrible. Maybe if others had watched it with him they could've supported him better. Kaito certainly knew and respected him. And maybe his attitude towards him would've changed if that kubs pad was common knowledge

Korekiyo Shinguji

As promised I talked to this guy during free time. Actually he was somewhat interesting and not as creepy as I was expecting during free time. Really enjoyed talking to him and he's still my favourite character in this game right now. Though his skill he gave me is the most useless one I've seen so far. I had to load a previous save and remove it after trying it because I really wanted to get those Vs. And now I don't know who to talk to instead XP

Kaito Momota

I've been fluctuating a lot on this guy. Whether I like him or not. He's really good to have at times. Especially when he's getting Shuichi to stop being so weeeeeaaaaak. Then at other times he's just kind of annoying. I was with Kokichi a little whenhe was trying to get him and Maki to argue. Didn't think it wass going to get a lot done. But I was pretty surprised that he was indeed that stupid to ride everything on a hunch. Probably a similar scenario to Tenko and Himiko but Tenko at least clearly fancies Himiko so I can feel the belief. Kaito's interactions with Maki have been minimal that it really did just come out of nowhere that he trusted Maki

Kirumi Tojo

Man was I wrong about her. Credit to her for being as devoted as she was to everything. She managed to convince me during the trial that I was wrong for a moment. So well done to her. And the amount of conviction it took for her to get as far as she did during the execution. Some respect for this woman

Angie Yonaga

**** this girl. I wanted her be the blackened this trial. First she brainwashes Himiko then she backstabs her during the trial and gets away with it completely! Himiko's not even mad and is immediately praising Atua with Angie when she's off the suspect list! Wtf??? And no one even suspects her as the culprit throughout the entire trial! They're even saying it could've been Gonta more than her like Gonta would've been able to come up with a perfect crime! I couldn't believe it! She's not going to survive the entire game at least. She'd cause too much trouble by the end. Hopefully sooner rather than later. And I still don't hate her as much as Himiko at least

 

[Danny Felixe 330]

So I just finished chapter 3... On Sunday. Had exams to focus on. Still do but I'll still write it up  

In general I find chapter 3 cases to be one of the better cases in games. Not so much for how sad it is but how well they are made. This one was no exception. But before getting into that, let's talk about the daily life

Well... so many changed opinions on characters. At least for the chapter. Some for good. Some for bad. I don't think I've ever wanted someone dead so much in the DR series. More than Hiyoko. I hated Angie so much by the time she died. I was so fed up with her. And I could see the cult thing coming when she got Himiko converted. But suddenly half the people left are with her and being incredibly annoying and illogical. And at the same time kind of funny as Shuichi probably became the most sane person in the group as Angie didn't turn any of the crazies in the group. Overall, the person who my opinion on changed the least was Miu... and she was the one I spent time with the entire chapter (I pretty much got exactly what I expected from talking to her) including a love room scene

Speaking of love room scene... I had 2. First one was with Kiyo which I got immediately without having to reload a save. Then the second attempt came. I wanted either Tenko or Miu... and the game really didn't want me to have them. It didn't want me to have many people! The whole time I reloaded I kept getting Maki! I didn't want her! She was definitely going to survive for a while longer and I didn't know when Miu or Tenko would die! Neither seemed too important to the end plot but they were interesting! So I wanted them. It ended up taking probably over 20 Makis and at least 5 Kokichis before I got a Miu. And I really wish I had gotten a Tenko instead seeing as she died

Also... I'm actually sad that I couldn't spend time with Tenko. My only chance to do so and get something out of it was chapter 2. But I spent time with Kiyo which was totally worth it... but if I had picked to spend time with her instead of Miu like I almost did, I would've been unable to finish talking with her. It turns out in the final 2 free times all student council members refuse to speak to you. Which is annoying. I only found out because I tried to speak to Gonta to see if he would move the rocks covering the manhole. But nope! He refused to talk. So I checked the others and they did too. Almost missed the chance to gain a skill thanks to that

So chapter 3 is normally interesting for me. As I said, it feels like some of the better trials come from that. As it is usually someone with a fully planned out murder. The majority of other ones are done on a whim somewhat. Anyway... this also normally involves 2 characters I don't like that much (Hifumi and Celeste in the first game, Hiyoko and Mikan in the second) and one character I at least somewhat like. This game managed to throw 2 characters that I really liked out to die with only one character I hated going with them. And they also managed to make one of the deaths really sad to me. That being Tenko's. What an amazing person. And what a strange trial

I'm pretty sure only three characters got a proper accusation in this trial. Those being Kiyo, Himiko and Keebo. Personally I had a feeling it would be Kiyo's time to be the killer. But I was calling for Keebo to be the killer and up until they dismissed him as being the killer, I knew for sure it was Kiyo. Congratulations to him on being able to pull off the perfect impossible to solve crime killing Angie... then immediately giving himself away by killing Tenko because he brought everyone to the rooms where the deed was done

I'm really confused why people keep accusing Himiko though. She's clearly up to this point been too lazy to attempt a complicated killing of a person. Did we really think that she would put in the energy to saw the floorboards? During the night too when everyone is asleep? Where's the common sense from these people? Sure logic comes into play somewhat but you need to consider if a person is capable of commiting a crime too. This doesn't really bother  me too much tho. What bothers me really is how few people were accused this trial. I suppose to some extent there are fewer people by this point... but I didn't predict Mikan in chapter 3 in DR2. So it's possible to make things less obvious. And Kiyo was even accused right from the get-go by Miu which we shut her down completely on. And for the majoritiy of the trial we spent a lot of time trying to prove that to everyone that their accusations of Kiyo were wrong. Even after we proved he was Tenko's killer Shuichi decided he needed to do a scrum with Keebo and the 2 most creepy people in the game (Kiyo and Kokichi) against the others who were pretty certain by this point. Shuichi needs to listen to his gut more it seems

So overall... I still liked this trial in terms of solving how it happened... not so much on who the culprit is but still my favourite one so far

Going through the characters... starting off with the lower opinions
Angie - Really hated her. Not much more to say that I haven't said already
Tsmugi - Still don't like her much. Not too surprised she got converted into this. How dare she say that Tenko might've murdered Angie
Gonta - I like him... but this is the second chapter in a row someone has taken advantage of him and I'd really like it if he was able to be himself for just one chapter
Keebo - How tf did Angie convert him? He's a robot! I know he said something about hearing voices but it seems highly illogical to believe in something you haven't seen for yourself and have seen how it has affected others who believe it. And given he can't read the air and has difficulty understanding people joking, I'm surprised he can actually grasp the concept of faith (I know. Totally robophobic of me)
Kaito - How he fell during this chapter and became annoying. I was actually worried about him for a little bit. Maki matched my disappointment towards him when I found out he was just scared. Though it does look like he is legitimately ill seeing the final scene, I can't believe he wasn't around for most of the chapter because he was scared... not even of seeing anything, but just of the mere mention

Now for some improved opinions
Korekiyo - Well that was an interesting twist for him. Oh and he killed Angie so yay. Points to him for doing a service for the story (even tho he killed someone really cool too)
Kokichi - "Its a lie!" Probably my favourite moment in the game so far. I was actually fooled for a second and thought he was death number 3 in chapter. Really shocked by that too given...well... it's Kokichi. Relieved he was alive but made a pretty funny moment
Shuichi - He actually improved a little for me this chapter. He wasn't as weak as he had been the previous 2 chapters. Probably helped that the killer was creepy anyway and hadn't been a massive help to everyone like Kirumi was. So he felt more confident condemning him. Fourth trial is always really sad though so I hope he doesn't relapse into his "I don't want to accuse him. Only reason I can do so is because Kaito will take the blame for me"
Maki - Really good to see her shine a little this chapter. Kaito was nowhere to be found but we had Maki to talk to instead. And I like her approach more than Kaitos too. I would prefer to do trials with her helping me. Heard a little bit of backstory to her life as an assassin without talking to her and she seemed a lot more level headed
Himiko - Oh wow. So much character development. Himiko became the epitome of "you don't know what you have until you lose it". First she loses the girl who brainwashed her but who she still considered a friend for some reason. Then Tenko unknowingly saves her from being murdered in selfless act of trying to let Himiko say goobye to this friend who Tenko herself hated. I think what makes it even sadder is that scene is the only time that I can think of that Himiko had smiled at Tenko. And that was the last time too. That end scene too after the trial where she broke down and finally let her emotions out. So sad! I'm not supposed to be sad in the 3rd trial! That's the 4th trial's job! But yeah... I'm finally feeling stuff for this character and that makes me very happy. I really hope she keeps the character development and doesn't revert back to original Himiko. If she keeps it then I'm going to keep really liking this character and honestly... she's the next person I'm going to be spending time with
Tenko - After speaking about Himiko we really need to discuss this amazing person who had not gotten the recognition she deserved until she died... and until Himiko showed she mattered. This is someone who put herself in a scary position on her own just to protect someone she loved who really didn't appreciate her back. She infiltrated a ****ing cult. And kept up the act with everyone just to be close to Himiko and make sure that she would be okay. And she didn't even like Angie but had to act like her opinion was the only one that mattered. Just for one little magic girl. I do agree with some of the people in the trial... how could Himiko not like her? I know she came across a bit strong but her heart was clearly in the right place. Then despite being found out for betraying. Despite hating Angie and hating her for stealing Himiko from her... she offered herself as a spirit medium so Himiko could say goodbye and was the one who tried to support Himiko and give her advice for facing Angie's death and future the most. Unknowingly, this saved Himiko's life but cost her her own. And finally Himiko understood just how much Tenko actually meant to her and with help from Shuichi, Tenko finally got through to Himiko. Seriously. Tenko has not gotten the credit for all she has done that she deserves. Everything she's done here has made her my favourite girl in this game now. Even if she wouldn't like me in return

[Shinomi-chan 294]

Personally:

Keebo, Shuichi, Kaito, Himiko,Tenko, Korekiyo and Gonta (and our poor poor pianist) I really freaking loved. From the start, and I may or may not have been heartbroken because of Korekiyo. WHY MAN WHY?! ;_; Why is it never the creepy ones who survive till the end?! 

Keebo is just... Cinnamon roll. Best roll. Forever rolling. yes.

Shuichi is the guy with ahoge obvious mc choice. Therefore going with the best. My man Hajime Hinata, and Makoto Naegi. (although it would've been cool to have a female protagonist. Since it only happened in Despair Girls... and even then because of kinda bs reason in my opinion.

Who DOESN'T like magic? I don't care whether hers is real or not I WILL protect my little Himiko till the end. Too pure. Reminds me of Snufkin from Moomin.

Tenko is just. Awesome. I cried so much when Himiko cried. ;_;

Gonta, I still think they took his story from Tarzan. But he is adorable gentleman.

Kaito while being hotheaded is still pretty cool, especially with his bromance with Suichi.

Angie... Well I understood where she was coming from, and she was a fellow artist. So of course I liked her. Besides she WAS still very friendly and mother like, despite hammering her religion down everyone's throats.

and little Kokichi. BURN. IN. HELL. (sorry.) I just don't like him. He's way too manipulative, while I may have laughed because of him, doesn't make him any better.

Maki is amazing as well.

Tsumugi... Well she's a fellow cosplayer. Idk what else to say.

Miu is just, eh... perverted xD

[Danny Felixe 330]

So I just finished chapter 4

But before I get into that I want to say that I loved this music from chapter 3 

 

Now on to the actual chapter 

 

As with every chapter 4 trial, this was a really sad one. A very cool twist making the culprit forget they even did the murder. But very sad. And of course we got to see Kokichi shine a little in this time. What a snake he was. I'll talk about him more in a sec

So storywise, I enjoyed the whole video game aspect they did, ending up in an "improved" Neo World Program. The characters were very cute and the banter between everyone was nice. Even if all the characters did seem to pick on Shuichi a bit (can't say I blame them though). But even while they picked on him they still looked to him and praised the work he had done too. Which was nice because it's the first time I've felt the main character really getting proper recognition for all he's accomplished in game. With Angie out of the way, the "weaker" group seemed to end up looking to me as the important person. With even Kokichi telling Shuichi he was useful (in a very creepy way)

As a side note before getting into the murder case itself, I want to say I did the love key thing and got Keebo followed by Kokichi. Keebo's one was very sweet... but honestly I found it kind of boring after having had Korekiyo and Miu. I wanted something more exciting or weird Kokichi managed to deliver at least. That was a fairly entertaining one to watch. It's also nice how much easier it is to collect coins now. The slots took forever and were annoying and the mini games used to give so few coins. Now I get a lot more which is nice. Anyway... moving on to the murder case

So this has probably been the best murder case in this game. I've said it like every chapter but it actually did feel like things fell into place as I was getting the clues. I completely understood how everything took place. Only thing I hadn't figured out going into the trial was how the culprit left the murder scene. I admittedly did not think about that. And if I had I probably would've gone in knowing who the culprit is. Something which I did not do. This is the first trial this game that I went into without even suspecting the culprit. My first suspect was Tsumugi because in my eyes she was the only one without an alibi  and she was in a good place to move up to the roof. Plus she saw Miu so had reason to go find her. My second suspect was Keebo because I thought he might've been labelled as an object too since he was a robot. And because we heard him. And because he knew about the meeting between Miu and Kokichi. I did not in any way suspect Gonta being the culprit. I was shocked when Kokichi said he was. But turns out he was and he didn't even know he was. Nor did he understand why he killed Miu. Poor guy. It was really sad to see him, someone who desperately wanted to help everyone escape and do what he could even if it meant risking himself, finding out he did something he thought he would never do. Poor poor guy

Characters
Kaito - I mean... I like Kaito and I really appreciate how much he believes in everyone. I think it's wonderful to see. But there were so many points during the trial that I really wanted him to just shut up. I agree with him that they should survive by believing in each other but he wasn't helping and he was just making things more annoying and sadder. I spent most of the trial agreeing with Kokichi more than Kaito. Which I probably shouldn't be doing XP

I did also start the 5th chapter a little and I'm irritated that he's pouting and not talking to Shuichi because Shuichi's only allowed to be confident in convicting a killer when it's someone who's not had outside influence... despite Kirumi being influenced by Monokuma's motive same way Gonta was influenced by Monokuma's other motive along with Kokichi's lies. Apparently if Kokichi is involved Shuichi is not allowed to use his detective work. Really consistent Kaito. Thanks

Tsumugi -
Shuichi: *Lies to get Kokichi to say what he knows*
Everyone: We believe you Shuichi!
Tsumugi: Huh... that's totally a lie because I would've seen you doing so because you have to pass through the room I was in... but maybe I'm wrong so I'll totally believe the lie that I clearly recognised

... I think that was the only part I really cared about what Tsmugi was saying. And I was telling her to shut up during that time. I don't like her

Maki - It was really nice to hear more about her in this chapter. I enjoyed finally hearing about her life a little bit. She's been through quite the experience and it was interesting to hear

Himiko - So I spent the chapter talking with Himiko. What a sad story really. Seeing the person who taught you everything and you totally respect fall like that. I actually wonder if she does believe that what she's doing is real magic now from that story. I can totally see some guy saying he's an archmage to this little girl and tricking her into thinking this was all real magic. I do really like her now though. She's an interesting character after chapter 3. So much of an improvement. And her skill is probably the most useful one I've gotten from the characters so far. 

Gonta - I honestly don't have much to say about Gonta other than he's such a lovely caring person and I feel really sad that he died like that. I saw that it was coming at the beginning of the game but I still wasn't expecting it. So sad

Kokichi - The person who probably got the most chance to shine this chapter. Wow... what a snake. He is such a creep. An absolute creep. And honestly... I love it. I don't think the game would be nearly as interesting without him. What's scary as well is some of the things he says I can relate with. Not everything of course. But I do want an interesting trial. Lying isn't always a bad thing. Stop saying how much you trust each other and get on with the trial XD But he is still so creepy. I think that last picture of him as a red silhouette with the massive smile was actually scary to see. Only thing I don't really like about him though is he feels a little too stereotypical for an evil character. And he keeps referencing how he's a supreme leader of evil so of course he'd like it. It ends up feeling like he's too... on the nose for his talent. At this point it feels like he's the leader of ultimate despair or something like that. Which makes him out as the mastermind. I hope he's not the mastermind. I'd be annoyed if he did end up being the mastermind because it's too obvious that he's behind everything right now. Chapter 5 is coming up though. So if he isn't the mastermind I feel like he's going to die this chapter. The important characters normally do. And that's going to be sad because he's currently the person I like the most. Himiko probably being second

[Danny Felixe 330]

So I just finished chapter 5 after a long break due to exams and other stuff. Though I did play in parts occasionally so I may not remember everything I wanted to say

Chapter 5 in both previous games was a chapter of plot twists and seeing how far you could bend the killing game to make force an outcome. So I went into this chapter ready to consider what the answer would be. This is also the chapter that heavily involves the person who is your character's hope and the one where the people who were immune in the previous trials get involved. So of course I went into this prepared for Kokichi being involved. Wasn't sure who the other one was going to be. I suspected it would Kaito but of course Maki had become a major player too. And Keebo was the only person who backed me up and was helpful in trial 4. So there were a few to choose from. Himiko was the only person I felt would be safe and would not be involved. Too much character development and not major enough in the story

So we start off with Kokichi showing his really creepy side and then disappearing. Which was a shame as I wanted to talk to spend my free time with him. I suppose I missed my chance to do so. However I wouldn't have finished talking to him anyway as there were only 4 free times. Which is annoying as it becomes impossible to finish the fourth one. I'm pretty sure you were able to do so in the second game if you you talked to Nekomaru or Gundam during chapter 4. I can't be sure but I think you can. Anyway... I spent time with Keebo. It was kind of cute talking with him so I don't mind. For the love key scene I got Himiko. Bark bark. It was adorable. Probably my favourite one

Okay. Let's talk about Kokichi. I fell for the mastermind lie. I shouldn't have. But I did. And I was annoyed. Because he was so clearly the odd person out that it felt really dumb that he would be the mastermind putting himself out there the way he did. Of course it turned out to be a lie which I later realised. But boy was I annoyed with that. And the outside world being completely destroyed... well I suppose it's worse than the tragedy considering the world was at least breathable when it happened. So I don't know how anyone could possibly be watching this unless they're on a space station or something. But that world certainly sucks

Moving on to the murder case... although they played it like it was unknown victim, unknown murderer. I was pretty convinced that Kokichi was the victim and Kaito was the culprit. Wasn't sure how but the coat that hangs over Kaito's shoulder sticking out was waaaaaaaaaay too much of a pointer to me for chapter 5 that I was sure it was there to trick. And then I had Maki being a pain to Shuichi and avoiding him because he was on the same wavelength... at least originally. So the trial comes along. I really didn't expect the Exisal to come out. But other than that things go smoothly. I get shown the video feed and I immediately notice the pause from the crusher. I remember it wasn't that way when it nearly crushed Keebo. And whoever's in the Exisal mentions there's a pause button. At that point I understood the video and I'm ready to call out Kaito being the living one... until the debate scrum comes up! Then Shuichi suddenly changes his opinion saying that it's impossible for Kaito to be alive. And the whole time I was pretty much shouting at my screen at how it wasn't impossible. And to stop trying to convince me otherwise. And Maki was equally annoying but at least I understood her intentions when she finally revealed what happened. And I could forgive her for that. Shuichi shouldn't jump to conclusions until he has the evidence though! I wish the game would stop making me argue against what I believe is the correct answer without proper evidence. And of course I was right. Kaito was the one who killed Kokichi. It wasn't impossible after all

So with the trial over... we're getting near the end. Clearly there is another Junko despite her being dead. And assuming that someone in the game is the mastermind... I'm betting that it's Tsumugi. Maki and Himiko have had too much character development to be the mastermind. They've already done the main character being the mastermind plus Shuichi is too weak so I don't think it's him. That leaves Keebo and Tsumgi. While Keebo could maybe be the robot equivalent of Junko, I want to believe that Tsumugi lied about being unabl to cosplay as real people. I think she's only unable to cosplay as LIVING real people. I mean we only saw her attempt to cosplay as Kaede and fail. But Kaede was still alive and Junko is dead. So I think the silhouette they showed was Tsumugi cosplaying as Junko. Also it is more likely her than Keebo due to the fact Keebo seems to be destroying the academy now. I'm pretty sure if he was the mastermind, he wouldn't be trying to destroy it. So yeah. Pretty sure Tsumugi is the mastermind. It would finally give her something to do at least

Characters
I still like Himiko and Keebo. Still don't like Tsumugi so not much to say on them

Maki - She was really annoying for a large part of the trial. Considering how helpful she usually was it was a bit of a surprise. As I said though, I'll forgive her now that I understand why she was annoying. But she better not act that way again. I want rational Maki

Kaito - So this guy was supposed to be my hope. What an annoying hope person. He spent a whole chapter being pouty that Shuichi was being as he wanted him to be. Only difference being that not everyone who kills in this game is intending to do it. Yes. Gonta was a nice person who was trying to help us. That doesn't mean I can treat him being the murderer differently. I'm not going to act like someone you don't like is the culprit just because you don't agree with what happened. And that doesn't mean you should pout about it. But you know what? He was still likeable by the end. I was cheering for him. Especially when he died in space before Monokuma could finish the execution. Good on ya Kaito

Kokichi - And then we come to this guy. the complicated character. He was certainly not boring. I'm so glad he wasn't the mastermind and that he was only pretending. Yes he was a little s*** and manipulated everyone. but he was still lovable. I'm willing to believe his final words. I don't think he was lying. And with that you really gotta feel for the guy. Having to lie to everyone, even himself about the killing game being fun. Then giving up his own life just to try and stop it and save everyone. What a brave and selfless move. And really sad. Shuichi pretty much prevented Kokichi from saving everyone. I even realised what Kokichi was doing before Shuichi. I wanted Shuichi to stop revealing the truth. But alas. We ruined this poor guys plans. And I'm relaly sad about him having to die. And having to suffer through what he did just to try and reach this point. Is he ultimate despair? I don't think he is. Or if he is he doesn't remember it and was brainwashed too. Respect to this guy

[Danny Felixe 330]

So I finished chapter 6 a couple days ago 

So starting off we see the the group doing Kaito's training altogether at last which of course wasn't going to last given one of them is the mastermind and Keebo is destroying the school. He claims this is how you defeat despair and that it's not his inner voice telling him this. I think destroying the only place they can live is sensible at all. The point of the game is to kill the other students and by destroying the place and admitting it would kill the others, you are still playing the game. You are just taking advantage that this game doesn't stop you killing more than 2 people. So his sticky up hair is where he's hearing his inner voice from. So Kokichi's theory on there being someone watching seems more reasonable as they could be the ones telling Keebo what to do. Anyway somehow Shuichi convinces Keebo to give him time to investigate and despite them having finished the class trial probably less than an hour before and likely being tired... he decides they're not allowed to sleep and have until dawn to figure out everything. And then Monokuma comes along and starts a war on Keebo making the until dawn thing a lot more of a real suggestion

So now begins the investigation. It's relatively straight forward. You go to one place, investigate it, then someone or something comes up and you realise you should go to the next place. And to stop you going early there's rubble that you need to use your smacking skills on (except they don't give you monocoins ) but only if you've built your friendship power up with everyone. And of course the exisals are around too but Keebo helps you in those situations. Though I did get jumpscared by the game one point, as I went around the corner to get to Kaito's lab (didn't expect to be going there. I knew I was going to go to Rantaro's lab, behind the bookcase and Kokichi's lab but not there) and suddenly I had this exisal in my face. So close that I wouldn't have had time to call Keebo and I was too surprised to move back around the corner. Thankfully the exisal for some reason didn't acknowledge me being there and just walked back and forth. I'm not sure if that was supposed to happen though. Anyway, the whole thing was pretty reasonable. Except for the countdown timer which was just stressful and didn't need to be there. I wanted to check everything! But that just made it annoying and given you're supposed to detective everything in the other trials, it's so annoying to work with. I did actually fail to check everything before the timer ran out. And what makes it more unreasonable is the game expects you to not beat the timer in order to get one of the cutscenes in the extras menu. So I have to fail once to get everything

Anyway... I mentioned in chapter 5 that I thought Tsumugi was the mastermind based off of process of elimination. So with the double evidence of a shot put ball with a pink fibre in the trash can which was clearly the one that Kaede had except without blood on it. And the fact that you can get into the hidden room from the girls bathroom. It becomes clear that the first trial... the only trial that seemed to have a lot of random luck for it to work... was actually wrong! How satisfying to know that the feeling I had about it were not unfounded. And that Kaede did not kill Rantaro. It was the mastermind. And of course the only two without full alibis who are alive were Tsumugi and Keebo. And wouldn't you know it? Tsumugi's alibi includes briefly going to the girl's bathroom that had the secret entrance. Meaning that it was actually Tsumugi who killed Rantaro, revealed to be the ultimate survivor. So ironic that was his talent. (For the record, having finished the game I want to know what his real talent is. Because they talked about Maki becoming the ultimate survivor so it's more a title based on beating a killing game. So he must've had a different talent before)

Before I get into the trial btw... I want to take a moment with Kokichi. I feel bad that he got shoved being part of ultimate despair on his shoulders when he was nothing like ultimate despair despite how he appeared. Petty non violent crimes? I can see where he gets his "I just want to have fun" from. And I love how in his room there was a board with all the characters on it and he had only separated Shuichi out as being trustworthy. Perhaps that's why in chapter 4 he was saying he wanted him to be his friend. I kind of wonder if that's partly why he was against Shuichi being with Kaito. He wasn't convinced yet that Kaito wasn't the mastermind and he was trying to protect Shuichi by trying to pull him away from the mastermind suspects. Problem was he had made himself seem more like an enemy as he was protecting himself so it didn't work. Kind of sad really. He was the villain who wasn't a villain and wanted everyone alive in his own unique way

NOW moving on to the trial. Firstly I'm disappointed. There was no scrum debate. Those were the best. Other than that the first half where we figure out Tsumugi was indeed the mastermind was pretty straightforward. Then she does the reveal. And it seems I was right that she cosplayed as Junko. But wrong about her being able to cosplay and people who died...I think. They never really cleared that up. She claims to only be able to cosplay as fictional characters. Yet she calls Shuichi and the others fictional. So if they're fictional why couldn't she cosplay as Kaede? By her logic Kaede is fictional. But she can't cosplay as her. So that should've been used to point out how she's a real person And it doesn't work to say she can't because this is apparently the same universe as Makoto and Hajime but she can and does cosplay as them. I really don't understand her argument. It doesn't make sense to me

So basically the premise is that they live in a world full of peace and to relieve the boringness of peace everyone watches Danganronpa. It's a show where kids apply and if accepted they get given an ultimate talent, a backstory, basically are turned into a character that no longer fits in the real world and forced into the killing game. Which they are happy about before they lose their memory of real life. Um... sure. They also point out this is the 53rd season which has been hinted at the entire game (V3. V is the roman numeral 5. So it's 53). I understand this reveal and it's interesting but it feels a little bit of a slap in the face to the fanbase. It's mocking the audience who are watching and saying they are in the wrong for enjoying it (which is kind of true) and it feels like they link us, the fans to be this same audience. I mean you can see some of the things the audience are saying and I could totally see people typing that sort of stuff if this were real. Even person who was making creepy comments about Shuichi everytime that audience text showed up. I could see someone saying that. But yeah... after making the anime as a thank you to audience it seems so weird to see this game now seemingly mocking the audience. Even if it was likely not intentional

Anyway... so Tsumugi and her perfect cosplays of every character (except for having V and 3 in their eyes) off your standard two choices of stay together or kill the mastermind off. And then for the second time in the game, the person we play as changes again. And of course it's the only remaining person who has sticky up hair. Keebo. We get to play as Keebo. And Keebo is actually the one full of hope. Which is revealed to be given by the audience because the audience likes to see hope beat despair. Well... majority do at least. Keebo says he'll sacrifice himself to defeat the mastermind and Maki then also agrees to sacrifice herself to defeat despair. And there lies the problem. That's not hope. That's just defeating despair. It's not the same as hope. I wouldn't call killing off or putting these characters through the killing game again hope. So despite Keebo saying he's doing this in the name of hope, I'm backing what Shuichi begins saying. He's saying if it's hope he's rejecting it. to some extent I agree that despair was the better option in this scenario. No one else was going to kill each other in this scenario. They could've lived their lives in comfort an not put two of them through hell again. But it's branded as despair, no one wants to do it despite it being better than "hope"

So we get Shuichi as the main back as he comes up with a very risky third choice. And he's finally got some strength behind him that I like. His risky third choice is don't vote. Make it boring. It's clearly more hope than the other option but the audience don't see it that way as it's boring. You get a single debate where you get to play as Himiko and then as Maki who both agree. Keebo is easier to convince than the other two but plottwist! The audience voted to remove his personality, effectively killing him off making him only an empty shell of what he was. And then the final horrible battle between Shuichi and the audience takes place. I hate the dancing game. 3 rounds of it sucks. The second one I failed to pick the words in the correct order twice. And it doesn't read the keys half the time. Ugh... But we win. And for some reason Tsumugi stupidly doesn't vote and Keebo doesn't vote. So Tsumugi unhappily tells Keebo to sort out the punishment as this will be the last season since the audience must not want it anymore and she doesn't want to live in a world without Danganronpa. Keebo then continues to destroy the school, causing rubble to crush Tsumugi and Monokuma. But some of the other rubble shelters Shuichi, Maki and Himiko from being killed and then Keebo sacrifices himself to destroy everything else. Now as I said, I don't think sacrifice is hope in this scenario. However Tsumugi was the mastermind so it's okay she died. I mean... Junko did so too in the first game. And I'm willing to see it as Keebo already being dead from when his personality was removed. I'll take that end. Still think it was a bit of a slap in the face but I'll take it

And thus, the game ends. Shuichi and the girls are still alive and can now leave to the outside world. Was I happy with this ending? Not really. It was an interesting idea but it could've been handled better. Not done with the game though. I want the achievements and stuff. So going to play some salmon fishing

[Geoffrey St John 175]

4 years between posts huh? Well I don't care since I wanted to state I have beaten V3 also and it was bittersweet!

[Tooq (Kitty McPurrington) 17]

I just watched a person play Danganronpa 1 a week or two ago for the first time. It was actually awesome. I tried watching 2, but it didnt give off the same vibe so I put it on hold for now. I may go ahead and play 2 for myself to see if that increases my interest.

[Danny Felixe 330]

As a big big Danganronpa fan... the first game definitely took me by storm, I wasn't sure the second could beat it. Buuuut it definitely holds it own as a fantastic sequel and I actually ended up liking it more than the first game

If you play it yourself, word of warning, the mini games are much harder than the first game so expect a bit of challenge with them ;)