Danganronpa opinions?

kokostal

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Decided to make a little thread about this since a few people in WL i know have played or know about Danganronpa, and since it's a franchise im very passionate about, I thought a discussion thread about it could be fun (If you don't know what danganronpa is, its a visual novel series with currently 4 games that i highly recommend). Won't be covering Danganronpa 3 the anime but if anyone else wants to, go ahead

Also, obvious spoilers probably

So il just begin with my personal takes on the games, starting with DR1. I played the community translated PSP version of it multiple times back in 2015/2016 and only got around to buying it last year and replaying the official translation on steam. I used to not like the DR1 that much, since its character's were mostly unappealing to me and the story felt a bit emptier then the other games (until you get near the end), though i've grown to appreciate it a lot more. It definitely has my favorite setting, and it's the only game with a real horror aspect to it imo and even though i wasn't a fan of its characters before, I realized they were all actually pretty interesting (aside from couple few such as celeste). It's also the only game that really does Junko right imo. Right now, it's my favorite out of the 4

Danganronpa 2 on the other hand, instantly had me hooked the entire way through first time i played it. The characters are more entertaining (It's even got my favorite character in the entire franchise, Mikan), and the story manages to keep you interested better then dr1. The only thing i would complain about are a few particular characters such as Chiaki and AI Junko, and its setting (which is way too cheerful for such a dark game) which holds it back from being my favorite.

Another episode: Ultra Despair Girls often gets overlooked or called a bad game, because of the major shift in style and gameplay into something we weren't used to, which put me off from playing it for quite a while. Eventually, last year i got to playing it and it took my favorite spot after finishing (only to be taken again later by DR1). UDG does so many things right, it baffles me. Komaru is an amazing character and she goes along really well with Toko (who i Hate but acknowledge as a good character). The other supporting Characters also all do a good job at being entertaining and keeping you invested, and Monaca is a great villain. While lacking in gameplay, UDG makes up for it with good writing.

And lastly, V3. V3 is probably the most popular game but to me its the weakest out of the V3. Its story is kinda sloppy, None of the characters are really that interesting (It has the worst character in Dangnronpa to me even, Maki) and its got some really bad twists. Don't get me wrong, i still enjoyed V3, UTDP is a godsend and it has its moments, but compared to the other games it doesn't keep up at all.
 
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Eight

Incognito
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Spoilers with my post too of course.

Danganronpa 1 is underappreciated although in a more subjective sense I'm not that big of a fan of it. I totally agree with you that it's the only game that really has a "horror" aspect to it (albeit I think in general, even with this game, there's not much horror in Danganronpa).

Danganronpa 2 I love. The setting is pretty cheery, but again at this point I feel like Danganronpa isn't really about macabre, more-so "drama" I guess. Even though some of the deaths are pretty gruesome, they aren't really played up for being gruesome more-so for the mystery behind how those deaths occurred (e.g. Nagito and Kokichi's deaths). As for DR1 Junko vs. AI Junko, eh I don't see much of a difference between them. I mean DR1 Junko is better just for the aspect of not being repetitive, but otherwise I can't recall any major differences in character. I do agree with you on Chiaki though, she's kind of boring and Nagito was a way better supporting character. I will say though that I think (given her purpose as an AI and her passing) her being made to be waifu material kind of worked.

Danganronpa V3 I honestly don't mind as much as others. More of the characters are "ehhh" but it has a nice plot twist in the chapter 1 trial, Shuichi is a good protagonist (or at least he is certainly not worse than the others) and the other chapters are (at the very least) decent IMO. Some complaints of mine though are that Korekiyo being the culprit chapter 3 was obvious (I still love him though) and chapter 1's plot twist being scrapped was for the worse (although I don't think it really ruins any of Kaede's character since she still did try to execute a murder). Also I just don't find Tsumugi interesting as a villain. Like I know she's supposed to be boring and plain but that doesn't change the fact she is and I don't really think that purpose helps her character at all (as you have said, I think Himiko would have been a much more interesting mastermind, as maybe it could have helped her fit about "magic" chapter 2).
 
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