Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (Super Danganronpa 2 Sayonara Zetsubo Gakuen in Japan) for PC, PSP and PSV is a visual novel adventure game that is a sequel to the popular game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc that was released in 2010 on PSP. The game was once again developed by a Japanese studio, Spike Chunsoft, authors of such similar games like 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. Danganronpa 2 for PC, PSP and PSV is an improved port of the PlayStation Vita version of the game. The developers introduced a new control scheme based on mouse and keyboard, improved the resolution and the quality of the cutscenes and graphics in general.

Plot

Similarly as in case of the first installment in the series, the story of the sequel is based on same pattern. However, the action was moved from inside a school building to a tropical island. The main character of the game is a boy named Hajime Hinata who is one of many people starting their education in an elite private high school. The school only accepts candidates with amazing achievements in various, frequently weird fields and specializations. However, at the start of the game Hajime has amnesia and he cannot remember what he did to earn the right to join the academy. During a school trip the protagonist’s class learns from two digitally controlled mascots named Monokuma and Monomi that they are trapped on an island. In order to get out, they must murder one of their colleagues in such way that no one catches them. If they don’t do it, they will remain prisoners and they will spend the rest of their life on a remote island.

Mechanics

The gameplay mechanics are similar to the popular series Ace Attorney and it hasn’t changed since the previous game. As in many other regular visual novels, the action is shown from the first-person perspective. The player reads character dialogues appearing on the screen that are accompanied by two-dimensional portraits of the people who are speaking. All locations are three-dimensional, but the player cannot move freely through them. Each chapter of the game is divided into phases. During the first phase the player speaks with selected students, builds relations with them and obtains special abilities that are useful in the investigation. During the second phase the murder happens and the player goes to the crime scene. Then he can gain witness testimonies and gather evidence. The last phase is a trial in which all the students must together select who the murderer is. Each of them presents his opinions and theories and the player can use gathered evidence to object to their conclusions in a special minigame. If the murderer was selected correctly, he is killed by the judge, the previously mentioned mascot.

Technical aspects

The graphics of Danganronpa 2 for PC, PSP and PSV are colorful and surrealistic despite the grim theme of the game. Character designs are exaggerated and grotesque. As it was mentioned, the game combines three-dimensional backgrounds with two-dimensional static character portraits.

Last updated on 16 May 2023