paranoidphantom

31 December 2024

Danganronpa 2 (Review) [Gaming]

Source: Danganronpa 2

Status: completed

Playtime: 40 hours

Danganronpa 2 is the perfect sequel in every way: it discarded all the flaws of the first game and amplified its best aspects several times over. No matter which element of the game you consider, the difference between it and the first installment is like night and day. What we got is a bigger, more inventive, and crazier adventure!

However, there’s a catch: Danganronpa 2 directly continues the story from the previous game. So, if you want to fully enjoy Danganronpa 2, it’s ESSENTIAL to play through the mediocre first installment. So, what about the game itself?

Yes, it’s still a detective game centered around investigations and class trials. But don’t mistake it for a visual novel like Ace Attorney. Such an assumption might completely ruin your experience. Danganronpa 2 is, first and foremost, an epic shonen story revolving around a "battle royale" within a single class.

Speaking of the cast, there are about a dozen students in the game, each of them a standout personality: a young chef, a talented mechanic, a professional gamer girl, and… well, just about anyone you can imagine! Every character has a vivid personality and a well-developed backstory. Each day, you’ll have the chance to learn more about your classmates, either by progressing through the main story or by completing optional side quests. The motivation to spend time with them is immense—after all, with each chapter, there are fewer and fewer of them left (remember, we’re in the middle of a battle royale).

At the heart of the story lies an epic clash between "hope" and "despair." The game gradually raises the stakes to insane levels. Unlike Ace Attorney, Danganronpa 2 embraces its over-the-top nature, shamelessly indulging in grandiose storytelling.

Also, don’t look for logic here. At all. The game doesn’t expect you to be Sherlock Holmes. All you need to do is turn off your inner skeptic and enjoy the deus ex machina moments. And there are a lot of them! In fact, the entire game is built around them. So, if you enjoy being led by the nose in a beautifully orchestrated way, this game is for you. If not, it’s probably not your cup of tea. The deeper you get into the game, the more unpredictable and twisted the plot becomes. By the time you reach the ending, the epic scale rivals that of Neon Genesis Evangelion (no joke).

It’s also worth mentioning that, in addition to the main story, the game offers an alternate story mode, a light novel, and a massive collection of extra materials.

Final Thoughts

This experience was well worth the dozens of hours I invested in it. No regrets. I highly recommend this game to anyone who was left dissatisfied with the unresolved threads of the first installment.

Rating: a solid 8 out of 10