Top 50 Challenge 2014 – Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

There are some genres that are simply perfect for handheld gaming. I’ll always choose a console or PC for first-person shooters, fighters, and anything else that requires precision. Interactive visual novels, though, are simply perfect for the smaller screens.

Learn more about the Game Informer Fight For the Top 50 Challenge 2014.

This year’s Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc blends the investigation and intrigue of Capcom’s Ace Attorney courtroom melodrama with the high-stakes social encounters of Atlus’ Persona series. The setup is what makes it all worthwhile, and for that reason I’m glad that Kimberley Wallace chose to champion it for our Top 50 conversation.

Danganronpa starts with the fluffiest of openings, as the main character, Makoto, is chosen to attend an ultra-exclusive high school. Things quickly take a turn for the macabre, as 15 students discover that they have been tricked into a battle to the death. The premise is simple: Students must kill their peers and get away with it to graduate, and only one student can escape alive. 

Spike Chunsoft has assembled an eclectic cast of personalities, though some you hope to see meet their ends sooner rather than later. The game isn’t entirely voice acted; short phrases punctuate each new dialogue card instead. One character in particular spews profanity nearly every time you speak with him, making headphones a good choice for play in public. Thankfully, the text is sharp and engaging. 

The first few hours of the game are slow, teaching the mechanics of social interaction, investigation, and then a “class trial.”You spend your time learning how to counter erroneous information (a more active take on Phoenix Wright’s classic objection). Unfortunately, some of the minigames in these sections are a bit obtuse, and do nothing for the experience other than differentiate it from the Ace Attorney franchise.

The introductory courtroom scene doesn’t put the game’s best foot forward, as the first clue you find is so obvious that there isn’t much mystery. It’s crucial that if you decide to play Danganronpa (and I recommend you do), that you play through the second case before deciding whether to continue. I was surprised with each twist and turn.

More importantly, the mysteries are well constructed. The clues are all there for you to discover, and seeing them fall into place is more than satisfying. In the sections I've played, the story doesn't fall back on sleight of hand or deus ex machina, and instead treats the player with respect.

Danganronpa is goofy, and some of the characters (especially the nefarious teddy bear Monokuma) are maddening in their quirks. But that is ultimately part of the charm. The juxtaposition of the Battle Royale-style quest for survival with anime absurdity works wonderfully.

My Vote
Danganronpa might have reached more people this year if the naming had hinted even slightly at what to expect. “Annoying Death Teddy Bear Mysteries” might not be much better, but it would have earned a look from people who otherwise wrote it off as “just another Japanese game.”

Joking aside, Spike Chunsoft’s latest has earned my support for our Top 50 Games of the Year conversation. The controls are significantly better than Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward, the mysteries are engaging, and the entire premise pulled me through the hours I’ve played so far. I’ll definitely keep going; I need to find out just who is pulling Monokuma’s strings and which of the cast members is next to perish.