Imagine arriving to school for your first day of class. Now imagine suddenly finding yourself alone after falling unconscious, left to wander the campus until an announcement plays on the speaker to head for the gym. Upon arrival, you’re met with unfamiliar faces of other people that attend your school who are all in the same situation. Minutes later, you’re met with a strange sight: a bear telling you to commit murder in order to escape your school-turned-prison.
This is the premise of the Dangan Ronpa series.
On November 25, 2010, Spike Chunsoft released the very first title in this series of bizarre murder mystery games under the title of Dangan Ronpa (known as Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc for the English release done by NIS America).
The game revolves around a group of fifteen students at a private school called Hope’s Peak Academy, a school where only the most talented individuals can attend through invitation. The story begins with Makoto Naegi, a boy who was admitted to the school through a lottery which the administration holds each year, and earns himself the title of Ultimate Luck.
Through the series of events from earlier, he’s forced into a situation where he and his classmates must commit a murder and get away with it to leave the school.
There are two game modes for the main entries of the series: school life and class trial. The former is the story based sections where you can interact with any of the cast members and learn more about them, as well as being the part of the game where a murder takes place.
The class trial portion is exactly what it says on the tin, a courtroom trial with all the evidence gathered from investigating the scene of a murder in order to determine the culprit.
This formula continues through the sequel game Super Dangan Ronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Academy. The sequel takes place on the Jabberwock Islands and features a brand new cast of sixteen characters, all sporting new talents and stories to be discovered. The protagonist this time around is Hajime Hinata, a boy who doesn’t remember his talent.
Following the release of Super Dangan Ronpa 2 was a third-person shooter spinoff that takes place between the original two games titled Dangan Ronpa: Absolute Despair Girls. An adventure game, it follows the adventure of Komaru Naegi, the first protagonist’s sister through the world of Dangan Ronpa.
The series returned to the murder mystery genre again and will be releasing New Dangan Ronpa V3: Killing Harmony in English on Sept. 26, 2017. The third entry stars Kaede Akamatsu, a talented pianist stuck in what appears to be a rundown school building that must survive through her own wits, lies, and evidence.
In a game full of mysteries, however, one specific mystery prevails in each game: who is the Mastermind behind all of violence?
Erika Brandenburg
Reporter