Brief Review of Danganronpa 1 + 2

A brief review of Danganronpa 1 and 2

Foreword

The two articles were written on November 30 and December 3, 2025, originally posted on my personal Qzone. I am now republishing the original text on my blog, and may revise it in the future as needed.

Danganronpa 1

My original goal was actually to play DJMax on a PSP emulator. I bought a controller to play DJMax properly, then grabbed a bunch of PSP ROMs, and well… here we are.

Thank you, DJMax.

I’m a coward. I chose the easiest difficulty for both action and logic, didn’t use the “Noise Removal” or MTB’s reload feature, so the experience was somewhat lacking. But that doesn’t diminish the high quality of this game.

I had actually watched the anime adaptation ages ago, but I’d forgotten most of the plot. Unfortunately, I still remembered the core storyline, so the final twist didn’t surprise me. However, playing through the game gave me a completely different experience from just watching the story. I hope that sense of wonder carries over to the ending of the second game.

One chapter of the second game kept me up until 4 AM. Absolutely insane.

On the easiest difficulty, thinking time goes up to a generous 20+ minutes. But the tension is all self-imposed — the adrenaline rush I felt during the first chapter is unforgettable. The first chapter’s story is also incredibly interesting, using plenty of deceptive narration techniques. Gathering clues and shouting “That’s a load of BS” to peel back the layers of the case, letting the truth gradually surface. Relying on (partially) self-discovered truths (with teammates helping for the rest) was genuinely rewarding.

Oh right, Sayaka Maizono. You really made me develop unnecessary feelings. My sympathy rate for galgame players went up to 10%.

The later chapters were equally cleverly designed, with the difficulty starting to ramp up. One thing worth mocking is how the culprit in Chapter 2 basically blew themselves up — leaving more holes than… well, let’s just say it was obvious.

Since the download speeds from English-language sites were fast, I played the entire game in English. Some words were beyond my vocabulary, so I had to look up guides. By the time I found a fast-download Chinese resource, I was already close to ganging up on Monokuma, so I gave up.

All in all, whether it’s for the story or this unique ADV experience, this game is worth buying.

Danganronpa 2

Spoilers ahead — I really can’t review this without spoiling things.

Thought 1: Chiaki… ah, Chiaki…

Thought 2: I understand the Nagito fan club now. I’m not into guys, but I get why someone would be into that “edgy genius wrapped in a pretty package” archetype.

Although some key plot points were unfortunately spoiled for me, this game still delivered plenty of surprises. Both in terms of mechanics and story, it’s safe to say this is an excellent sequel.

Let me share my general take on sequels: most of them are just cash grabs that ruin the original. For example, I personally wasn’t a fan of Death Stranding 2 (from what I’ve seen) — it felt like a big expansion pack with no real innovation beyond a few added features.

From Danganronpa 2 and Portal 2 — two excellent sequels — I’ve drawn a personal conclusion: a great sequel must preserve and build upon the original’s strengths while also breaking new ground.

Danganronpa 2 inherits the core “high-speed reasoning” mechanics of the original while adding many new mechanics that extend from it, like the “Rebuttal Showdown” and “Agree/Disagree” systems. I admit, the first time someone objected to my argument, the experience felt fresh — but on reflection, it made perfect sense. Why should the game just let you ramble on?

The game constantly emphasizes its “game” nature, which actually answered a question I had: how to introduce game mechanics without breaking immersion. It’s precisely because of this that certain gags and performances land so well. The final chapter’s presentation was especially interesting.

Story-wise, this game goes beyond the original’s “hope vs. despair” conflict, building on it with “past vs. future.” After all, the starting point of this generation’s protagonist group destined them to stay away from the whole “hope” schtick. The reveal of the protagonist’s true identity also ties up earlier foreshadowing — classic Chekhov’s gun, and mind-blowing.

The final case made me fully understand why Nagito is so popular. From victim to culprit, motive to method, his ultimate goal and the use of his talent — everything was airtight. No wonder his fans call him the “Messiah of Hope.”

I finished it at 4 AM. Nearly perfect score. That’s all.

I skimmed through the third game’s anime series in half a day. There was a stretch I really couldn’t stomach.

The fanbase has a certain… scent. Make of that what you will.