Everything was leading up to this. Danganronpa. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. The anime Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak High School. Even the god-awful, mercifully not re-released for Switch Ultra Despair Girls. It has all lead to Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, the crowning achievement of the series and, quite frankly, one of the best visual novels ever produced.
There’s no avoiding this, so we’ll lead with the fact that V3 is a contentious, challenging game. Some will scoff at the idea of something so avowedly crass having any higher-minded ideas at play, but Danganronpa V3 – more so than any other video game we’ve ever played – is a work of autocriticism, an existential piece of thinking that has its cake and eats it quite gleefully.
And that’s going to infuriate some gamers. We, though, were spellbound. Even if V3 isn’t 100% successful in sticking to its guns – and it isn’t – we still marvelled at the gall of it, the sheer ambition to push and push boundaries not just of taste, but of storytelling. Of the genre. Of video games.
But we digress. At its heart, V3 is more of the same. A new school, new students, another Killing Game. The biggest and best one of the lot, with the best conundrums, the best characters, the biggest twists and the most variety. Everything in V3 has been amped up; the soundtrack is the best one yet, the visuals have been overhauled and the game length is much longer and even more packed with fantastic content to keep you coming back even when you’ve finished the main story.
While the usual exploration, investigation and Free Time are all present, the Class Trials have been hugely revamped and are even more dynamic and complex than ever. The most interesting new mechanic is, well, perjury; now, as well as your Truth Bullets, it's possible to unleash Lie Bullets, contradicting information that you know to be true for the purposes of ultimately furthering your point down the road.
Debate can also break out into carnage, with everyone talking over one another. This is an extension of the usual Truth Bullet gameplay and a smart little wrinkle, forcing you to multitask and choose carefully where to fire your statements. There's also a new feature called Debate Scrum that sees you engaged in a quickfire back-and-forth exchange between students, where you must counter opposing views or challenges with rapidly-selected keywords that trigger a proper rebuttal. It's thrilling stuff and, unlike most of the minigames, it actually works as part of a trial rather than being a somewhat confusing artifice.
Speaking of confusing artifice, the Hangman's Gambit is back yet again but this time it's marginally less crap by virtue of not keeping you waiting around quite so long. You've got to shine a spotlight on the letters this time, so it's more of a matter of checking everywhere than simply sitting and hoping, but it still feels totally extraneous. The second game's Logic Dive has been replaced with Psyche Taxi, which is basically Out Run but with questions. It's fine, if a little overlong. The final major new minigame, Mind Mine, is sort of a cross between Minesweeper and puzzle titles such as Mr. Driller, in that you've got to chip away at a screen of colourful blocks to uncover hidden images in order to further the trial.
The storyline here is extensive at roughly 40 hours, but we never got bored thanks to the sheer imagination at play and just how entertaining and frequently hilarious the characters are. The likes of Miu Iruma and Kokichi Oma are totally unforgettable, the murders are grotesquely inventive, and the story goes places you could never even begin to guess. That sounds like hyperbole, yes, but Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony really is that good, really is that smart. Other than the usual Hangman's Gambit moan, the only real fault we can find with the game is a degree of lag on the system menu, and we'd be amazed if it wasn't removed in a Day One patch.
After beating the game you'll unlock an extensive board game-style new mode that lets you take students from the entire Danganronpa franchise out and level them up to run them through a JRPG-style multi-floor dungeon complete with turn-based fights and items hidden in chests. There's also a shockingly compelling in-game casino to explore and get hideously addicted to — though outside of the slot machine, the games simply offer a different take on those available in the Class Trials.
Conclusion
It's difficult to get across exactly why Danganronpa V3 is so good without spoiling vast swathes of it, so we'll keep it simple. You'll come into the game baffled as to what the writers were thinking with some of these characters, and walk away loving each and every one of them. There isn't a single moment of slack throughout the whole 40-hour playtime, it has the most extensive post-game of any title in the series, and one of the best endings to any game ever made. Go in blind and we promise you'll be in for the ride of your life.
Comments 27
Himiko Yumeno is the single best character ever. Easily one of my favorite games ever made!!!
@Blooper987 It’s magic!
There's no middle ground with this one, you either think it's the best game in the series or the worst.
For me it's the latter. Loved the first case but every single one afterward was a letdown, with more missed opportunities and stupid/predictable twists than all games (UDG included) before it.
At least the trial minigames were a bit better.
I get great enjoyment from Killing Harmony.
However, the final twist (I won't spoil it) feels like a painful blow down under. Especially after fully completing the prequels.
From my own review of this game, in 2017:
The game as a whole has a surprisingly thoughtful theme that ultimately reveals itself as the most extreme social satire I’ve ever seen in a video game. The game’s finale may well be the most polarizing ending I’ve ever seen, coming as it does totally out of nowhere in the eleventh hour and slamming into the player with the force of a freight train; but regardless of whether you like the direction the narrative takes, it’s undoubtedly got a lot to say about society and the state of games in general without ever becoming too preachy--a quality that the game itself is proud of.
Wow, good review apparently. I will pick up the first 2 games first and later get V3.
And yeah I did see how the Hangman’s Gambit works in THH a bit and yeah I do agree that it looks kinda tedious and also confusing
Everyone likes to talk about the polarizing and truly wild final chapter, but this game has some really fantastic trials as well.
The only letdown for me is that I had a difficult time adjusting to this cast. Especially after one rather shocking early twist. Also wasn't a fan of the switch back to a full first-person viewpoint, given I really liked the side-scrolling navigation in DR2.
But still a really stellar experience. ESPECIALLY if you factor in the meaty post-game board game/JRPG stuff (although its inclusion here is a bit surprising given the existence of Danganronpa S, which I assumed was basically V3's post-game, but bigger).
And, yes, the ending is thought-provoking and ballsy af, and I really appreciate how it went out. Kodaka sent this property out with fireworks!
V3's ending felt like it was trying to one-up the insanity of 2's final hours which were even crazier than 1's and unlike 1 and 2 where the big plot twists felt well earned and awesomely written and were really cool. V3's unfortunately tipped into just being outright stupid.
I'd say play 1 and 2. Hopefully UDG will come to the Switch at some point, its omission is aggravating as it's more important to the overarching plot than V3 and I can't say I really see the point of the Summer Camp thingy.
Basically; play Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair and Danganronpa: Ultra Despair Girls, watch the Danganronpa 3 anime and you have the Danganronpa series in its entirety.
"40 hours and not a bad one among them"
Excuse me, but can I just present to you chapter 3's trial? Especially with the killer's motive... Ew... just no.
And the ending... I'm sorry, but that ending was just hot garbage. It really brought the game down.
Forgot to mention, "Even the god-awful, mercifully not re-released for Switch Ultra Despair Girls", unpopular opinion here but I thought UDG was pretty decent.
The ending is the best ending in the history if video games and I will not hear any arguments otherwise 😎
The ending is incredible and I respect the reviewer's taste - other than feeling the need to bash UDG in 2 separate reviews. Like yeah it's far from fantastic, but Komaru is a delight and I won't hear otherwise.
After reading that review.. I still don't understand what this game is 🐻
@BLD As someone who HATED Toko in the original game, I found her chemistry with Komaru in UDG actually made her character tolerable for me.
Also, I kinda liked the hybrid puzzle game-TPS-visual novel gameplay style.
It’s getting to be a meme at this point that NL is focusing so much on Hangman’s gambit at this point
Still pretty funny this game got the highest score when it’s generally considered the weakest entry of the main games by the fanbase. It’s the equivalent of if NL rated DmC 2 as the highest of the DmC games.
The ending alone should not make this a 9 for a heavy VN focus game
@Arawn93 The ending is what makes it a 9 for me. I'd give it a ten if I was rating this purely on my own opinion and not taking into account how divisive it is. I think it's brilliant. I enjoyed V3 the most, but am a fan of all the main games.
I think the Hangman's Gambit sucks no matter how they tried to spice it up!
@BLD The Komaru/Toko interactions made UDG almost worth it... but not quite.
Currently just over half way through this game on the Vita. Loving the characters and the stories. I find the class trails a bit long, but never boring . It will be my last game on the Vita, but a great way to bring an end off an era. Switch is my mobile gaming console off choice for now on.
Uh? Its by far the worst entry (not counting spin offs). It's so obvious that Kodaka (the writer) wanted to do other things...
D3 is the first Danganronpa game I enjoyed without caveats. The gross fanservice is tamed back. The homophobia, sexism, transphobia is gone. The storytelling and twists are ramped up to 11. It's such a great game and one that I still think about all the time. You know something is great when you think about the conclusion of the first case and still have troubles coming to terms with what happened because it shook you to your core so much.
Skip 1 and 2 and play 3 if you haven't started the series. The story is mostly self-contained and what you need to know about 1 and 2 is explained.
@StuartGipp
Eh, fair.
But yeah man V3's ending is wild. I'm with you on it being 10/10. It's something I'd love to see discussed more. I genuinely think a lot of the hate for it comes from people who have kneejerk reactions and don't engage with what's actually being said. I'm aware how pretentious that sounds but it's been absolutely true in my experience.
Loved the polarizing ending. Still have mixed feelings about it, but I appreciate it what it was & how it left me feeling.
@Ralizah I heard some issues in V3 Switch version like some pieces of dialogue not appearing and also crashing
https://www.siliconera.com/danganronpa-v3-on-the-switch-is-a-satisfying-end-to-series/
here it is
Please excuse the incoming essay, but Danganronpa V3 is genuinely one of my favourite stories of all time. It is a truly unforgettable experience and I think it might have one of the most misunderstood endings in all of gaming. If you take it at face value you will undoubtedly find it frustrating and maybe even insulting, but I have to be honest, it really does take some narratological analysis to fully embrace. Once you do start to piece everything together though, it feels ingenious. V3 is a game that commits to its overarching themes, and the final class trial is the moment that ties everything together. There are so many events throughout the game that I just found...odd in my first playthrough (ESPECIALLY the opening prologue). There is a surreal and uneasy atmosphere throughout the entire game that is hard to explain, but I genuinely believe this approach was intentional. The inconsistencies of each chapter start to make sense within the context of the ending, and I think it's a sign of the writers wanting to push boundaries. Some might call it an excuse for poor writing, but eh...I don't know. It might be imperfect, but I love the fact that it does so many things to set itself apart form the previous installments. Even when you think it's going down a familiar path, it goes and throws in a twist that you never would have seen coming. The truth and lies theme is deep-rooted throughout the entire game, without the bizarre and existential ending it just would not make sense. A game as ambitious as V3 deserved a crazy twist, and I think it would have been disappointing otherwise. Again, it's not perfect and I totally get if you don't personally like it, but I do believe it is misunderstood. If you haven't played V3, go in blind and with an open mind! I adore it as both a game and a story, I can't recommend it enough.
@Cooligan I have no problem with the ending's theme, and i understand it 100%. But i disagree 100% with what it wants to say too
@Jumping_Dead That's totally alright! It's definitely not for everyone. I just think there are too many people who assume it is a personal attack on the player, which based on everything else the narrative does...just doesn't seem accurate. In a MyNavi interview Kodaka said that the team knew it would be controversial, and maybe even disappointing for some! It wouldn't make sense to insult your own fanbase. I think they just wanted to shock people and start a conversation, and welp, it most certainly did that!
@Cooligan does the game run on Switch? Any issues?
@BLD does V3 run good on Switch?
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