This is the most recent game by Kazutaka Kodaka, creator of Danganronpa.
Mr. Kodaka says that if the game sells poorly, his company will go under and he will retire. That means this is also the last game by Kazutaka Kodaka, creator of Danganronpa.
As a fairly serious Danganronpa fan, I am obligated to buy and play the game. Here are some (mostly spoiler-free) thoughts.
I'm on day 45 or so. (There are 100 days (probably)).
In short, it's good. It takes the setting of Danganronpa (freaks in anime high school fight for their lives) and adds something unique: actual gameplay.
It upgrades a lot of core Danganronpa concepts. Since there's no murder mystery, the characters get to live a lot longer, which is more interesting. The gift giving dating sim part is tied into gameplay mechanics and provides serious combat buffs. There's even a little argument minigame as a special treat for me.
Sadly, I really do love murder mysteries and courtroom settings, so the tactical RPG gameplay doesn't do as much for me. But it's still fun, and it gives all the characters a chance to shine.
I won't know what to think of the actual plot until I'm farther through it. Right now it's ambiguous and doesn't make too much sense, but that's the norm for Dangan and is fine by me.
However, the co-writer is Kotaro Uchikoshi of Zero Escape. In other words, things could get real bad, real fast.
For now, though, I look forward to enjoying the rest of Mr. Kodaka's swansong.
Bonus: Here are my opinions of the characters so far. Pictures included.
(SPOILERS up to Day 45)
Sirei, the game's mascot.
He's a very, very, very obvious stand-in for Monokuma, but I don't mind too much. He has his own vibe going on with the military angle, and he's actually helpful sometimes.
I wouldn't mind seeing more of him. If he comes back.
Our protagonist. He's a bit dopier than your normal Ronpa protagonist, which is a plus.
The hamburger bun of the game: boring but dependable.
His fighting style plays to my tactical preferences (run directly into large groups of enemies).
Stylish, yet pointlessly aggressive. Disappeared from the game one second after becoming reasonable.
That's a good thing, because otherwise I would over-rely on her in battle. She has the only stat that matters: attack power.
The memelord. Constantly whines about how she's not playing a killing game, which would be insufferable if I didn't agree with her.
Fujobait. Leads the group. Multiple dead characters were last seen in his vicinity.
He emits huge Ralsei energy (homosexual and untrustworthy). Probably my favorite character so far.
Kind. Helpful. Excellent combat abilities.
Her tendency to throw up all the time is utterly loathsome and I have to make a serious effort not to think about it. Why would Kodaka do this
The designated idiot, along the lines of Yasuhiro and Kazuichi. Better than those two since he has a bit more substance and can help out when he wants to.
It looks like his optimal battle plan is to stall out the game while he cheers five times in a row.
Terrible siscon trope and awful person. Fortunately, sometimes he's so awful, it's funny.
Looking forward to his character development(?).
Stifled by brother Ima, making her a non-entity.
Looking forward to her character development as a result of Ima's character development(?).
Don't like him. Obnoxiously self-deprecating. Reminds me of myself.
The default girlfriend. Besides the various mysteries surrounding her, she is not interesting and I do not care about her.
Sadly she's the only healer (which is also a default girlfriend trope).
Great design. I'm a sucker for masks. It's a good thing we already know what her actual face looks like. Otherwise it would have been a distracting mystery when the focus should be on the mystery of What The Fuck Is Going On.
Very cool engineer-style combat, which I cannot seem to set up correctly.
Basically a joke character, but the jokes are good sometimes. Also her attack power is very good.
Another joke character. Great outfit though. Makes some good points.
If the game hadn't told me he can literally stretch his arm like Mr. Fantastic, I would not have noticed.
That's all of 'em.
The characters get more development here than they do in Danganronpa, so my opinions are likely to change quite a bit. But one thing is certain: this is all leading up to a satisfying conclusion.
This craziness right here is why you should never underestimate the Fuse ability. This weapon fusion right here is the Royal Guard Claymore with an attack power of 32 and a Black Lizalfos Horn with a fuse attack power of 26. Giving me a total attack power of 58. That’s almost as powerful in damage and destruction as the Master Sword after you’ve completed The Trial Of The Sword DLC in ‘Breath Of The Wild’. This is still early game for me and I am almost as OP as I was at the end of the last game.
Don’t sleep on fusing monster parts with decayed weapons. It’s insanely OP if you know how to use it.
I honestly can’t wait to see what I can do with Lynel parts and weapons. That gold crusher that does 102 damage added with a Savage Lynel horn or claw. 😯
Just a bit below Faron Tower in the East Necluda region is a delicious and nutritious fruit that results in hands down the best health food in the game-the Hearty Durian. Five of these together in a dish will result in a full recovery, +20 heart dish. The East Necluda region's rainforest holds the most Durians around, usually 3 or so per tree.
Mighty Thistles are also found in this specific area, a food item that will increase attack power. Be sure to not use the Durians and Thistles together, though!
