So during the holidays and the past few days I have put my time towards my latest Vita purchase.
*Using Danganronpa anime gif because why not*
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls is the third instalment in the series, though a spin-off this time around (but knowledge of the first two games are required). This game goes into a third person shooter style direction and it does a good job at all, not amazing, but an interesting approach overall. The story this time around is pretty solid, but a lot of the time it can be rather forgettable which is a shame considering the first two games had a fantastic story to go with them (well they are visual novels so there's plenty of time put into it). The outcome of this game does pay off pretty well and also resolves quite a few interesting plot points that this franchise has offered since the first game.
The gameplay does a good job trying to be different while also being part of the Danganronpa franchise. The controls are doable, the aiming will become a pain due to how difficult aiming the weak points are, but the difficulty is not that hard even on Normal which is good. The boss fights are a lot of fun, especially with the final one as it takes advantage of all the skills you learn from the weapon you have. The animation is a mixbag but it's above average as a whole. I like the 2D cutscenes while the 3D ones are a mix between good and average. Despite being a TPS there is a lot of cutscenes in this game and they all add to the main story and lore of the series.
My main issues with this game is pretty much the handling of the weapon and controls. Using the Aimlock is highly avoided because it will cause too many problems and will likely K.O. you thanks to how annoying it can be. And while you can change the camera, it can be a pain when you have to run away and then turn around instantly to try and get a good shot. The aiming as a whole is pretty much my main concern due to the speed of the camera. The story does have some issues and can be considered a standalone title but it does have elements of the main two titles so you will want to play those otherwise you'll be spoiled quite a fair amount.
Overall this is a good instalment to the series and worth a slot in your collection. I would recommend that you either get this on a sale or find a retail copy at around the £15-20 price point. The game will take you about 18 hours to complete (and this was with me searching for the collectibles). In terms of trophy difficulty this is pretty easy and as such I managed to acquire a platinum trophy. There are no missable trophies but I do recommend that you save your Monocoins up to around 14,000 to make the trophy completion much easier. The game is also English audio only but you can download the Japanese audio for free.
Rating: B
Platform: PlayStation Vita (+ Vita TV compatible)
As an added bonus here's the Danganronpa order that you should use in order to experience the franchise in the best way possible:
- Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc [game] - PSVita, Steam
- Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair [game] - PSVita, Steam
- Danganronpa IF [novel] - bundled with DR2 after completing the story (optional)
- Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls [game] - PSVita
- Ultra Despair Hagakure [novel] - bundled with DAE after completing the story (optional)
- Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School: Future/Despair arc [anime] - FuniNow
- New Danganronpa V3 [game] - (Standalone series, knowledge of previous titles not needed)