LogFAQs > #896564028

36. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (Raka_Putra)


I thought the first game was good, but I was so blown away by how much better the sequel was that I think I'd find it hard to go back to the original now. The characters, the story, and the cases are all better. The original had the better setting because the island setting could be kinda silly at times, but they made up for it in the last case. They added some new gameplay mechanics to the trial segments, which were generally better than the ones they had in the first game, except for (ironically enough) the so-called "Improved" Hangman's Gambit. I haven't played V3 yet, but I can only hope there isn't a "Better Than Ever" Hangman's Gambit.

Let's start with the new protagonist, Hajime Hinata, who's a major upgrade over Makoto (who I still liked but wasn't anything special). He tends to be cynical and untrusting of those around him, which is unusual for visual novel protagonists (at least of the ones I've played). He's more open with what he thinks and isn't afraid to tell people (usually Nagito, always deservedly) to shut up and go away. The twists in his character development were really good, too. Along with him, the best characters in Danganronpa 2 were Chiaki, Sonia, and GUNDHAM TANAKAAAAAAAAAAAA. Sorry, Ibuki's pretty overrated. The game also goes a solid job of turning a character who is completely unlikable early on into someone very likable by the end with Fuyuhiko. Even someone who's terrible and utterly annoying like Nagito ends up serving an important purpose in helping to make the game as good as it is. I've gotta give the game a lot of credit for being able to turn bad things into good things. It's an impressive skill.

As far as the cases go, the last two are definitely the best. Case 5 is just all sorts of crazy in the right ways, and the atmosphere is spot on, especially when you get close to the end. They do some really cool things with the direction and presentation that stood out to me. I'm having to speak very generically since I don't want to spoil anything, but it's great. I think the last case is sort of hit or miss with the fanbase, but I loved it. If you can go over the top and pull it off well, I'm all for it. It was a total change in tone from the way Danganronpa usually is, but I thought it was awesome. I thought Danganronpa 2 ended on a very satisfying note, and that's part of the reason I like it so much. There were so many things hanging in the air going into that last case, and it managed to resolve them in a way that made me happy.

Bonus Question: Who is your favorite Danganronpa 2 character?
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