While it debuted on the PlayStation Portable,Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havochas finally made its way to Xbox consoles a whole 12 years after its initial release. Although the game has found its way onto Android and iOS devices, as well as the Nintendo Switch, thisGame Pass additionmarks the first timeDanganronpahas appeared on the platform.
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy HavocAnniversary Editionis a slight remaster of the very first entry in the now extremely popular series. Visuals have been tweaked and improved, and a Gallery Mode has been added in this remaster. For players who love a visual novel with dark humor and an engrossing narrative,Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havocis certainly an Xbox Game Pass game to try out.
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Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc’s Plot
A visual novel isn’t much without a plot, and thankfully,Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havochas a pretty incredible one. The game largely takes place in the classrooms of a high school called “Hope’s Peak Academy.” The high school has a widespread reputation of only accepting the best of the best, or as they call it, “Ultimate” students.
The player controls Makoto Naegi, who, unlike his fellow classmates, did not get in to the school using his own talents. Instead, Makoto was selected via a public raffle, and is now deemed to be the school’s “Lucky Student.” Upon arriving in his first class of the semester,Makoto meets his classmates.
Just as the students are introducing themselves to one another, an animatronic bear appears in front of the class. Now an icon of the series, Monokuma, the robot bear, firmly tells the students that they are now prisoners of the school, and thatdeath awaits anyone who goes against the school’s incredibly strict rules.
One of the class members,Junko Enoshima, then goes to attack in the bear. They are killed, perfectly demonstrating Monokuma’s point and cementing the gravity of the situation to the rest of the students. However, Monokuma has one more point to explain: if a student manages to kill another student, and remains undetected, then they are granted the ability to leave the school. However, if the killer is found out by their classmates, then they will be killed themselves. Monokuma also explains that if the students land on the wrong culprit, then they will all be executed.
It’s a pretty dark way to start a game, but there’s an undeniable morbid fascination that comes withDanganronpa’s plot. That central morbid hook then engrosses the player for the rest of the game, through character dialogue, classroom trials, and through the game’s countless intense sequences. As far as visual novels go,Danganronpais a compelling one.
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc’s Gameplay
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havochas some surprisingly complex gameplay mechanics, taking thebest parts ofPersonaand blending them withAce Attorney-like courtroom drama.Danganronpa’s gameplay is split into two distinct sections.
The first gameplay section ofDanganronpais the “School Life” segment, in which players spend their time traversing the school, talking to classmates, and examining objects for more information. This segment of the game uses gameplay similar to a standard dating sim, whereby character relationships are progressed through dialogue.
Towards the end of the “School Life” section of gameplay, a body is usually discovered, and the game turns into more ofa crime-scene investigation. Players can examine the crime scene, logging evidence in their handbook to be used in the next gameplay section.
Upon finding all the evidence at the scene, the gameplay shifts tothe “Class Trials” section, which uses unique third-person shooter mechanics. As classmates give their testimonies, players will need to shoot certain words in their sentences that are highlighted yellow. These words represent a weakness in their character, where they could be lying.
There are a few alternate versions of classroom debates, each one requiring a slightly different form of gameplay to complete. These include the “Hangman’s Gambit” mode, where players need to shoot certain letters to form a clue, the “Bullet Time Battle,” which uses rhythm-based gameplay, and “Closing Argument,” which tasks the player with reconstructing the crime scene using a comic strip.
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havocis now available on PC, PS4, PS Vita, Switch, and Xbox One.
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