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Danganronpa 1•2 Reload

Danganronpa 1/2 Reload

The collection puts two amazing visual novels in one package, both of which keep you guessing in the deadly killing game.

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Danganronpa is a series that has been around since 2010, when Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc introduced us to despair and the killing game for the first time, enforced by the deceivingly adorable Monokuma. The visual novel, as it's described, was then followed by Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, and this year the two have been packaged together and re-released in the form of Danganronpa 1•2 Reload, bringing the psycho-pop and psycho-tropical adventures to PS4 and PS Vita.

Let's be clear about what this package offers first of all. Although some might have expected a Danganronpa collection to maybe contain the spinoff Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, this actually only contains the first and second games in the main series. These pretty much look the same as they did when they first came out, but in fairness that isn't an issue, as the visual style isn't demanding and the style doesn't look particularly dated in 2017, even on the PS4.

In terms of the games themselves, to give a bit of premise to what both games are about, both revolve around 15/16 students entering what they believe to be Hope's Peak Academy, an institution that only accepts the brightest talents (who must be the 'Ultimate' in their field), as well as one student by a random lottery. In both instances, all of the students lose consciousness at the door and awake trapped in either the locked-down school itself, as in the first game, or a tropical island, like in the second. A cuddly teddy bear called Monokuma then appears and says to escape their situation, one student must kill another and participate in a class trial, where if they get away with their crime they can leave, but if they get caught they get punished... which means execution.

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As a result of this killing game, your school life is split between two phases - daily life, and class trial. In the former, you talk with fellow students as part of the narrative, and various situations unfold, like students going rogue, Monokuma encouraging murders via motives etc. Then there's also free time, in which you speak to characters of your choice to increase your standing with them, although this doesn't have much of an impact on the outcome of the story. Instead, you get skills for doing this, and you can also give gifts to your classmates as well during this process.

Then comes the class trials, as people will die during your playthroughs. These are a little like the Ace Attorney games in that you piece together what happened in each case and who's responsible by listening to statements and using evidence to refute or agree where appropriate, also participating in mini-games to come to your own conclusions as well.

The logic in these can be set to however you want, but the middle difficulty still offers a challenge while not being obtuse. We played with this and sometimes found ourselves scratching our heads at the cases and who we should disagree with and with what evidence, but everything links together and the strands come together nicely, so with a bit of thinking all these cases feel satisfying to solve without requiring too much annoying trial and error.

Danganronpa 1•2 Reload
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These class trials are where the games' creativity shines through. Each one has its own twists and turns and always keeps you guessing, and you'll often find yourself suspecting the wrong person or coming to the wrong conclusions, with the outcome always being brilliant, baffling, and quite often bizarre. Our favourite has to be the case in Chapter 5 of the second game, which we won't spoil here, but it was one of the most intricate and shocking stories we've ever experienced.

Another big highlight is Monokuma himself, as his charisma is the driving force behind the plots of both of the games, helped in no small part by the brilliant acting of Brian Beacock in the English versions. His voice is so perfect for the role and he delivers the iconic mixture between sadistic violence and cutesy charm perfectly.

Monokuma isn't the only character you'll get to know and love, because if you didn't care about your fellow classmates the killing game wouldn't have nearly as much impact. The individuals in both games are not only unique and interesting but also play off each other nicely, especially since a lot of them are hiding secrets, meaning that some may surprise you when the heat is on. Getting close and forming these friendships then makes it all the harder when one of them is killed or, even worse, you find out one of your friends is the killer. Nothing is ever black and white in this world, though, and you never feel as if the killer was evil for doing what they did.

Danganronpa 1•2 Reload
Danganronpa 1•2 Reload

Because the games are visual novels, the interactions with the characters and the plots are centre stage, but that doesn't mean all you'll be doing is cycling through conversations. At some points you'll also get a chance to explore the surroundings that are available to you, finding secrets and clues as to why you're in your current situation, and this also counts for when you are investigating places and people after a murder, looking for clues and gathering evidence for the case.

All of the places you visit have a style whereby the room itself is three dimensional, but the objects and people within it are 2D. You might think this would clash, but this is simply part of the art style Spike Chunsoft is aiming for, and everything looks sleek, like a set for a film, each time being constructed in front of your eyes when you enter a new place. The 2D characters are portrayed in a classic anime style, with more artistic and impactful cutscenes coming along for more punchy moments, like deaths and executions.

Stylistically, the soundtrack is just as great as the visual style, and the best thing about this is that all the tracks are so memorable and appropriate. The free time music, where you socialise and have fun with classmates, has a jovial tune behind it, whereas the body discovery music is so sinister and menacing we can't help but get goosebumps when we hear it.

Content-wise, there's about 20 hours of story in each game, but it never feels like a slog. This is because the mystery surrounding why you've been trapped in the situation you're in is teased constantly, and the marvellous way this keeps you hooked is that every clue you receive raises even more questions, to the point where you need to find answers because everything seems so close, but yet so far in terms of how it all fits together.

We came away from the second game in this collection yearning for more, and lamenting that the experience was over, which is always the sign of a great game. Not only have you got a great game in this package, then, but you've got two, that interlink with each other, that entice and intrigue the player, both standing tall as modern classics as
a result. If you like surprises, a gripping narrative, or even just a good mystery, this game is for you, and we bet you don't see what's coming.

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Danganronpa 1•2 ReloadDanganronpa 1•2 ReloadDanganronpa 1•2 Reload
10 Gamereactor UK
10 / 10
+
Some of the most creative plots we've seen, Fun exploring and investigating, Entertaining characters, Keeps you guessing, Great soundtrack.
-
Optional talks with characters don't sway story, Some spelling errors.
overall score
is our network score. What's yours? The network score is the average of every country's score

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Danganronpa 1/2 ReloadScore

Danganronpa 1/2 Reload

REVIEW. Written by Sam Bishop

"If you like surprises, a gripping narrative, or even just a good mystery, this game is for you, and we bet you don't see what's coming."



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