Danganronpa 2: goodbye Despair Ps Vita

The term ‘visual novel’ may very well have you reaching for the holy water. chances are you may be privy to the seedier end of the spectrum of this niche Japanese genre, but Spike chunsoft’s nigh-on unpronounceable sequel leans more towards the more contemporary Zero escape, throwing its shovel-load of dialogue into the mixer with fast-paced mini-game-infused trials. These gamey bits may keep things ticking over at a handsome trot, but it’s the cast of characters and the deliciously devious setting that slaps you on the rump.

1 Welcome to Jabberwock island, population: 16 high school students kidnapped, held against their will and forced to take part in a deeply dark Battle royale-style killing game. Overseen by robotic teddy bear villain, monokuma, the only way to escape is to kill one of your fellows and then get away with it. What starts as a puzzling concept quickly descends into a rapid series of agatha christie-esque twists and turns.Veterans of the first game will note that this is a pretty familiar setup, 2 but there are a few objectionable additions. The world map, a 2d side-scrolling landscape which acts as a time eating barrier between areas, is woefully dull and the first game felt tighter without its baggage. also, while its predecessor was dark with a thread of black humour running through it, d2:Gd practically has quirk oozing from it like sickly sweet (and occasionally wildly sexualised) syrupy goo. You have to crawl through this offshoot to reach the class Trials, but do so and you find yourself enraptured by some of the most fulfilling murder mysteries going.