Makoto Naegi is an average high school student with no exceptional skills or talents. To his surprise, he was chosen in a lottery to attend Hope’s Peak Academy – a school that is only reserved for top students from every field imaginable. The school is enamored by hundreds of years of tradition, sending the ‘cream of the crop’ into the work force every year.
The students that graduate from Hope’s Peak are known as ‘Ultimate’ students who excel at a special skill. What puzzles Makoto is why he was even chosen to attend Hope’s Peak in the first place. The requirements to be accepted are very clear – you have to already be attending high school and be the very best at what you do. Makoto, as mentioned previously, is average at everything he does. The only thing he has going for himself is his ‘gung-ho’ attitude, but that hardly counts as ‘Ultimate’ material.
Despite having reservations about lasting at the academy, Makoto decides to enter the school to attend the ‘Incoming Students’ meeting for new arrivals. Realizing that he arrived fifty minutes early, he decides to explore the school to kill some time. The moment Makoto steps forward to explore the school’s hallways, his vision becomes blurred, warped and twisted. He blacks out and loses consciousness.
The game starts with Makoto waking up at a school desk inside a classroom. His last known memory was inside the meeting hall before the ‘Incoming Students’ meeting took place. Determined to find an answer to the dire circumstances he’s in, Makoto begins to investigate.
Danganronpa Happy Trigger Havoc is a 3D Visual Novel with point-and-click gameplay mechanics. As you explore your environment, a comprehensive tutorial system explains the controls and how to use the ‘reticle’ to investigate any items found inside the classroom. The left analog stick aims the reticle (i.e. cursor) to highlight items and the right analog stick moves Makoto’s head. When an object can be investigated, a magnifying glass will appear beside it. You can view an item by pressing the X button.
As you explore the academy, you and your classmates have the misfortune of meeting Headmaster Monokuma, a robotic teddy bear that explains the ‘rules and regulations’ of Hope’s Peak Academy. Monokuma states that no students are allowed to leave the academy unless they ‘graduate’, which involves murdering a fellow student. Once a murder is committed, the offending student is labeled ‘blackened’ and a trial ensues to find the culprit. The player must investigate clues left behind by the killer to present during the trial.
If you accuse the wrong student of being the murderer, every student involved in the trial (except for the killer) will be executed. But if your accusations prove to be correct, the guilty party will be executed instead. The entire premise behind ‘graduating’ is to commit murder without being caught. And since the school is equipped with surveillance cameras, Headmaster Monokuma is already privy to who the murderer is. This adds a feeling of suspense as you explore the school and interrogate your fellow students for evidence.
The gameplay is divided into two segments – The first is Observation mode, where you can investigate a room and its objects for clues. A good portion of the game is spent sleuthing around for hints to further the storyline. The second is ‘Free-Roam’ mode, which involves exploring the school. During these segments, you can walk freely by using the left analog stick and run by pressing and holding Circle button. You can still investigate items and speak to classmates while in this ‘mode’. If you have trouble finding items to investigate, there is an Observation feature that can be activated by pressing Triangle button. Circles will appear around people and objects that can be investigated. This saves a lot of time that would otherwise be spent clicking on everything inside the environment.
A Reaction System helps to further your conversation with certain students. When a topic appears in purple, you can press the Triangle button to enter ‘Reaction Mode’. This feature gives you choices to steer the conversation in a different direction, while also creating a reaction from the person you are speaking to. Additionally, you can use the Transcript System to view any comments previously made by other students. This system also records important information regarding the story.
The game also includes a day and night cycle. During the day, you are free to explore the school and communicate with your fellow students. But when night falls, some areas of the school are off-limits and cannot be accessed. Also, sleeping anywhere inside the school besides the dormitory (i.e. your room) will be seen as ‘sleeping in class’, and will result in punishment. Basically, you must conduct the bulk of your investigation during the day or face the consequences.
Graphically, Danganronpa is a gorgeous game that uses Manga-style character illustrations and brightly colored 3D environments. The murder sequences, while brutal and sudden, tend to lose their impact due to censorship. As students are found murdered, they are shown in various states of mutilation, while slumped over in pools of ‘pink’ blood. Needless to say, it’s a minor gripe considering the game’s graphic quality. Rooms quickly piece themselves together as the game loads, and the cinemas involving Monokuma – which appear randomly throughout the game – play out as twisted, theater-like monologues.
Danganronpa Happy Trigger Havoc is a compelling ‘Whodunit’ story that delves deep into the dark recesses of the human psyche. It shows how vulnerable human nature can be when driven to the point of desperation, especially when your own mortality is at stake. And when it comes to games – it proves that Visual Novels can be still entertaining as long as the right elements are in place.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: PS Vita (Also Available on PSN)
Developer: NIS America
Publisher: NIS America
ESRB: M (Mature)
Price: $39.99
Happy Trigger Havoc Danganronpa’s Official Website
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| Gorgeous Manga-style illustrations and 3D environments. | |
| Sound | |
| Professional voice acting and a memorable soundtrack. | |
| Gameplay | |
| A compelling 'Whodunit' storyline and rock-solid gameplay. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Danganronpa Happy Trigger Havoc is a masterpiece as far as Visual Novels are concerned. | |
