September has finally arrived! Schools reopen and students sadly have to go back to school. It lasts the student's life, huh? Getting up early, taking lessons, studying, doing homework and homework ... Yet, I'm pretty sure that the protagonists of Danganronpa V3 Killing Harmony they would make false papers in order to take the place of the unsuspecting and carefree students. Yes, indeed kill...
I believe that, after all these years, Danganronpa needs no introduction. Maybe just a few hints for novices. It is not easy to frame this title developed by Spike Chunsoft: mainly it is one visual novel (union between videogame and novel) with elements taken from Detective stories. The first two chapters of the saga came out years ago on psp, but success came much later only thanks to the animated transposition.
This new chapter has nothing to do with its predecessors (the Kibougamine academy saga ended with the anime released in 2016).
Upupupupu
Even in Danganronpa V3 Killing Harmony we will be catapulted, without too many compliments, into a real school hell. Sixteen students with extraordinary skills and no memory whatsoever will be locked up in a school surrounded by a very high fence and to participate in a deadly game. The only way to survive is to get to the end of the game (only two can stay alive) or kill the other characters and try to get away with it in the process. You will have the onerous task of nailing the criminals and seeing them executed by monocuma in gory and deviant ways. Here, this is the beginning of all the chapters of the saga.
Compared to past chapters, Danganronpa V3 Killing Harmony takes giant steps in terms of plot and characterization of the characters. One of the main problems I noticed (especially in the first game) was the almost total lack of interaction between the characters and the fact that none of the survivors had the charisma to be able to counter the rich characterization of the final boss. Here, however, each character is alive, has their own soul, a story behind them, the friendships that arise between them are real, not sudden (and improvised), but based on mutual trust and acceptance. No sterile, far-fetched romance. The characters that are killed during the first chapters remain impressed, they are not just the steps on which to climb to move forward and be able to complete the game.
Each death is significant, has a strong impact and lays the foundation for the emotional and psychological growth of those who survived. Most importantly, they are all completely out of my mind in their own way (from the protagonist to the Monokubs, Monokuma's children) but without being out of place. This collective madness will give rise to hilarious interludes and skits (even during the trial) that are meant to lighten the mood but also make you realize what spiral of depravity, death and despair the boys have been sucked into.
The plot starts immediately with a bang, is full of twists, mystery and… it will give you chills. Honestly, after all these years of following Danganronpa, I thought I was prepared to face even the worst of the worst and that desperation could no longer take over me, and instead I was wrong. In addition, the difficulty level of solving mysteries has increased exponentially compared to previous titles and, right away, you will find that not everything that glitters is gold. Crimes are always designed in a unique, interesting and sometimes so amazing way that you will be amazed!
Objection!
The already rich gameplay of Danganronpa it is further enriched. Now the "Free time" has a practical use: twice a day you can freely interact with any character you want. A bit like in 5 person, each time you spend time with the designated person your relationship will deepen. Furthermore, when you unlock a dialogue (which you will have to answer by choosing between three options), you will receive a fragment that will be used to buy skills to use during the processes.
The processes have undergone a complete renewal and improvement. New bullet types have been added (Lie bullets) in the mode Non-stop-debate: you will have to make a false statement to unblock a process that has come to a standstill or to lead the culprit to betray himself. Another novelty are the minigames "Mass Panic Debate“, Where three people will speak at the same time (the screen will be divided into three parts) where you will have to refute their arguments using the evidence at your disposal. "Scrum Debate“, The characters will split into two teams and you will have to respond to their arguments by selecting keywords. "Mind Mine“, In which you will have to destroy the squares to find the object you will need in the investigation. While other minigames have only been slightly changed and adapted to the style of Danganronpa V3 Killing Harmony.
Another novelty is the modality Explore. One thing I always hated about Danganronpa's headlines was the frustration of not knowing which item was missing to inspect during the crime scene investigation. Thanks to this new feature, by pressing the triangle button, the important objects will be highlighted thanks to the species of fireflies, while everything else will disappear almost completely from your view.
The art of Danganronpa
On a graphic level, the game has made a qualitative leap, even if sometimes the drawings are not very inspired. Each character has a detail in the clothing that reflects their character and their specialty. For example, Kaede has hairpins in the shape of musical notes and the pattern drawn on the skirt is a pentagram (this is because she is the "Super High School Level Pianist"). The expressions of the characters are a lot convincing and expressive: both a visa transfigured by pain or madness and a smiling one will affect your mood.
The biggest problem is the ambienti: for a game that was also released for PlayStation 4 I was expecting something more. Sure there is a marked improvement over the previous chapters, but nothing quite so transcendental. Finally the objects have a dimension and substance, but the graphic rendering still seems clumsy and, on certain occasions, the objects on it still seem drawn (which prevents to give volume to the room. The school is huge and there are several floors to explore. The colors are clear and saturated, with a preference for dark tones. Some rooms of the school are illuminated, which allows you to better observe the defects of the graphics. I enjoyed the workshops: each character has one according to their "specialization" and contains all their favorite tools.
The Japanese voice actors acted and empathized with the characters perfectly. The only subdued voice was that of the detective: too delicate and soft to play the part of the character who has to solve cases and gain the trust of others by solving cases. The music remains the one present in all the Danganronpa: if you liked the OST of the previous chapters, I'm sure you will be happy to listen to your favorite songs again here!
As far as I'm concerned, Danganronpa V3 Killing Harmony is the game of the year. Spike Chunsoft has truly outdone herself, taking the game to a whole other level. I have not encountered any problems that are serious enough to affect the gaming experience. The only thing I can say is to never play it if you are mentally tired: the processes will seem even longer than they actually are and you will feel very frustrated.
A heartfelt thanks to It starts America for providing us with a review copy of the title.
