They were five total strangers, with nothing in common, meeting for
the first time. A brain, a beauty, a jock, a rebel and a recluse.
Hang on, that’s The Breakfast Club.
Still,
there are parallels to be drawn between John Hughes’ teen movie
masterpiece and the world of Danganronpa. Erm, except
perhaps the former didn’t feature a psychotic half-and-half teddy
bear overseeing a teenaged murder club.
OK, so maybe they’re
completely different. But they’re both brilliant in their own
rights.
Anyway, this release grabs two Vita games and smushes
them onto one disc for the PS4. Yeah, sure, but what the fuck’s a
‘Danganronpa’? Well, it’s a visual novel. But it’s also a murder
mystery... and a courtroom drama, and a rhythm game, and...
It’s so Japanesey that it hurts (so good), as a group of apparently
‘ultimate’ students from all manner of walks of life – including a swimmer, a
baseballer, a pop queen, a geek, a biker gang boss - enter the high
school for the best and brightest, Hope’s Peak Academy. Except it’s
really their new prison, as they find themselves amidst a
killer-takes-all (or at least their freedom, should they not be
nabbed) environment controlled by... you know, we mentioned him back
there. He’s Monokuma, the freaky yin-yang bear.
That’s just Trigger Happy Havoc. A
different cast lob upon a supposedly idyllic tropical island for
Goodbye Despair. With both games boasting a brilliant air of
trust no-one paranoia, a weirdness reminiscent of David Lynch,
warped sensibilities and gripping stories that make you crave to
invest the many, many hours required to see all chapters through to
their twisted ends, Danganronpa 1•2 Reload is essential for
anybody with a wicked sense of the macabre.
Unless, of
course, you’re a Vita convert, in which case you can just sit back
and nod all arrogant-knowingly at the upstarts. Hey, fuck you, perhaps
you’ll be next on the kill list? PU-HU-HU!
