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Pros:
+Minigames (like Hangman’s Gambit) during trials have been improved upon
+Good story with a “special” ending that continues the series
+Fair English voice acting
+Cool postgame content to lengthen game life

Cons:
+/- Interesting, but controversial ending (your experience can either be great or bad depending on how you take it)


+Gameplay:
If you’re familiar with the Danganronpa series then there isn’t especially much to go into here. But just to give it a quick overview, Danganronpa tells its story through the visual novel format with the inclusion of more interactive elements that involve point and click to solve interesting murder cases.

V3 improves upon a couple of faults from previous games (though not completely) while also adding a few new elements as well. I’m looking at Hangman’s Gambit, in particular, no more do the colliding of letters cause explosions to occur! Definitely, the most notable improvement among the games played during a trial. For those unaware, a variety of mini-games (puzzles, driving simulator, rhythm games, etc) are played throughout a trial to advance through arguments and debates. Definitely, a good series to go into for visual novels, but also want more interactivity than selecting certain options when decisions need to be made.

+Story:
The story is the same as always in terms of setting, 16 High School students with ultimate talents forced to participate in a killing game. The kicker is, of course, the ending and how everything falls into place and reaches its conclusion. To avoid spoilers I will refrain from going in too deep but I would say that the ending of V3 is on the unexpected level Danganronpa games have previously been at, if not more so.

+Sound:
As always, a nice soundtrack and cast of voices for the unique line of characters in the series. I personally played in the English dub but you’re more than welcome to play the game in Japanese if you wish.

+Postgame:
The main story can run you anywhere from 30 - 50 hours depending on reading speed, the difficulty of trials, and use of time for other activities. I admittedly skimmed a few parts here and there and ended with a time closer to the shorter end of the spectrum. With that said, beating the main game doesn’t mean the end for Danganronpa V3. Once you’ve beaten it once, a few new things are unlocked as a result. Most notably new games that are set outside the world of V3’s main plot.

The postgame gives you the ability to play through a board game where you play as your favorite Ultimate (even Ultimates from earlier games, though they need to be unlocked). Through this board game, you level up your Ultimate(s) so that you can use them in a sort of tabletop RPG where you need to defeat enemies in a dungeon crawling fashion (though the overall aesthetic remains as a game board). If you’re especially into it you could easily double your playtime with the game. I found it interesting and liked the concept but it didn’t grab me to the point that I was really willing to do so. So, your mileage may vary on this point.

+/-Ending (NO SPOILERS):
This is not a negative point per se but warrants attention to it in some regard. I had played the game completely blind and was met with the ending in an unexpected manner. After beating the game I looked a bit more into it to see how other fans of the series felt about the game. Lo and behold I discovered that there is some serious friction between the ending and the fans. A fair amount of people were rubbed the wrong way with how the game ended (and I can understand why). Personally, I took the ending more positively, but I know not everyone will see eye to eye with that. Point I’m trying to get at here is to simply play the game with an open mind and play the game at your own leisure if you’re looking to get into another killing game.


This is more of a series recommendation than a recommendation for V3 alone, for the sake of the story, knowing what happened in previous games will be crucial. If you’re not into Visual Novels then I believe there’s still a chance you’ll like the game considering how much more interactive it is with its gameplay compared to most others in the genre. If you’re already a fan of the series then by all means, play it as you see fit, I only ask that you heed the warning that the ending may or may not be sour for you.

[quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/7871885/]Follow our curator page,[b] OCG-Curations[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote] [h1] [u]The Short of it[/u] [/h1] [u]Pros:[/u] +Minigames (like Hangman’s Gambit) during trials have been improved upon +Good story with a “special” ending that continues the series +Fair English voice acting +Cool postgame content to lengthen game life [u]Cons:[/u] +/- Interesting, but controversial ending (your experience can either be great or bad depending on how you take it) [h1] [u]More In-depth[/u] [/h1] +[u]Gameplay:[/u] If you’re familiar with the Danganronpa series then there isn’t especially much to go into here. But just to give it a quick overview, Danganronpa tells its story through the visual novel format with the inclusion of more interactive elements that involve point and click to solve interesting murder cases. V3 improves upon a couple of faults from previous games (though not completely) while also adding a few new elements as well. I’m looking at Hangman’s Gambit, in particular, no more do the colliding of letters cause explosions to occur! Definitely, the most notable improvement among the games played during a trial. For those unaware, a variety of mini-games (puzzles, driving simulator, rhythm games, etc) are played throughout a trial to advance through arguments and debates. Definitely, a good series to go into for visual novels, but also want more interactivity than selecting certain options when decisions need to be made. +[u]Story:[/u] The story is the same as always in terms of setting, 16 High School students with ultimate talents forced to participate in a killing game. The kicker is, of course, the ending and how everything falls into place and reaches its conclusion. To avoid spoilers I will refrain from going in too deep but I would say that the ending of V3 is on the unexpected level Danganronpa games have previously been at, if not more so. +[u]Sound:[/u] As always, a nice soundtrack and cast of voices for the unique line of characters in the series. I personally played in the English dub but you’re more than welcome to play the game in Japanese if you wish. +[u]Postgame:[/u] The main story can run you anywhere from 30 - 50 hours depending on reading speed, the difficulty of trials, and use of time for other activities. I admittedly skimmed a few parts here and there and ended with a time closer to the shorter end of the spectrum. With that said, beating the main game doesn’t mean the end for Danganronpa V3. Once you’ve beaten it once, a few new things are unlocked as a result. Most notably new games that are set outside the world of V3’s main plot. The postgame gives you the ability to play through a board game where you play as your favorite Ultimate (even Ultimates from earlier games, though they need to be unlocked). Through this board game, you level up your Ultimate(s) so that you can use them in a sort of tabletop RPG where you need to defeat enemies in a dungeon crawling fashion (though the overall aesthetic remains as a game board). If you’re especially into it you could easily double your playtime with the game. I found it interesting and liked the concept but it didn’t grab me to the point that I was really willing to do so. So, your mileage may vary on this point. +/-[u]Ending (NO SPOILERS):[/u] This is not a negative point per se but warrants attention to it in some regard. I had played the game completely blind and was met with the ending in an unexpected manner. After beating the game I looked a bit more into it to see how other fans of the series felt about the game. Lo and behold I discovered that there is some serious friction between the ending and the fans. A fair amount of people were rubbed the wrong way with how the game ended (and I can understand why). Personally, I took the ending more positively, but I know not everyone will see eye to eye with that. Point I’m trying to get at here is to simply play the game with an open mind and play the game at your own leisure if you’re looking to get into another killing game. [h1] [u]Conclusion[/u] [/h1] This is more of a series recommendation than a recommendation for V3 alone, for the sake of the story, knowing what happened in previous games will be crucial. If you’re not into Visual Novels then I believe there’s still a chance you’ll like the game considering how much more interactive it is with its gameplay compared to most others in the genre. If you’re already a fan of the series then by all means, play it as you see fit, I only ask that you heed the warning that the ending may or may not be sour for you.