Making this worse is the lack of hints, and that you can sometimes spin trials in a completely different direction than normal by lying at opportune times.The most appealing part of Danganronpa V3, however, is its wonderfully weird cast. You can also make false statements to shoot down certain arguments, though the penalty for missing with a lie is so severe that you won’t want to risk it unless it’s absolutely necessary, which takes some of the fun out of it.
Mind Mine, in particular, is pretty weak, but the rhythm-based game to “disarm” a character (a metaphor that shows you battling shadows to break down defenses) that wraps up every trial is plenty of fun. These minigames are short but also woefully uneven, with some considerably more enjoyable than others. “Class trials are where things get spicy: timing-based minigames, quick-thinking logic puzzles, and even spins on racing games and Minesweeper simulate the high-stakes emotional tension of arguing in a distinctive way. Not only is it a real delight to learn more about these deep characters, but you can also earn rewards (like special perks during Class Trials) for doing so. The highlights that make it worthwhile are the story development and the “free time” sequences in which you can have conversations with and grow closer to particular classmates. The relatively quiet gameplay, classmate interactions, and exploration of daily life makes an effective story contrast with the murderous horrors and grisly investigations that follow it, though first-person wandering in the samey-looking school halls, even with new areas opening each chapter, got really old, really fast. Danganronpa V3's gameplay is split into three parts: daily school life, investigations, and class trials. But sometimes, more of the same is a good thing – especially when it’s done this well.For the third time, a fresh batch of uniquely gifted students have been trapped in a prison-like high school by bloodthirsty bear mascot Monokuma (this time with his equally evil cubs) and forced to participate in a “killing game” to murder each other. The newest installment, Danganronpa V3, doesn’t change too much from the previous two: it’s still an anime and pop-art-fueled hybrid of adventure game, murder mystery, and courtroom drama.
This creates a unique game that acts like a crossover between Battle Royale and Phoenix Wright.Danganronpa is a series that doesn’t look like much on the surface, but once you start playing, it’s easy to get sucked into the weird character drama and the lengthy, winding twists and turns of their despair-inducing adventures. To accomplish its strange split between drama and horror, Danganronpa V3 is broken up into several parts: living and interacting with the other students in a visual novel style, investigating the murder when it occurs and then completing the trial. I’ll refrain from spoilers, but each Ultimate is given an execution appropriate for their area of expertise, and all of these have haunted me since I saw them. The end of each trial rewards you for pointing out the right killer with an amazingly gory cutscene showing how the murderer dies - and these are not your average executions. That normal visual style is broken up by beautiful, stylistic fully-painted scenes. All the characters and objects in the game are rendered flat, like a pop-up book, as you walk around the 3D campus.
If the dialogue was sometimes off putting, Danganronpa V3’s art style was much more of a hit for me. If nothing else, the goofiness provides some much-needed comedic relief to balance out the dark and depressing realities of the main plot. Jokes about boobs and boners felt forced, even if they weren’t enough to ruin the game for me. Every sentence that comes from Miu’s mouth has some vulgarity in it, and usually in the form of sexual harassment. However, there are times when the game gets more. For example, at one point, Monokuma cosplays Jibanyan of Yokai Watch, and in another the Monokubs talk about how their dad only listens to “alternative facts” and not “fake news.” Many of Danganronpa V3’s’s jokes are just silly pop culture references. If the bloody murders weren’t enough reason to not play this game around kids or stuffy adults, then the dialogue will be.
While this setup is killer, so to speak, the dialogue is awkward at times.