Danganronpa Trigger Happy Havoc Who Is The Mastermind
Part 137: Chapter 6 Deadly Life, Part 1
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Review No-one seems to be able to agree whether this game is actually called Danganronpa or 'Dangan Ronpa', presumably due to the confusing layout of the box art. According to Wikipedia it is indeed ' Danganronpa' so we'll stick with that one, which apparently is a compound of two Japanese words that roughly. It's possible the mastermind used hypnosis, although it's never actually confirmed how the memories were taken away 3. Nope, Monokuma is Junko and no Kyoko's father, the person who died in the beginning is Kyoko's father. Point number 2 is explained in Danganronpa zero I haven't actually read Danganronpa Zero, I'll have to check it out sometime. Name: danganronpa Trigger Happy Havoc. Description: The story takes place at a privileged government-sponsored academy known as Hope's Peak, where highschoolers of the highest caliber in various fields receive an elite education.
The Ultimate Despair... A group of people who caused The Tragedy one year ago... Those same people put together this killing game and began broadcasting it around the world. The most desperately awful group of people ever... *That* is the mastermind's true identity. Our enemy has finally been revealed... But right now...
: Right now we have to get out of this horrible place. Figuring out the rest of the story can come after.
: Yeah, you're right... Kyoko, do you still have that one thing? Monokuma's 'secret tool' that you got from the headmaster's room?
: Of course I do.
: It's an absolutely vital part of ensnaring the mastermind. I would never part with it.
: And it can open any door in the school, right?
: That's right.
Then we should be able to use it on that door, right?
: Hey, Kyoko. We can use that key of yours to open this door, right?
: Let's find out.
Kyoko took out the key with the Monokuma design on it and slid it into the keyhole. And then...
*Click*
: Yes! It opened!
: And now we can get out of here. Let's go.
: Sounds good.
We quickly opened the door and made our escape from the garbage pit.
Finally... We were finally free. But there wasn't even time to take a breath of relief. Because the real fight had just begun...
After leaving the garbage pit, we found ourselves in a tunnel extending straight up, like a chimney. There was a metal ladder leading up into the tunnel. We started climbing the ladder, intent on reaching the surface.
The ladder was impossibly long; I couldn't even see where it ended. We climbed into the darkness... The passage was so dark and cramped, I couldn't even see my own feet beneath me.
: I had no idea we were so far down...
: Don't lose your footing. If you slip, I won't be able to catch you...
: Y-Yeah, I'll be careful...
But now that you said that, I'm getting kind of nervous...
: ...
Maybe talking will help keep my mind off it...
: Um, so Kyoko...there's something I wanted to ask you. You said you're the Ultimate Detective, right? So how long have you been doing detective work?
: How long...? Ever since I can remember. I come from a long line of detectives. Detective work is in my blood. There was a time when being a detective was considered a sacred duty. My family's always seen it that way.
: Then...is your family famous?
: Quite the opposite, actually. Even among actual detectives, many people haven't heard of us.
Danganronpa Trigger Happy Havoc Who Is The Mastermind 2
: Huh? But...how come? It's like your family tradition, right? So...
: Because we take pride in it.
Pride...?
: A detective is neither light nor shadow. We represent neither justice nor evil. That is how we can uncover the absolute truth. We stand neutral in all things. And to do that, we have to stand separate from the rest of society. Which is why we've made a conscious effort to conceal our existence.
: A conscious effort...?
: It's kind of old-fashioned, and I can't say it's entirely rational... But it's our family creed, and we do what we must to protect it. Because, like I said, it's our source of pride.
Pride... So that explains...
Before I came here, when I was looking up info about the school online, I never saw anything about her. Because she hid herself on purpose, to protect the pride of her family...
: And yet... I...gave up some of that pride.
: Huh...?
: In order to enter Hope's Peak, I had to reveal myself to the school. I did it knowing it was something a true Kirigiri detective would never do.
But the reason you gave up that pride... The reason you would go so far to enter Hope's Peak...
: It was because that's how much you wanted to reconnect with your dad, right? There's no shame in that.
: ...Reconnect...? I had absolutely no desire to reconnect with my father.
: Huh...? B-But...you'd be reuniting after all those years, right? You would've had so much to talk about...
: There's nothing I want to talk to my father about. There is something I want to *say* to him, though.
: What...?
: No matter what it takes, I have to find him and tell him, face to face...
: Wh-What is it...?
: I want to sever all ties with him.
Sever...?
: The last time I saw him...I was still very young. So I don't remember myself, but apparently he was extremely intelligent. He was in line to become the next head of the Kirigiri family. He was talented, he had a promising future. But he had no interest in detective work. So he cut himself off from the family. Not long after that, my mother died, and he simply...ran away. He went to my grandfather, and they had a huge argument. And young as I was...he left me behind.
: I-I'm sure there was a reason for that. I'm sure your dad wanted to take you with him.
: If that's true, then I need to thank him. Thank him for leaving me... Because unlike him, I take pride in the work I do. I take pride in my family name. So every last part of me is happy he didn't take me with him. If I'd gone with him, I never would have had the chance to become a detective.
I was above Kyoko on the ladder, so I wasn't able to see her expression. So I couldn't tell... I couldn't see how she looked when she said that, what she might have been feeling. All I could tell was that compared to her usual self...she was more talkative. And more emotional.
: I don't blame him, you know. He had his own life to live. That's what anyone in my position might say, right? But it's not true... There's one thing... One thing I can never forgive.
: Really...?
: The way everyone else looked at me. I was never sad about being left behind. Like I said, I think it was a good thing. But when the rest of my family looked at me, they saw something different. They only saw me as the little girl that was abandoned by her father. That's how they see me even to this day. His shadow has been following me my entire life. I'm sick of it. I need him out of my life. I need to step out of his shadow. That's why I have to find him, and tell him we're no longer family. In order to settle the past... In order to remove him from my life forever. I have no doubt he forgot about me years ago.
: B-But...you're family. To just cut him out like that...
: Our only connection is through blood, nothing more. Are we connected by heart and soul? No. Is blood really enough to call someone family?
Only connected by blood, not by heart or soul... I was so shocked to hear her say something like that, I didn't know how to respond. So instead...I said nothing.
I just kept climbing the ladder in complete silence. And after I don't know how long...we finally reached the top.
: Looks like this is it.
: On the other side of this door...Hope's Peak is waiting for us.
: We're...back.
Danganronpa Trigger Happy Havoc Who Is The Mastermind Full
: Remember that hatch on the ground near the trash room? I'm fairly certain that's where we'll come out. I unlocked it earlier, so it should open without much trouble.: Well, here goes nothin'...
I reached my right hand up and pushed against the hatch.
*Creak*
The hatch opened with ease. And so...
: Looks like we're back...
: But I can't believe how long that ladder was. I'm exhausted...
I can't exactly say we're safe and sound, but...at least we're out of there. Now we're back in Hope's Peak Academy...
: Kyoko...thank you. I never would've gotten out of there without you.
: No thanks necessary. I was just returning the favor.
: So...now what do we do? I'm glad I didn't die, of course, but if the mastermind finds out... And I'm worried about you, too. You helped me, so they might...
: You're worried?
: Y-Yeah, of course.
: Then let's just get a concrete answer.
: Huh...?
: Let's ask Monokuma if there's a problem with you escaping.: W-Wait, that's--!
: If we try to hide, it's only a matter of time till we're found out. And it's not like we can run away.
As she said that, she pointed at the nearby surveillance camera.
: So you're saying rather than stressing out over getting caught, we should just give up now?
: Don't worry. What you think is going to happen, isn't.
: Because the mastermind is the one that's ensnared.
The mastermind is ensnared...
: You said something like that before. What does it mean...?
: The mastermind stood exposed during the investigation into Mukuro's death. There was a moment where the mastermind let their guard down.
: There was...?
: If we can talk to Monokuma, we can confirm it. And it'll be better for us if we go to him directly before he tracks us down. That should help with out negotiations...
...I'm still a little--no, super uneasy about this.
: But...we don't really have a choice, do we?
: Monokuma should be in the gym. Let's get going.
No-one seems to be able to agree whether this game is actually called Danganronpa or 'Dangan Ronpa', presumably due to the confusing layout of the box art. According to Wikipedia it is indeed 'Danganronpa' so we'll stick with that one, which apparently is a compound of two Japanese words that roughly translate as 'bullet refutation'. No firearms are involved in any of the deaths contained in this murder-mystery visual novel, so the bullets instead refer to the gimmick of having to aim and shoot contradicting evidence into witness statements as they appear on screen.
In other words; the English title Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc contains two references to the absolute worst part of this game.
It can also be said that the title doesn't give away too much in terms of what to expect from the actual game. I was attached to it through my enjoyment of the Ace Attorney series and the assurance that Danganronpa's trials would put the former's to shame. The basic premise is 15 high school students (ugh I KNOW it's anime let's just go along with it okay?) are selected to join a special elite Academy, all of which have their own special 'Ultimate' skill with the exception of the player character Makoto who lucked out and was selected at random. Things soon get messy as all the student become trapped in their new school, with the only way to escape to murder one of the other students and escape accusation at the following trial.
So that's the story, the events unravel as the students try to live together in their new prison while being tormented and potentially homicidally motivated by the 'headmaster' Monokuma (who's an evil robot bear). Not only do they have the threat of each other to be concerned with, there's also the threat looming in the background of a true 'mastermind' overlooking all the events as well as other mysteries that crop up as things develop. It's a pretty fantastic premise, Danganronpa holds your attention by breaking itself down into smaller chunks of drama, investigations and trials while maintaining the appeal and feel of a much larger story. Much like a lot of good books, it's perfectly viable to consume Danganronpa in an episodic fashion or just blow through the entire thing in a couple of long sittings.
Danganronpa also cleverly works its way around some of the shortcomings of other narrative-focused games I happen to like. In my thoughts on The Walking Dead: Season 2 I commented on how the overarching feeling of hopelessness to the franchise was making it more difficult for me to feel attached to any of the characters, Danganronpa avoids this deattachment by making it ambiguous regarding how many characters actually can or will make it out of this okay. There is potentially a happy ending to this mess, and I sure hope *character that I like* makes it out of this hellhole with me! Also, there's also been this dark subtext to the Ace Attorney franchise that the sentence for being found guilty of murder within that game's setting is capital punishment. Maybe Japanese and American audiences don't think much of it, but as a wussy European it sure felt weird at times that I was furiously fighting my hardest to get someone sentenced to death, and sometimes that person wasn't even the one who actually did it (thanks Justice For All!). Danganronpa again avoids this occasional ambiguity by establishing that accusing the wrong culprit not only lets the murderer escape unpunished but sentences everyone else to execution in their place, so not only are they a murderer but they're willing to sacrifice everyone else for their own freedom. So yea, you should probably catch the real murderer!
Now let's talk about the trials, the ones that allegedly put 'Ace Attorney's to shame'. Well short refutation, they don't. I do like how they play out with all the students standing in a circle having one continuous discussion as it causes the case the naturally play out from key point to key point. Rather than having a stacked deck leading to the wrong conclusion you have to grind against it's more about establishing the truth from the evidence provided. How this plays out is having character argue about relevant points to the case, and certain parts of testimony can be broken with your 'truth bullets' (evidence) to render particular arguments moot. Ironically, despite a more stylised and complicated layout the game is actually a simplification of the Ace Attorney system, as you can't press points, there's a limited about of phrases you can interact with at all, and depending on your difficulty setting the game limits what evidence you can present in the first place.
The whole presenting evidence thing works as a string of puzzles but other than that I find the trials in Danganronpa annoying and gimmicky. Sure, in terms of dramatic story development they play out fine, but actually interacting with them turns out to be a chore. Trial sections also contain testimonies where you have to break a phrase with another phrase in the very same argument. This irritates me because 1) you always get a MASSIVE hint when you have to do this when the game loads obviously irrelevant evidence into your 'truth gun' or whatever they want to call it 2) they stole this idea from MY BRAIN and 3) they executed it in a way that barely makes sense because if two characters are saying things that contradict each other in direct response to each other than surely they don't need me to point it out for them?
I also HATE having to shoot the phrases, because timing and aiming are actually important for no discernable reason. Not difficult in any skill based way mind you, it's just that there's a delay on the evidence actually hitting the statement so you have to time the firing perfectly. You can slow down time to make it easier, but this ability is limited and even then sometimes 'white noise' or 'random phrases that block the testimony for some reason' can block your shots and make you have to waste your time going round and round in circles until the correct phrase turns up again. It's needlessly obtuse and adds nothing to the game other than frustration. Also, there's rhythm minigames and a bit where you shoot letters to spell out obvious clues. All of this is merely window dressing, or some bizarre at attempt to be 'stylised' that comes off more as 'obnoxious', it's like Danganronpa is ashamed of how simple it is actually is and put in as many distractions as possible.
One part I did really enjoy however was the wrap up 'closing argument' segment where you fill up panels of a manga comic detailing how the entire murder played out. It's a visually interesting and clever way to make the player prove he/she has an understanding of the case as a whole. Sometimes it can be a little confusing what the panels you're supposed to be dropping in are actually showing, but hey it's still a neat idea and that's a minor complaint so we'll give it a pass.
It's also worth mentioning that of the 5 murders that this game contains I consider 3 of them to be pretty obvious, and this includes the final 'all mysteries revealed' trial which kind of sucks. This isn't a huge issue, after all half the time Ace Attorney flat out tells you who did it at the start of the case and the fun comes from the adventure getting to prove it and the characters involved. However in Danganronpa it does feel like it's supposed to be a mystery and more often that not it doesn't necessarily come off as one. All 5 cases have their own little twists and turns in the details though so it's not a complete loss, but I hope the sequel contains less obvious culprits and 'misleading evidence'.
Speaking of twists and turns, to put it in the least spoilery way I can, the second case is pretty gross. It's twist 'gotcha' moment is horrifically grounded in misogyny and is also blatantly transphobic too. I have to say, that's kind of a running theme of the entire experience for me. Not to say Danganronpa is *badly* written, but it does contain a cast of borderline ridiculous anime stereotypes, bizarre takes on mental illness and suicide and has a motivationless mastermind villain who rants and raves about 'despair' and is defeated by the power of friendship in the way that shows so little acknowledgement of the concept of 'subtext' you'd think all books had been banned in Japan. All I'm saying is the whole thing comes off something written by a man who was locked in a basement for the entirety of the 90s, not necessarily a stupid man, just one who could do with a bit more sunlight. And hey, maybe being in that basement for so long is what gave him the idea for this game!
Anyway that's Danganronpa, I don't think it has the heart or the ingenuity of the better Ace Attorney games, but it is a pretty interesting little trip in its own right. The core premise is more than enough to hold interest right to the very end, and unlike some games I don't think the ending is going to be a dealbreaker for anyone. There's a few loose ends that I was disappointed to not see addressed, but in terms of the mysteries it sets up and then solves it all works out fine. There's frustrations and eye rolling moments along the way, but I think it's worth getting to the end of, and there's very few games of this length I would say that about so consider this a recommendation.
Oh, and this game is what put me over the edge to buy a PlayStation Vita!
The PlayStation Vita rules.