Imo, Chihiro is not transsexual. His reason for cross-dressing wasn't identifying with the feminine sex but as a refuge for his insecurities of not conforming with the male stereotype, something that he was willing to change.
Now, the Japanese society is hardly the most progressive when it comes with this kind of topics but it imo it wasn't handled badly here. Much more egregious examples of homophobia and transphobia at the Japanese media aren't hard to find.
The background story on Chihiro showed that he was always being made fun of for being a frail boy, so he took advantage of his androgynous looks and the fact that society didn't hate on girls for being frail/weak and decided things would be easier for him if he pretended to be a girl. In case there were any doubts that he wasn't actually identifiying himself as a girl, the whole thing that happens in chapter 2 is related to Chihiro confiding his secret with Mondo and asking him to train him so that he can become stronger, regaining his self-esteem as a male in the process.
Fair play mysteries are cool but not the only way to do them and I don't think the mark of a good mystery is necessarily one you can solve immediately once you've accrued the evidence. Part of the thrill of this game is the twists and turns and evidence that other people investigating have found out or thought up. I like thinking I know things then having someone spin it around due to new evidence. Then again I rarely see things coming and am easily surprised or taken for a ride with twists and turns that otehrs see as obvious so rarely do I watch or play mysteries to "solve" them per se and moreso follow the person solving them to see what happens.
A lot of the characters are inconsistent but I found a majority of them gave me a legit reason to care about them. The writing deserves a lot more credit than it gets honestly. Sakura's writing is pretty great for instance and her relationship with Asahina is extremely natural. I'll admit that spending time with the characters during Daily Life is supposed to get you to care more about them but that might actually be where some of the weaker writing is, for example (Character Spoilers for Daily Life Stuff)
Celeste's Daily Life stuff is just her bragging about being super lucky and gives you no reason to really give a fuck about her.
Which...is what it is. If all of the characters were endearing with secret wooby moments than it would feel overdone and melodramatic. I found myself caring about a good portion of the characters by the end.
Fair play mysteries are cool but not the only way to do them and I don't think the mark of a good mystery is necessarily one you can solve immediately once you've accrued the evidence. Part of the thrill of this game is the twists and turns and evidence that other people investigating have found out or thought up. I like thinking I know things then having someone spin it around due to new evidence. Then again I rarely see things coming and am easily surprised or taken for a ride with twists and turns that otehrs see as obvious so rarely do I watch or play mysteries to "solve" them per se and moreso follow the person solving them to see what happens.
A lot of the characters are inconsistent but I found a majority of them gave me a legit reason to care about them. The writing deserves a lot more credit than it gets honestly. Sakura's writing is pretty great for instance and her relationship with Asahina is extremely natural. I'll admit that spending time with the characters during Daily Life is supposed to get you to care more about them but that might actually be where some of the weaker writing is, for example (Character Spoilers for Daily Life Stuff)
Celeste's Daily Life stuff is just her bragging about being super lucky and gives you no reason to really give a fuck about her.
Which...is what it is. If all of the characters were endearing with secret wooby moments than it would feel overdone and melodramatic. I found myself caring about a good portion of the characters by the end.
I guess it all depends on whether you're just going along with the flow or actively trying to solve the mysteries as they show up, but after Umineko I've realized the thrill of trying to beat the characters to the solution of a mystery is completely unlike what I got from just seeing the characters deduce things themselves.
Still, the thing about fair play mysteries is that while you might get all the necessary evidence to solve a crime (which is often signaled by the detective stating that very thing him/herself) you still have to make sense out of all the puzzle pieces that are laid out before you, which is no trivial task by any means. Danganronpa's crimes so far have been 99% fair play from what I've seen so far, which makes it even more frustrating whenever a crucial new piece of evidence randomly shows up halfway through a trial. It's like you can use your wits to map most of the crime out, but that one thing you can't explain isn't proved by taking a more detailed look at the clues, but rather by inserting a new clue that the POV character (and you, by extension) couldn't know about.
I agree that some characters are better than others, with Sakura being particularily interesting and also including her relationship with Asahina (even though Hina herself is kind of flat, ironically). However, several others felt like they weren't explored as much as they could, and that resulted in me not particularily sympathizing with them and their pleas. I know I'm barely halfway through the story and that I haven't had enough free time talks to hear everything each character has to say, but their in-story characterization is often flat as a board and doesn't lead to any particularily interesting interactions between them (other than Sakura-Asahina).
Danganronpa should not be compared to Umineko. One is a fast-paced, relatively straight-forward series of murder mysteries while the other is a slog of nonsense that goes through every possibility and relies on external interpretations to figure out what the hell happened. They're completely different beasts.
Danganronpa should not be compared to Umineko. One is a fast-paced, relatively straight-forward series of murder mysteries while the other is a slog of nonsense that goes through every possibility and relies on external interpretations to figure out what the hell happened. They're completely different beasts.
I was saying that Danganronpa is pretty much fair play for 99% of a crime, but there's always some vital clue that shows up halfway through a trial. If it weren't for those random clues out of nowhere I think crimes would be completely fair, but their mere addition makes them impossible to solve in full and is kind of a letdown.
My mention of Umineko was more for the anecdote that it made me less of a reader and more of an active participant of mystery fiction, and not so much for comparing it to DR since it'd be like comparing apples to oranges.
I still like Umineko way more than DR from what I've played of the latter so far, though.
I was saying that Danganronpa is pretty much fair play for 99% of a crime, but there's always some vital clue that shows up halfway through a trial. If it weren't for those random clues out of nowhere I think crimes would be completely fair, but their mere addition makes them impossible to solve in full and is kind of a letdown.
My mention of Umineko was more for the anecdote that it made me less of a reader and more of an active participant of mystery fiction, and not so much for comparing it to DR since it'd be like comparing apples to oranges.
I still like Umineko way more than DR from what I've played of the latter so far, though.
You have all the pieces to figure things out going into the trial though. No truth bullets get added mid trial and anything new brought up during it is totally deducable stuff based on dialogue and clues you already have pre-trial. The player is very much an active participant, just with actual solvable factors unlike the unreliable narrator clusterfuck of Umineko or the obnoxious holding back of evidence like AA.
Oh god yes please. If we get the first really good mods I definitly buy this again. There are already 2 seemingly pretty good korean RPG Maker Danganronpa games. It would be great of those 2 could somehow get ported and translated. :0
Yeah. I like Dangranonpa's atmosphere and probably story more, and Asahina is by far my favorite character, but man oh man does DR2 make the first game's trials (especially trial #5) look like crap.
You have all the pieces to figure things out going into the trial though. No truth bullets get added mid trial and anything new brought up during it is totally deducable stuff based on dialogue and clues you already have pre-trial. The player is very much an active participant, just with actual solvable factors unlike the unreliable narrator clusterfuck of Umineko or the obnoxious holding back of evidence like AA.
I solved everything in both DR1 and Umineko before solutions were presented to the player except for the epitaph in Umineko (which is almost impossible without either knowing multiple languages and having knowledge of geography) not sure what you guys are arguing about here. Both games are fairly simple.
Going to ask in here as it seems more active. Post game question so I'll spoiler some bits but I'm asking about a post game mode rather than spoiling any plot stuff.
Is
wchool mode
worth playing? Just started it and it seems a bit complicated, but also interesting. If there is a payoff and it isn't too difficult, I'll persevere. (Played the main game through on easy mode)
Going to ask in here as it seems more active. Post game question so I'll spoiler some bits but I'm asking about a post game mode rather than spoiling any plot stuff.
Is
wchool mode
worth playing? Just started it and it seems a bit complicated, but also interesting. If there is a payoff and it isn't too difficult, I'll persevere. (Played the main game through on easy mode)
It's pretty nice. I prefer the same mode in DR2 though, that gave me an emotional experience that I didn't get in the original game. It seems a little more forced in DR1, but it's nice.
Going to ask in here as it seems more active. Post game question so I'll spoiler some bits but I'm asking about a post game mode rather than spoiling any plot stuff.
Is
wchool mode
worth playing? Just started it and it seems a bit complicated, but also interesting. If there is a payoff and it isn't too difficult, I'll persevere. (Played the main game through on easy mode)
Going to ask in here as it seems more active. Post game question so I'll spoiler some bits but I'm asking about a post game mode rather than spoiling any plot stuff.
Is
wchool mode
worth playing? Just started it and it seems a bit complicated, but also interesting. If there is a payoff and it isn't too difficult, I'll persevere. (Played the main game through on easy mode)
Yes, you can use that to improve your relationship with the characters, but the gameplay is extremely dull after some time, which is sad. Each character also has a specific ending, I think, but you can only get 1 per playthrough (at least that was the case in DR 2, I am not really sure if that was even in DR 1). I played through it once or twice but it was just too boring after some time.
Yes, you can use that to improve your relationship with the characters, but the gameplay is extremely dull after some time, which is sad. Each character also has a specific ending, I think, but you can only get 1 per playthrough (at least that was the case in DR 2, I am not really sure if that was even in DR 1). I played through it once or twice but it was just too boring after some time.
Going to ask in here as it seems more active. Post game question so I'll spoiler some bits but I'm asking about a post game mode rather than spoiling any plot stuff.
Is
wchool mode
worth playing? Just started it and it seems a bit complicated, but also interesting. If there is a payoff and it isn't too difficult, I'll persevere. (Played the main game through on easy mode)
It's worth it in the first game, as it does have segments that add to the characters. Just make sure you build the coke-bottle glasses ASAP, then everything becomes super easy to gather and build.
you can build anything you like. However, except for the stuff that helps your gathering abilities, it's probably better to wait and see what you have to build next before constructing a bunch of things. As I recall, some things appear in multiple rooms, so spreading people out isn't a bad idea.
Make sure you give them enough rest, or provide them with things to help boost their energy. And cleaning is important, so make sure you have 2-4 people doing that.
I solved everything in both DR1 and Umineko before solutions were presented to the player except for the epitaph in Umineko (which is almost impossible without either knowing multiple languages and having knowledge of geography) not sure what you guys are arguing about here. Both games are fairly simple.
Than either you're a genius or I'm an idiot. Played through all 8 episodes of Umineko and still needed the internet to explain to me what happened and who the culprit was.
Than either you're a genius or I'm an idiot. Played through all 8 episodes of Umineko and still needed the internet to explain to me what happened and who the culprit was.
I solved everything in both DR1 and Umineko before solutions were presented to the player except for the epitaph in Umineko (which is almost impossible without either knowing multiple languages and having knowledge of geography) not sure what you guys are arguing about here. Both games are fairly simple.
I feel pretty crazy for asking this question, but are their parts of the game (like very early on since that's where I am, just finished meeting all the characters) where the game won't let you quit unless you like ALT + F4?
I guess it all depends on whether you're just going along with the flow or actively trying to solve the mysteries as they show up, but after Umineko I've realized the thrill of trying to beat the characters to the solution of a mystery is completely unlike what I got from just seeing the characters deduce things themselves.
That's legit. I mostly consume all forms of media the same way because I'm a writer first and foremost and usually let the author/creator tell me the story and then just have stuff mulling around my head as background in the case of solving things or whatnot. That way I take in the mystery they give me and the pieces but don't really work hard at assembling them in anything but most rudimentary ways so that when the cases solve themselves or with my added assistance, it affects me more in that regard.
Still, the thing about fair play mysteries is that while you might get all the necessary evidence to solve a crime (which is often signaled by the detective stating that very thing him/herself) you still have to make sense out of all the puzzle pieces that are laid out before you, which is no trivial task by any means. Danganronpa's crimes so far have been 99% fair play from what I've seen so far, which makes it even more frustrating whenever a crucial new piece of evidence randomly shows up halfway through a trial. It's like you can use your wits to map most of the crime out, but that one thing you can't explain isn't proved by taking a more detailed look at the clues, but rather by inserting a new clue that the POV character (and you, by extension) couldn't know about.
I can get this too. I don't see it as toooooo much of a problem because if it's almost all fair play and there's a twist introduced in the middle I could still consider it fair play just with a hitch that it throws in so that you have to move around and assemble the pieces in a new light. So that it takes your suppositions and assumptions and goes "but if you put this here what do you get?"
I agree that some characters are better than others, with Sakura being particularily interesting and also including her relationship with Asahina (even though Hina herself is kind of flat, ironically). However, several others felt like they weren't explored as much as they could, and that resulted in me not particularily sympathizing with them and their pleas. I know I'm barely halfway through the story and that I haven't had enough free time talks to hear everything each character has to say, but their in-story characterization is often flat as a board and doesn't lead to any particularily interesting interactions between them (other than Sakura-Asahina).
I'm not gonna pretend the majority of the characters are fantastically written or explored in great depth; they aren't. I just think they were explored enough for me that I could connect and feel something when they were killed, and if not for them, then in shock that they were the one who died this time. Certain characters do get way more focus in the main narrative and obviously as a result they feel like the fuller, less flat characters. For instance there's no comparison between Byakuya and Leon considering which spends more time in the narrative doing important things. I like Asahina a lot but mostly due to the small characteristics they play up with her being somewhat endearing to me and not due to stellar writing. It's why I keep going back to Sakura, who I actually do feel is legitimately handled and well written. (Minor Sakura spoilers, mostly about her personality and not specific events)
You just see such a subtle way of getting the player to realize she's not some big, dumb, angry beast just from her dialogue and reactions to things and her naturally forming relationship with Hina. She's incredible level-headed and certainly not dumb though not designed to handled complicated puzzles or solve murders and genuinely cares about the people in the game. She isn't always looking for a fight and is incredibly reliable and just nice. And they never have the characters go "Oh man, look, she isn't a crazy monster" they just have them afraid of her and stay away or talk to other people and then over the course of the game they talk directly to her or hold normal conversations without fear more and more. It's just really good writing, or at least scenario set up.
Even then a lot of my favorite characters are not entirely well developed but I just like the aesthetic of or their dialogue or their silly backstories. My favorite character is (1st Chapter Spoiler)
Junko and look what happens to her. I am planning to crossplay as her at PAX tho.
Edit: As has been my experience, you can go to the menu at any time except in the middle of like...Class Trial mini-games.
Than either you're a genius or I'm an idiot. Played through all 8 episodes of Umineko and still needed the internet to explain to me what happened and who the culprit was.
That reminds me I definitely should go through eps 3-6 again eventually now that I know everything there is to know about the mystery, even through ep7 spoils several important things about the first four episodes.
Still, I'm with you in that I didn't solve any of the earlier cases, but mostly because I wasn't actively trying to solve them but rather just going with the flow and that only changed for me during Bernkastel's purple truth game in Episode 8, which was a bit late for me. Episode 6 really beat you on the head with the whole
Kanon/Shannon/Beatrice thing
though, which I luckily had manage to figure out for the most part by then.
Now that you guys mention it, it's true that the random clues out of nowhere generally don't screw with the cases all that much (ie: in case 4
the protein drink bottle being on top of the door glass shards was enough to tell it was put there after hte window was broken, and the bottle Byakuya found wasn't all that necessary except to make things even more obvious
... I guess I'll keep that in mind for later cases, since it might just be as you say, that the final clue that pops out from nowhere isn't actually necessary anyway, and that the crimes are actually fair play in the end.
I think the only one I'd argue remains fair play throughout is Chapter 2's
I think you can deduce that Chihiro is a boy from trying to come to a conclusion about how things are done and realizing it only works if the murderer and victim are both the same sex and are both boys. I also think the game gave you enough clues that that was the case, without outright saying it, by putting so much emphasis on gender and the Genocide Jack MO.
I think the only one I'd argue remains fair play throughout is Chapter 2's
I think you can deduce that Chihiro is a boy from trying to come to a conclusion about how things are done and realizing it only works if the murderer and victim are both the same sex and are both boys. I also think the game gave you enough clues that that was the case, without outright saying it, by putting so much emphasis on gender and the Genocide Jack MO.
Still, there've been a couple things that completely flew over me, mostly related to the way characters in Japanese media handle names. Stuff such as (ch2)
Mondo using different pronouns for male and female people
or (ch3)
Hifumi always refering to others using their full names
I didn't spot, and both were relevant clues to solve their respective cases (with ch4's being much more vital than ch2's, which was more like an additional hint towards
The game begun strong with a very cool prologue...
But the first thing that REALLY got my attention was the first murder. I can't describe how shocked I was... and how invested in the story I became!
Actually, the second murder was a f**** kick in the guts! I was really starting to like Chihiro!
Case 3, for me, was the weakest. I liked the Gothic Girl and the geek dude, but I saw that coming by a mile. I also think that the case was very... confusing.
Case 4 was cool, from a character that I wasn't expecting much. The best part, though, was the suicide note and the last monologue of Monokuma! Awesome writing! Awesome stuff!
Case 5 was ok.
Case 6 was really cool. The end of the world revelation was not all that shocking, but the reasons to why everything was being broadcasted to the world was awesome. I just didn't like the fact that nobody explained how two girls could actually grab the airwaves and how the entire world ended. Will it be explained in Danganronpa 2?
Case 6 was really cool. The end of the world revelation was not all that shocking, but the reasons to why everything was being broadcasted to the world was awesome. I just didn't like the fact that nobody explained how two girls could actually grab the airwaves and how the entire world ended. Will it be explained in Danganronpa 2?
Case 6 was really cool. The end of the world revelation was not all that shocking, but the reasons to why everything was being broadcasted to the world was awesome. I just didn't like the fact that nobody explained how two girls could actually grab the airwaves and how the entire world ended. Will it be explained in Danganronpa 2?
We get more info on the Tragedy in every canon title including the novel, Danganronpa Zero. By Another Episode, we have pretty much everything we need to know about it.
I feel pretty crazy for asking this question, but are their parts of the game (like very early on since that's where I am, just finished meeting all the characters) where the game won't let you quit unless you like ALT + F4?
Yeah, but I think that happens a bit into the prologue, which means you're unable to open the menu, save/load and/or return to the menu before that.
By the way, is there a way to change the mini-game's difficulty during a playthrough, or do I have to start from the beginning of a chapter to be able to change that? I've been playing all the debates with a single truth bullet and it's getting on my nerves now, since it's really obvious what you want to counter, and then the game gives you stupid clues like the Monokuma Files whenever it wants you to use an argument instead.
By the way, is there a way to change the mini-game's difficulty during a playthrough, or do I have to start from the beginning of a chapter to be able to change that?
Correction: Looking online, yes, you have to reload and start from the most recent trial or chapter. So you'll have to lose some data in order to change the difficulty.
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before, but I just noticed this post on the Steam page:
The bonus mini-OST is only available as part of the bundle during the first week of launch. Please think of it as an early purchase bonus and not DLC.
After that, the mini-OST will NOT be available as DLC.
If you purchased the game during the first week, you will still have access to the OST after the bundle is removed.
I had previously assumed this bundle would be the standard package. Apparently that's not the case, and after today Danganronpa will be sold without the OST.
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before, but I just noticed this post on the Steam page:
I had previously assumed this bundle would be the standard package. Apparently that's not the case, and after today Danganronpa will be sold without the OST.
Hummm so far, I really like chapter 01 case, 02 had me scratching my head with so many turns, but am I the only one who found Chapter 03 murderer quite obvious?
And It just turned out to be my favorite character so far T~T I wish she would have stayed longer RIP my beloved Celestia.
