2014 video game
2014 video game
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
[b]
is an
action-adventure
video game developed by
Spike Chunsoft
for
PlayStation Vita
. The game is the first
spin-off
of the
Danganronpa
series of visual novel games, set between the events of
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
and
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair
.
[2]
The game was released in Japan on September 25, 2014, and was released by
NIS America
in North America on September 1, 2015, in Europe on September 4, 2015, and in Australia on September 10, 2015.
[3]
[4]
The game was released on
PlayStation 4
and
Windows
worldwide in June 2017.
[5]
A
manga
adaptation/continuation of the game,
Genocider Mode
, was published by
Kadokawa Shoten
and
Dark Horse Comics
across two separate runs from January 27, 2015 to October 13, 2017, respectively written and illustrated by Machika Minami and Touya Hajime, while an
anime
sequel,
"Ultra Despair Girls"
, aired on August 22, 2016 as the seventh episode of
Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School
.
Gameplay
[
edit
]
Unlike the
visual novel
gameplay of the previous games,
Ultra Despair Girls
is a third-person adventure game with horror elements, in which players control Komaru Naegi as she tries to survive in a city overrun by
Monokuma
robots.
[2]
Komaru is armed with a megaphone-shaped Hacking Gun that can use various types of Truth Bullets, which are unlocked as the game progresses. Using the Hacking Gun, Komaru can perform various actions, such as attacking enemies, taking control of them, activating certain machinery, or scanning the environment for clues or hidden items.
[6]
During the course of the game, Komaru is also assisted by the first game's
Toko Fukawa
, who uses a stun gun to switch over to her split personality, the serial killer Genocide Jill. When the stun gun is charged up, players can temporarily take control of Jill, who can attack with razor-sharp scissors. Attacking enemies fills up the "Scissor Fever" gauge, allowing Jill to perform special attacks to instantly defeat multiple enemies.
[7]
Monocoins earned from defeating enemies can be used to purchase upgrades for both Komaru's Hacking Gun and Jill's scissors, and various skills can be unlocked and equipped, such as extended health. The game features three difficulty settings, with harder difficulties containing less ammunition and fewer opportunities to use Jill's assistance.
[8]
Plot
[
edit
]
The game takes place half a year after the events of the first game, prior to the events of the second game. Protagonist
Komaru Naegi
, the younger sister of the first game's protagonist,
Makoto Naegi
, has spent the past year locked inside an apartment complex in Towa City, unaware of the events that have gone on in the outside world. She is forced to flee from an attack from deadly
Monokuma
robots and comes across Future Foundation member and survivor of the first killing game
Byakuya Togami
, who gives Komaru a special Hacking Gun that can fight against the robots and orders her to escape the city. However, Komaru's escape fails and she is captured by a group of children known as the Warriors of Hope, who seek to create a utopia for children by murdering all the adults with their robots. They force Komaru to join their "Demon Hunting" game and drop her into the city, where she is saved by homicidal maniac Genocide Jill, who soon reverts to her true self,
Toko Fukawa
, a survivor of Hope's Peak High School's killing game alongside Byakuya and Makoto and who currently works as an intern of Future Foundation despite her status as a survivor. Toko can now control Jill with a stun gun. Learning that Byakuya may have been kidnapped by the Warriors of Hope, Toko agrees to team up with Komaru to find Byakuya and escape the city. Along the way they encounter a resistance group, run by Haiji Towa, and meet a white bear robot named Shirokuma.
Komaru and Toko learn that the Warriors of Hope worship
Junko Enoshima
, the Ultimate Despair responsible for bringing about the end of the world, and seek to create a successor. Confronting the group's leader,
Monaca Towa
, and defeating their advisor Kurokuma, Komaru is given the choice of destroying the Monokuma Controller, which would stop all the robots but at the cost of sacrificing all the children wearing Monokuma Kid masks. Monaca then reveals that her goal is to turn Komaru into the next Junko Enoshima, trying to coerce her into destroying the controller by allegedly revealing her parents were personally killed by her. However, Toko slaps some sense into her and together they overcome despair in order to defeat an out-of-control mech. After rescuing Byakuya, Komaru and Toko decide to stay behind in Towa City to help out those who need it. Meanwhile, as Monaca is inevitably rescued by
the Servant
, who encourages her to become the next Junko herself, it is revealed that both Shirokuma and Kurokuma were controlled by copies of the real Junko's AI, who has
Izuru Kamukura
carry out the
next part of her plan
.
[2]
[9]
However, if Komaru chooses to destroy the controller before learning its true purpose, the Bad Ending is triggered and all of the Monokuma Kids are killed as their masks explode. Komaru becomes the hero of the resistance, but she feels extremely guilty for what she has done.
Development and release
[
edit
]
With the two previous entries in the
Danganronpa
series being visual novel adventure games, members of
Spike Chunsoft
wanted to develop a
spin-off
game that was more action-oriented.
[10]
One of the proponents for a spin-off game was series writer
Kazutaka Kodaka
;
[11]
he had wanted to write a story of two characters running away from despair, and he felt that the easiest way to do this was through an action game that necessitated movement.
[12]
When Spike Chunsoft
green-lit
the proposal, they let Kodaka have free rein to write the narrative for
Ultra Despair Girls
.
[13]
Kodaka stated that he spent an equal amount of time writing the dialogue and backstories for the protagonists (originally developed for
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
) as he did for the antagonists.
[14]
One aspect of
Ultra Despair Girls
that the development team was worried about was whether the shift in gameplay genres would alienate players who were not good at action games. They decided to add the mechanic of switching between characters, as Genocide Jill would make the game significantly easier.
[13]
Ultra Despair Girls
was announced at a
Sony Computer Entertainment
press conference in September 2013, where the first gameplay trailer was shown; the trailer also teased the
third entry in the series
.
[15]
It was then released in Japan on September 25, 2014.
[16]
To promote the game, Spike Chunsoft offered several
pre-order
bonuses, including digital
wallpapers
,
mousepads
,
[17]
and a
smartphone
stand.
[16]
Additional merchandise was also offered at
Comiket
.
[18]
NIS America
localized
and published the international versions of the game.
[19]
It was released in North America on September 1, 2015, in Europe on September 4, and in Australia on September 10.
[20]
NIS America offered a limited edition of the game, which included a
concept art
book, the game's
soundtrack
, and other collector's items.
[21]
NIS America released the game for
PlayStation 4
in North America and Europe in Summer 2017.
[5]
Other media
[
edit
]
Manga
[
edit
]
The game has received two
manga
adaptations. A manga by Machika Minami, titled
Zettai Zetsub? Sh?jo: Danganronpa Another Episode: Genocider Mode
, began serialization in
Kadokawa Shoten
's
Dengeki Maoh
magazine from January 2015. A second manga by Hajime Toya debuted in
Kadokawa Shoten
's
Famitsu Comic Clear
magazine in February 2015,
[22]
and was serialized until July 2017.
[23]
Two comic anthologies by various artists were released on January 24, 2015, and May 25, 2015, respectively.
[24]
[25]
This game will not be included in Danganronpa Decadence.
Mobile app
[
edit
]
An
Ultra Despair Girls
mobile app featuring
Komaru Naegi
was released for
Android
in Japan in August 2015. The app allows users to manage their smartphone files and cache, and Komaru's expression will change depending on the amount of storage used.
[26]
Sequels
[
edit
]
Anime
[
edit
]
On August 22, 2016, an
anime
sequel to the game, written by Yuichiro Higashide and directed by Yohei Fukui, was broadcast as the seventh episode of
Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School
, following
Monaca Towa
appearing in a recurring role in the
Future Arc
, with a further epilogue to the game being included at the conclusion of the
Hope Arc
.
[27]
Video game
[
edit
]
In November 2017, Spike Chunsoft began hiring staff for a new
Danganronpa
game described as a
sequel
to
Ultra Despair Girls
.
[28]
In July 2020, the franchise's publishing rights outside of Japan were transferred from NIS America to Spike Chunsoft.
[29]
Reception
[
edit
]
| This section
needs expansion
. You can help by
adding to it
.
(
February 2019
)
|
Ultra Despair Girls
received "mixed or average" reviews from critics. At
Metacritic
, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the game received an average score of 72, based on 35 reviews.
[30]
The game sold a total of 70,596 copies on the PlayStation Vita during its first week on sale in Japan and was the third best-selling game of the week.
[39]
The PS4 version sold a total of 1,810 copies during its first week on sale in Japan and failed to reach the sales charts.
[39]
The
Steam
release had an estimated total of 32,000 players by July 2018.
[40]
The game has sold a total of 128,559 copies in Japan (PS Vita: 123,278 copies/PS4: 5,281 copies).
[41]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
PlayStation 4
and
PlayStation Vita
versions originally published by
NIS America
outside of Japan
- ^
Known in Japan as
Zettai Zetsub? Sh?jo: Danganronpa Another Episode
(
Japanese
:
絶?絶望少女 ダンガンロンパ Another Episode
,
lit.
Absolute Despair Girls: Danganronpa Another Episode
)
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Famitsu scan February 21
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
a
b
c
"Danganronpa: Another Episode Features More Characters From The First Two Games"
.
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Archived
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- ^
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.
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.
- ^
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.
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.
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.
- ^
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.
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.
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
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.
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.
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.
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. TheGamerAccess. Event occurs at 1:14.
Archived
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. Retrieved
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2016
.
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"
. Kotaku.
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.
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. Gematsu.
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. Siliconera. August 16, 2014.
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. VG247.
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.
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.
Archived
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. Retrieved
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.
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.
Archived
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.
- ^
アンソロジ? (著).
絶?絶望少女ダンガンロンパAnother Episodeコミックアンソロジ? (IDコミックス DNAメディアコミックス) | アンソロジ? |本 | 通販
.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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External links
[
edit
]