Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls Review

In the universe of Danganronpa few things are expected: homicidal teddy bear robots, you can’t trust anyone, and don’t expect anything; NIS America’s latest installment Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls is a shining example of all those points. 

Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls follows Komaru Naegi, the younger sister of the first game's protagonist, and takes place between the first two titles in the franchise. Leaving it's murder mystery, “who dun it”, Ace Attorney-esque roots for a third person adventure/shooter feel, this game leaves much to be desired. While elements of the story and characters felt unique and reminiscent of previous games, it is hard to get past the repetitive elements found in this title. 

The gameplay is unique when inside the context of the franchise, but as a whole I feel the experience fell short. While most adventure shooter titles have a wide array of enemies and weapons allowing customization, Ultra Despair Girls has one. Just one. The balance to that can be found in the variety of ammunition and puzzles found throughout the game. You won’t find yourself overcome by waves of unfamiliar foe or wracking your brain to figure out which upgrade may be more beneficial; instead most of the gameplay is focused on force fed backstory and monotonous teddy bear execution.

Not all is lost on this title! The story itself is essential to the lore of Danganronpa and as such should be played by fans of the series. The easy to play mechanics are inviting to a new audience and hopefully can draw them into the madness that is Danganronpa. As a whole, I feel this game might take players by surprise if they are not familiar with the franchise. Unfortunately, any long time fans of the previous entries I fear will find flaws in this release. 

This gamer gives it a 2 out of 5

Thanks to the publisher for supplying a copy for review.