2) Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
It’s almost difficult to describe Danganronpa as a surprising title simply because its existence was hardly noticed by anyone who didn’t really care about the visual novel genre. Luckily, word of mouth spread about the unique story and Phoenix Wright-ish class trials gameplay, and Western audiences began to take notice.
What we found was an intriguing murder mystery full of memorable characters, murderous teddy bears and intense courtroom drama. It’s a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to gameplay, switching between story-drive point-and-click and verbal battles to solve each murder, but the story just got better and better with each death.
Steeped in the cheesy territory most Japanese titles reach at one point or another, some of Danganronpa’s dialogue elicited more laughter than drama, but the cheesiness added even more to its charm. It has a distinctive style and soundtrack that manage to draw players into the scenario naturally, creating an eerie atmosphere in Hope’s Peak Academy that is utterly oppressive and relentless.
If you’ve never been interested in the visual novel genre or just feel like you never would be, then give Danganronpa a try, as it serves as a great entry point. By twisting some of the more boring elements that make up the genre into something entirely new and different, it creates a game that is both successful at pulling in newcomers and at satisfying genre veterans. And most people hardly even know it exists.