While Nippon Ichi Software America has licensed a number of distinct games over recent years, I would argue that Spike Chunsoft’s Danganronpa series has been one of their biggest non-NIS acquisitions in recent years. Combining a downright eccentric murder-mystery storyline with a unique take on the interactive visual novel style of gameplay – each main title has been something I have eagerly anticipated each time.
With their release of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony set to be available on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in September, NIS America are spending the months leading up to the game’s launch re-releasing all their Danganronpa releases on the PlayStation 4. Are these console ports any good compared to their portable predecessors? Read on to find out!
To begin this review, I would like to state that this article will not be looking at individual components of either Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc or Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair – since both have received reviews on The Otaku’s Study previously. Please click their respective titles above to read my original, extensive review of each game.
When first released in Japan, both Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair were only available on the PlayStation Portable. This was a Japan exclusive version, and for many years was only available in Japanese. Things began to deviate between Japan and the rest of the world when it came to the subsequent generation of gaming consoles. In Japan, Spike Chunsoft released Danganronpa 1•2 Reload on the PlayStation Vita, a compilating combining both games. In North America and PAL regions however, NIS America opted to split the set into two, releasing Trigger Happy Havoc and Goodbye Despair as separate titles. This was a perfectly logical decision in my mind, given the resources needed to localise and dub this text-heavy game. This newest release now brings us in line with Japan, presenting both games in one collection.
This PlayStation 4 version of Danganronpa 1•2 Reload could essentially be considered a port of the original PlayStation Vita release, which means you shouldn’t go into this expecting any new or “enhanced” content from the original. There are no little titbits pertaining to future events, a demo for Danganronpa V3 or really anything all that new for those who have already gone through both games. Instead, this collection is more or less a compilation which will allow both games to be played in higher definition and on a television screen without needing a PlayStation TV unit. Therefore, you won’t miss out on anything if you already own a PlayStation Vita copy and decide not to purchase this new version.
After taking a little bit of getting used to the DUALSHOCK controller during class trials, I had no qualms with how they have adapted the control schema for Danganronpa 1•2 Reload from the PlayStation Vita to a DUALSHOCK 4 controller. The only thing the collection really loses is the original touchscreen support, which at least from my past experience, I never found myself really using.
I would say that the two games have transitioned well from the PlayStation Portable to PlayStation Vita to PlayStation 4; and I have no major qualms about the visual quality of Danganronpa 1•2 Reload. Despite a few graphical inconsistencies which caught my eye across both titles and this being far from the best designed game on the PlayStation 4 – its style, unique 2.5D character designs and the sheer variety offered by some of the game’s more distinct graphical concepts makes this a title which remains visually pleasing.
So… would I say that Danganronpa 1•2 Reload is worth repurchasing if you already own the PlayStation Vita editions? Since this is not an enhanced port, provided you are more than happy with playing on a portable console (or the PC via Spike Chunsoft’s Steam port), I would say no. But if you are a newcomer to the series and are looking for something which stands out from the crowd… this is one collection I enthusiastically recommend considering.
