NIS America recently announced the localization of Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls. The Vita exclusive to due to come out in North America sometime later in 2015. While you can jump right into the series with the upcoming game, it would be a bad idea if you plan on playing the other installments (and you should) as well. You can find our explanation below.
About Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
First let’s talk about Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls. Despite being the newest release of the series, the videogame actually takes place between the events of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Instead of the traditional visual novel elements, Another Episode plays more like a third-person shooter. You will get to control Komaru Naegi, the younger sister of Makoto Naegi (protagonist of the first game), as she fights off an army of Monokuma robots with a modified microphone.
While it definitely looks like a fun game, newcomers of the Danganronpa series should steer clear of it before completing the other two games as it will lessen the enjoyment of both mainline installments.
About Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
The first installment, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, was first released for the PSP in 2010. It wasn’t until the game was ported over to the Vita that it was localized and released for North America on February 11, 2014. The main focus of Trigger Happy Havoc is the story as you find yourself playing as Makoto Naegi, who ended up trapped with a group of other students.
A mastermind decided to set up a deadly game where the only apparent way to escape is to get away with murder. If the killer managed to escape, all the other students will end up dying. As a countermeasure, a classic trial system got implemented to try to determine who the real killer is every time someone ends up dead.
With very little gameplay, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc relies heavily on the story. It uses a lot of twist and turns as players have to not only find the real killer among the group but also determine who the mastermind behind everything is.
If you start playing Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls before Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, you will immediately have a lot of important plot points (not to mention the ending) spoiled for you in the first game.
About Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair came out first in Japan for the PSP in 2012. Like the first game, it would also ported to the Vita and then localized for a North American release on September 2, 2014. The second game has mostly the same mechanics as the first game as you will be taking control of a new character, Hajime Hinata, who got trapped in an island with other students.
Once again, you are forced to play a game where the only way to escape is by killing someone and not get convicted for it during class trials. Aside from a few changes to some mini-games, it essentially plays the same as Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc.
Therefore, it is also a good idea to play Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair right after the first game even though Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls is set before the events of the second game. This is because Another Episode will also spoil some of the plot points and characters in Goodbye Despair (although not to the extent of the first game), which would lessen some of the twists and turns of the story in the second mainline installment.
So, if you are planning to purchase Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, we highly suggest getting the other two games in the series as well. You should also play them from order of release, starting with Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, then Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair and, finally, Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls.
The Danganronpa games are considered to be some of the best exclusives on the PlayStation Vita. If you haven’t already, you can purchase the releases with the next links from Amazon: Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair and Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls. Because the overarching story is the most important aspect to the series, make sure you play the three above-mentioned games in the order we suggested so that you can get the most enjoyment possible.