Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

96%
Game Brain Score Based on 15,322 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Game Cover
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is easily one of the PlayStation Vita's niche gems with rock solid presentation and a gripping story that doesn't let you go till the end.
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In "Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc," Makoto Naegi and his classmates at Hope's Peak Academy are held captive by a sadistic bear named Monokuma. Students must murder a classmate and get away with it to gain freedom, and it's up to you to investigate incidents, gather clues, and participate in trial debates to uncover the truth. Be careful what you wish for, as sometimes the truth can be deadly.

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Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

96%
Audience ScoreBased on 15,322 reviews
story2,268 positive mentions
grinding140 negative mentions
  • story5,055 mentions

    The story of "Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc" is a captivating blend of mystery, dark humor, and psychological thriller elements, featuring a group of high school students trapped in a deadly game orchestrated by a sinister bear named Monokuma. Players navigate through intense class trials filled with unexpected plot twists and character revelations, keeping them engaged and on the edge of their seats. While the narrative is praised for its depth and character development, some critiques highlight pacing issues and a linear storyline that may limit replayability.

    • “Its unique gameplay mechanics and unforgettable story ensure it’s a game that will linger with you long after the final reveal.”
    • “The story had me completely hooked from the very start, and I think I cried like three times in my first playthrough. All of the characters are brilliantly written and insanely likeable, with good character design to go with them.”
    • “Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is a masterclass in storytelling, seamlessly blending elements of mystery, suspense, and psychological thriller to deliver an unforgettable gaming experience.”
    • “The story falls short on creativity and ultimately just feels lacking.”
    • “Still, as the story is poor and the characters do not have content, I feel it lacks what's needed for a good visual novel.”
    • “The story is nonsensical even by anime standards, the 'mystery mastermind' is obvious from the get-go and their motivation doesn't make a lick of sense, the characters are bland and the over-the-top murder cut-scenes are tasteless.”
  • gameplay1,962 mentions

    The gameplay of *Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc* is a blend of visual novel storytelling and interactive mechanics, primarily centered around investigation and class trials. Players engage in a mix of dialogue-heavy exploration, where they gather clues, and intense trial segments that incorporate unique mechanics like shooting contradictions with "truth bullets" and rhythm-based challenges. While the gameplay is often praised for its creativity and engagement, some mechanics can feel dated or overly complex, leading to mixed feelings about the overall experience.

    • “Its unique gameplay mechanics and unforgettable story ensure it’s a game that will linger with you long after the final reveal.”
    • “Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc delivers an unparalleled mix of narrative depth and gameplay innovation.”
    • “The gameplay during the trials always keeps me on my feet and is just so fun.”
    • “The gameplay is very weak; you don't get to actually solve most of the case, but instead use the clues to find contradictions while the solution reveals itself.”
    • “The gameplay is tedious at points, and the controls are not intuitive.”
    • “The trial mechanics are kind of tedious and annoying, and some of the conclusions they want you to make are counter-intuitive.”
  • music1,127 mentions

    The music in "Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc" is widely praised for its catchy and atmospheric qualities, effectively enhancing the game's emotional depth and tension during critical moments like class trials. Composed by Masafumi Takada, the soundtrack features a diverse range of tracks that blend upbeat and eerie elements, making it memorable and engaging for players. While some reviewers noted occasional repetitiveness, the overall consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the game's unique charm and immersive experience.

    • “The soundtrack is just phenomenal!”
    • “The music is perfect; it's everything!”
    • “The music, the characters, the story, the art, and of course the class trials — they all just helped make the experience amazing.”
    • “The majority of the soundtrack is dreadfully annoying.”
    • “The music that's constantly playing while talking to people and moving is the most chipper jazzy headache-inducing thing you can imagine.”
    • “For a game that I spent 30 hours in, the music got old incredibly fast.”
  • graphics808 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique, stylish anime-inspired art style that blends 2D character sprites with 3D environments, creating a visually striking and memorable aesthetic. While some players appreciate the quirky and colorful visuals, others find them off-putting or dated, reflecting the game's origins as a PSP title. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's charm, despite some technical limitations and a polarizing reception among players.

    • “The art style is amazing and super engaging.”
    • “Stylish visuals and soundtrack: Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc boasts a visually striking art style with colorful and eccentric character designs.”
    • “The graphics are unique as they simulate a paper cutout environment in rooms.”
    • “The graphics are absolute dog water, it looks like a flash game.”
    • “Danganronpa was originally released on the PSP in 2010 and it shows: the graphics are bad, the characters are 2D, and the visuals are low quality.”
    • “The graphics could have been better, and a lot of the 2D sprites in the rooms were pixelated.”
  • humor485 mentions

    The humor in the game is a unique blend of dark, absurd, and often self-aware comedy, primarily driven by the character Monokuma, a villainous bear whose antics provide both levity and unsettling moments. Players appreciate the quirky dialogue and memorable characters, which contribute to a mix of hilarity and emotional depth throughout the narrative. While some find the humor hit-or-miss, many agree that it enhances the overall experience, making the game both entertaining and thought-provoking.

    • “In short, it is a must-play for fans of mystery, dark humor, and intense storytelling.”
    • “The absurdity of the situations, coupled with the dark humor infused into the dialogues, serves to balance the grim nature of the killing game with moments of levity.”
    • “The characters are memorable (although I do have a soft spot for Danganronpa 2's cast), the story is equal parts gripping, funny, genuinely disturbing and outright ludicrous and the mechanics are solid and keep you engaged with each trial as you search for the culprit.”
    • “The main flow of the story is how the dialogue sometimes drags with unnecessary, unfunny jokes or repeats the same information several times, which slows the pacing, but this isn't a game-destroying flow.”
    • “Shallow, pretentious, unfunny, and can't even hold his bear pun consistently. It's obvious that the writers liked 'Virtue's Last Reward' so much that they decided to copy everything, even the murderous mascot.”
    • “I can’t be arsed dealing with 'lol random' sort of dialogue and actions; that kind of stuff was unfunny back in the 90s, never mind today.”
  • emotional254 mentions

    The emotional aspect of "Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc" is a significant highlight, with players frequently expressing deep attachments to the well-crafted characters and their heart-wrenching fates. Many reviews note the game as an emotional rollercoaster, filled with moments of joy, laughter, and profound sadness, often leading to tears as beloved characters face tragic outcomes. Overall, the game effectively combines humor and emotional depth, making it a memorable experience for those willing to invest in its narrative.

    • “The story had me completely hooked from the very start, and I think I cried like three times in my first playthrough (and I never get super attached to fiction normally). All of the characters are brilliantly written and insanely likeable, with good character design to go with them, and I genuinely got super attached to them all.”
    • “Prepare for heartbreaking moments as you play; this is an emotional roller coaster.”
    • “The emotional roller coaster that I went through learning about these characters and seeing their personalities just made it one of the best games I have ever played.”
    • “It was just some kind of visual novel with a really boring story that I couldn't get into.”
  • atmosphere236 mentions

    The atmosphere of "Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc" is widely praised for its unique blend of claustrophobia, tension, and a haunting soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the game's ability to create a sense of dread and mystery, with visuals and music that effectively convey the emotional weight of the narrative. Many reviewers consider it the standout feature of the game, noting that its immersive atmosphere sets it apart from later installments in the series.

    • “The atmosphere of Hope's Peak is both scary and mysterious.”
    • “Visually striking and complemented by a haunting soundtrack, 'Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc' creates an immersive atmosphere that keeps players on edge throughout their journey.”
    • “The atmosphere, the character development, and the immersion (especially during class trials) are phenomenal.”
    • “Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is easily the worst game in the Danganronpa trilogy, although it does have a very specific claustrophobic atmosphere that the following games are never able to capture.”
    • “The atmosphere is probably the scariest out of all the Danganronpa games, being the claustrophobic, strangely lit, and ominous school; and I feel like the other games have not been able to capture this feeling as well with its settings.”
    • “I absolutely appreciate the dark, morose atmosphere the game attempts to build, but it's so often hurt by many superfluous concepts and inattentive art styles of the environment.”
  • character development194 mentions

    Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth and emotional impact, with many characters undergoing significant growth throughout the story. However, some reviews note that pacing can slow during investigative segments, and certain characters may not receive adequate development before their untimely deaths. Overall, the combination of rich character arcs and unique designs contributes to a memorable narrative experience.

    • “The character development is phenomenal and the story keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting more.”
    • “If you are looking for a game with incredibly lovable characters and amazing character development, a genuinely fascinating plot, mystery, charm, and an overall game/anime/manga series worthy of investing your time in, look no further than Danganronpa.”
    • “Having seen the anime, I thought I knew what to expect, but this is better than I could have ever imagined; just the introduction scenes for the characters alone gave them more personality than I probably saw in the entire anime; their overall character development makes them really come to life.”
    • “Well, as I mentioned, it is a typical anime, with the stereotypical characters, some with a bit more character development than others, but still extremely one-dimensional, with cringy dialogue lines in general.”
    • “Some characters who were due for character development are weirdly killed off before it happens.”
    • “A lot of character development is not shown, and the investigations feel rushed.”
  • grinding159 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding certain elements, such as achievement hunting and the school mode, to be tedious and repetitive. While some enjoy the engaging story and class trials, they often feel that the gameplay is marred by excessive grinding and poorly designed mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Overall, players recommend the game for its narrative but caution that completionists should be prepared for a significant amount of grinding.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “It has beautiful writing, an amazing soundtrack, and playing through the class trials wasn't tedious in any way, shape, or form.”
    • “Overall, I give this game a 9/10 as playing through the game was very fun, but the very grindy achievements made completing the game feel like a bit of a slog.”
    • “The school mode that unlocks after the first playthrough is grindy and repetitive in the worst way possible.”
    • “Getting 100% achievements requires some grinding (which is really weird for a visual novel) but is very rewarding.”
  • replayability110 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising the bonus modes and character interactions that enhance replay value, while others note the linear storyline limits replayability significantly. Many reviews highlight that, despite the engaging narrative and character development, the lack of multiple endings and the predictability of the plot reduce the incentive to replay. Overall, while there are some additional modes and achievements to pursue, the consensus is that replayability is relatively low for most players.

    • “Completing the main story unlocks a bonus school mode which is so fun and adds to the game's replay value.”
    • “Replay value: the game offers multiple branching paths, hidden content, and alternative endings, encouraging replayability.”
    • “To top it all off, there's an extra game mode after the story which adds a fair amount of replayability and also allows you to revisit things you may have missed.”
    • “I don't think there is much replay value as you can only 'figure out' the game once.”
    • “There's also a lack of replayability.”
    • “The only major drawback this game has is its lack of replay value.”
  • optimization31 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players report smooth performance and no significant issues, others experience stuttering and frame rate drops, particularly on higher settings. As a port from the PSP, certain controls and menus could have been better optimized for PC, leading to clunky movement and frustrating interactions. Despite these drawbacks, many users find the game runs adequately for its genre, with decent graphics and voice acting contributing positively to the experience.

    • “Graphics & performance - given that this is a nearly 10-year-old port of a PSP VN game, there should be no issues in running it.”
    • “It's well optimized and everything works out perfectly.”
    • “Lastly, given how old the game is, there are a couple of technical things to keep in mind - the game's performance degrades every now and then, with stutters even on the highest end settings.”
    • “The game is a port from PSP and some of the menus/actions could have been optimized for PC, but it works just fine for the type of game it is.”
    • “Sometimes the writing feels off and the port has some performance problems (a lot of FPS drops) but nothing major.”
  • stability20 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is generally praised, with many users reporting no major glitches or crashes, and smooth performance across various systems. However, some players have encountered minor issues such as frame rate drops, graphical glitches, and occasional bugs that may require restarting the game. Despite these inconsistencies, the majority find the game to run well, especially after recent patches addressing some of the reported problems.

    • “There are no glitches from what I've seen so far, and only a few typos (the name of the text box is wrong for the character talking, like Monokuma's talking but the text box says Chihiro).”
    • “Runs great on any system.”
    • “Great controls and no glitches overall.”
    • “It's a buggy unusable mess.”
    • “There are still a few glitches and bugs that persist to this day that quite annoy me.”
    • “If your computer freezes up during a death scene and you didn't save anytime during the trial, have fun redoing everything!!”
  • monetization7 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising the absence of ads and microtransactions, while others criticize the misleading advertising of features and the intrusive nature of in-game promotions that detract from the overall experience. Many users express frustration over the presence of unnecessary advertisements and poorly integrated content that disrupts gameplay.

    • “Best gacha game, no microtransactions.”
    • “Free to play, but has microtransactions.”
    • “Negative review isn't for gameplay, but for breaking one of my most important rules, which is advertising a product with features or DLC, then not including them after the purchase is made.”
    • “Horrible microtransactions to play!”
    • “A very interesting concept let down by excessively poor writing, in-game cutscenes literally replaced with unironic advertisements for a loosely related cancelled side-project, completely unnecessary sequel bait placed right at the climax that immediately contradicts very important plot elements they had just set up in the previous chapter.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

85% average critic score

Buy Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

Play time

23hMedian play time
24hAverage play time
25hMain story
45hCompletionist
9-30hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 66 analyzed playthroughs

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