An Insect Reviews - Trigger Happy Havoc

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Welcome to another blog by your's truly, it's been a hot hour-

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Recently, I had to write an entry about a film lecture I had regarding "Taste" and absolutely berating Cats was so fun. It reignited an old flame of mine for writing opinionated pieces. Since I have a lot of time in commuting to university, I figured I should use it productively when my mind isn't treading in blank space trying to generate film scripts. I've tried writing this particular blog over and over again, but have stopped a bunch of times. I've always had something to do for the majority of my time in the community, but now I'm off the hook from everything (and have been for a while now), I figured now is the best time to finally overcome writing this damn thing.

Out of all the games I've played, Trigger Happy Havoc still remains my favourite game in the Danganronpa series. I've written so many blogs in the past that relate to potentially why this is the case, but there's so much to this game and its great concepts that were partially butchered for me by the next entries such as SDR2 and V3 (both of which I think are serviceable games, but have major flaws that THH does not mostly share).

Whilst you may argue that it has a slight unfair advantage because it's the original in its series, I think the argument is invalid. If you compare it to films, sequels typically do not gain as much success or appreciation because a formula that worked so well for the original gets changed and then it turns the experience into something different; the same can be said with games too and of course trying to keep things fresh is important to distinguish between entries of a series but it is also a major risk. Anyway, today I'll finally reveal why I adore THH so much. I managed to borrow a copy of it from a mate of mine, much like how I originally played it just to remind myself of what experiencing it was like. I managed to complete the game in just over a week and returned it with a glowing smile, knowing I got to relive some of the memories of originally playing the game.

So, let's get to it.

>I guess I need to mention that there will be spoilers, but hopefully that should've been obvious to begin with <

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Let's start off with the plot itself. This is not referring to the specifics of Makoto's journey, but more the overarching timeline and events that occur in the game. The premise itself is one that sucks you into another world, and the setting itself is quite deceiving. Even if the premise is probably the smallest and least ambitious out of the three main games, it is definitely a great starting foundation. Keeping it down to earth is key for the immersion I felt whilst playing the game. It meant that I actually felt like I was there which the other games failed to achieve every time I've played through them. The levels of immersion that this game offers is quite staggering and is executed through its plot. When comparing with other titles in the series, it's clear that this is the stepping stone for the series as it isn't as ambitious in all of its elements. But this is what makes it so great: the fact that everything isn't completely out of reality means the events, characters and murders feel realistic. An apocalypse draining the hope of the world never seems far off in the current climate, but one of this nature is clearly fake. But the way the characters interact with each other and the way events are written results in a plot which flow very nicely and never makes you question it at all.

Even if the plot doesn't introduce wild new concepts super frequently as the plot develops, it still manages to keep me hooked to its core events and values: Hope and Despair. It will introduce many problems and mysteries, which as someone who loves a good story results in immense interest and constant pondering. I could not ponder as much this time around because I know what actually happens, but these are the thoughts I had when I originally played THH. Above all else, the good ending is very satisfying to conclude the game as well. It follows the same pattern of being simple, but subsequently not breaking immersion and strikes the pinpoint balance between being down to earth and not feeling cheated out of some grand finale. The final trial itself serves this purpose, making the surrounding characters question their own morals and humanity unseen in any other game. And by "any game", I'm clearly referring to the other main titles of the series. THH doesn't throw in some rubbish about a certain protagonist having a hidden saiyan form; neither does it break any fourth walls by claiming the entire series and its in-game reality was fake. It stays true to its plot, which is crucial for its integrity.

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This section is more dedicated to journeying through the plot through Makoto’s viewpoint rather than looking at the bigger picture. The story is pretty good and creates so much immersion for the plot and actually playing the game, but frequent frustrations did break it for me. In my opinion, the way the game starts is pretty standard where we see the player enter a new environment, but then they are quickly thrown into the underbelly of the new environment was a somewhat abrupt and surprising event to be subjected to. Assuming time has ed and with no real explanation of what happens between entering the school and waking up, many questions started to flood my head and will do so for whoever is playing THH alongside the characters themselves who play critical roles in the plot. This feeling of trying to piece clues together and understand what the REAL situation is by going through each of the trials to gain small pieces of information and key items from circumstances was very rewarding and crucially keeps the interest in the story as well as the game as a whole. Gaining information about ‘the biggest most awful most tragic event in human history’ never feels repetitive or uninspired and keeps the game constantly fresh. The pacing feels pretty great too and there were very few moments when the story did not feel like it had progressed.

However, the plot from Makoto’s perspective can be slightly frustrating at times. Besides the constant whining courtesy of our generic protagonist, the shoehorning of the battle between ‘Hope’ and ‘Despair’ became repetitive and almost tiring due to the fact that players will know quickly as to what both sides entail. This becomes more and more annoying since the protagonist who we have to listen to at all times will never stop emphasising the main conflict. There are also times at the beginning of the game where the difficulty and pacing of the story feel very basic, which is obviously for the benefit of players new to the mystery genre, but it can feel very slow and painful for anyone who is not a beginner to the game. It could be partially excused as well since there are many controls to learn and is a lot worse in other games in any other genre. Overall, the story does flow pretty well and was miles better in comparison to SDR2 or V3.

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The 78th Class of Hope’s Peak features a lot of great characters and are definitely my favourite as a collective. Very few of the characters in this game vex me when compared to my other experiences in the other games and I do cherish a lot of these characters for many reasons. Their designs, motives, personality dialogue and tied voice acting performances are executed so well and blend really well together in order to enhance the experience a lot more. It gets to a point where I deeply cared about what happens to the majority of the characters, becoming shocked and relieved when certain characters do not get killed/executed. Interacting with many of these characters as Makoto is also a very enjoyable experience filled with plenty of laughs, more shocks and positively builds them up. Even just watching the characters interact with themselves without any influence of your own is such a joy. It’s very rare that I was bored with watching dialogue of the characters by outside of some moments where Makoto, Chihiro, Hifumi or Toko (not including Genocide Jack). Regardless of personal preference, every character added a different blend of personality to this murder cocktail and it tastes just right.

One major flaw with the characters is the ‘traitor’ of the class. I also share the irritation that Monokuma had at the midpoint of the game because Sakura contributed absolutely nothing towards the story. It would’ve been a lot more interesting if she actually did something as a traitor and to this day I still do not understand the decisions that led for her to be so ive in that role. Conversely, the detective does feel pretty overpowered in the grand scheme of the plot but actually becomes less and less influential in every chapter. I found it quite refreshing that she ultimately becomes almost nullified in the final trial and requires the player to actually drive the  If you’re interested in what I think about each of the characters specifically, then I would check this blog out where I’ve ranked each of the characters and is faithful to what I believe to this day. The short version is that this game features a wide variety of characters that feel very unique and most of them contribute a lot in their respective ways.

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Often the aspect that is split between people, the trials in this game for me was not the greatest. The trials are the tip of the spear for the series, it is where you really see how characters really are and it is where you see how the game develops and ultimately ends. The significance of trials for me is so high because it blends so many of the aspects that I judge games for, which this game does not fully deliver on. That isn’t to say that they were all horrible to get through, V3 remains the title that holds onto that title very well but there were plenty of annoyances about the trials throughout THH. The first trial features the infamous giveaway of Leon’s name written backwards at the crime scene which almost the entirety of the class was completely oblivious too. This was not because of some intelligent mind games from Leon or anything like that. Somehow all of the characters do not think much else of the writing other than it being a “dying message”. No wonder there are so many moments where the characters are confused, I would not be surprised if some of them did not know how to breathe through both their mouth and nose. Thankfully, only the first trial features a lot of these baffling moments but they are sprinkled throughout the game nonetheless. Coming back to the game was a rather interesting experience because the trials featured in this game are not as lengthy, nor as arguably difficult. Obviously, I know how to play the game and can the majority of events, but in hindsight, the game from memory was still quite arduous at the later stages of the game.

Once you get past the initial trial though, the trials do become a lot more enjoyable. As the characters are so amazing for me, it means that seeing them engage in debates and arguments really puts you in a critical state. The trails may be the most simple in this game, but they are nowhere near the levels of convoluted shenanigans that can be found in the other games. The trials have a really great influx of difficulty, it increased at a reasonable rate to the point where I could never get frustrated with because most of the factors and required clues felt at the right balance between reasonable hardship and meticulous detail.  Each of the additional games that allow you to gain more insight and even get into the heads of the perpetrators allows you to feel so smart as you progress through trials. I've never really had an issue with Hangman’s Gambit or the Closing Argument sections, but I find it interesting to hear that a lot of people complained about it. None of these modes felt particularly flawed really, which is impressive considering how old the game is now. Whilst they are not as developed as some of the later entries to the series, the whole experience still feels so great even to this day after playing them again.

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The one aspect that the game nails throughout the entire series are the sound within the game. Though the mixing and production are not as high as later entries for obvious reasons, I absolutely love the soundtrack for this game. It does not have my personal favourites but, as a collective, the THH OST is definitely my favourite. That is definitely not suggesting that I do not love the other OSTs of the series because I do love the music and general sounds for all the other games. However, it is so satisfying to just listen to the game itself. Every time something is clicked, every time you enter a new soundscape, every time you interact with characters: you are always met with some wonderful music or soundscape. Kodaka has never failed in any of the games to create a soundtrack that resonates the mysterious atmosphere combined with visuals symbolising pop art. One positive factor that I have not spoken about in great depth is voice acting. In this game, each of the characters has a voice actor that perfectly delivers and capturing the tropes that can easily be identified with the character. Even for characters that I do not particularly favour such as Hifumi or Toko, the voice acting throughout the game really transforms the sprites into fleshed-out individuals of their own. This goes for both the Japanese and English dubbed versions. I suppose there may be some takes which could be better, but that is so extremely particular that it does not even scratch the high-quality sound that can be enjoyed from this particular game. I do not even have the expertise to notice it myself, it is just criticism I’ve heard from aspiring voice actors. To conclude, the game has an amazing soundtrack and accompanied voice acting that contributes so much to the adventure.

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This is a very important aspect for the game and there are so many creative choices throughout the series that almost anyone can appreciate. It’s essential for the game as you will be reading dialogue for a lot of the game, meaning you need to have great visuals to keep players hooked and not make them feel ill. THH features a very vibrant palette, from the character designs to the interfaces and even the environment itself. Whilst it might be heavy for some people’s eyes, I still think it is perfect for what the game is about and allows the game to be further stylised and unique from other titles in the mystery genre. The iconic addition of pink blood was also an interesting choice and that particular choice has remained faithful throughout the series (if you do not include the animated series). It has become a staple in the series and one that greatly complements the general energetic motif of this particular game. I deeply appreciate all of these factors for visuals and has always enhanced my engagement with the game.

However, I do think the interfaces are not as clear and player-friendly in comparison to the later games. Even if you consider the comparison to be invalid, it is hard to argue that the menus and general interfaces are super heavy on the eyes. Sometimes it’s a bit difficult to navigate through the menus during trials for example because there is so much going on the screen (e.g. truth bullets, sweeping statements, white noise etc.) I did get used to it whilst playing the game but I having the same issues when I originally played the game. I have to say that this is another factor that is successful in bringing so much entertainment any time I have played through the game and, excluding the interfaces, has my favourite visuals in all of the series.

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This essentially relates to anything outside of the trials and anything else I have already discussed. In of exploring, this game is obviously the most restricted in the series since the map and location is definitely the smallest. Despite this, it actually still feels pretty good. You do not get lost and exploring all of the floors is very fulfilling. It remains just as fun even when going over the already-covered ground to search during the investigation sections pre-trials. Free Time segments are incredibly fun and I am glad they have remained an important part of the series, it allows you to really connect with your favourite characters and to generally understand them at a personal level.

Although, the game does lack collectables. Whilst this may not be incredibly essential for everyone when playing through a game such as this, I see collectables being key to gameplay. It adds different goals and feeds that desire to fully complete the game by obtaining all of the Monocoins (which are essential for gaining presents for Free Time with other characters). Other than that, collecting underwear is the only other real goal you could have in this game outside of generally progressing through the story. Not having additional goals such as this can sometimes make revisiting areas seem boring or even make new areas somewhat barren. I’ve condensed this down a lot because I would more than likely go on forever about how many things I cherish about the gameplay. Ultimately it still offered a charming experience that I do not even think was clouded by nostalgia.

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In case you have not already guessed, I see a lot of great things in the game. I appreciate and rate so many aspects and factors because everything is so fresh. Most importantly, it stays true to its plot and envokes a lot of realism. Combining this with well-written characters, great visuals and an amazing soundtrack results in a pretty good game that I still think holds up to this day. I can see it has flaws and that should be expected considering it was the first in the title (not that it relieves the game or anything). That being said, this game still is planted deep in my head as being the best of the series as well as being my personal favourite. It has a limited level of replayability due to its restricted number of modes and extras, but that makes the game even more charming and focuses your attention on the real game more. If you haven't already seen it, I also made a poll where I wanted to get some scores from people. Personally, I'd give the game a score of 7/10. I'd love to see how it turns out still since gauging what a large group like DRA thinks intrigues me.

And that’s the post done, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this. As said before, this took me a long time because I wanted to invest myself in replaying the game again to make sure I didn’t just write an entire blog based on memory. I made sure to analyse and judge everything as critically as possible too, making sure I was not clouded by nostalgia or anything similar in nature. Feel free to comment down below about your thoughts, because it’s been a while I feel that I may have lost a bit of polish in my blog-making. I want to correct this by making blogs a lot more regularly than I have been, not to the point of the old days though. I don’t just want to churn out blogs all the time, I want to spend plenty of time to collect and convey my thoughts. Ultimately that is what I love doing, so I want to be sure that I’m producing the best thing I possibly can. Anyway, thanks for reading all!

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