Please do yourself a favor and play Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc first. This is a spoiler-free review, but trust me on this one. Go play the original game first before playing Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is a murder mystery visual novel for the PlayStation Vita. Similar to the first Danganronpa, you play as a high school student who is enrolled in an academy filled with the ultimate student body. However, rather than spend time in the school, in Danganronpa 2, you spend your adventure at an island resort! After waking up on a beach, you suddenly forgot how you got there and you and the rest of the class are greeted by the magical girl bunny doll Usami. Usami informs you that you're on a school trip far away from home and that you and your classmates will have to get along and live in harmony in the island.

Naturally, the students want out and you want answers, but for the time being, you're going to have to make the best of it. That is, until Monokuma shows up and takes control, even changing Usami into a monochromatic rabbit named Monomi. He then revises the rules of your mysterious vacation from spending your days in peace and tranquility with your friends to killing each other. The only way to escape from the island is to commit murder and get away with it. Despite some initial protests and reservations, a murder does happen and things get judicial.

In Danganronpa 2, the gameplay is similar to the first game in addition to some new features. The story is set in the Jabberwock Islands, an archipelago of five islands far away from civilization. Compared to Hope's Peak Academy, there is a lot more areas to explore. There's even a fast travel option in the map. You can interact with your classmates and try to bond with them in order to earn Hope Fragments, and if you're really into exploring, you can try to find hidden Monokumas to earn coins which can be used to buy gifts for your friends. After a body is found, much of your time is spent looking for clues and collecting accounts from other students. When enough time has passed, the class trial begins. 

Trials in Danganronpa 2 are the core of each chapter. During trial, students argue back and forth over whodunnit until they eventually reach a verdict. If the actual culprit is found guilty, then the rest of the class is spared as Monokuma dishes out a punishment (death) to the culprit. However, if a guilty verdict is given to the wrong person, then everybody else gets punished and the actual killer will be able to “graduate” and go home.

Gameplay during trials is mixed, both figuratively and literally. There's several minigames that you do in order to proceed and they require quick reflexes and logic. The problem is, some of these games are hit and miss. The truth bullets return, where you literally fire bullets at statements that you find wrong, and the hangman, rhythm and comic puzzles return too. New to the trials are truth blades, in which you “cut” through opposing arguments and strike at keywords. It's actually frustrating. The hangman puzzle can be frustrating as well when certain letters you know you need aren't showing up in time.

The trials will still make you think really hard when presenting evidence or preparing counter-arguments, so put the Vita to sleep if you need more time to think. The trials last a long time, so make sure your Vita has enough power to last through the trials and remember to use your noodle: you can't save in the middle of a trial unless prompted and you'll have to start over if you fail.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is a neat game but isn't for the faint of heart and the easily offended. If you've never played a visual novel before, then you'll also have to be prepared for a lot of reading. And for maximum enjoyment, please play Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc first.

Hint: If you want to dive into the game blind, avoid potential spoilers by staying away from the Internet and the game’s digital instruction manual.

by Ray n. (@themistern)