Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, which saw its North American debut back in February on the PS Vita, ended up taking me by surprise with its intriguing story and mystery-solving gameplay. NIS America, who handled publishing duties, is wasting no time in bringing the sequel, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, to English-speaking shores later this year, and now we have both an official release date as well as a sneak peek at the new lineup of characters.
Goodbye Despair will switch out the original game’s high school setting in favor of the tropical Jabberwock Island, but the main story will still revolve around Monokuma, the scheming remote-controlled bear, trapping several students and forcing them to kill each other in order to escape. To keep things fresh, it looks like the roster of main characters will be completely different, aside from Monokuma and a single returning face fans of the first game may recognize.
Once again, students will be selected for excelling at a particular skill, such as cooking, music-making, or nursing, which may play into their motivations and actions. The game will also sport new minigame-like mechanics in the trademark murder trial sections for players to discuss each murder and determine who’s responsible.
Screenshots and character profiles for Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair can be viewed below. Release dates have also been confirmed, and it looks like North Americans will be able to get the game both physically and digitally on September 2, with Europe following suit on September 5. We will keep you updated on the game as more news is revealed.
