Last year marked the 15th anniversary of the Danganronpa franchise, and the series shows no signs of slowing down. Spike Chunsoft invited Anime Trending last week to their Tokyo office for a sneak peek at the next entry in the franchise, Danganronpa 2×2. I got to play the Special Trial Version, which was featured at the anniversary event last November. According to the PR team at Spike Chunsoft, this version will not be released with the full game.
Danganronpa 2×2 is a whole new experience under the backdrop of the original Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair‘s scenario and setting. The game hijacks the original’s story with a single moment that completely changes the entire course of events, including murders, trials, and more. Goodbye Despair’s story can also be played with all the quality-of-life and graphical updates, which I will get into below.
© 2026 Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
Danganronpa 2×2 Special Trial Version was a small 15-minute vertical slice of gameplay exclusive to the demo. It gave us a taste of the style, presentation, and vibes that the team at Gemdrops — as well as Too Kyo Games and Spike Chunsoft — was going for in the remake, and those vibes were off the charts! It featured an exclusive story about the death of Yasuhiro, though it didn’t actually reveal who killed the popular demo character, despite Chiaki acting very suspiciously throughout.
I’m not someone who has played a Danganronpa game before, so the little hints that fans would pick up flew right over my head, but the writing certainly did not. The sharp wit I’m familiar with from the anime adaptation of the series shone brightly in this original excerpt. I found myself laughing, enjoying the investigations, and genuinely having a great time with this small, fast-paced snippet. Since it was used as a sample for fans at the 15th anniversary celebrations, its simplicity and short duration made sense — I just wanted more with this group of kids!
© 2026 Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
What really stood out to me was the animation of the sprites. Each character has been completely remodeled with anime-like movements that flow seamlessly through conversations, a fluidity unseen in similar visual novels. These animations represent a step up for the medium as a whole and showcase the capabilities of one of its highest-selling franchises. However, the 2D animated sprites did look a bit out of place in the 3D section of the overworld, where I moved around to investigate and collect information.
© 2026 Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
On the Nintendo Switch 2, the graphics were sharp and clear, oozing the style and charm one would expect from the Danganronpa franchise. I was surprised by how satisfying the controls were. Every time I shot at the meticulously crafted UI elements, the Joy-Cons rumbled in the most rewarding way. I wasted some of the time I had for the trial just randomly firing away because the experience was that enjoyable.
Lastly, the demo was a polished, impressive experience that, if translated into the full game, will make both old and new fans very happy.
Danganronpa 2×2 is set to be released on the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S later this year, with no concrete date set as of yet. Special thanks to Spike Chunsoft for inviting us to preview the game.
