face the strange

Here is the problem with venturing into the realm of fanmade Danganronpas (or Fanganronpas, as the community inevitably calls them): where do you stop?

What I'm saying is that, having got into Danganronpa: Despair Time, I've now investigated Project: Eden's Garden.

Eden's Garden is a playable Danganronpa fangame that can be downloaded free on itch.io, but, as my laptop is very much not a gaming laptop and might struggle to play it, I've watched the development team's official no-commentary playthrough instead. The prologue and first chapter have currently been released.

The first thing that strikes me is the absolutely insane level of polish and production values; this game is better-looking than an actual Danganronpa game. I think it's the most impressive fan project I've ever seen, and I've seen some impressive fan projects in my time!

I do think I love Despair Time more. Despair Time is a lot messier, but its characters grabbed me more powerfully, and I think it does a better job of capturing Danganronpa's comedic tone. I do really enjoy Eden's Garden, though; I found the case in the first chapter absolutely gripping, and I'm looking forward to more!

I wouldn't say I love Damon (yet?), but I like him pretty solidly. Arrogance is an unusual and interesting quality in a Danganronpa protagonist. I enjoy that he takes himself very seriously and gets embarrassed if anything threatens his pride, and I really like every glimpse we get of him feeling some sort of connection to the others in spite of his 'I can't rely on anyone else' attitude.

I'm also glad Damon is extremely bisexual, in true Danganronpa protagonist fashion. I love that he sees his room has a male pinup calendar and a) assumes it's a jab at him, b) finds it unwelcomely sexy and c) tries to conceal its existence from the others because he thinks they'll draw conclusions about him.

Some other character who've caught my attention so far:

Wolfgang fascinates me; it's always fun when a character thinks they're the protagonist. He gives me 'Phoenix Wright gone terribly wrong' vibes. A Phoenix who became disillusioned after the de Killer case and turned to prosecution, maybe. He spoke so passionately in the mock trial; there's something very compelling about him!

Desmond seems laid-back and sensible in a way that I appreciate in a Danganronpa cast; you need a few normal people to balance out the weirdos (although the weirdos are also essential). Does he have something going on with Eloise, or am I imagining things?

Diana is so sweet! I really appreciated her willingness to extend Damon and Eva some kindness when they were ostracised by the rest of the group. Ingrid also seems like a sweetheart.

I enjoy Cassidy. A lot of the things she says are very entertaining, and her voice actor seems to be having a great time.

Grace's abrasiveness is fun. I love that her soundbite when making a counterargument in a trial is 'SHUT THE FUCK UP.' I'm pretty sure she and Wolfgang are banging non-stop when they aren't onscreen, and, you know what, good for them.

I find myself weirdly fond of Kai, who is obnoxious and self-interested but also slowly seems to be coming to trust Damon.

Here are some further thoughts, with spoilers up to the end of chapter one! NB: there's some brief and non-explicit speculation on a dubcon fic concept here.


( Spoilery notes on Project: Eden's Garden. )


While I'm talking about Danganronpa and its ilk: here I am, on my periodic descent back into Danganronpa hell, and Danganronpa 2x2 gets announced? An AU version of Danganronpa 2? With different victims and murderers???

I can't believe this is happening. I am not at all prepared for Nagito Komaeda to happen to Tumblr all over again. This is an absolutely ludicrous concept for a game. I'm so pleased.