With theDanganronpaseries unlikely to receive a new entry any time soon, fans should look to get their mystery-solving fix from Spike Chunsoft’s upcoming titleMaster Detective Archives: Rain Code. While it’s not a newDanganronpagame, it shares a lot of the series' DNA and is being produced under the direction of Kazutaka Kodaka, the creative mind behindDanganronpa.Master Detective Archives: Rain Codewas first announcedback in 2021, but it seems the game is finally slated to release later this year.
Despite the name changing from its initial reveal asEnigma ArchivestoMaster Detective Archives, eachnewRain Codetrailerfurther demonstrates the similarities between it and its spiritual predecessor. With the latest new entry in theDanganronpafranchise beingDanganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp, a spin-off crossover between the mainline games, fans wanting a true murder-mystery experience have been left waiting. Thankfully, the wait may finally be over asMaster Detective Archives: Rain Codelooks to capture everything that makes theDanganronpaseries so beloved while offering a fresh take on the genre.
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Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Has a Lot in Common with Danganronpa
The most obvious similarity between the two is the role that theDanganronpacreative team has inRain Code’s development. The game is being co-developed by Spike Chunsoft and Too Kyo Games, the studioDanganronpacreator Kazutaka Kodaka formed after leaving Spike Chunsoft in 2017. This collaboration is already a good sign that the game could make for a solid replacement in the absence of a newDanganronpagame, but its shared talent with the series doesn’t end there. Composer Masafumi Takada also returns to compose the game’s soundtrack, and Lucien Dodge, who voicesDanganronpa’s Kiibo and Hifumi Yamada, returns to voice protagonist Yuma.
The game’s setting of Kanai Ward—a rainy, noir city controlled by a megacorporation—will also feel familiar toDanganronpaveterans. The seriesalso features a megacorporation-ruled city inDanganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girlswhere the Towa Conglomerate controls the dreary Towa City. While not a third-person shooter likeUltra Despair Girls, both games have a futuristic dystopian feel that should help fans feel at home when exploringRain Code’s fully 3D city for the first time.
In terms of gameplay,Master Detective Archive: Rain Codetakes a page right out ofDanganronpa’s playbook by having players investigate mysteries, battling their way through lies and contradictions to uncover the truth. Players will get to take on the role of Yuma Kokohead, an amnesiac detective-in-training, along with Shinigami, the death god contracted to haunt him. Amnesia and detectives are two tropes very common in theDanganronpafranchise, withTrigger Happy Havoc’s Kyoko Kirigirimaking use of these themes simultaneously. While these tropes are familiar,Rain Code’s puzzle-solving gameplay within its Mystery Labyrinths seems like a fresh enough twist to give the game a unique identity.
Aside from Yuma and Shinigami, players will also encounter other Master Detectives from the World Detective Organization. These detectives sound very similar toDanganronpa’s Ultimate charactersas they are said to each possess a unique Forensic Forte, making them an expert in a particular aspect of investigation. Fans ofDanganronpa’s cast of characters can likely expect the quirky and interesting personalities the series is known for to influence these new characters as well. How these detectives will factor into gameplay is not yet known, but they are sure to play a key role in the story ofMaster Detective Archives: Rain Code.
