With the Danganronpa series unlikely to receive a new entry any time soon, fans should look to get their mystery-solving fix from Spike Chunsoft's upcoming title Master Detective Archives: Rain Code. While it's not a new Danganronpa game, it shares a lot of the series' DNA and is being produced under the direction of Kazutaka Kodaka, the creative mind behind Danganronpa. Master Detective Archives: Rain Code was first announced back in 2021, but it seems the game is finally slated to release later this year.
Despite the name changing from its initial reveal as Enigma Archives to Master Detective Archives, each new Rain Code trailer further demonstrates the similarities between it and its spiritual predecessor. With the latest new entry in the Danganronpa franchise being Danganronpa 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 as Master Detective Archives: Rain Code looks to capture everything that makes the Danganronpa series so beloved while offering a fresh take on the genre.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code Has a Lot in Common with Danganronpa
The most obvious similarity between the two is the role that the Danganronpa creative team has in Rain Code's development. The game is being co-developed by Spike Chunsoft and Too Kyo Games, the studio Danganronpa creator 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 new Danganronpa game, 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 voices Danganronpa'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 to Danganronpa veterans. The series also features a megacorporation-ruled city in Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls where the Towa Conglomerate controls the dreary Towa City. While not a third-person shooter like Ultra Despair Girls, both games have a futuristic dystopian feel that should help fans feel at home when exploring Rain Code's fully 3D city for the first time.
In terms of gameplay, Master Detective Archive: Rain Code takes a page right out of Danganronpa'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 the Danganronpa franchise, with Trigger Happy Havoc's Kyoko Kirigiri making 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 to Danganronpa's Ultimate characters as they are said to each possess a unique Forensic Forte, making them an expert in a particular aspect of investigation. Fans of Danganronpa'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 of Master Detective Archives: Rain Code.
Master Detectives Archives: Rain Code releases in 2023 for Nintendo Switch.