Kirigiri Sou

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Kirigiri Sou
Kirigiri Sou title screen.jpg
The main title screen of Kirigiri Sou
Developer(s) Spike Chunsoft
Publisher(s) Spike Chunsoft
Director(s) Takekuni Kitayama
Producer(s)
Designer(s)
  • Keiji Namiura
  • Akira Takayama
Programmer(s) Yoshinori Shirasaka
Artist(s) Rui Komatsuzaki
Writer(s)
  • Seiichiro Jinno
  • Story: Takekuni Kitayama
Composer(s) Yasuyuki Sato
Series Danganronpa
Platform(s) Windows, OS X
ReleaseNovember 25, 2016
Genre(s) Adventure, visual novel
Mode(s) Single-player

Kirigiri Sou [lower-alpha 1] is a visual novel game developed by Spike Chunsoft for Microsoft Windows. The game is the second spin-off of the Danganronpa series of visual novel games following Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls , set between the events of the Danganronpa Kirigiri light novel series and Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc , while also serving as a crossover sequel to the 1992 Chunsoft game Otogirisō . The game was released in Japan on Windows and OS X on November 25, 2016, bundled with the third Blu-ray box set of anime series Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School . It was well-received by critics, who enjoyed its visuals and storyline.

Contents

Gameplay

Kirigiri Sou is a visual novel in which the player controls Kouhei Matsudaira and Kyoko Kirigiri from the adventure games Otogirisō and Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc , where the player aims to investigate a seemingly abandoned mansion in the woods; [1] unlike the original game, which uses 2D cutouts for characters, Kirigiri Sou solely uses background slides accompanied by character sound files. [2] The player character is provided choices as to potential decisions they can make, which appear as arrows; if the player makes enough decisions along different arrows, they can change the main storyline of the game, leading to completely different narratives and endings. [3] The game takes around two to three hours to play through along every route, [4] with a total of eight possible endings along three main narratives. [2] [5]

Plot

Characters

Kyoko Kirigiri (霧切 響子, Kirigiri Kyoko) – The Ultimate Detective of Hope's Peak Academy, who investigates a series of disappearances at a mysterious mansion after being hired to do so.

Kouhei Matsudaira (松平公平, Matsudaira Kouhei) – The player character and "Normal Freshman", who assists Kyoko in her investigations after almost hitting her with his car.

Kyoka Kirigiri (霧切 キョウカ, Kirigiri Kyoka) – A mysterious hybrid doppelgänger of Kyoko, made from her DNA and spliced with a unicellular organism whose DNA was half-animal and half-plant. In the non-canon Extraterrestrials vs. Earth Plants Against Invaders Defense Force chapter, Kyoka is an alien commander; in the shared dreamscape-set Extra Scenario chapter, Kyoka is depicted as the twin sister of Kyoko, who has become addicted to day trading virtual currency over the internet.

Santa Shikiba (しきば さんた, Shikiba Santa) – The Ultimate Botanist of Hope's Peak Academy, who is implied to have created Kyoka in the canon route. In the non-canon Extraterrestrials vs. Earth Plants Against Invaders Defense Force chapter, he takes on a more prominent role in the fight against the Rhinogradentia, developing a romantic relationship with Kyoka; in the shared dreamscape-set Extra Scenario chapter, he briefly appears as the owner of the mansion, providing Matsudaira CPR while he dreams of kissing Kyoko, briefly awakening him from his coma.

Rhinogradentia (鼻行類, Gradentia Rhino) – The hybrid plant "siblings" of Kyoka created by Santa, depicted in the non-canon Extraterrestrials vs. Earth Plants Against Invaders Defense Force chapter as an alien force of plant hybrids known as the "Super Galaxy Level Invaders", with their role in the canon The Plant Girl narrative being replaced with a series of unnamed plant-human hybrids whom Kyoka lures humans to so that they may kill and eat them for sustenance, keeping them alive. In the shared dreamscape-set Extra Scenario chapter, Matsudaira sees a single Rhinogradentia alongside Hiro Hagakure while passing by a fireplace.

Yasuhiro "Hiro" Hagakure (葉隠 康比呂, Hagakure Yasuhiro) – The Ultimate Clairvoyant of Hope's Peak Academy, whom Matsudaira briefly encounters by a fireplace in a shared dreamscape in the Extra Scenario chapter.

Story

Kirigiri Sou has three main narratives based on the decisions of the player character; the canon narrative chapter, The Plant Girl, depicts normal freshman Kouhei Matsudaira assisting Ultimate Detective Kyoko Kirigiri after she is contacted to investigate her apparent doppelgänger at a mysterious mansion. The non-canon narrative chapters Extraterrestrials vs. Earth Plants Against Invaders Defense Force and Extra Scenario are respectively depicted in the canon narrative as dreams being had by Kouhei Matsudaira after almost crashing his car during the beginning and ending scenes of The Plant Girl and Extra Scenario, with the scenes of Extra Scenario depicting Matsudaira as awake being set an unspecified amount of time after the events of The Plant Girl.

Development and release

Kirigiri Sou was announced and shown in the October 2016 issue of Famitsu by Spike Chunsoft, as a "sound" visual novel for personal computer systems Windows and OS X. [2] [6] The game was developed Danganronpa Kirigiri author Takekuni Kitayama on request of Spike Chunsoft, [2] and was their first video game project. According to Kitayama, he was inspired to create the game by Chunsoft's previous title Otogirisō , ultimately acquiring permission to have the game serve as a crossover sequel to the title in addition to featuring Danganronpa elements and previously unused characters, writing the game's scenario in the style of a Choose Your Own Adventure gamebook. [7]

The game was released on Microsoft Windows and OS X on November 25, 2016, in Japan and China; it was made available bundled with the third Blu-ray box set of anime series Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School , with no individual release announced for players who do not purchase the anime. [3] [8]

Reception

Famitsu and Yahoo! Japan was positive towards the game, describing it as a "legendary sound novel" and hoped that it would lead to more full-scale horror suspense Danganronpa games in future. [2] [9] [10] Daily Headlines praised the game's narrative and gameplay differences compared to the "high-speed reasoning" of the main Danganronpa series, also comparing it to Otogirisō. [6] IGN China marked the series amongst their "Top 100" visual novels of 2016. [11] Natalie, Dengeki Online and Aki Otsuki at 4Gamer.net recommended the game, describing it as horrifying. [1] [12] [13]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: 霧切 草-Kirigiri So-, lit.Fog Cutting Grass

Related Research Articles

<i>Otogirisō</i> 1992 video game

Otogirisō is a visual novel game produced and published by Chunsoft. Marketed by the company as a "sound novel" rather than a video game, it is the progenitor of the developer and publisher's sound novel series and of the format of electronic entertainment now usually known generically as a visual novel. Koichi Nakamura conceived the title after showing his work on the Dragon Quest role-playing video games to a girl he was dating. On finding she did not enjoy them, he was encouraged to make a video game that he described as "for people who haven't played games before." Influenced by the early survival horror game Sweet Home, he developed it as a horror-themed interactive story. Released in March 1992, the game sold over 400,000 copies in Japan, including over 300,000 for Super Famicom and 100,000 for PlayStation.

<i>Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc</i> 2010 visual novel adventure game

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is a visual novel adventure game developed and published by Spike as the first game in the Danganronpa series. The game was originally released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable in November 2010 and was ported to Android and iOS in August 2012. Danganronpa was localized and published in English regions by NIS America for multiple platforms.

Danganronpa is a Japanese video game franchise created by Kazutaka Kodaka and developed and owned by Spike Chunsoft. The series primarily surrounds various groups of apparent high-school students who are forced into murdering each other by a robotic teddy bear named Monokuma. Gameplay features a mix of adventure, visual novel, detective and dating simulator elements. The first game, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2010.

<i>Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair</i> 2012 visual novel

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is a 2012 visual novel developed by Spike Chunsoft. It is the second game in the Danganronpa franchise following Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (2010). It was first released in Japan for PlayStation Portable in July 2012, and a port for PlayStation Vita was released in Japan in October 2013. NIS America released the game worldwide in September 2014; a port for PC was released in April 2016 and a bundle for PlayStation 4 and Playstation Vita called Danganronpa 1-2 Reload, also containing the first Danganronpa game, was released in March 2017. An enhanced version with the subtitle Anniversary Edition was released for Android and iOS in August 2020, for Nintendo Switch in November 2021, and for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One May 2022.

<i>Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls</i> 2014 video game

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monokuma</span> Identity in the Danganronpa franchise

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<i>Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony</i> 2017 visual novel

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony is a visual novel developed and published by Spike Chunsoft. The game was released in Japan in January 2017 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, and in North America and Europe by NIS America in September 2017. A Windows version was released worldwide on the same date. An enhanced version of V3 with the subtitle Anniversary Edition was released for Nintendo Switch in Japan in November 2021, and worldwide in December 2021. This improved version was also released for Android and iOS in April 2022, and for Windows 10 and Xbox One in September 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spike Chunsoft</span> Japanese video game development company

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<i>Danganronpa 3: The End of Hopes Peak High School</i> Japanese anime television series

Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School is a mystery horror anime television series produced by Lerche, directed by Daiki Fukuoka, and supervised by Seiji Kishi. The anime is the second animated series based on Spike Chunsoft's Danganronpa video game franchise, and serves as a conclusion to the "Hope's Peak Academy" arc established in the previously released games Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. The series is divided into three parts. Future Arc focuses on Makoto Naegi and his friends and their involvement in a killing game with the Future Foundation; and Despair Arc focuses on Hajime Hinata, a student, and his involvement in experiments on humans. The first two story arcs aired between July and September 2016. They were followed by Hope Arc, the conclusion to both previous arcs, which aired on September 29, 2016.

Makoto Naegi is a fictional character introduced as the protagonist of the 2010 visual novel adventure game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc by Spike Chunsoft. A fairly optimistic but otherwise average student who is selected in a raffle to enroll in Hope's Peak Academy as the "Ultimate Lucky Student", Makoto finds himself before a remote-controlled robotic stuffed bear named Monokuma upon entering the academy, who states that he and his fellow students will be imprisoned in the academy for the rest of their lives unless one of them becomes "the blackened" and murders another without being found out by the other students, prompting the character to solve crimes. Makoto returns in the game's sequels and in multiple adaptations featuring him in new story arcs, most notably in Lerche's 2016 anime series Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School, as a member of an organization known as the Future Foundation that seeks to take his life in a new killing game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junko Enoshima</span> Fictional character

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyoko Kirigiri</span> Fictional character in the Danganronpa franchise

Kyoko Kirigiri is a fictional character from the Spike Chunsoft visual novel action-adventure game series Danganronpa. She was introduced in the 2010 game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc as a high school student and the "Ultimate ???" of Hope's Peak Academy. Kyoko finds herself sealed within the building alongside her classmates, who are told by a robot named Monokuma that can only leave the school if they commit a murder and successfully evade conviction in the ensuing class trial. By the end of the game, Kyoko is revealed to be the "Ultimate Detective". Despite being initially distant to the cast, Kyoko befriends Makoto Naegi and they join forces to solve class trials and discover the identity of the mastermind behind the killing game. Kyoko Kirigiri reappears in other Danganronpa titles and sequels, most notably in the 2012 sequel Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair as a member of the Future Foundation, the 2017 game Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony as an apparition of the mastermind in the final trial, the 2016 anime series Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School and the spin-off video game Kirigiri Sou as a supporting character, as well in the series of prequel light novels Danganronpa: Kirigiri (2013–2020), which center on her childhood and rise through the Detective Shelf Collection (DSC), as she deals with new cases with her assistant Yui Samidare.

Danganronpa Zero is a Japanese light novel written by Kazutaka Kodaka and illustrated by Rui Komatsuzaki. It was published by Seikaisha from September 16 to October 14, 2011, and has been collected in two tankōbon volumes. A prequel to Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, the novel focuses on Ryoko Otonashi, a student who, as a result of "The Tragedy", has anterograde amnesia and has short-term memory loss. Overseen by the school's Ultimate Neurologist and her childhood sweetheart Yasuke Matsuda, Ryoko becomes embroiled in a vast conspiracy within Hope's Peak Academy, involving the mysterious Izuru Kamukura and "Despair Sisters" Junko Enoshima and Mukuro Ikusaba, as "The Parade" protests arise outside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hajime Hinata</span> Fictional character in the Danganronpa franchise

Hajime Hinata, also known as Izuru Kamukura, is a character from the Spike Chunsoft visual novel action-adventure game series Danganronpa. The character has two identities: Izuru first appeared in the 2011 light novel prequel Danganronpa Zero by Kazutaka Kodaka as a mysterious high school student whose actions resulted in genocide, while a computer avatar copy of Hajime appeared as the protagonist of the 2012 video game Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, as a high school student with no memory of his past, forced to investigate murder cases involving high school students who are trapped on a group of tropical islands. The prequel anime Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School further explores the past of the human Hajime and how he volunteered to undergo experimentation to become the silent apathetic superhuman Izuru.

<i>Danganronpa: Kirigiri</i> Japanese light novel series

Danganronpa Kirigiri is a Japanese detective mystery light novel series written by Takekuni Kitayama and illustrated by Rui Komatsuzaki. It was published by Seikaisha from September 13, 2013, to June 17, 2020, and has been collected in seven tankōbon volumes. A prequel to Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, the series focus on the future "Ultimate Detective" Kyoko Kirigiri over the course of the story as she rises through the ranks of the Detective Shelf Collection (DSC), solving various mysteries alongside her assistant, Yui Samidare.

Kazutaka Kodaka is a Japanese video game designer, writer and mangaka. His work is known for recurring themes of contrasting hope/despair, luck/talent, truth/lies; mixing tragedy with dark humor, numerous plot-twists etc. He was an employee of Spike Chunsoft and is widely known as the creator and writer of the Danganronpa franchise. He left the company in 2017 and founded Too Kyo Games with other ex-employees.

Rui Komatsuzaki is a Japanese illustrator and character designer. He is best known for designing and characterizing the cast members from the visual novel adventure games Danganronpa and the anime series Akudama Drive.

References

  1. 1 2 Otsuki, Aki (August 20, 2020). "「ダンガンロンパ」10th anniversary を記念して，アニメシリーズを為录したBlu-ray BOXの発売がDecision". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Aetas Inc. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
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  3. 1 2 Romano, Sal (August 26, 2016). ""Danganronpa 3" BD BOX III comes with a PC game "Kirigiri Sou" ... That legendary sound novel is back!??". Inside. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  4. ↑ Romano, Sal (October 13, 2016). "Watch all 10 minutes of Cyber Danganronpa VR". Gematsu. Archived from the original on November 15, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  5. ↑ Wada, Takamitsu (September 15, 2020). "Free distribution of all 24 episodes of the anime "Danganronpa 3" has been decided. In commemoration of the release of "Danganronpa 10th Anniversary Complete Blu-ray BOX"". Famitsu . Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
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  7. ↑ ボンバーマン (November 27, 2016). ダンガンロンパ3 –The End of 希望ヶ峰学園–. 講談社. ASIN   B01I9BL1WM – via Amazon.
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  9. ↑ Wada, Takamitsu (November 11, 2016). "Six additional casts including Tomokazu Sugita and Hiroki Yasumoto will appear at the fan meeting of the anime Danganronpa 3, and the latest scene cut of the bonus game Kirigiri Sou will also be cut". Famitsu . Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  10. ↑ https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/143849ee2a973d5c7d81477bc6268ca414f3fd15 [ dead link ]
  11. ↑ Mabuchi, Zelda (October 17, 2016). "塞尔达传说：时之笛- 评测- 拔出大师剑 – IGN中国". IGN (in Chinese). Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  12. ↑ Natalie Staff (August 20, 2020). "Blu-ray BOX of the anime "Danganronpa" series and PC game "Kirigiri Sou" included". Natalie. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  13. ↑ Natalie Staff (September 16, 2020). "Free delivery of all episodes for the first time in the anime "Danganronpa 3"". Dengeki Online. Archived from the original on October 5, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
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