Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls

Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (絶対絶望少女 ダンガンロンパ AnotherEpisode Zettai Zetsubō Shōjo Danganronpa Another Episode) is a spin-off game based around the Danganronpa series.

Information and game play footage was first released at the Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia Conference on September 9th 2013. The game was released on September 25, 2014 in Japan for the PlayStation Vita and has PlayStation TV compatibility.

The game was confirmed for a Western release at NIS America's February 19th press event. The localized game was released in North America on September 1, 2015, in Europe on September 4, 2015, and in Australia on September 10, 2015. The western release includes both Japanese and English audio.

Two manga adaptions of the game called Zettai Zetsubou Shoujo - Danganronpa Another Episode: The Manga and Zettai Zetsubō Shōjo: Danganronpa AE - Genocider Mode have also been made. The former premiered on February 20th, 2015 while the latter was released in Japan on January 27.

A Comic Anthology series was also released on January 24, 2015 called Zettai Zetsubo Shojo Danganronpa Another Episode - Comic Anthology.

A PC release of the game was announced on November 18th, 2016. On the same day, NIS America confirmed to port it into PS4 on Summer 2017.

Plot
(Note: Danganronpa Another Episode has an extremely large focus on gameplay. As a result, much of the time during the game is spent in gameplay sections that are not particularly pertinent to the overall story. Additionally, there are an overabundance of short cutscenes in the game that serve to develop the setting and characters that would be too many to document here. The summary provided below is a broad level summary that does not account for such sections.)

Prologue - The Warriors of Hope
Komaru Naegi is alone in her apartment in Towa City. However, Monokumas infiltrated the building and Komaru rushes to the elevator. Byakuya Togami, one of the survivors of Killing School Life and currently a member of an organization called as Future Foundation, appears along with a few of his men and gives Komaru a megaphone called as Megaphone Hacking Gun and tells her to escape.

Komaru runs to a nearby diner, which is soon also infiltrated by Monokumas. Soon afterwards, she heard Kotoko Utsugi's voice coming from the TV. Apparently, the Warriors of Hope had infiltrated the news center. As Masaru Daimon and Jataro Kemuri play with the dead anchorman with Nagisa Shingetsu and Kotoko, Monaca Towa appears to address everyone that they are creating a paradise for kids. She meets a gravely wounded member of Future Foundation, who informs her that she can escape if she runs to the Future Foundation's helicopter which is on standby at the nearest park.

She makes it all the way to the helicopter and begins speaking with the members stationed there when they are attacked by a group of Beast Monokuma. Komaru is then kidnapped and imprisoned in the base of the Warriors of Hope. In the basement, she encounters a servant who has neutered her Hacking Gun for "game balance". After escaping at the sevant's challenge, she runs into the Warriors of Hope in the main hall. The five take turns introducing themselves and then Nagisa places a bracelet on Komaru. They then opened a trap door, leading Komaru to fall through the sky with a parachute. She is now exploring the artificial island that is Towa City, forced to partake in their sick Demon Hunting game (Demon is the slang the Warriors of Hope use to describe the adults they so viciously despise).

Chapter 1 - Crying for Love in Hell
She lands atop a building where she meets Future Foundation member, and a Killing School Life's survivor, Toko Fukawa, whose alternate personality is the wicked murderous Genocide Jack. The relationship between the two, due to Toko's social naivety, is tense at first, but they reluctantly agree to work together to escape the dangerous game Komaru has been placed on, Toko joining because she eagerly wishes to save Byakuya (whom she refers). They begin fighting the Monokumas together; Komaru uses her Hacking Gun and Toko uses a stun gun which allows her to liberally alternate between her normal personality and Genocide Jack's.

Throughout their journey, they discover the true horror of the rampage the children and Warriors of Hope are reigning on the world.

Eventually, they come to a bridge potentially leading them away from Towa City across Yuta Asahina at a bridge that supposedly led away from Towa city, but it is broken. Yuta is familiar to Toko and is also bracelet bound. Undeterred by the bridge, Yuta eagerly jumps off the bridge and swims towards the coast away, but he becomes an example to Komaru when the bracelet triggers an explosion killing him, saddening Komaru and momentarily demoralizing her before Toko raises her spirit. They decide to go through a subway line that might lead out of the city. They eventually enter it.

But immediately afterwards, they encounter one of the Warriors of Hope, Masaru, in an arena full of Monokuma Kids. Daimon cryptically mutters to himself words implying he was abused by an alcoholic father. He then battles the two with a massive robot, but he is defeated and is taken away,  presumably deceased. Komaru and Toko continue through the underground.

Chapter 2 - Legend of the Revolution
Nagisa, Kotoko, Jataro and Monaca -- the remaining Warriors of Hope -- discuss the death of Daimon and Nagisa is appointed as the new "leader". Jataro is dispatched, and encounters the duo in the subway. He warns them that the second they exit city boundaries, their bracelets will explode and kill them; Toko and Komaru are trapped.

Soon after, they discover Shirokuma -- although shaped just like them, Shirokuma is a benevolent robot AI bear. He leads them through some sewers to the base of operations for The Resistance -- the home base of the group of adults who are resisting the uprising the children of the world are beginning. There, they meet many survivors, including mysterious woman.

The leader of the resistance is Haiji Towa, a indecisive young man who is heir to the lucrative Towa Group. Towa become angry and distant to Komaru and Toko and demands they leave when Toko reveals she is a member of the Future Foundation, a group apparently despised by Haiji. Shirokuma advises Komaru and Toko to go to the top of Towa Tower in the city -- the transmitter device designed by the Togami Group that may provide an opportunity for contacting Future Foundation cannot be used due to jammers, but the jamming may be bypassed atop the tower.

Right before they reach the top, they meet a Taichi Fujisaki who is killed shortly after helping the duo reach the top. Then, just before they reach the top, they encounter Jataro who attacks the group with a giant robot just like Masaru; he is defeated. Finally, they try to use the device, and they successfully contact Future Foundation; Komaru is taken completely by surprise to discover that the one answering is her own older brother, Makoto Naegi.

Chapter 3 - Cute Girl's Battlefield
Makoto explains to a confused Komaru how he, Toko and Byakuya are all some of the few survivors of the Killing School Life, and how Junko Enoshima kidnapped the people close to the members of the trip so that they could eventually be used to coerce them to commit murder (though the trip ended before that motivation was used). This is why Komaru was kidnapped and left abandoned for so long.

Background
Unlike the visual novel gameplay of the previous games, the game is a third person shooter with horror elements. Players control Komaru, the protagonist of the game and the younger sister of Makoto Naegi, as she tries to survive in a city overrun by Monokuma robots. In the spirit of the previous game's Truth Bullets, Komaru is equipped with a megaphone-shaped hacking gun which turns her words into various types of ammunition. Initially, Komaru has all types of Truth Bullets in unlimited amounts, but The Servant messes with the gun when she is initially taken onto the Warriors of Hope's airship, forcing her to rediscover the different bullets and use them in limited supply.

Using the megaphone, Komaru can issue several different commands based on the Truth Bullet she shoots:
 * Break: The first of two Truth Bullets Komaru starts with. This is the basic attack bullet, which Komaru can shoot at Monokuma Units to inflict damage. 3-4 shots take down a Monokuma Unit unless the player hits the Monokuma's weak point, the red left eye. Shooting the eye will result in a one-hit defeat plus a golden Monocoin.
 * Move: The second of the default Truth Bullets. Move allows Komaru to active machinery such as generators, cars, and the Monoku-man arcade machines. Move also activates the MonoMono machines, which dispense health, bullets, and batteries.
 * Dance: The third Truth Bullet, and the first type collected by Komaru on her adventure. Shooting this Truth Bullet will force the Monokuma to dance for a while, leaving it completely vulnerable. The Dance Bullet is most effective against Siren Monokumas, who will draw in all nearby Monokuma towards them for easier destruction.
 * Detect: The 4th Truth Bullet. Detect allows Komaru to search for hidden things in the environment, such as Monokuma Kids and their artwork.
 * Knockback: The 5th Truth Bullet, which blasts the Monokuma Units backwards. It has a decent spread, but short range. The Knockback Bullet is especially effective against Guard Monokuma, since it can blast their riot shields away. It also works well near environmental hazards such as water or pits, since it can blast Monokuma Units into the hazards for instant kills.
 * Paralyze: The sixth Truth Bullet obtained by Komaru. Paralyze is an electricity-based bullet that can defeat basic Monokumas in one hit. It also affects other enemies standing close to the initial target, making it useful against large groups. If fired at something standing in shallow water, Paralyze will hit everything touching the water - including Komaru if she's not standing on dry land.
 * Burn: The seventh Truth Bullet is a fire-based bullet that can be shot at an extremely fast pace. It has the most capacity of any offensive Truth Bullet, making it effective against quicker Monokuma Units such as Destroy Monokuma and Beast Monokuma.
 * Link: The eighth and final Truth Bullet to be reacquired. The Link Bullet allows Komaru to temporarily control any Monokuma Unit she hits. The Monokuma Unit can then be directed to move to a new position or attack its allies.

During the course of the game, Komaru is assisted by Toko Fukawa, one of the survivors from the first game. Toko carries a stun gun that allows her to access her split personality, Genocide Jack, who attacks enemies with her Genoscissors. The game features three difficulty settings:
 * Genocide Mode: Super Ultra Pumped Genocide Jack Mode. For those who just want to enjoy the story. (Increased battery regeneration and pickups, enabling more use of Genocide Jack.)
 * Komaru Mode: Working hard for a Normal Girl Mode. (Increased Truth Bullet drops, enabling Komaru to fire more often.)
 * Despair Mode: Ultra Despair Mode. (No bonus pickups and increased enemy difficulty.)

In a more recent Famitsu scan, it is revealed that there will be a new character in the game, a young athletic boy. It is also known that the script for the game is essentially complete.

In Towa City, a group of five children known as the “ Warriors of Hope ” exist. They act as the leaders of the  Monokuma Kids,  a group of  Monokuma mask-wearing children who slaughter adults. Like an RPG, each leader has their own “job.”

Komaru Naegi

 * Voiced by Aya Uchida (Japanese); Cherami Leigh (English)
 * Komaru Naegi (苗木 こまる Naegi Komaru) is a brave girl who was forced to flee from her home after Monokuma robots destroyed her home during The Tragedy. After someone entrusted their “Megaphone Hacking Gun” to Komaru, she is now able to fight against the robots alongside Toko/Genocide Jack.

Toko Fukawa/Genocide Jack

 * Voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese); Amanda Céline Miller/Erin Fitzgerald (English)
 * Toko Fukawa (腐川 冬子 Fukawa Tōko) / Genocide Jack (ジェノサイダー翔 Jenosaidā Shou)
 * is one of the surviving students from the Mutual Killing Incident of Class 78 who later joined the Future Foundation and helped Komaru to fight against the Monokuma Robots.

Haiji Towa

 * Voiced by Shin'ichiro Miki (Japanese); Matthew Mercer (English)
 * Haiji Towa (塔和灰慈 Tōwa Haiji) is the leader of the Resistance, the adults' secret base, formed against the Warriors of Hope.

Warriors Of Hope
These 5 kids are the leaders of the Monokuma Kids who are massively slaughtering all adults. To them, this is one big role play, like a giant RPG. They’ve even gone so far as to call themselves them typical RPG classes like “Hero”, “Thief”, “Mage”, etc.

Masaru Daimon

 * Voiced by Megumi Han (Japanese); Tara Sands (English)
 * “Hero” Masaru Daimon (大門 大 Daimon Masaru) is the Warriors of Hope Leader, in charge of the Hero Class. In elementary school, he was known as the Li'l Ultimate P.E., as exercise is his forte. He's cheerful, and naughty in nature.

Kotoko Utsugi

 * Voiced by Kazusa Aranami (Japanese); Erica Lindbeck (English)
 * “Warrior” Kotoko Utsugi (空木 言子 Utsugi Kotoko) is a former child star in charge of the warriors. Previously, she was called the Li'l Ultimate Drama, and was fawned over by all who surrounded her. She loves “adorable things”.

Jataro Kemuri

 * Voiced by  Sumire Uesaka (Japanese); Michelle Ruff (English)
 * “Priest” Jataro Kemuri (煙 蛇太郎 Kemuri Jatarō) in charge of the Priests, he's known as Li'l Ultimate Art because of his extensive knowledge of drawing. He's acknowledged by both himself and those around him for being hated, and so he's actually fine with it when other people hate him.

Nagisa Shingetsu

 * Voiced by Mariya Ise (Japanese); Erica Mendez (English)
 * “Sage” Nagisa Shingetsu (新月 渚 Shingetsu Nagisa) is The Vice-leader in charge of the Sages. He is an overly serious type and he speaks very maturely. Said to have a bright future ahead, they were made to assume the title Li'l Ultimate Social Studies.

Monaca Towa

 * Voiced by Aya Hirano (Japanese); Christina Vee (English)
 * “Mage” Monaca Towa (モナカ 東和 Tōwa Monaka) is in charge of the Mages, and is the life of the party. She loves homeroom period where she can exchange opinions with everyone, so she's called Li'l Ultimate Homeroom.

The Servant

 * Voiced by Megumi Ogata (Japanese); Bryce Papenbrook (English)
 * The Servant (召使い Meshitsukai) is a slave to the Warrior of Hope, but he appears to have ulterior motives. He always has a smile on his face, no matter how he is mistreated.

Izuru Kamukura

 * Voiced by Minami Takayama (Japanese); Johnny Yong Bosch (English)
 * Izuru Kamukura ((カムクラ イズル Kamukura Izuru) is Hajime Hinata's alternate identity. He made only one appearance at the end of the game when he recovered the AIs of Shirokuma and Kurokuma that together form Alter Ego Junko.

Monokuma Units
The common enemies of the game who are based off of the original Monokuma.

Monokuma

 * The most common enemy in the game, a larger version of the original Monokuma. They hack, slash, and stab their targets with retractable metal claws.

Bomber Monokuma

 * A Monokuma Unit that throws bombs. Explodes when defeated.

Siren Monokuma

 * A Monokuma Unit with a back-mounted speaker pack that attracts more robots to him.

Junk Monokuma

 * A grisly Monokuma Unit resembling a heavily-disfigured version of the original.

Guard Monokuma

 * A Monokuma Unit wearing police armor. Carries a large riot shield invulnerable to attacks but can be hurt from an attack behind behind him or if the Knockback Bullet exposes him.

Destroy Monokuma

 * A Monokuma Unit equipped with a flamethrower and a jetpack.

Beast Monokuma

 * A large Monokuma Unit that crawls on all fours. Identifiable by its beastly grunts and its erratic right eye.

Ball Monokuma

 * A Monokuma Unit with a spherical body that can also be used to run over anything in its path. Throws garbage to damage and disorient its enemies.

Previews
NA launch trailer=|-| NA trailer=|-| JP PV1=|-| JP PV2=|-| NA PS4 trailer=

Trivia

 * This game marks the second time Toko and Jack are major characters.