10 Games Like Danganronpa | TheReviewGeek Recommends

10 More Mind-Boggling Games To Play!

This franchise has amassed an incredible following. It’s a visual novel series with great thought-provoking storytelling, excellent visuals, and an enormous well-rounded cast. It involves a group of high school students trying to survive inside a school that entices them to murder each other. The game includes some dating simulation aspects that coincide with its murder-mystery elements. With multiple spin-offs and follow-ups, it’s no wonder fans can’t get enough of it.

If you’ve finished playing Danganronpa and are looking for alternatives – fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top 10 picks.

Of course, for all the games we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link, so you can check out our full thoughts on that and see if it’s something you want to invest your time in.

So without further ado, we present 10 games to check out if you’re looking for a game like Danganronpa.

Persona 5

Persona 5 is an incredible JRPG with stylish graphics, compelling combat, and marvelous characters. This game follows a group of high schoolers. They live normal lives by day and become cunning criminals at night. As the Phantom Thieves, their lives are never dull. They’ll wind up fighting monsters, exploring deadly dungeons, and fighting powerful foes in the game’s various chapters.

Like Danganronpa, this game features some stellar dialogue. You’ll adore interacting with the game’s overworld and the NPCs who inhabit it. Each member of the Phantom Thieves stands out regarding their personality, appearance, and actions. The game can feel sluggish to play at times, but the story offers enough compelling twists to keep you invested.

If you loved Danganronpa for its cast and storytelling, you’ll adore Persona 5.

You can read our thoughts on Persona 5 in our game review here!

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a highly regarded visual novel with incredible puzzles for you to solve. Although it won’t make you a full-fledged lawyer, you adore the charisma and passion that went into making it. Future games tend to focus their attention on protagonists other than Phoenix Wright. However, fans prefer the games that follow him.

Anyway, in Ace Attorney, you must guide Phoenix through a boatload of criminal investigations. Once you gathered enough clues, you’ll arrive at the courtroom to defend your client or attempt to put the opposing party’s client in the slammer. Folks who enjoyed the character deduction segments in Danganronpa will cherish this game’s approach toward it.

From interrogating witnesses to exposing fallacies behind their claims, it’ll make you feel like a brilliant person. These cases become more difficult over time, forcing players to think and ponder the facts before making clear decisions. Every character receives some spotlight and exhibits amusing reactions to court cases and investigations. If you’re looking for a visual novel experience that’ll make you use your max brainpower, be sure to purchase any of the Ace Attorney games.

Twelve Minutes

Twelve Minutes is an interactive thriller game with a satisfying gameplay loop. Danganronpa fans will adore this title for its delightful puzzles and spooky details. The game features some wonderful voice work. The performance sequences can feel jarring occasionally, but these moments are few and far between.

In it, players must tear apart the game’s endearing time loop to unravel what’s taking place. The build to the game’s conclusion is better than the ending you’ll receive. Some will find the ending underwhelming while others can overlook it due to the game’s gripping gameplay and endless possibilities. All in all, Twelve Minutes is definitely worth your time.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is an underrated murder-mystery title, and one that others feel is better than Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Funnily enough, it’s from Shu Makami, the same mind behind the Phoenix Wright series. Regardless, this game has well-written characters and a great plot full of stellar twists and surprising turns.

In it, players control a deceased male named Sissel. He has slight amnesia and doesn’t know who murdered him. Now a ghost, you must help Sissel discover what happened to him when he was alive and who killed him. The game gives you powers called Ghost Tricks that will help you solve multiple puzzles and navigate through the game’s world. If you enjoyed Danganronpa for its thriller aspects, you’ll enjoy Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is a murder-mystery visual novel with a compelling cast. It’s about nine people who are forced to participate in a diabolical Nonary Game led by a mastermind named Zero. These people have no memory of how they ended up here. They must do whatever it takes to survive Zero’s menacing activity.

This adventure title will leave you on the edge of your seat. You’ll find yourself searching for clues within numerous rooms and solving mind-numbing mysteries to free yourself from Zero’s grasp. The game offers two difficulty settings for highly intellectual folks looking for a challenge. The game’s plot includes numerous twists that will shock you.

With some fabulous mind games, voice acting, and adventure elements, Zero Escape is worth any Danganronpa fan’s time.

AI: The Somnium Files

AI: The Somnium Files is a futuristic mystery and adventure game that will appeal to detective aficionados. In it, players control a detective who teams up with a fellow investigator and AI companions to solve a sci-fi murder mystery. This game immerses fans in its beautiful neo-noir environment while pulling them in slowly with its satisfying mysteries.

The game’s cast is well-rounded and has sparking personalities that will resonate with you. The puzzles can be hit or miss, though. Most challenges require players to know information outside of the game. This may break players’ spirit to continue their adventure since they may need to look for an online resource to continue traversing this beautiful sci-fi setting.

The game features some ridiculous fight scenes and some songs feel sound repetitive. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a challenging thought-provoking game with visual novel aspects, check this one out.

Professor Layton (Franchise)

Professor Layton is Level-5’s spirit animal. While they’ve developed many hit titles like Ni No Kuni and Yokai Watch, many know them for the Professor Layton series of games. As of writing this, a new Professor Layton title has been announced for Nintendo Switch, and fans can’t be happier to see Layton back in the driver’s seat.

Nonetheless, Professor Layton offers Danganronpa fans incredible puzzles, storytelling, and characters worth following. This game adopts a point-and-click formula that works and makes investigating its diverse locales fun and immersive. Some puzzles will require players to have a genuine understanding of math, though.

Nevertheless, completing the game’s puzzles can net you points that’ll help you progress through each game’s storyline. These stories are filled with clever twists that will surprise you. If you’re looking for a fabulous thought-provoking series to play, I recommend checking out any game in the Professor Layton franchise.

Disco Elysium

Disco Elysium is an earth-shattering RPG. In it, players control a detective with diverse skills. While investigating a barren city, you must interrogate numerous characters and solve murder cases. You can choose to become this world’s greatest hero or its worst villain. Like Danganronpa, Disco Elysium boasts incredible voice acting that will help you engage with the title’s world.

The game tackles political and mature subjects with great integrity and nothing feels forced. Players who enjoy having immeasurable freedom in video games will enjoy feeling independent in Disco Elysium. From singing catchy songs to intimidating people with your words, you’ll feel like an unstoppable force in this universe. If any of that sounds remotely interesting to you, then I recommend giving Disco Elysium a shot when you have free time.

Umineko When They Cry

Umineko No Naku Koro Ni is a great visual novel created by Ryukishi 07. It contains more thought-provoking elements than Higurashi When They Cry but features the same horrific banter and imagery as the beloved mystery horror game. The game can take a while to complete since it’s based solely on your reading and comprehension speed.

Nonetheless, those who enjoyed Danganronpa for its murder mystery and horror aspects will get a kick out of this one. It offers a tale of murder, magic, and mystery involving the esteemed Ushiromiya family. After seeing several family members perish, our protagonist, Battler Ushiromiya challenges the Golden Witch Beatrice to many mind games that will leave you speechless.

Every character has an excellent personality and motive. The story’s mind games are at the cusp of its narrative, but the visual novel fleshes out our cast to avoid them feeling underdeveloped. The concepts and themes this visual novel tackles are highly intellectual and supernatural. There’s a more magical aspect at play here than in Danganronpa, too.

Corpse Party (2021)

For Danganronpa fans clamoring for darker visual novel fun, Corpse Party wishes to introduce itself. This Japanese horror game will get under your skin with the amount of violence-ridden within it. In Corpse Party, we follow a group of high schoolers that get teleported to a haunted elementary school full of brutal imagery and hidden secrets.

The original game was already creepy enough, but the 2021 remake is bone-chilling. It contains incredible 16-bit-styled graphics accompanied by gruesome descriptions and heart-pounding sound bites that will make you shiver in fear. As you uncover the brutal mystery behind the deaths that happened in this abandoned elementary school, you’ll feel sorrow for the ones who perished here.

The 2021 game also features two Extra Chapters that delve into Ayumi and Yoshiki, two fan-favorite characters, relationship more. It also introduces new characters named Miku and Ryoka, who play a vital role in elementary school. If you’re interested, the developers recommend playing the game with headphones since it’ll make your experience with Corpse Party better.

So there we have it, our 10 video game picks to keep you busy after playing Danganronpa.

What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!