I got into danganronpa what feels like a lifetime ago. I watched it progress from "wow neat screenshot LP translating it" to a whole-ass axis of Fandom Discourse over the years. I'm fond of the series, but I know it's got its problems.
because of that, I'm basically gonna keep following the creatives behind the series until they have like, a completely unacceptable mess of a game.
rain code is not that game.
it leans in much more heavily on the idea of turning the act of deconstructing a mystery into a series of smaller binary/ternary logical deductions, forming a literal labyrinth out of the metaphorical labyrinth involved in working through the logic in finding motive, means, and other m words involved in crimes. the mysteries are fun to pick apart, though overall, they tend to be pretty simple.
each character and their own paranormal specialty gets a chapter in the limelight, and the cast involved in each actual case is usually a new distinct addition instead of pulling from the known roster, which meant it felt more ace attorney than danganronpa. the last two cases are really solid in terms of story beats, and the first four are nice little excuses to explore mechanics and the people of the city, kanai ward, which is the focus of the game.
this game made me cry a few times in ways I wasn't expecting to get got. there's some good moments and I had a lot of fun doing the labyrinths; I was also very fond of all (but one) of the characters by the end of the game. desuhiko needs to chill. cripes.