"Fanganronpa": A Genre Of Fan-Made Games.

The concept of a fan-made spin-off for games is not new at all. In fact, a lot of parody/fan-made spin-offs exist as a result of the fans' dedication to the original work. However, rarely have I seen a community develop as fast as the Danganronpa fangame community, known as “Fanganronpa”, or “Fangans.” This title often refers to games with the same premise as the original Danganronpa games developed by Spike Chunsoft. A group of people are imprisoned, they have to kill to escape, and they hold trials to determine the killer. The settings and cast are often changed, but the premise still holds. While the majority of Fangans are games, every piece of media - whether show or game- is free to consume. The genre sparks so much creativity in such an open concept: letting developers create an intricate cast of well-developed characters while still keeping the traditional horror of the original series.

Some of the games prefer to stick closer to the original concepts, but some of the games absolutely test the limits of how far the original series’ limits can be pushed. For example, “Project Eden’s Garden”, directed by Takoomari and JuveyD, is a Fangan that sticks pretty close to the original concept. For example, sixteen students are trapped in a school. However, the original concept enhances the feel of the game: making Eden’s Garden feel less like a fan development is more like a spiritual inclusion to the original game series. The style, while being similar to the sprites in the Danganronpa series, has its own additional flair that makes it look original. Every character is interesting in some way, and each plot twist had me incredibly shocked. Whilst it is still incomplete (with a second chapter coming soon), it has already cemented a place as one of the most popular fangames of all time. If you are looking for a game to get started with in the Fangan community, I couldn’t recommend this enough. 

Another interesting fan game that sticks close to the original concept is the Danganronpa: Another series, developed by LINUJ. While the games are old, and often referred to as the series to begin and popularise Fangans, they have aged pretty well. Fans of the series will, however, tell you to watch a specific fan translation as the original translation really hasn’t aged as well. Putting that aside, the game is innovative for its age. The writing is definitely a lot closer to the Danganronpa style, even having the Ultimate Lucky Student as a protagonist. However, every character is honestly very well thought out. If you are looking for a game with plot twists and dramatic story events, Another definitely has no shortage of them. This is another incredible game to start with, though I do suggest watching a playthrough or waiting for the entire unofficial translation to be out.

Fangans can also include games that stray completely from the setting of Danganronpa, however. One of my favourite examples is Danganronpa Antebellum: Lockdown, developed by Rippillie. The game separates from the school concept: instead taking place inside a prison. The concept of the game is also incredibly unique: Twelve ultimates find themselves in prison with their lives streamed to the outside world, a world that decides if they are worthy of redemption. At the end of each chapter, a character’s crime is revealed, and the audience (the actual player) gets to decide if the character is worthy or corrupt. The concept of audience influence in a Danganronpa game is incredibly interesting: a particularly untouched concept that Rippillie pulls off well. The decisions feel impactful as well, having direct consequences on each character’s future actions. Not only that, but the smaller cast size helps the characters to feel tight-knit, whether that is positively or negatively; they all have to talk to each other eventually. The game is overall so innovative, with incredible writing and interesting cases. There’s a reason why it’s a personal favourite of mine to this day. If you’re looking for something new to play that you can get involved with, absolutely give this a play.

Another great example of an innovation in Fangans is Jikoronpa: Laments of Isolation, developed by Laments. The concept also differs from the original Danganronpa series: originally starting as a “reflection system” meant to guide participants through poetry. However, as rules begin to be broken, things change rapidly. While the game begins to focus on murder, other themes such as self-reflection, identity and the relationships you bond with others still have an incredibly large impact on the story. Ultimately, it’s a game about being your own person, with a dose of murder on the side. The poetry is all incredibly interesting to read, giving an insight into each character’s view of literature and the state of their mentality. The cast is smaller again, letting the characters bond and seeing the aforementioned relationships form and distort as the chapters continue. It’s full of twists that left my jaw hanging, changes made from the ideas of the original series that left my head reeling. It’s a great display of what differing from an original concept can do for a fangame and one of the most obvious displays of pure creativity I’ve seen. 

The genre also includes other forms of media. For example, it features web series - some examples being Danganronpa: Despair Time and Danganronpa: Bloodstained Abyss and even Instagram posts with full stories, an example being Danganronpa: Deception Examination. The vast range of stories and platforms explored by Fangans is one of the reasons why the genre is so widely loved. For a collection of Fangames, the stories and ranges of content manage to be incredibly diverse in a truly impressive way. Not only that, but every single Fangan is free, as the law prohibits making money off something Spike Chunsoft has copyrighted. Every Fangan is developed out of pure love for the original series and the genre, which is incredibly refreshing to see in a world of AI-generated art and stories. Fangans aren’t slightly-changed rip-offs of the original Danganronpa series: They’re practically their own media, using the foundation of a versatile concept. 

I strongly encourage you to support any Fangans you come across if you’re a fan of Danganronpa or the killing game genre as a whole: some of these games will absolutely change your life. Plus, it’s always nice to support indie developers who work on these games!