Steam

NA PSN: PS4 - Vita

EU PSN: PS4 - Vita

The demo took me about an hour to beat and features a self-contained, special chapter which is not a part of the main story, so playing through this won't spoil stuff (outside of being initially introduced to the new cast of characters, and some of the new game mechanics) for anyone who's looking to avoid plot details.

If there are any returning fans of the series that think they don't need any convincing, you might still wanna play through this since you'll be given "a special reward" in the full game if you import your save file from the demo.

Also, just a heads up for any PC players: The game has a configuration tool which you'll only see if you launch the game from your Library on Steam. You won't see it if you use a desktop shortcut, for example.

The tool will allow you to adjust some very basic graphics settings, and also what kind of control prompts you'll see in-game. The ones for an Xbox controller are on by default, so if you're planning on playing on mouse & keyboard, you'll have to change it there first. Finally, F3 brings up a list of inputs once you're in the game, but it won't work until you've gained control of your character.

Cool. Thanks for the heads up! If I had seen the demo without reading this I would probably have skipped it, but hearing that it is it`s a unique thing I will definitely check it out! I really enjoyed the first and second games, so I am really looking forward to v3!

I played through it. Had a good time and I'm curious how often lying will come into play. I also wonder if the reward for having a demo save will be some Monocoins or something a little more interesting.

Hey man thanks a lot for the headsup! I totally would have passed on the demo if it weren't for your post.

Thanks for this! Didn't realize that the demo was completely separate from the main story. That's really cool of them. Very excited for this game to come out in like a month, so I'll definitely check this out.

EDIT: Oh boy... after watching that trailer, I really really hope Hajime isn't in the game since that doesn't sound like JYB playing him at all...

@suntoria: Spoilers on the "true nature" of the demo: At first I found the way it ended kind of odd also, but once I read up on it I realized the demo is actually kind of an homage to the demo of the first Danganronpa. The victim is the same, and the abrupt ending is similar. Which is really neat!

"At the end of the demo, Monokuma interrupts the Class Trial and says 'Hold it right there! That's as far as I can let you go. Because, I mean... this is just the demo!'" https://youtu.be/3wHrgwSpjrA?t=13m1s

@optimalpower Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too, since that was actually the same reward you got for importing a save from the demo version of the original Danganronpa. I guess that'd be alright, but I'm hoping there's more to it than that!

@cettu: Hey, just wanted to say thanks for letting me know about the demo! Like others have said, I wouldn't have gotten it if it was just like a small portion of the actual game (since I know I'm going to be playing it anyway). Anyhow I really enjoyed the demo, the new characters seem like they could be fun, and it was a good time seeing Makoto and Hajime again.

The only thing I didn't like is the fact that Hajime's voice was clearly different/not nearly as good, and during the trial itself it seemed like there was some weird blurring effect on the characters portraits? I noticed it especially with Kaede, but it was on some other characters too. It seemed fine during the non-stop debates, but when it was just them talking, I don't know, it seemed like either they were blurry or not HD or something. I hope it was just a weird bug or maybe my eyes were just weird while I was playing it.

Edit: I played on PS4

@joshth: I went back and played through the class trial again. This time to hear the English voices, and also to check out the blurring you mentioned since I remembered seeing some of it, too.

There's some slight blurring on Kaede's character portrait when the camera zooms in for an extreme close-up. Is this what you meant?

I've only played on PC so I dunno if the effect is even more prominent on PS4/Vita.

Gallery

Some normal screenshots for comparison:

Gallery

It's a shame, because otherwise the game looks super sharp and stylish! I wonder if this'll be fixed, since the game has been out in Japan since January.

Anyway, for those who were waiting on it, the Vita version of the demo is now up on the European PSN.

So now my issue is deciding whether I'll get the Vita version or PS4 version. I've played each version on my Vita so it'd feel weird playing the new one on PS4, but my memory stick has been having some issues lately where randomly some games will corrupt. Not gonna get a new memory stick for what will probably be the last vita game I ever play.

Decisions, decisions. Has anyone played either/both of the Japanese versions? Does it work on PS4 or is it still very much a Vita game?

@cettu: yeah, that's definitely it, though it looks less bad than I remembered, maybe because I hadn't just spent an hour seeing the portrait look very nice and crisp.

I've never been a guy who cares a lot about "graphics" but it is a shame because the characters look so nice otherwise. I also hope that it can be fixed, but it won't kill my enjoyment if they can't. the main thing that was bugging me while I was playing was trying to figure out if it was a bug, something weird happening with my eyes, or just the way the game is currently. Thanks for doing the research for me!

I will also say that these characters sure are stylish, I really do like the look of them and the strange school environment you got to explore around in. It's all very cohesive in a way that I'm not sure Danganronpa quite nailed in 2.

@sevith: I feel you, since I also played the previous games on the Vita.

How much of the touch screen did you end up using? Because if you're not gonna miss that then I'd personally recommend going with the PS4 version. Especially if losing your progress could be a factor, like you said. Also, with the Japanese Vita version you had to download a day-one patch for improved V/O quality, since they had to do some compression due to not being able to fit everything on the Vita game cartridge otherwise. So while the download is optional, and probably not huge, it's something to keep in mind.

One knock against the Playstation 4 and PC versions could be something that I hadn't considered until I played the V3 demo on Steam.

At times I had some difficulty reading some of the characters' statements during the class trials (especially during the one Mass Panic Debate when up to three people could talk at once (although, that's also kind of the point)), and this is because I sit very close to my PC monitor, and I had the game full-screened. The way they had laid out some of the dialogue also seemed more ambitious than in the previous games, which heightened the effect. So, depending on your PS4 and TV/monitor setup this could probably be an issue, while the smaller screen of the Vita would seemingly make it much easier to catch everything at once.

Still, I've personally decided to go with the PC version, since that's where I play most things nowadays, and because it was revealed that all three versions are launching simultaneously. Thankfully I've always got the option of playing in a window if the going gets too tough. The last thing I'm mulling over is whether to play on a mouse and keyboard, or a controller, since both options have seemed fine from what I've seen.

Glad they put out this demo, V3 fell off my radar for a while but now I'm pumped to pick it up. I wish that the Vita version wasn't so much cheaper than the PS4 version cause I think I like it better playing on a bigger screen.

Hey folks, another small PSA:

All of the series' previous games (Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, and Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls) are currently on sale on Steam for another day or so, in case this demo caught your interest and you're looking to catch up before diving into V3!

http://store.steampowered.com/search/?term=danganronpa