I spent middle and high school surrounded by Danganronpa fans, during the peak of its popularity. I played and loved Zero Escape. And yet, somehow, I managed to completely avoid this game, almost all spoilers, and the apparently radioactive fandom this has apparently spawned.

I'm so glad I did.

Going through this blind, without any outside biases clouding my judgement, was a phenomenal experience. Even the things I did know through osmosis were obscured enough within the actual plot that even finding out how said things would be revealed was still great. It also made all the deaths hit that much harder.

The gameplay is great, like a more active, dynamic version of Ace Attorney, oozing with style and personality. All the mysteries were a blast to piece together, and none were so out-there to make a reveal feel bullshit. And, I must admit, while I was never crazy about the art style from what I'd seen online, I was very surprised how good it looks in game. Stills really don't do it justice.

If your only exposure to this game is from people saying "cringe" and nothing else, I highly implore you to try it for yourself, removed from all that. I'm very happy I gave this a shot as an adult without bias, because it really is something else.