The first two Danganronpa games had a slower pace. You weren’t running away from robotic bears. You were combing through rooms for clues, deciphering suspects’ words for inaccuracies, and shooting out Truth Bullets to pinpoint murderers. This new episode in the lauded Danganronpa series brings its deep and twisted storytelling to a new genre.

Unafraid of Action

This time, you’re playing as Komaru Naegi and Toko Fukawa as they try desperately to escape a city filled with despair. Komaru has been equipped with a megaphone — a hacking gun — that generates Truth Bullets which you’ll use to defeat Monokumas and manipulate puzzles while racing through the streets searching for answers.

The situations you find yourself in are varied and intense. Luckily you’ll have a whole host of Truth Bullets at your disposal as you make your way through the terror that fills Towa City. You may find yourself caught in an alley with no escape only to make use of Dance to create a rockin’ (Scary?) dance party. Of course, sometimes you may find it best to create some chaos by chaining together targets with the electric power of Paralyze, and then lighting them aflame with Burn.

And then there’s Toko. Armed with her own madness, the way she clears a path can be a touch… crazy. Using a stun gun, she can force herself to switch personalities and become Genocide Jack. I don’t know about you, but a nigh-invincible mad woman wielding scissors that can tear robotic bears to bits scares the bear-jeezus out of me.

Scarily Engaging

A lot of shooters have a tendency to overlook the story, or make it almost impossible to really become invested in the characters as you race about shooting everything in sight. Danganronpa Another Episode has changed up the pacing enough that both the story and the characters really stand out.

Between a mix of puzzles, battling Monokumas, and expertly written exposition sequences, it’s actually hard to not become lost in the struggle between hope and despair. Like the first two games, I’ve written off seemingly wonky characters at first blush, only to find myself rooting for them later, or hating them intensely thanks to how well they’re written. Characters are likable and real — if sometimes completely off their rockers.