The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy Explores Fan-Favorite Tropes Without Being Danganronpa 4

Earlier this month, I finally wrapped up playing Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony for the first time, which meant I had finally navigated through the entire main storyline of this captivating multimedia franchise. This series has really held my attention in a tight grip since the mini-renaissance it experienced during the pandemic lockdowns of 2020. Conveniently, this completed playthrough also prepped me well for diving into the demo of The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy at the recent Steam Next Fest, with Kazutaka Kodaka’s work fresh in my mind.

Back in 2017, around the release of Danganronpa V3, Kodaka and some key former Spike Chunsoft employees launched their independent studio, Too Kyo Games. Their subsequent releases have had fans speculating that these might be Danganronpa 4 in disguise. Titles like World’s End Club in 2020 and Master Detective Archives: Rain Code in 2023 stirred some minor letdowns, as while they contained the spirit of Danganronpa, they strayed on crucial aspects – like the absence of a killing game in World’s End Club and the lack of the school life setting in Rain Code.

Now, with The Hundred Line hitting the scene, it’s inevitably drawing the same comparisons. After playing the demo, it definitely leans into the Danganronpa vibe more heavily than previous games from Too Kyo. Fans of the original will recognize some musical themes and sound cues that flirt with being direct callbacks. Plus, the art style and character archetypes spark a warm but uncanny familiarity, kind of like meeting your best friend’s cousins at a big family gathering.

The game’s opening scene unfolds through a series of fully-animated, voice-acted cutscenes that might throw off players used to Danganronpa’s visual novel approach. The setup is eerily reminiscent of its predecessors: a regular teenage boy and his girl-who’s-not-his-girlfriend find their typical day abruptly disrupted. Our protagonist wakes up in an unfamiliar classroom filled with strangers, face-to-face with a bizarre mascot who’s now calling the shots.

Too Kyo Games seems to relish teasing players about their expectations—the setup even includes a character who’s thrilled at the thought of being thrown into a survival-of-the-fittest scenario. Yet, rather than following the familiar script, The Hundred Line takes a turn towards a turn-based strategy format. Here, characters band together against evil robots and bizarre creatures to prevent a world-ending disaster—steering away from the lethal thrill that usually lurks in the background of Danganronpa.

Having recently gotten into turn-based combat, I might not be the expert strategist, but I’m not a newcomer either. So far, The Hundred Line has presented some intriguing strategic puzzles, without striding into groundbreaking territory. What stands out is that it serves as a solid entry-level strategy game for visual novel enthusiasts rather than hardcore strategy game fans.

The demo covers the first seven in-game days, ending on a cliffhanger I won’t spoil here. Fans of the creators’ body of work should find this satisfying. But I doubt The Hundred Line is secretly aiming to revamp the killing game formula entirely. Personally, I’d welcome it staying its own unique course. Having just completed Kodaka’s extensive explanation of why he’s moving past Danganronpa, it’s likely that if there is a Danganronpa 4, it’ll be titled accordingly.

Embarking on The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy solely in search of more Danganronpa might not be the ideal approach, as the game seems eager to show it knows what made Danganronpa appealing but intends to deliver those vibes in new ways. It serves up the eccentric yet lovable characters and unexpected storylines we crave, without sticking to a strict gameplay template or the somewhat repetitive structure that defined the Danganronpa trilogy.

So far, The Hundred Line strikes a charming balance between introducing fresh content and indulging in self-aware nostalgia. It’s uncertain which aspect will dominate in the final version, but I’m eagerly along for the ride. In the context of unity and collaboration being more beneficial than rivalry—well, maybe this isn’t a total departure from genre conventions but rather their natural evolution.

You can try the demo for The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy on Steam now, with the complete game set to release on April 24th for Windows and Nintendo Switch. Great news for PC players: progress from the demo will carry over to the full game.