Ranking all of Danganronpa 2's Cases/Trials

Hey everyone, time for another Danganronpa ranking!

In my last Danganronpa post, I ranked the cases in Trigger Happy Havoc, so now it's time to rank the cases in SDR2! I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say definitively that SDR2 has my favorite Danganronpa trials, but it definitely has the most competitive ranking. TBH I've considered putting at least half of these cases in first place.

If you have no idea what Danganronpa is, don't go any further, because this post will contain spoilers for the entire trilogy! (explicit spoilers for game #2, vague spoilers for the other 2)

I mentioned this in the last post, but I'll repeat it before jumping into the ranking:
I mostly see people talk about ranking the trials, which are definitely part of this, but in this ranking, I'm ranking the cases as a whole. So basically I'm focusing more on the mystery, how interesting it was to investigate and solve, how complicated it was, etc. Things like the trial being long/dragged out and the mechanics of the trial aren't things I have too much interest in discussing, so they're not things that will really come into play on this ranking.

Lastly, just something interesting that I wanted to note-- this ranking for me has 3 pairings (5th & 6th place, 3rd & 4th, 1st & 2nd) and within each pairing, I could really flip flop my placement and still be pretty content with the list. Seriously, I wasn't kidding when I said this was the most competitive list.

Without further ado, let's jump into the list!

6- Case #3- Ibuki & Hiyoko's Murders

Before I even start discussing this, I feel like I need to make this clear-- I DO understand this case and its motive. I've seen several people name this as their least favorite because they didn't get it, and that's not the case for me. I get it. I promise. That said, even though I totally understand that the despair disease caused Mikan to remember her true identity and her true love (Junko), that doesn't change the fact that it feels like lazy writing in order to make a usually meek character capable of murder. It just feels too transparently convenient as a way to off 3 characters who didn't (seem to) have the capacity to murder someone. 

The one positive that I'll give this case is the same thing I said for case 3 of game 1-- the aspect of the murderer confusing the timeline and forcing everyone to run around in confusion is always fun. The aspect of Hajime supposedly seeing the "suicide" occur so that he'll panic and run to discover the body is probably the most interesting part of the case. But logistically it's just such a mess, and even without Mikan being her bumbling self, it's hard to imagine that she'd be capable of pulling this whole thing off in the time we're presented with. Not to mention the fact that this murder removes any and all possibility of Hiyoko getting a redemption arc, which is just a really unsatisfying end to her story. 

5- Case #1- The Ultimate Impostor's Murder

Something that may be surprising to others is that when I sat down to figure out my ranking, this was actually the one I assumed I would put in last place. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it probably deserved to be placed above case 3. So here we are. 

When I think of this case, I'm left with the memory of it just being a bit dull and boring in comparison to the other fantastic trials in the game. However, when I really think about it, I'm reminded of the interesting twists and developments throughout it. In truth, it's really more of just a simpler, cleaner case rather than a boring case. Nagito flipping the switch on his personality wasn't necessarily mind-blowing, because I didn't really trust him from the start due to something feeling... off... but it adds an extra layer of interest to a case that otherwise would've been boring. 

4- Case #6- HOPE HOPE HOPE HOPE

Like I mentioned in my previous trial ranking post, I tend to enjoy the final trials of each game, despite their flaws. I'd have to put more thought into this than I already have, but I think this is probably my favorite final trial. Which should say a lot about my opinion on both the trials in the last game and the trials in this game, since I vastly prefer this over my top-ranked case/trial from Trigger Happy Havoc. Like I said, I really, really like the cases and trials in this game. 

Overall, I don't love the investigation portion of the case. It was alright, and it was cool being back in Hope's Peak, but it definitely felt clunkier than in previous games. That, however, is made up for by the trial itself, which I really enjoyed. Hajime secretly being one of the villains in the real world and the island being virtual reality were both hinted at during the game pretty cleverly, so I thought their eventual reveal was actually really satisfying, especially in the way it ties back in to the first game. 

3- Case #2- Mahiru's Murder

Admittedly, this case gets up really high on this list largely on the strength of the character development it provides for my favorite Danganronpa character. Because although I enjoy the trial itself, the star of the show is the relationship between Fuyuhiko and Peko. I think some people don't really like how prominent the arcade game is in the trial, but I find it really interesting to see the way that their actual past comes into play after they've lost their memories. It adds a really cool extra layer to the story. 

On top of this, the trial is made really interesting and confusing due to Fuyuhiko and Peko simultaneously trying to constantly divert attention from each other and protect each other, with Peko trying to save her "young master" and Fuyuhiko trying desperately to keep the other students from discovering that she's the culprit so that she can survive. 

The end of this trial, as well as what is technically the post-trial, is by far the most emotional part of the entire trilogy for me. The way that Peko explains why she pretended to be Sparkling Justice, the moral dilemma this presents for Fuyuhiko, and the way that his hard exterior finally breaks when he realizes he can't save her. And don't even get me started on Peko's execution and how it emotionally wrecks me every single time I see it again. It's so well done.

2- Case #5- Nagito's... Murder?

OK, I know this is everyone's stock pick for their favorite trial-- not only in this game, but also across the entire trilogy. And I totally get that. Based just on technical aspects, it probably is the best case in the series. And as I mentioned at the beginning, these top 2 could easily be flipped and I wouldn't complain too much. But I put this one in 2nd place because although the mystery itself is really complex and the result is so clever, I didn't really enjoy its investigation or trial as much as I enjoyed solving the mystery of the trial that got first place. 

First off, my favorite aspect of this case is the eventual twist ending-- Nagito didn't just make the culprit random, he purposely trusted that with his luck, the person to throw the poisoned fire grenade would be the traitor, in the hopes that no one could figure out the traitor and thus only the traitor would survive. The way the game showed his actual lucky ability throughout the game, just for this eventual resolution-- brilliant. Regardless of the fact that it resulted in the death of one of my favorite characters, that's such a great twist. It's legitimately so brilliant. 

The rest of the case and trial is good, but it pales in comparison to that one singular moment. I mean, I kinda had it in the back of my mind the entire time that it was likely suicide. It seemed like something Nagito would do, and it was what made the most sense. I was only surprised once I realized that someone was legitimately the culprit and we needed to figure that out. That's the main problem with suicide cases for me-- if it's even mildly possible that the character might commit suicide, it's something I tend to take into consideration, so it's never a surprise to me when it ends up being the case.

1- Case #4- Nekomaru's Murder

It's unfortunate that the trope that lasted throughout all 3 games was the double-murder third trial rather than this one-- the new...world... trope? Is that what we're gonna call it? Anyway, a bit of a spoiler for my V3 trial ranking, but I love the two 4th cases where you have to use the mechanics of a new world to solve the mystery. Oddly, I actually really disliked the fact that the 4th chapter took place totally in the confines of the funhouse, but once we got into the investigation and trial, I loved how much the funhouse played into solving the case. 

Although playing as Nagito is kinda cool, it's actually not a huge factor for how much I liked the case. What was cooler is actually the element of time and how Nekomaru's internal clock plays into the case. TBH I think it's really just the element of something being tampered with (their location, time, etc) and the way that the culprit messes with everyone's perception of reality in order to control their understanding of the circumstances surrounding the murder. That aspect is really cool to me, and I love the way it's used in this case. 

And I haven't even talked about how Nekomaru and Gundham both essentially sacrificed themselves to save their friends. I think this chapter turned around a lot of people's opinions on Gundham overall, and as someone who already quite liked him, it just made me appreciate him even more. And his execution at the end of everything was especially sad, because of the way he looked after his hamsters and tried his hardest to survive. And then all the little animals taking him up to heaven despite him talking about being evil? Waterworks.

Even if I didn't love the free time living inside the funhouse, this entire chapter is just so unique, and from the investigation to the trial, to the eventual punishment time, every single aspect is really cool and really well done. 

So, those are my rankings for all 6 trials from Danganronpa 2! My plan is to do V3's rankings next. I still haven't decided if I'm going to rank all of the cases together after that, or if I'm going to do a 5 favorite/least favorite. idk. We'll see. V3's might be a bit of a wait again, because there are several great ones and I'm going to have a hard time choosing between them. We'll see.

Let me know which Trigger Happy Havoc case is your favorite down in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

Nancy Drew Games Tier Ranking [UPDATING]

Hey everyone! Today we're going to be pivoting a bit to discuss my current obsession- the Nancy Drew computer games.

While we're all doing our part to be safe and stay home, I got a bit nostalgic and started working my way through Nancy Drew games old & new, which of course led to me wanting to rank the games. Because duh, that's kinda my MO.

I'm going to be doing several posts relating to these games, but THIS ONE is special. This post will serve as my updating ranking/tier list of the Nancy Drew games, which will be updated whenever I finish a new one. I'll also include a brief note (as brief as I'm capable of being) about why it's placed where it is. However, I'll also be posting reviews/discussions for each individual game as I play them, so that I can discuss my opinions in more detail without clogging up this post. When I post a review, I'll update this post so that this post is as up to date as possible. I also plan to slowly start posting reviews/discussions of the games that are already on this tier list, so that I can talk about them in more detail.

Lastly, a couple of things before jumping into the tiers. Firstly, some of these games are ones I played recently, and others are ones I haven't re-played since childhood, so there are some I remember a lot better than others. Secondly, I tend to think of these tiers as if they're grades and treat them as such, so keep that in mind!

Unplayed Tier

As should probably be obvious, these are the ND games I haven't played yet, so feel free to make recommendations based on your own favorites as well as which ones you think I'll like based on my current opinions!

#6- Secret of the Scarlet Hand
#9- Danger on Deception Island
#15- Creature of Kapu Cave
#16- White Wolf of Icicle Creek
#18- Phantom of Venice
#20- Ransom of the Seven Ships
#22- Trail of the Twister
#25- Alibi in Ashes
#27- Deadly Device
#30- Shattered Medallion
#31- Labyrinth of Lies
#32- Sea of Darkness
#33- Midnight in Salem

F Tier- No Thanks

None of the Nancy Drew games are outright bad, but the ones in this tier are my least faves.

Haunted Carousel- I wanted so much more from this. More "Haunted," characters that were actually interesting, a compelling story, all of it. I honestly found it just kinda boring and didn't really love playing it. 

D Tier- Meh

The title says it all. Meh. I don't have strong opinions on them, but they're below average.

Secrets Can Kill- Frankly, I never finished this one because I got to a point where it stopped working on my computer. But until that point, I had very little opinion on it and decided to go ahead and put it on the tier list just because.

The Final Scene- This is one I only played years ago, but this is the least memorable of all the ones I played in the past. I don't remember much of the overall plot and only remember vague details of the culprit, and some of the locations. That's it. It didn't leave a lasting impression.

Danger by Design- The first half felt like it was holding your hand, but the second half felt like it kicked you out and left you there to die. The plot never fully came together for me, and I don't think it made amazing use of the location. I mean it's in PARIS. I just didn't find this one super compelling across the board.

Tomb of the Lost Queen- I just didn't really enjoy this one. I wasn't super into the premise, and didn't really enjoy a lot of my time playing the game. Also-- worst overall group of characters in any game. All of them were boring. However, I liked the way the tomb expanded as puzzles were solved.

C Tier- Average

Much like a C grade, it's average, passable, aight, but nothing special. Like a 7/10ish

Secret of the Old Clock- This is one I played when I was younger, and I remember liking it, but I don't have super detailed memories of it.

Ghost Dogs of Shadow Lake- Similarly, one I played when I was younger. I think a replay could move this one up, but even though I remember liking it, I don't have super detailed memories.

Shadow at Water's Edge- I wanted to love this one because the Japanese setting is great and it's billed as the most difficult and scariest ND game, but I found it frustrating and non-intuitive instead of difficult. It gets major points for the setting and scares, and some for the characters too, but loses points for many of the puzzles and the excessive sudoku and nonograms.

Legend of the Crystal Skull- Much like SAW, I wanted to love this one because of the setting and premise, but despite generally liking the puzzles, I found them easier but equally frustrating. I also didn't love the back and forth between Bess and Nancy.

B Tier- Really Like

Much like my grades in school, a B is pretty good, but not amazing. I could make an argument for some of these going into A tier, but this is where they've landed.

Ghost of Thornton Hall- I first played this one a few years back, so I've forgotten a few things, and although it's not going to be an all-time fave, I really enjoyed it. The setting is great, and I liked the overall mystery. Don't have a huge memory of the puzzles, but overall it's one of the spookiest ND games and I really like it.

Captive Curse- This is the one I'm most likely to move up. The maps are confusing, but I enjoy the premise and setting, the mini-games are my fave and I quite like the characters. It has several flaws, namely all the loose threads in the story, but it's just one of those games I find myself drawn to.

Stay Tuned for Danger- Now this is a throwback. I haven't played it in probably 15 years, but I have such a vivid memory of this game, the locations, and even some of the puzzles. Perhaps it's the nostalgia, but I remember quite enjoying this one.

Message in a Haunted Mansion- TBH, ditto what I said about Stay Tuned for Danger. I remember the mansion like the back of my hand, that's how vivid my memory of this game is. Once again, could be nostalgia, but I really enjoyed this one too.

A Tier- Love

We have one more tier left, so think of these as an A as in like... a 93% lol. They're some of the best ND games but not quite faves enough to get to the untouchable tier.

Secret at Shadow Ranch- This one was so hard to rank, because I played it when I was younger and obsessed with horses, and this was my favorite ND game. I don't think I'd be quite as in love now, so I've moved it down a tier, but couldn't move it much further given all of my fond memories with it.

Warnings at Waverly Academy- This is THE premise. Want to get my attention? Give me a boarding school and sabotage (preferably murder, but we don't get that here). The setting, premise, characters, and even mini-games are all on point. I wish it were a touch less linear, but otherwise it's a slam dunk. Justice for MEL.

Secret Spy- THE CHARACTERS. I enjoy spy stories, and this game has one of the strongest premises in the whole series, but Zoe and Alec (mostly Alec) really clench this. Alec's moral ambiguity is so fascinating, and I loved trying to figure him out. Furthermore, interesting puzzles and great mini-games round this one out really nicely.

Haunting of Castle Malloy- Despite a lackluster ending, I found this one largely really enjoyable for the sheer fact that every aspect of it was solid across the board. Great setting, interesting characters, fun mini-games, clever puzzles. I have some complaints but they're relatively minimal.

S Tier- the Untouchables

The best of the best, the creme de la creme. My favorite and IMO the best ND games.

Treasure in the Royal Tower- When I think of ND games, I think of TRT. I replayed this recently and although it's not as complex as some other high-tier games, it. holds. up. It deserves S tier on the power of the elevator shaft/library sneaking alone. That's the most iconic part of any ND game ever. Sure, there's some magic of nostalgia at work. But it's also very clever, enjoyable, and still incredibly memorable even today. ICONIC.

Curse of Blackmoor Manor- I haven't played it in many years, but I have fond memories of it, and it was probably my favorite as a kid. I love settings like this, and had a lot of fun playing it.

Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon- Brilliant. Rather than solving a series of unconnected puzzles, the whole train is one big puzzle that you're slowly piecing together. Everything fits together so logically and cleverly. This is truly the posterchild for how brilliant ND games are at their best.

So that's my full tier list ranking of all of the Nancy Drew games I've played! Like I mentioned at the beginning, I plan to update this whenever I post a review/discussion of a newly-played game. Hopefully in the near-ish future, I'll begin posting reviews/discussions for the games I've already played and finished, so if there's one where you're really curious about my detailed opinion, let me know! I'll make it a priority. 

Thanks for reading!