Ranking all of Danganronpa V3's Cases/Trials

Hey everyone, it's time for another Danganronpa ranking!

In my last 2 Danganronpa posts, I ranked the cases in Trigger Happy Havoc and SDR2, so now it's time to rank the cases in Danganronpa V3! Although the ranking for this one wasn't quite as competitive as the ranking for SDR2, it was still pretty competitive and there were definitely a few placements I was tempted to change. V3 has some really unique and twisty trials.

If you have no idea what Danganronpa is, don't go any further, because this post will contain spoilers for the entire trilogy!

I mentioned this in the last posts, 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.

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

6- Case #2- Ryoma's Murder

Honestly, when compared to the other two games, it was much easier to choose my least favorite trial for V3. Not because this case is that bad, but rather because all of the other cases of the game are just leaps and bounds better than this one, so it gets easily & very obviously left in the dust. Yes, even by case 3. I said what I said. 

Ryoma's murder is just really forgettable within the grand scheme of V3 for me. It gets lost in the shuffle among all of the other huge cases throughout the game. Kirumi is one of the least notable killers and has one of the most random-seeming motives, and while Ryoma has inspired tons of memes post-game, he's also not one of the most memorable characters within the game either. Furthermore, although the piranhas and the magic show are an interesting element for the case, the case is honestly pretty straightforward in comparison to the other cases in V3. If it were in... Trigger Happy Havoc, for example, it might have been ranked a lot higher, but the V3 list is really competitive, so it's at the very bottom. 

5- Case #3- Angie & Tenko's Murders

Although it's in 5th place, I'm very firmly a V3 case 3 defender and wanted so badly to put this higher on the list. Because the investigation of case 3 is possibly my favorite part of V3 overall. The seance sequence, followed by Tenko's murder and Kokichi subsequently pretending to be dead is one of the most compelling sequences of events in the entire series for me. However, there's the obvious downside of the fact that this is also one of the most stupid cases, motives, and killing methods in the entire series. So that tips it in the other direction... much like a SeEsAW.

Ugh, the seesaw. And the fact that Tenko was murdered in general. It's all just so... dumb. Look, I get why Kiyo felt the need to kill as many people as possible for Sister, but that doesn't stop me from thinking it's a really stupid motive for the writers to create for his character. And on top of that, Kiyo is so obviously the killer, to the point that you almost want to write him off because he's so obvious. And on top of all of that, we also miss out on what could've been a really cool opportunity. The game presents us with the option of there being two killers... just for there to only be 1 killer. That's such a flagrant violation of the concept of Chekov's Gun. Don't dangle the idea of multiple killers right in front of us if you don't intend to actually give it to us!

The final piece of this case, and the final thing that makes me want to move this up the list... the development it gives to Himiko. One of the reasons I love case 2-2 is because it gives my favorite character, Fuyuhiko, the start to his redemption/growth arc. Similarly, 3-3 gives Himiko her own growth arc. She finally begins to pull herself out of inaction and is inspired by Tenko's last words to her to show her emotions and express how she feels. The more times I experience this case, the more I grow to love Himiko, for this exact reason. 

4- Case #6- Rantaro's Murder pt. 2

Of the 3 final cases, this is the one I have the most mixed opinions on. Firstly, to get my interpretation of it out of the way, I firmly believe that Tsumugi was lying about several of the aspects of the trial. I don't believe that they were really these soulless, messed up potential killers before being given their in-game personalities. I think the prologue pretty handily proves that on its own. Past that, however, I think her lies are a bit harder to parse through. I view Trigger Happy Havoc & SDR2 as real things that happened to real people, but I'm not sure whether I view it in the lens of V3 being an alternate universe version of the Danganronpa world or if V3 is significantly in the future and inspired by the original real killing games. IDK. But that's generally my personal opinion on the matter.

Anyway, the ending of V3 really reminds me of The Truman Show, which I think is why I was pretty quick to accept how meta it was. I'm not sure I personally totally love it, but I also didn't find it as controversial as the fandom at large seemed to find it. I liked the way the trial at first seemed to be returning to the original concept of hope vs. despair before finally returning to the game's true concept of truth vs lies. I thought it was a really clever way of wrapping up the themes of the game and emphasizing the idea that truth and lies aren't black and white morally, and lies can have positive impacts on people as well. 

Personally, my favorite aspect of the case was the actual retrial of the first case. The idea of Monokuma purposely manipulating trial outcomes certainly wasn't a new concept for this game (see: Trial 1-5), but it was a concept I thought was cool the first time around & thought was handled significantly better this time around. Going back over the case with new evidence was a really awesome idea, and seeing it all culminate in the mastermind being revealed was just the cherry on top. 

3- Case #5- ???????'s Murder

Honestly, although I like this trial, I think I would have much more positive opinions about it if not for the people involved in it. This is the only case in the entire series where one of my favorite characters is both the victim and the culprit. Apart from Case 1-4, but including that feels like a cop-out. So this case really broke me in a way none other had done before. Because no matter what, I knew I was coming out of this trial losing both Kaito and Kokichi, aka half of my favorite characters. That hurt.

That said, though, the obvious most interesting aspect of this case is the fact that we don't know who the victim is, so we're forced to figure out not only the culprit, but the victim too. All while one of them is inside an exisal, changing personalities at the drop of a hat. And even more mind-bendingly, Monokuma also doesn't know who the killer is. The 5th cases in Danganronpa games tend to be the most mind-bending cases-- 1-5, a body inexplicably appears despite all the students being accounted for, 2-5, Nagito fake-suicides and uses his luck to get another student to accidentally kill him, and then this one. 

Overall, I think 2-5 is the most mind-bending of all of them, but the thing that makes me really appreciate 3-5 is, of course... Kokichi. He creates this entire plan to make a murder Monokuma can't solve and effectively ruin the killing game. In my opinion, this is when we finally see the closest thing to the real Kokichi we will ever see, and to me it speaks volumes about his intentions both in this trial and throughout the entire game. This case was the key piece to put Kokichi into perspective to me, and I think that's what I like most about the case, even if we had to lose him in the process. 

2- Case #1- Rantaro's Murder

The previous two first cases haven't ranked very highly on my lists. 1-1 was my least favorite case from THH, and 2-1 got 2nd to last solely by the grace of me disliking 2-3 that much. But 3-1 changes everything for me. This case is not only one of my favorites in V3, but also across the entire series as a whole. The plot twist of "the protagonist is actually the villain" can still be done well, but is a bit overdone at this point. But the "protagonist isn't really the protagonist and dies in the first chapter" twist? Now that's interesting. 

Unfortunately, I mildly spoiled this for myself-- I liked to look up which gifts I should give characters and in doing so, saw something that alluded to Shuichi being the one giving the gift rather than Kaede. Probably because I was trying to do my free time with Shuichi lol. Which is another key point-- as much as I was excited to have a main-game female protagonist... I didn't really like Kaede very much. And I still don't. So switching to playing as Shuichi, who was immediately my favorite character? I was a fan.

The build-up to the murder (especially all the hints to what she was doing) and the subsequent realization in the 6th trial that Kaede actually didn't end up killing Rantaro both add really interesting layers on top of what is already a really unique, interesting case within the series. This is truly the case that just keeps on giving, and subverting all of your expectations every single step of the way.

1- Case #4- Miu's Murder

As I mentioned in my rankings for SDR2, I love when the characters are forced into a different environment and the way that the resulting case hinges around understanding the secret to that new environment. And although I think it was still done best in case 2-4, this is a really great spin on it. And that's even before we get to the fact that the culprit is someone that you'd never think would be a culprit, and that fact once again hinges on understanding the new world that they were forced into. 

Although I don't find the virtual world quite as compelling as the funhouse, I do really still enjoy the process of trying to understand the world, not only on its own but also as it relates to the case, to the real world, and to Miu's own murder plot, which is an extra twist that I found really compelling.

The obvious downside for me of this case is, of course, Kokichi's involvement in it and the way that he manipulated Gonta into essentially doing his dirty work for him. It's Kokichi's lowest point morally in the game and the biggest thing that Kokichi detractors can point to when they want to say how evil he is. And I get it, it's definitely a side of him that I really didn't enjoy seeing. It shows the extent to which he is truly self-interested, even above his desire to end the killing game. That said, I do also believe that his tears for Gonta were real. Maybe I'm being naive or seeing him through rose-colored glasses because he's my favorite character in the game, but that's how I interpret that moment. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. 



That's all for this post! I still haven't decided if I'm going to rank all of the cases together, or if I'm going to do a 5 favorite/least favorite, but that should be my last Danganronpa case/trial post. That might also be my last Danganronpa post for a while, because I've gotten to the point where I've done the posts/rankings that I most wanted to do. But if I have more that I want to do in the future, you'll definitely see more, because I love talking about Danganronpa any chance I get!

Let me know which Danganronpa V3 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!

Ranking the Harry Potter Books & Their Covers- Video!

Hey, y'all! So, after I posted my Harry Potter discussion post, I ended up actually recording a video talking about my rankings of the Harry Potter books and their covers, so I wanted to make just a quick post containing the video so that y'all can check it out! 

Check out the Facebook page for From Kristen's Brain... HERE