Combining elements from dating simulations and third-person shooters, the game sees Makoto interact with other students to solve "class trials" by shooting at arguments displayed on the screen.

In designated "Free Time" segments, players can choose to hang out with specific characters and give them presents, which in turn reveals more information about them and unlocks various Skills that can be used in the Class Trials.

With the exception of occasions where the player must answer a multiple choice question or present a piece of evidence, Class Trials consist of four main modes of gameplay: Nonstop Debate, Hangman's Gambit, Bullet Time Battle, and Closing Argument.

Players can also silence disruptive purple chatter to earn extra time and utilize a Concentration meter to slow down the conversation and make shots more easily.

Each day, the player assigns students to scavenge rooms for necessary materials needed to build each concept, keep the school clean, or rest up to recover energy.

[9] Danganronpa takes place at an elite high school named Hope's Peak Academy (希望ヶ峰学園, Kibōgamine Gakuen), which accepts talented "Ultimate" students (超高校級, chō-kōkō-kyū, lit.

A sadistic, remote-controlled bear named Monokuma appears before them, telling them they will be imprisoned in the academy for the rest of their lives, and that they will be put to death if they violate any of the school's rules.

Makoto and the remaining students work together to solve the final murder and discover that the true mastermind behind the killing game is the real Junko Enoshima.

The six surviving students (Makoto; Kyoko; rich heir Byakuya Togami; swimmer Aoi Asahina; clairvoyant Yasuhiro Hagakure; and novelist Toko Fukawa and her split-personality serial killer alter-ego, Genocide Jack) exit the academy, uncertain of the current state of the world.

As the staff found the premise interesting, they decided to change the style in order to create a project that would sell more than the original concept.

[11] Kodaka had originally proposed a darker narrative under the game's working title Distrust, but Spike rejected it due to its dark nature.

Although the game shares traits with Koushun Takami's 1999 novel Battle Royale, Kodaka tried to provide different ideas when writing the script.

The characters experience despair while they are trapped in the school and Makoto provides more emotional support to the cast across the story, giving the actress a far more optimistic message that the students are going to survive.

[21] For the English dub of the game, Spike Chunsoft specifically requested NIS America to keep Monokuma's name intact.

[26] The game was ported to iOS and Android in August 2012, with new features such as retina display support, touch screen controls, and a new image gallery.

[31][32] Due to delays with an English localization being made, fan translations of the first game became available online before NIS America handled the project.

[72] Colin Moriarty from IGN similarly praised its writing and soundtrack, calling it "a must-own game for hardcore Vita owners".

[74] Matthew Pollesel from Gaming Age gave Danganronpa an almost perfect score and called it "incredibly complex", despite finding it derivative from other visual novels like the Corpse Party series or Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, and warned players of its dark narrative based on the gore shown through each murder scene.

Similar to Ace Attorney, in Danganronpa the player must interact with a specific comment mentioned by a character by shooting a "bullet" at it, giving it a stylish feel.

[53] Hardcore Gamer also noticed the number of items provided during investigations and interactions which are needed to solve the cases and find the culprits.

[65] Besides the serious class trials he solves, Makoto received attention from PlayStation LifeStyle's Russell Ritchey and Polygon's Megan Farokhmanesh for his interactions with the main cast that developed the relationships between them.

Bradly Halestrom criticized how in certain cases, learning the murderer's identity as a player was too easy, taking less time than the characters in the game required.

[74] Both GiantBomb's Patrick Klepek and RPGFan's John McCarroll agreed, who found the difficulty to be lacking during the trials, while also stating that the mini-games did not fit in with the main sections of the game.

[62][6] Ramón Varela from Vandal felt that the investigations for trials had to be taken seriously, since Makoto has to find logical errors in a specific argument rather than just shooting a bullet at random.

[73] Besides focusing on the number of mini-games the trials offer, Vincent found the English audio appealing enough in comparison the original Japanese version.

[79] In 2017, Famitsu readers voted Danganronpa as the fourth best adventure game of all time, behind Steins;Gate, 428: Shibuya Scramble, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

[80] Dontnod Entertainment creative director Jean-Maxime Moris also chose Danganronpa as his personal game of the year, praising its writing and gameplay mechanics.

[83][84] Another novel series written by Takekuni Kitayama and illustrated by Komatsuzaki, titled Danganronpa Kirigiri (ダンガンロンパ霧切), began release from September 13, 2013.

The first adaptation, illustrated by Saku Toutani, was published in Enterbrain's Famitsu Comic Clear web magazine between June 24, 2011, and October 18, 2013, and is told from the perspective of the other students.

[88] The second, illustrated by Samurai Takashi and based on Danganronpa: The Animation, began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's Shōnen Ace magazine from July 2013.