Earlier this month, I wrapped up Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony for the first time. It was a grand finale to my journey through a huge multimedia series that has captivated me ever since it enjoyed a resurgence during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns. But more intriguingly, this completion meant I approached the demo for The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy at the recent Steam Next Fest with the end of co-creator Kazutaka Kodaka’s famed series fresh in my mind.
Back when Danganronpa V3 launched in 2017, Kodaka and several former Spike Chunsoft collaborators went on to establish Too Kyo Games. Since then, their releases have sparked chatter among fans, eager to identify them as Danganronpa 4, at least in essence, if not in title. However, games like World’s End Club in 2020 and Master Detective Archives: Rain Code in 2023, though reminiscent, diverged on fundamental aspects—World’s End Club skipped the murder game angle, and Rain Code didn’t feature school life.
The Hundred Line is no exception to such comparisons, and after experiencing the demo, it seems even more determined to echo the Danganronpa spirit than past titles from Too Kyo. The musical themes and sound effects are so familiar that fans might feel like they’re hearing them straight from Kodaka’s previous works. The art style and character archetypes offer a cozy nostalgia, akin to meeting distant relatives who are strangely familiar.
In the opening scenes of The Hundred Line, the uncanny resemblance to Danganronpa’s delivery style immediately stands out, showcasing a sequence of fully-animated, voiced cutscenes that may feel different to those accustomed to Danganronpa’s visual novel format. The story begins almost identically; a typical teen boy and his not-a-girlfriend find themselves derailed from a normal school day, leading to a strange scenario where the protagonist wakes up in an unknown environment with a bizarre cartoon mascot at the helm.
Too Kyo playfully teases the audience for their expectations—there’s even a character thrilled by the idea they might be thrust into a life-or-death battle royale. However, The Hundred Line’s narrative takes a different turn as it’s a turn-based strategy game. Here, the characters unite to fend off malicious robots and peculiar monsters, preventing the kind of disaster usually lurking in Danganronpa’s broader scope.
For someone relatively new to turn-based combat, I won’t pretend I’m entirely qualified to judge The Hundred Line’s prowess as a strategy game, but I am versed enough in the genre to appreciate its engaging, though not groundbreaking, strategic challenges. It seems poised to attract visual novel fans exploring strategy games, rather than hardcore strategy gamers.
The demo unfolds over the first seven in-game days, closing on an intriguing cliffhanger that I won’t spoil, which promises to please fans of the creators’ past projects. Yet, there’s no suggestion that The Hundred Line is secretly gearing up for a return to Danganronpa’s murder game roots. Frankly, I think it’s better off forging its own path. Kodaka’s lengthy explanation on why he’d rather not keep revisiting Danganronpa suggests that if there will ever be a Danganronpa 4, it’s likely to bear the franchise’s name and stand distinctly separate.
You won’t do yourself—nor the game—justice by diving into The Hundred Line with expectations of it being ‘more Danganronpa.’ Nonetheless, it signals to its audience that the quirky characters and intense plots they adored in Danganronpa can still be delivered by Too Kyo—without sticking to one gameplay style or formula.
Everything I’ve experienced so far has struck a perfect mix of a fresh journey and nods to the past. As I continue to explore, I’m curious to see which aspect will prevail in the full release. Interestingly, the game, set to release in 2025, subtly suggests the importance of unity over division—perhaps reflecting a natural progression of familiar themes rather than a complete overhaul.
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy demo is presently available on Steam, and the full version is slated for an April 24th release for Windows and Nintendo Switch. For PC gamers, there’s the added perk that progress made in the demo will carry over to the final version.
