The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy Explores Beloved Themes Without Being Danganronpa 4

Earlier this month, I wrapped up my first playthrough of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. With this, I’ve finally completed the main storyline of a series that has captivated me since its resurgence during the pandemic lockdowns of 2020. This timing was pretty perfect as it coincided with the Steam Next Fest, where I got to dive into the demo for The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy. With Danganronpa fresh in my mind, I was curious to see how this new title by Kazutaka Kodaka, co-creator of the Danganronpa series, would stack up.

Kodaka, along with some former Spike Chunsoft colleagues, established Too Kyo Games around the time of Danganronpa V3’s release in 2017. Since then, they’ve released several games that fans hoped might be the spiritual successors to Danganronpa, even though they weren’t official sequels. Titles like World’s End Club in 2020 and Master Detective Archives: Rain Code in 2023 have drawn clear parallels with Danganronpa, yet they’ve tread different paths—such as omitting the signature killing games or school settings.

The Hundred Line naturally draws comparisons, and after playing its demo, it’s clear why. The similarities to Danganronpa are strong, complete with familiar musical elements and sound effects that could easily be mistaken as reused assets. The character design and art style evoke that same mix of warmth and eerie familiarity you’d get from meeting family members you’ve only heard stories about.

In the first exciting half-hour, the game treats you to a series of animated and fully-voiced cutscenes that may feel strange if you’re used to Danganronpa’s visual novel format. It unfolds much like its predecessors: an ordinary teenager and his not-really-girlfriend find their day disrupted by bizarre events, leading to the protagonist waking up in a classroom full of strangers, facing a disconcerting cartoon mascot.

Too Kyo embraces its audience’s expectations with a bit of playful teasing. One character gleefully wonders if they’re in for a deadly survival game, familiar territory for Danganronpa fans. However, this is where the stories diverge. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy is a turn-based strategy game focused on collaboration against evil robots and strange monsters, unraveling potential doomsday scenarios that usually hang in the backdrop of Danganronpa games.

As someone new to the world of turn-based combat, I hesitate to critique The Hundred Line’s strategy game elements extensively, but I’m not entirely inexperienced either. The game offers intriguing strategic puzzles without revolutionary innovations—typical from a team branching into new gameplay genres. It seems poised to serve as a gateway strategy experience for visual novel enthusiasts rather than seasoned strategy gamers.

The demo covers the first seven days, concluding with a cliffhanger that should entice fans of the creators’ previous work. However, it’s clear that The Hundred Line isn’t covertly reviving the killing game trope but rather carving out its unique identity. Having just completed Kodaka’s lengthy exploration of why he’s moved on from revisiting Danganronpa unless he’s inspired to, I’m content with this direction. If Danganronpa 4 ever materializes, it’s certain to do so under its rightful name.

While you shouldn’t approach The Hundred Line purely seeking a Danganronpa sequel, you’ll find it shares the engaging characters and wild narrative arcs that we loved in that series. Too Kyo adeptly balances between charting new paths and indulging in nostalgic nods. I’m eager to see which side shines through in the full release.

The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy is set to launch on April 24th for Windows and Nintendo Switch, with a demo currently available on Steam that allows players to carry progress over to the full game. This timely release reminds us there’s strength in unity—an idea that could signal an evolution rather than a subversion of the old tropes.