Cyber Danganronpa VR: The Class Trial
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| Cyber Danganronpa VR: The Class Trial | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Developer | Spike Chunsoft |
| Publisher | Spike Chunsoft |
| Platform | PlayStation VR |
| Device | PlayStation VR |
| Operating System | PlayStation 4 |
| Type | Game |
| Genre | Mystery |
| Input Device | DualShock 4 |
| Game Mode | Single-player |
| Release Date | October 13, 2016 (Japan, Hong Kong); March 7, 2017 (North America); March 10, 2017 (Europe) |
| Price | Free for PlayStation Plus members; listed as not available for purchase on the US PlayStation Store (October 2026) |
| App Store | PlayStation Store |
| Website | https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/216948 |
Cyber Danganronpa VR: The Class Trial is a short virtual reality tech demo developed and published by Spike Chunsoft for the PlayStation VR headset on PlayStation 4. Based on Spike Chunsoft's game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, it places the player inside one of the series' "class trials", a debate in which students expose the culprit of a murder, and ends with a first-person punishment scene staged by the series' mascot Monokuma.[1][2]
The demo was first shown for Sony's Project Morpheus prototype in Hong Kong in July 2015.[3] It was released on 13 October 2016, the day PlayStation VR launched, as a free download for PlayStation Plus members in Japan and Hong Kong, and reached North America on 7 March 2017 and Europe on 10 March 2017.[4][5] UploadVR reported that it was the first VR-only title handed out through the PlayStation Plus subscription.[6]
Gameplay
The demo recreates the class trial from the fourth chapter of the original Danganronpa, in which the students investigate the death of Sakura Ogami.[1][7] At the start, Monokuma tells the player that they are the protagonist Makoto Naegi and that they will be punished if they fail to name the culprit.[7] The trial room is modeled all around the player, and the characters, drawn as 2D cutouts in the PSP and PlayStation Vita versions, are rendered as 3D models.[1][7]
The player refutes the classmates' arguments by firing "truth bullets" at suspicious statements, pressing R2 on the DualShock 4 to shoot.[6][7] Siliconera's 2015 description of the Project Morpheus demo said the player turns their head toward the character they want to rebut before firing,[1] while Mogura VR's 2016 hands-on described aiming with the DualShock 4 light bar.[8] In Dengeki Online's hands-on report, the statements move physically through the scene; one character throws an unfavorable statement out of view and another jumps into the middle of the view and stamps on it.[7]
The demo ends with a non-interactive punishment sequence seen from a first-person view.[1] Mogura VR noted that, however many statements the player refutes, the demo always ends with the player character being executed.[8] In the version shown at Tokyo Game Show 2015, the player's seat is carried toward a press that comes down on the player.[7] Destructoid described the whole experience as a tech demo of roughly ten minutes rather than a full game.[9]
The PlayStation Store listing describes it as a one-player title that supports DualShock 4 vibration and outputs 720p or 1080p video, and states that PlayStation VR and the PlayStation Camera are required.[2]
Development
Siliconera reported that the demo was Spike Chunsoft's first project for PlayStation 4 and that the studio chose Unreal Engine 4 so that it could finish the demo quickly.[1] Danganronpa producer Yoshinori Terasawa added the punishment scene so that players could feel its horror. He cited Bandai Namco's Project Morpheus demo Summer Lesson, led by Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada, as an inspiration because it offered "a brand new experience". Asked why the studio had not built a demo from the shooter spin-off Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, Terasawa said that other companies would be able to make VR shooting games and that he wanted to show what Spike Chunsoft could do uniquely.[1]
Sony Computer Entertainment Hong Kong presented the demo at Ani-Com & Games Hong Kong 2015 (24-28 July 2015), one of five Project Morpheus titles at its booth alongside Summer Lesson and The London Heist.[3][10] According to Inside, the Hong Kong demo had Japanese voices with Traditional Chinese and Japanese subtitles.[10] Spike Chunsoft then showed it at Tokyo Game Show 2015 in September 2015.[7]
Release
The demo was published on 13 October 2016 to coincide with the launch of PlayStation VR. It was a free download for PlayStation Plus accounts in Japan, with Japanese text, and in Hong Kong, where it included English, Chinese and Japanese.[4][9] The official PlayStation livestream program in Japan featured the demo on 19 October 2016.[11] Because the Asian release had English voice-over, fans asked about a Western version, and Spike Chunsoft replied on its English Twitter account that the English version was "currently Asia only but we're working to bring it to the west."[12][13]
Spike Chunsoft announced the Western dates at a press event during the Game Developers Conference 2017.[14][5] The publisher said the demo would arrive "as a free download for PlayStation Plus members on PlayStationVR ahead of the PlayStation 4 release of Danganronpa 1•2 Reload."[14]
| Region | Release date | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 13 October 2016 | Free for PlayStation Plus members, Japanese[4] |
| Hong Kong | 13 October 2016 | Free for PlayStation Plus members, English, Chinese and Japanese[4] |
| North America | 7 March 2017 | Free for PlayStation Plus members[14][6] |
| Europe | 10 March 2017 | Free for PlayStation Plus members[14][6] |
As of 7 October 2026, the title's page on the US PlayStation Store lists it as "Not available for purchase".[2]
Reception
Early coverage came from hands-on previews and news reports. Writing about off-screen footage from the Hong Kong reveal, Destructoid's Jordan Devore said it did not look "terribly exciting", adding that this is often true of VR content seen outside a headset.[15] Chris Carter of Destructoid, who had played it at an earlier Tokyo Game Show, called it "one worth playing" while warning readers that it was not a full game.[9]
Dengeki Online's hands-on, played at Spike Chunsoft ahead of TGS 2015, praised the three-dimensional trial room and the way statements fly around the scene. The writer said the punishment left their knees shaking and asked Spike Chunsoft to make a full product rather than only a tech demo.[7] Mogura VR said the characters' comic animation would amuse players unfamiliar with the series as well as fans.[8] UploadVR, reporting on the Western release, said it would like to see a full game based on the franchise.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Siliconera Staff (2015-07-27). "How Cyber Danganronpa VR Remakes Class Trials For Project Morpheus". Siliconera. https://www.siliconera.com/how-cyber-danganronpa-vr-remakes-class-trials-for-project-morpheus/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "CYBER DANGANRONPA VR THE CLASS TRIAL". PlayStation Store. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/216948. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Project Morpheus対応技術デモ『サイバーダンガンロンパVR 学級裁判』が発表！ 『ダンガンロンパ』の名シーンがVRの世界で再現". Famitsu. 2015-07-24. https://www.famitsu.com/news/201507/24084160.html. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Karen Ressler. "Cyber Danganronpa VR Launches for PlayStation 4". Anime News Network. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2016-10-13/cyber-danganronpa-vr-launches-for-playstation-4/.107620. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Rafael Antonio Pineda (2017-03-03). "Cyber Danganronpa VR Heads to N. America, Europe Next Week". Anime News Network. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-03-03/cyber-danganronpa-vr-heads-to-n-america-europe-next-week/.112931. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Jamie Feltham (2017-03-03). "Danganronpa VR Is The First PSVR-Only PlayStation Plus Freebie". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/danganronpa-vr-first-psvr-playstation-plus-freebie/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 まさん (2015-09-17). "TGSで試遊できる『サイバーダンガンロンパVR 学級裁判』体験レポ！ VRでおしおきターイム！【TGS2015】". Dengeki Online. https://dengekionline.com/elem/000/001/122/1122067. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 たかヰトモき (2016-09-22). "【PSVR】VR学級裁判で「論破！」 『サイバーダンガンロンパVR 学級裁判（デモ）』". MoguLive (Mogura VR). https://www.moguravr.com/?p=23342. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Chris Carter (2016-10-14). "You can download Cyber Danganronpa VR: The Class Trial now in certain regions on PS4". Destructoid. https://www.destructoid.com/you-can-download-cyber-danganronpa-vr-the-class-trial-now-in-certain-regions-on-ps4/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 臥待 弦 (2015-07-24). "『ダンガンロンパ』の学級裁判をVRで楽しめるMorpheus向け作品発表". Inside. https://www.inside-games.jp/article/2015/07/24/89700.html. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ "最終回まで後2回 今週の「プレキャス」はPSVR専用『ダンガンロンパVR』を紹介、放送は10月19日20時より". gamebiz. 2016-10-18. https://gamebiz.jp/news/171246. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Casey (2016-10-14). "Spike Chunsoft Says They Are Working On Bringing Danganronpa VR To The West". Siliconera. https://www.siliconera.com/spike-chunsoft-says-working-bringing-danganronpa-vr-west/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Karen Ressler. "Spike Chunsoft: Western Release Planned for Cyber Danganronpa VR Demo". Anime News Network. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2016-10-14/spike-chunsoft-western-release-planned-for-cyber-danganronpa-vr-demo/.107676. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Azario Lopez (2017-03-02). "Cyber Danganronpa VR: The Class Trial Comes Next Week to NA and EU". DualShockers. https://www.dualshockers.com/cyber-danganronpa-class-trial-vr-comes-next-week-na-eu/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- ↑ Jordan Devore (2015-07-24). "Cyber Danganronpa VR: Class Trial could be the start of something neat". Destructoid. https://www.destructoid.com/cyber-danganronpa-vr-class-trial-could-be-the-start-of-something-neat/. Retrieved 2026-10-07.