‘Danganronpa 2×2’ Slayhem Mode Brings New Thrills, Chills, & Kills

Spike Chunsoft has been very clear that it would rather you not refer to the upcoming Danganronpa 2×2 as a remake of Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, thank you very much, and the company’s Anime Expo 2026 panel finally made clear why. While Spike Chunsoft says Danganronpa 2×2 will include “enhanced visuals and updated presentation for modern game systems,” there’ll also be something called “Slayhem mode,” which sounds like pretty much an entirely different game.

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According to the press release, Slayhem mode “features a new scenario based on Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, but completely different storyline. In ‘Slayhem,’ a certain incident triggers a dramatically different chain of events with different victims, culprits, and tricks. Slayhem offers approximately 20% more content than Original mode.”

As cool as that sounds, perhaps even more exciting is the news that both modes will feature a revamped world map, removing the universally hated side-scrolling travel mechanic and replacing it with a more comprehensive 3D map instead. The game will also feature new illustrations and character images.

The terrible old map © Spike ChunsoftThe (presumably) much better new one © Spike Chunsoft

However, all these upgrades come at a cost: Danganronpa 2×2 was initially scheduled for Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox Series X|S later this year. It has now been pushed back to early 2027, but it’s a small price to pay for what’s essentially a whole new game plus a massive quality of life upgrade.

io9 is on the ground at Anime Expo 2026. We’ll be bringing you updates on all the biggest panels, screenings, and announcements, plus exclusive one-on-one interviews with the people behind some of the best and most popular anime around. You can check out all of io9’s Anime Expo coverage here.

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