Claws of what?

Claws of Despair (or its slightly longer full name, Furryronpa: Claws of Despair) is a fangan created by Destona32. It was originally posted on Instagram with a Google Drive mirror on May 22, 2022. The publisher calls it a "High-speed Mystery Action Adventure". In reality, it's mostly a Visual Novel-style slideshow. Because of the platform and some of the subject matter, I doubt it will ever be localized outside of Instagram. But since it's one of my favorite fangans of 2022, I thought it's a shame people can't see it.

So what is it about?

I guess the best way to describe it is Phoenix Wright meets Battle Royale starring furries.

Sounds good. What about the LP?

Obviously, I will be transcribing the game.

This is a hybrid LP, though most of the time there will only be screenshots. Videos come in one place: there are some cut scenes that can't be done justice with screen shots.
For the most part, this is a very linear game. If you played the Phoenix Wright games you know the drill - there's exactly one place to click at any given time that will trigger the next story event and advance the game. However, there is a few parts of gameplay that allows for some choice. It doesn't affect the overall story but it allows players to focus on characters they like. I will open the decision to a vote once we get to that part.

Normal text is dialogue. Bold text is narration. Italic text is my own additions. This game is ridiculous, knows it, and doesn't really require snarky comments (it sometimes makes these snarky comments, in fact). This LP lets the game speak for itself, but adds supplemental information in many pleaces.

A note for people who are not color blind

Because of the intricacies of the Instagram posting guidelines, blood in this fangan is coloured pink. Rest assured, though, it is animal blood you will be looking at, and it doesn't mean our characters are secretly zombies or elves. If this bothers you too much, I suggest either reading this LP wearing red-tinted glasses or going on a nightlong photoshop colour-correction frenzy.

Table of Contents

Prologue
Ultimate Update #1
Ultimate Update #2
Ultimate Update #3
Ultimate Update #4

Attention, new readers! This post may contain spoilers up to where we currently are in the game. If you're just coming in, I suggest skipping it and heading straight to the first update.
Character Cards

Name: Ethan Spencer
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 128lbs.
Chest: 29"
Specialty: Ultimate Optimist


Name: Monika Kuma
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 149lbs.
Chest: 33"
Specialty: Ultimate Costume Designer


Name: Skylar Rush
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 125lbs.
Chest: 31"
Specialty: Ultimate Comedian


Name: Brandon Axford
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 168lbs.
Chest: 34"
Specialty: Ultimate Cheerleader


Name: Ryan Roberts
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 132lbs.
Chest: 30"
Specialty: Ultimate Barista


Name: Alex Calaway
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 150lbs.
Chest: 34"
Specialty: Ultimate Hiker


Name: Roxanne Blake
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 172lbs.
Chest: 31"
Specialty: Ultimate Journalist


Name: Wolfe Eastwood
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 143lbs.
Chest: 32"
Specialty: Ultimate Actor


Name: Dalia Hayley
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 114lbs.
Chest: 33"
Specialty: Ultimate Doll Maker


Name: Olivia Tanner
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 156lbs.
Chest: 38"
Specialty: Ultimate Instructor


Name: Trent Marsh
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 181lbs.
Chest: 35"
Specialty: Ultimate Scuba Diver


Name: Pashmina Wonder
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 157lbs.
Chest: 36"
Specialty: Ultimate School Idol


Name: Luke Buckner
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 131lbs.
Chest: 31"
Specialty: Ultimate DJ


Name: Zachary Code
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 160lbs.
Chest: 32"
Specialty: Ultimate Shopkeep


Name: Nathan Hope
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 142lbs.
Chest: 31"
Specialty: Ultimate Luckster (Unluckster?)


Name: Cynthia Mason
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 154lbs.
Chest: 33"
Specialty: Ultimate Entrepreneur