Kazutaka Kodaka began planning Master Detective Archives: Rain Code in 2016, while he was still working at Spike Chunsoft. It was designed to be different from the Danganronpa series, with a dark fantasy setting influenced by the works of Tim Burton. It also uses full 3D models throughout the game, as opposed to Danganronpa's blend of 3D environments and 2D characters: it does, however, still feature a similar psycho-pop aesthetic with neon colors.