Disgaea PC (PC) Review

Fans who expected robust graphical overhauls will be disappointed, as most of the improvements were to maps and portraits, but not character models. Luckily, Laharl and the gang were spared the indignity of questionable redesigns, a la Final Fantasy VI, but they don't really appear to have been improved, either. Whether this is a problem depends on individual preferences, but the graphics are clear and concise, and they don't detract from the experience. While maps look better than ever, the overall graphics merely get the job done—nothing more, and nothing less.

This is essentially Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness on PC, which will be helpful for those who didn't play the re-release on PSP, and Etna's campaign is still available from the start with a short code. However, this is where one of the problems appears: menus and tutorials reference things like "Button 1" and "Button 4," with no indication of what key or button the game actually considers "Button 4." By default, "Button 4" is the Escape key, and it becomes needlessly obtuse. It raises the question: Why couldn't menus and tutorials simply reference the key that was actually mapped (such as "[Esc]" and "[Enter]") instead of these arcane numberings? This is easier with a controller, since obviously Circle/B will be cancel and Triangle/Y will open the menu, but players who see "Button 3" and have to figure out what that means are in for unnecessary confusion, especially with a keyboard.

Those are the only real problems with Disgaea PC, other than its uninspired name, because the series still exists in a niche that doesn't offer up much serious competition. Turn-based strategy role-playing games aren't exactly mainstream, and Nippon Ichi's charming series stands tall among them. This position in the gaming industry is well earned: the characters are fascinating, their relationships are enticing, and the voice acting has just the right amount of narm to make players laugh and smile. The spoiled demon prince Laharl attempting to become Overlord while Mid-Boss and others try to usurp his throne provides a lot of entertainment, and it only gets better when the dim-witted but endearing angel, Flonne, enters and falls in love with the prince.

The Disgaea series is certainly not one that takes itself seriously, and part of the fun is exploring the countless options and finding new ways to completely break game balance. The level cap is an absurd 9999, and it's typical to see damage numbers in the tens of millions, but here is where one of the original's biggest problems appear: the game isn't balanced. The only stats that matter are Strength and Intelligence, for warriors and spellcasters respectively. At later stages of the game, victory is essentially determined by whoever hits first, and this core issue has persisted through all releases of the original game. Within the campaign, this isn't an issue, but the story is a very small portion of what is on offer.

The Item World is where most time will be spent. It's a dimension hidden inside an item, where Laharl and his team must fight their way through a series of floors, defeating Specialists along the way, who provide stat bonuses to the items that contain them. For each floor defeated, the item also gains a level, which makes it more powerful, and every single item in the game can be entered this way. Far from simply maxing out a character's stats, it's also possible to max out their equipment.

Nor is that all. The Dark Assembly is the Netherworld's parliament, and humanoid characters can use Mana, which is earned by defeating enemies, to propose various pieces of legislation. Senators can be bribed with items, which makes them more likely to support the bill, but if all else fails, the character can attempt to "persuade" the Senators to support the bill—essentially by killing everyone who stood against it. Since some of these bills are tremendously helpful, getting them passed can be important.

As though all that wasn't enough to be doing, every monster that is defeated can also be recruited into the party at the Dark Assembly. Each monster has advantages and disadvantages, as well as unique skills. Since Skills also gain levels, becoming more powerful and unlocking new Skills in the process, Disgaea PC becomes the min-maxer's best dream and worst nightmare; maxing a single character will take dozens and dozens of hours. Even then, a character reaching Level 9999 isn't necessarily maxed, because they can be Reincarnated to a different class, keeping a small percentage of their previous stats, subsequently becoming even more powerful with each Reincarnation.

Most of this absurd degree of customisation is optional, however, and isn't necessary to simply beat the main story. Skipping the Item World and Dark Assembly does amount to missing out on most of the game, but the main campaign can be completed without all the grinding. The hard part is tearing away from the Item World and Dark Assembly long enough to finish the campaign, but the story is well worth playing through thanks to the amusing characters and excellent voice acting.