Disgaea is a turned-based
strategy/RPG game for the Playstation 2. You play the role of Prince Laharl who
has awakened from a two-year sleep to find out his father, King Krichevskoy, has
passed away. But this isn’t an ordinary King. Krichevskoy was the King of the
Underworld, and Laharl is the Prince of the dark realm. To make matters worse,
Laharl learned that his father died two years ago, and his servant, Etna, has
been trying desperately to awaken him. During his naptime, the dark realm has
fallen into chaos, with Demons and other creatures vying for power. Prince
Laharl, along with Etna (and others), must battle these forces to regain control
of the Underworld.
The basic premise of
Disgaea has you playing the role of a Prince Laharl trying to regain control of
the Underworld. Since Laharl has been asleep for two years, and his father died
during this time, he isn’t a happy camper. In-fact he has a very strong, punk-ish
attitude towards everyone in the game. But since he’s the Dark Prince of the
Underworld, he can get away with it. His servant, Etna, is very cynical towards
the Prince and is always looking for an opportunity to make comments about the
Prince. The beginning of the game really shows off the attitude of the Prince
and Etna. This isn’t a wholesome, squeaky-clean strategy game. The Prince is
the evil Prince. He talks like an evil Prince. He doesn’t want someone to
live; he wants everyone to die. His father died two years ago and he’s bound to
take his fury out on everyone. Prince Laharl’s attitude comes across loud and
clear, but can be a little overbearing from time to time. Yes we know he’s the
Dark Prince, and yes his father died. But the Prince comes across a little too
harsh.
Since the game is
strategy/RPG based, the developers have included a tutorial mode. The tutorial
mode is very helpful in reviewing the different options and strategies available
in the game. The weapon tutorial that explains the different weapons available
in the game. Other tutorials available in the game cover how the battles are
fought, where to purchase equipment, the Hospital, the Dark Assembly and the
Item World. The tutorials are very helpful for novice players to a strategy
game and to veterans of strategy games, you probably won’t need to crack open
the instruction manual by using the included tutorials.
Both the Dark Assembly and
Item World are very intriguing features within the game. The Dark Assembly
allows you to create monsters to use during battle. But the Dark Assembly also
allows you to influence members of the Senate. Certain creatures that can be
created require special approval, and the Senate can grant you this approval.
You can bribe the Senators or even destroy them to get your request approved.
Just call yourself Prince Laharl, the lobbyist!
The Item World is another
unique feature to the game. The Item World is another set of stages available
to battle on, but with a twist. Each item you possess contains a different Item
World. You can then go inside of the item to do battle in the Item World. By
performing battles in the Item World, you can increase the levels of your
characters and the status of your items. The catch to this is interesting as
well; you cannot take the item you want to increase into the Item World. The
item must be left behind. If you have a sword or axe you really love, then you
have to leave it behind to increase the weapon’s status. So you can level up
your weapons in the game, but by not even using them! Just enter the Item World
of the weapon you wish to work on. Kudos to the developers for this idea!
All combat in the game is
done by turn based strategy. All of the battles are done on a stage/grid
similar to other strategy games. You can have up to 10 members in your party to
battle the forces in the Underworld. Initially Etna recruits a few lackeys for
the Prince to use during battles. With the RPG elements of leveling up your
character included in the game, you have to pay close attention to who makes the
final blow in battle. The character that makes the final blow will receive the
experience points. Making sure all of your characters get a chance to increase
their levels is crucial to the game. As you progress farther in the game, of
course the monsters become more difficult. If you only have one character up to
level 6, but the enemy has five monsters at level 6 or higher, then you’re in
trouble. Backtracking into the Item World to increase some levels would
probably be a sound strategy.
The fun options are not
limited to the Item World or Dark Assembly. During combat there are several
options that can get the party jumping (so to speak). One option is the ability
to lift and throw characters during battle. If one of your teammates is
hurting, you can lift them up and throw them to another section on the screen.
Your enemies can be targeted as well. Throwing a nagging enemy to another
section of the screen could allow you a few extra turns to heal yourself.
Another option is the Geo Effects. A Geo Effect is an item that applies
special attributes to a section of the map. If a Geo Effect gives a bonus of a
40% increase in experience points, then you would receive an extra 40% in
experience for any creatures destroyed standing in a Geo Effect area. If the
Geo Effect is giving an advantage to the enemy, then you can either destroy the
Geo Effect or lift/throw the effect to another area on the map.
Another fun option during
combat is a combo system. If you have two or more characters near each other,
they can automatically attack the enemy with a combo attack. These are usually
special attacks that depend on which characters team up for the combo. Even
after the combo effect goes off, your character can still attack another
character if you have selected this option during your turn. This can create an
almost limitless amount of attacks that can be generated. If everyone in your
party is placed in key areas around the enemy, then everyone can attack with a
combo and still attack after the combos have completed. So this creates a
double attack for all of your characters. But be careful, the enemy has the
same options available. If they attack with a combo, the enemy still has their
regular attack as well.
With all of the good traits
mentioned above, the game does have some problems. The camera angle in the game
can become a problem. You can rotate the camera around during the stage, but
not during the enemy’s turn. Sometimes your characters would get lost behind
the buildings and you couldn’t see them. The graphics for most of the
characters are very similar for different character types. A character that can
use fire magic will look very similar to a character that can use ice magic.
The only difference is the color of the characters. The controls can be a
little confusing at times. You have to execute your commands before someone in
your party will do an attack. You can select anything in the game by pressing the
“X” button, but to execute you have to press the triangle button to bring up the
menu. Sometimes I pressed the triangle button and ending my turn before I was
ready.
Gameplay 8.0
The turn based strategy
section of the game is well done. The RPG elements are not overblown but add a
nice touch to the game. Exploring the Item World can increase the status of
your character and of your items. Creating characters for your army is
expansive and provides plenty of options for hard core gamers. The menus and
controls are well thought out, except for the triangle button problem mentioned
earlier. However the game does come with an excellent tutorial that will
guide you through the controls, the battle system, the Item World, weapons, and
the Dark Assembly. Most of the battles are over quickly and you have the option
to exit after your normal battles. The game can drag on when in large
confrontations, but this is common with most strategy games. However when in
the Item World you can only leave after the 10th stage. So
going through 10 different battles before you can leave could take awhile. This can
be very frustrating because you can only save when not in battle.
Graphics 7.5
The game is a mixture of 2D
and 3D graphics. The characters are 2D but the stages are in 3D overhead view.
The 2D sprites are detailed but not extremely detailed. There are in game cut
scenes as well, but characters are just 2D cells as well. Now saying all of
this doesn’t mean the graphics are bad, but some newer players might be let
down. Old School gamers will probably enjoy the graphics right away because
they are similar to older games of the past. The characters during the in game
cut scenes are anime style characters. So you get the “Big Purple Hair” hero
typical of other games. The magic spells and combat graphics are good as well,
but not overwhelming. The graphics can sometimes resemble a very detailed Playstation 1 game, not a Playstation 2. But the graphics do not distract from
the game itself.
Sound 7.7
The music was very well
done for the game. Since the game is set in the Underworld, the music matches
this tone. The sound effects are standard weapon sounds that most gamers have
heard before. The voices during the battle can be repetitive at times. The
voice acting in the game is above average. As I mentioned earlier the Prince
has a very punk-ish attitude and the character’s voice comes across this way as
well. You might have the temptation to either turn the volume down or just
skip past the in game cut scenes after hearing the Prince a few times. The rest
of the voice acting is similar as well, not the best in the world but above
average.
Difficulty Medium
With a very helpful
tutorial system at the beginning of the game, everyone should be able to jump
into the game without a problem. The tutorial gives an excellent overview of
the game. Leveling up your characters can be a problem. Keeping everyone in the
unit alive and gaining experience points at the same time can be frustrating.
Concept 8.5
The concept for Disgaea is
very good. The game combines a strategy game along with RPG elements to level
up your character and your items. The RPG elements will make you use more
strategy during the game. The Dark Assembly idea opens up a political element
to the game by making you a lobbyist. You also have the opportunity to
influence Senators in the game that could have an impact on characters for your
army. The Item World option is a great option for the game as well. Just
having the opportunity to go “inside” of your weapon or item is very unique.
The Geo Panels and character lifting during battle is another great option as
well.
Overall: 8.0
Disgaea is a great title
for anyone looking for a great strategy game. The game will appeal instantly to
anyone who has played Final Fantasy Tactics, the Ogre Battle series, or other
strategy games for the Playstation 1. The 2D graphics and anime style should
also appeal to hard core gamers as well. But new gamers should really give it a
shot because of the excellent Dark Assembly and Item World options. The
tutorial system is user friendly and anyone can jump in right away. Just be
careful, the Prince has an ego problem and it becomes very clear, right away.
But with all of the different gameplay elements, Disgaea is a great addition to
anyone’s library, Old School or New School.
