Review for Disgaea 1 Complete. Game for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 26/07/2018 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 09/10/2018 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 09/10/2018
It is useless to turn around: we are going through a fairly particular videogame period, where every three for two is announced yet another remastered of old glories (or presumed such) of the past, wanting to allow the youngest to approach titles that they never would have thought of playing. , either because of an alleged lack of ideas, or you want to leverage the inevitable nostalgia factor.
Disgaea 1 Complete fits perfectly into this category, since we are talking about a remastered and corrected version of that Disgaea: Hour of Darkness released in May 2003 on PlayStation 2. A title that immediately made headlines, not only for its quality , with a gameplay in the style of Final Fantasy Tactics and nice graphics, but also for the very well written plot, seasoned with a truly brilliant humor. Having read these first lines, you might therefore think that it is not even worth continuing with the reading, since Disgaea 1 Complete does not add much to the original, but we can assure you that underneath the title it hides some small gem that, if you love the genre (but even if you don't go away), it could make you think again.
Without getting too lost in chatter, let's go and see what awaits us in the course of the adventures of our demonic lord Laharl.
I am the real King!
The game takes us to the Kingdom of Netherworld, narrating how the death of the Overlord of the aforementioned triggers the beginning of an unprecedented power struggle. About two years after those events, the prince Laharl is awakened by Etna, vassal of the King, telling him what happened and the fact that over the years she has never been able to wake him up in any way. At this point, Laharl decides that the time has come to reclaim the throne that belongs to him by right, and to do so he will have to make the people of Netherworld understand what a real demon is made of!
The incipit allows us, as in any good self-respecting game, to outline what the plot will be, but not only. During this first narrated phase, what first catches the eye is thebrilliant humor which Disgaea 1 Complete is imbued with. Of course, those who are accustomed to the series will not notice anything new, but given the very nature of this edition we think it is right to address mainly those who enter the universe of Disgaea for the first time. This humor will be present during the entire flow of the adventure, alternating yes to more serious and heavy moments, but always emerging at the right moment; in the approximately forty hours it took to complete the main story, it never seemed out of place or too intrusive.
You have to take care of your army
Obviously the humorous part of Disgaea 1 Complete is not the only one that stands out and since we are talking about a Tactical RPG the things to say are not few. Starting from the beginning, it is simply a strategic checkerboard with a strong role-playing component. We will be able to recruit different characters, divided by race and class, to add to our team; each of them will start from level 1 and it will be our care to make it grow according to our needs. Fighters, wizards, dragons, zombies, demons and so on and so forth, the choice is truly vast, with new characters that will be added to the availability slowly as we continue. We add that always for each of them there will be five slots to equip weapons and accessories and that's it. In addition, we will be able to choose "how" to summon new allies. Each summon has a cost, expressed in mana, which varies according to the basic statistics with which the new ally will be recruited: the more we decide to spend, the more we may have a powerful ally. Do not underestimate the different options, later in the game the management of your resources will become more and more important.
During the clashes, the fulcrum of Disgaea 1 Complete's gameplay, it will be our care to decide how many and which of the available characters to summon, based on multiple factors, such as the attack range, the various weaknesses or simply the level. Here, too, the choice is more important than you might think, given that in the event that one of your allies is defeated in battle you will no longer be able to call him back. Not only that, if you have spent all the points available, you will not even be able to summon a new one, forcing yourself to fight with one less character.
This status will remain even after the battle is completed, as well as the damage received: this means that damage and deaths will not be restored, but you will have to go back to the lobby each time and speak to the appropriate npc, who will then heal your characters for a high fee . A quite particular choice, which several times led us to lose some battles for forgetting to take care of our party. Nothing too bad after all, but we would have preferred the game itself to warn us that any of our characters didn't have the HP at most, considering then that it is not possible to exit a battle that has begun except by returning to the main menu. And if you haven't saved the situation it could be quite unpleasant.
A chessboard not for everyone
The clashes, however, know how to give a lot of satisfaction, starting from the very first stages. Well thought out maps, all different both in appearance and in particularity, which must first of all be studied. On any occasion we will be able to move freely as a spectator throughout the map, check the position of enemies and allies, know their range of motion, check which area is "buffable" or not. Each character will be able to perform different actions within the board: move, attack, perform a special move, defend etc. Special moves are the most interesting choice, as they are different for each ally. These are basically more powerful attacks that require a certain amount of SP, and that once executed lead to an animation that has left us pleasantly surprised by the care shown in the realization.
On balance, before moving on to lead your hands, Disgaea 1 Complete requires some study of the terrain, in order to avoid being defeated in a few turns. Let's add that the difficulty follows a fairly steep curve, and you will have the perfect strategy ... or almost. Because if on the one hand tactics and difficult situations can tempt the most daring, on the other many novices may not find these mechanics easily accessible, indeed, the less accustomed will not have much difficulty deciding to give up the title after only a few hours (or even less). It's not really a flaw, since difficulty is a fundamental part of the genre, but greater accessibility could have brought a higher number of players closer to the brand.
Real addition in Disgaea 1 Complete is definitely the Etna Mode, already present in Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness, PSP version of this first chapter. As the name suggests, the Etna Mode allows us to take on the role of Etna as the protagonist, after having accidentally killed Laharl (during the initial sequence visible in the normal mode). At this point, a real well-structured alternative universe is created, which extends the already excellent longevity.
Longevity increased further thanks to the different endings. Based on some choices made during the adventure, we will be able to attend different endings, from the classic "True Ending" to the "Good Ending" and the more feared "Bad Ending". To you the surprise of going to find out what fate will touch you.
Disgaea 1 Complete is a great product, a well-made enhanced port despite the few innovations. The graphics have been curated and perfectly adapted to the consoles of this generation, as well as the animations and the entire technical sector. And, icing on the cake, just as it was for Disgaea 5 Complete, the Switch version adds that extra touch thanks to portability. If you are a lover of well-written plots, comic skits, strategists and JRPGs, don't miss this opportunity.
► Disgaea 1 Complete is a JRPG-Tactical type game developed and published by for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 26/07/2018 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 09/10/2018 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 09/10/2018
