Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

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 10^th 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.