PixlBit

As much as I love games, I dread the hours it takes to get over the hump of one that’s new and unfamiliar. When I finally get over it, I hope that I didn’t waste those hours on a game I won’t keep playing. So when I fired up Disgaea 1 Complete for the Nintendo Switch I wasn’t sure what to expect. Even though it’s been fifteen years since the game’s initial release, it was still a new and unfamiliar title for me. Thankfully, I’m glad to say that the hours spent getting over that initial hump were worth it.

Disgaea 1 Complete is an HD remaster of the original Disgaea: Hour of Darkness released on the Playstation 2 in 2003. Disgaea focuses on the arrogant prince of the Netherworld, Laharl, waking up after a long slumber to learn that his father has passed. His father’s death leads to numerous demons trying to claim the throne that is rightfully his. Along with his rebellious vassal, Etna, he begins fighting to take his place as king. This may make it sound like a serious drama but it’s much more light hearted. There's plenty of humor added to the twists and multiple endings to be had in this turn-based strategy game. The Nintendo Switch version features some additional content besides the obvious graphical upgrade.

Disgaea allows 10 characters into battle but honestly it can be tiring to handle so many at once. I found myself only using about 6 but I’d occasionally bring in the extras to get some free EXP when the level would be giving it. One thing I appreciated was how easy it was to bring characters into battle. Since you are able to select your characters after seeing the map you’re never penalized for choosing poorly beforehand. You can even return a character and swap them out with one of the hundred you’re allowed to create if you picked the wrong one accidentally.

There’s plenty of classes to take into battle, and defeating monsters in a level gives you the option to summon them as well. I found myself a bit overwhelmed with the amount of subtle differences that each class could split into. The few different paths you can go down don’t seem to change it up drastically. I personally felt these branches were unnecessary after awhile, since characters can reach levels high enough to put an average bank account to shame, but I'm sure they are very much appreciated by hardcore players. For average players like myself it can be disheartening to see the hard work you poured into a character feel wasted since a technically better but not much different version unlocked hours later. A nice thing about Disgaea though is you don’t have to leave these characters to rot.

This game is perfect for anyone who loves to see numbers go up. Those old characters can be utilized with a bit of effort. Using the games systems you can reclass, buff up, and level back up to have a stronger character. I found a few ways to make the initial grinding a lot less stressful but it could still be a bit time consuming. Some of the mechanics around this could have been explained more thoroughly. For instance, at one point I lost a few skills but I was able to figure it out fairly quickly with trial and error. At some point it’s pretty ridiculous how much effort you can pour into a character but it’s there if you want it.

Combat in Disgaea is where strategists can shine. You must have a plan since battles can vary greatly due to attack range, terrain height, and the prolific “Geo Panels”. Geo Panels are easily one of the most unique and defining features of Disgaea. They are also some of the most difficult to wrap your head around. Geo Panels can litter the grid with different colors that can each provide a buff or status effect for any character standing on it. Initially this isn't too complicated but then you hit a level that’s colored like a lit up Christmas tree. At these moments I had to really pay attention and plan carefully, because it's very easy for things to get out of hand. Unknowingly creating evil doppelgangers or trying to take down enemies that have 3+ buffs can make finishing a level nearly impossible. The game does give you some options to handle these scenarios but it can be a bit too luck dependent for my tastes. The Geo Symbols providing the Panels buffs can be located deep in enemy territory or two spaces away from you and need to be handled if you want to neutralize the effects. Thankfully, the campaign doesn’t randomize the Geo Mechanism and it doesn’t stack the deck impossibly against you. Some of the optional side content on the other hand, can be impossible if the random effects are aligned just right. I didn’t come across this myself but it is possible. At that point you just have to exit and retry.

I believe this is mostly due to the game being of a different era. The game shows its age in a few other departments as well. The voice work definitely sounds like it’s from a few generations ago but it isn’t really an issue since Disgaea doesn’t take itself very seriously. The menus could have definitely benefited from an info button. There were too many times I had to search for the meanings behind a dozen abbreviations. I was also rarely comfortable with the camera position. You can rotate it but even then it rarely ever seemed to be at a distance or angle I was satisfied with.

Despite its shortcomings I have an easy time looking past them and recommending Disgaea. This game is close to being 3 console generations old but you wouldn’t know it with the HD upgrade. The sprites were beautiful and nicely detailed then. Now they are gorgeously sharp and pop off the screen. Even the gameplay has easily held up all these years later. This sentiment may not be shared by someone who has grown with later iterations of the series, but for anyone interested for the first time it does plenty right. I had a great time and even a few laughs with Disgaea. To top it off, this version even has an alternate storyline that wasn’t in the original game. There’s a lot of game in this package. Disgaea may be 15 years old, but it still holds up as a great tactical RPG that is well worth your time.