The ultimate power of SARDINES!!!!
It was in my review of Disgaea D2 that I praised the series for implementing brand new game mechanics to iron out some of the rough edges of the game play mechanics.
When I decided to review Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited, I dreaded the idea of going back to a older system now that I was used to all the bells and whistles the latest in the series had to offer.
However, as I progressed deeper into this title, I learned that not only is this a different game than the one I played on PS3 but a far superior experience in almost every single way.
Val knows how to properly balance the difficulty in a game.
MSRP: $39.99
Platforms: PSV
Voice Acting: Includes both JPN/ENG
Multiplayer: Rankings and Pirate battles.
Demo Availability: Yes
Length: Around 30-40 hours for main story and 100s for post-game content.
For those unfamiliar with the Disgaea series, it’s an SRPG that’s incredibly over the top and undoubtedly Japanese. It also hosts one of the deepest, most complex game mechanics to ever grace a video game.
It’s an experience quite unlike any other with the maximum level reaching to 9999 and damage numbers in the billions being child’s play.
Don’t believe me?
AND THIS ISN’T EVEN MY FINAL FORM.
Disgaea 4 was originally released on the PS3 almost three years ago and marked the first title in the series to use high-res sprites.
For this re-release, they decided to implement many elements from the latest in the series to great effect.
Among them, the most notable addition is the cheat shop which allowed for easy access to game parameters like experience, mana and HL gain as well as the strength of the enemies.
I praised this system up and down in my review of Disgaea D2 and it was great to have it back here.
Unfortunately, the cheat shop isn’t as flushed put as it was in D:D2 as the options are much more limited but it has the essentials, at least.
There is also a rather lengthy and new, never before seen story arc where Fuuka and Desco travel back in time to see the fateful encounter between Tyrant Valvatorez and Artina.
It plays out in multiple chapters spanning over a dozen battles and serves to flush out the story a bit more while adding some new characters to the party.
There’s also the inclusion of all the DLC for D4 already installed by default and considering there was easily over a hundred dollars worth of DLC content released for D4, it’s quite a lot to dig into.
The cheat shop in all its glory.
With all the new mechanics and content, it’s nearly the perfect example of a proper re-release if it wasn’t for the massive slow-downs that occur in the item world where there are simply too much stuff filling the screen at once.
Hundreds of panels, all growing different colors with a dozen enemy units menacingly standing about waiting for you to make your move was enough to slow down the PS3 down and it’s no different on the Vita.
In fact, I would say that the effect is a lot more noticeable which is understandable given the less power that the Vita has.
Luckily, the effect is limited mostly to the randomized item and character worlds but it worth mentioning all the same.
All the doubts I had about going back to an older Disgaea game was wiped away quickly as I delved deeper to experience new elements of this familiar but new title. This is most certainly the definitive version of Disgaea 4 and a worthy addition to any JRPG fan’s collection.
Fun Tidbit – There are also the inclusion of resident storage which makes managing innocents easier, brand new skills for generic classes and even a easy to use duping method to help with post-game content.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
