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Disgaea: Heart of Darkness Review
Chris Leyton
27/05/2004
Finally Europeans get the chance to sample the zany delights of Disgaea...
At a time when games are generally âdumbing downâ to appeal to the masses, it certainly comes a pleasant surprise to pick up something like Disgaea: Heart of Darkness. A tactical-RPG that is likely to get completely overlooked when it hits the shop shelves, but for the few that are willing to take the risk and check out something substantially different to the norm, well youâre likely to find one of the most appealing and captivating titles that youâve played in a long time â“ they just donât make games like this anymoreâ¦
Using the traditional isometric viewpoint and merging 3D battlefields with charismatic 2D character sprites, Disgaea uses the traditional turn-based approach to combat, however those expecting a similar offering to that featured in the likes of Final Fantasy: Tactics may be in for a slight surprise.
Disgaea: Heart of Darkness casts you as Laharl, crown prince of the Netherworld, demon and spoilt brat. After two years of sleep Laharl awakens to hear that his father has died whilst he was grabbing some zzzzzzzzzâz, and that Netherworld is in need of a new overlord. Presuming that he is the natural successor and aided by his not so trusty vassal Etna, he sets off to take control of the land.
The story certainly sets the tone for the rest of the games events, in which wacky Japanese humour predominantly features and is in places enough to make you crack your sides. Nothing seems to be taken seriously, which is certainly different to the staple of action games weâre currently being drip-fed upon.
Structured into a series of chapters, each of which contain a series of battle stages; itâs fair to say the overall combat dynamic feels a lot less restrictive then in other tactical-RPGs, which once again comes as a nice diversion. The combat system still makes use of the turn-based approach, so you move your characters along the grid environment, carry out actions or attacks and then let your opponent go, before it all swings round again and the next turn continues. Your characters can make use of a variety of attacks from melee and ranged to special abilities and spells; in addition the combat system features a Combo technique, whereby having characters standing in adjacent blocks to you will result in a combo attack.
The overall combat appears to be less based on tactics then other titles in the genre, however this isnât necessarily a bad thing, as the result is a highly unique and appealing offering that fans of the genre will quickly come to love â“ idiosyncrasies as well.
Clearing stages and earning bonuses grants you experience, which can be used to level-up your characters or items, along with unlocking new worlds and character classes. In keeping with the zany nature of the game, itâs completely possible to level up your characters into their thousands, as recently confirmed to TVG. Whereas combat remains the main emphasis in other titles, Disgaea main dynamic lies in character building.
By spending Mana points which you earn from battles, players can create a wide range of characters including fighters, mages, brawlers and clerics; whilst further progress into the game opens up a selection of more specific classes such as ninjas and scouts. Creation involves consulting with the Netherworldâs Dark Assembly and selecting the class, naming them, equipping them and levelling up their abilities; naturally this can become quite tedious, however the game thankfully includes a âtransmigateâ option allowing you to merge an existing character into a new class. Doing so will bring the character down to Level 1, however they will inherit some of their skills from their previous incarnation. This approach ensures that the player has a great degree of freedom when it comes to creating their characters, and can lead to some completely OTT situations that perfectly suit the tone of the game.
The Dark Assembly previously mentioned above also come into the game in one of its many little novel features, allowing players to petition the group of demonic senators to grant bonuses, open up new items in the shops and many more. Players can check their petition to see which of the senators agree or disagree with the idea, and then go off to bribe those that are opposing the suggestion or try to beat them in a fight.
Along with levelling up your characters itâs entirely possible to level up the items in your possession. Once again itâs a completely whacky concept that sees you âjumpingâ into the item, and fighting in increasingly difficult, randomly-generated battlefields within the item. Progressing through each stage earns the item a level-up, however you need to make sure you escape intact otherwise youâll loose the item in question.
