The Disgaea series will finally make its current-gen debut with the addition of the PS4 exclusive Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance on October 6th in North America, and October 9th in Europe. For those unfamiliar, Disgaea is a long-standing series of grid-based, turn-based strategy RPGs developed by Nippon Ichi Software, and is most well known for it’s completely over the top tone and humor. As a long time fan of Disgaea since it first released for the PS2, I’ve been waiting for the next installment for what seems like years! I’m very excited to be able to give you a preview of what’s in store for Disgaea fans when this highly anticipated sequel releases early next month.
Disgaea games thus far have chronicled the rise to fame of a variety of dastardly demons to the throne of the Overlord in the Netherworld, but this time Disgaea 5 turns all of that on its head. Early on in the game, it is revealed that there is not actually just one Netherworld, but many unique Netherworlds, each with their own Overlords, which combine to form a greater Disgaea multiverse. Enter Killia – a wandering warrior with a mysterious past and a desire for revenge against Void Dark. You play as Killia, and are joined by the seductress Seraphina and a steadily growing cast of Overlords as you depart to take down Void Dark and his army of Lost.
While the Disgaea games have always made gradual improvements to their engine and gameplay mechanics throughout the series, I am especially surprised and excited at many of the changes added to Disgaea 5 that help streamline and clarify the many of its deep and complex mechanics and systems. Disgaea 5 is by far the most accessible and noob friendly Disgaea yet. These mechanics are explained with a hilarious script and fully voice acted tutorials. While the mechanics and progression have been streamlined, the core Disgaea gameplay has not been sacrificed at all. Players will once again be introduced to the most wacky, cheesy, and over the top characters and abilities they have ever seen. Get ready to be handed the reins to an immensely deep combat system that embraces both old traditions and new additions to the formula, taking the addictive grind-fest to the next level with a new Revenge system, Squad Attacks, and a monopoly-esque minigame that adds another layer of depth to character progression!
I’ve had a great time with my 7 or so hours thus far, and I’m very excited to continue playing! Base mechanics like Item World are still steadily being unlocked as I progress, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us as I get closer to the end/post game. A full length review is coming soon, so make sure you check it out before Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance comes out for PS4 on October 6th in North America and October 9th in Europe!
