Disgaea 4 originally released in 2011 for the PS3 and received an updated release later on the Vita with more content. Now NIS America has brought the game to PS4 and Switch under the name Disgaea 4 Complete+ and now all the original and downloadable content is here along with some nice tweaks to make things flow better. Disgaea 4 is about the former tyrant Valvatorez who has been reduced to being an instructor Prinnies in Hades, and has lost most of his power due to a vow not to drink blood anymore. Valvatorez is content with his position, but when those in charge of Hades wipe out his Prinnies, he and his aide take action to overthrow them, albeit the two have different motivations for Valvatorez to do so.
The game is a turn based strategy game, but with a unique sense of identity and character. The battles are well animated, and have an excellent puzzle feel to them. Disgaea has always felt like more of a puzzle RPG, but its this entry where this feels most prominent. Not just from the battles overall, but between battles as well, as you plan for your next mission and grind yourself up, everything you do must take your next step into consideration. It is not overwhelming however, and feels rather natural to do so.
Every Disgaea game has great writing and characters, but Disgaea 4 Complete+ may be a true standout here as well. Disgaea 1 was a bit rough, being the origins of the series, but even the recent Disgaea 5 feels like it takes itself too seriously at times. Disgaea 4 however, feels like just the right mix of humor and seriousness has been met. Valvatorez is a great character as he developers, and so are others like Fenrich, and it is their interactions that make the game so much fun to play. Well that and the battles.
The battles are of course turn based, but you must also take into account various factors. These include negative stats, positive stats, and the Geo Block system that is key to your success. The Geo Blocks and Geo Panels will have various positive and negative attributes that will affect you as you interact with them, and if you are smart, you can use these to your advantage to gain huge bonuses as you play. Another thing to keep in mind, is when to send out your characters. You do not necessarily need everyone out on the field at the same time, and doing so can actually hinder you in some ways. The battles really standout when doing team moves and interacting with others characters in various ways. When done right, you can deal some immense damage to your enemies, and the various special attacks look amazing as they happen.
Disgaea 4 Complete+ is a wonderfully built game and contains enough content to keep players coming back for more. The Item world for instance, is amazing. It sends you into randomized world inside of your items and they are full enemies to fight. This will improve the item and is also great for level grinding, and will provide hours of content. This is especially true when taking into account that different items have different levels of enemies and there is a lot of variety to be had here.
In conclusion, Disgaea 4 Complete+ is a game I see myself enjoying for many years to come. This might just be the SRPG we need at the moment.
Images taken from Nintendo.com