Disgaea is a beloved strategy RPG series that is full of iconic characters. One type of character featured in the series are the Prinnies, the souls of criminals now in bodies resembling penguins. They die easily and their amusing misfortunes make for some great comedy. The Prinnies received spinoff games for the PSP in the form of Prinny: Can I really be the Heo? and Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation panties Dood! on the PSP in 2009 and 2011 respectively. Now NIS America has packaged these games together with new ports for the Switch.
The games are 2D side-scrollers known for their punishing brutality and a nice dosage of humor. The plot is basic, with Master Etna getting robbed in both games, with her dessert and panties taken in the first and second games respectively. The goal is to recover her property and you have a thousand at your disposal and you will need every last one of them if you are to succeed. The games have great humor and wit, and definitely feel like part of the Disgaea universe, so fans will have no issues getting back into the games thematically. Its still an offbeat story even if the genre has changed .
The gameplay seems simple enough, with jumps, attacks, jump attacks and secrets to find to take out powerful foes. Its a side scrolling hack n slash games basically, and Prinny 2 goes further with powerful combo moves that you can do at times. What is not simple though, is the main weakness of the games and that is the controls. The games are known to be punishing, but it feels like most of that doesnt come from hard gameplay, but rather fighting with the controls. Back on the PSP, the games were noted for having some control issues, but they really stand out as a problem in this version. They are clunky and slow, and you are much more likely to die in a missed jump due to non responsive controls, than to a beat down by enemies.
If you can get past the extremely cumbersome controls, then yes, there is fun to be had. The Prinnies have some neat abilities, the games have smart writing that elicits laughter and the music is great. Visually though, it feels like not much was done to make the games look any better and some may find issue there. Personally I feel more could have been done with these ports, and I wonder what the process was in making them. Whether or not you will like this will ultimately boil down to if you are a massive fan of Disgaea and want more, or if you are nostalgic for the PSP games. The games can be purchased in a physical collection or separately on the eShop, so there are multiple ways of checking the games out for those curious.
Ultimately I think the games are a neat curiosity but simply have not aged all that well over the years in terms of gameplay. While the visuals could have used a touch up, they work for what they are and the music and storytelling is great. Those with a nostalgic view of the games though, should be aware there are flaws.
Disclaimer: Review keys were provided for the games