Disgaea 2
The first Disgaea (Hour of Darkness) featured the exploits of a young Overlord named Laharl who awakened two years after the death of his father, King Krichevskoy. With his vassal Etna at his side he set out on an adventure to prove that he was the most powerful demon in the Netherworld. Ripe with incredibly charming characters, a hilarious adventure, and more creativity than you'd expect from an SRPG the original Disgaea took the world by storm. Sadly enough the game proved to be very rare though, so those of you looking to get your hands on a copy can expect to pay upwards of $100. Instead of breaking open your piggy bank for that much, you could just check out the sequel and receive a strikingly similar experience.
Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories harnesses the charm and hilarity that you'd expect from a game that takes place in the Netherworld. It doesn't feature Laharl and Etna as its main antiheroes and quite frankly doesn't have an awful lot to do with the first game. It takes place in another universe all together though the worlds are filled with familiar names and faces.
The center of attention this time around is a young human boy named Adell. His family has been cursed by Overlord Zennon and have slowly been turning into demons and losing their memories of who they once were. He has vowed to take down the Overlord and release the curse with his very pigheaded and stubborn personality. His mother preps a spell to summon Zennon to their humble abode but the incantation backfires; Zennon's daughter Rozalin appears instead. She behaves as you'd expect a spoiled princess to, though you do have to keep in mind that she IS a demon and Adell is trying to kill her father. Naturally the two don't get off on the right foot; especially with the whole kidnapping thing and all.
As Adell and Rozalin set out on their adventure they are naturally at odds with one another. Because of this they don't have quite the chemistry that Laharl and Etna had, though that key component does eventually come into the mix. Other Quirky characters such as Taro and Hanako (Adell's siblings), Axel the Dark Hero, and Yukimaru eventually come into the mix to flesh things out. I can't go without mentioning Rozalin's servant, Tink, who speaks with a tacky French accent, has a dual personality and was turned into a flying frog. The tale never stretches beyond the boundaries of irreverence, but as a game everything presented here is all about having a good time.
Gameplay:
Just like the story, the gameplay in Disgaea 2 is everything that you'd expect a sequel from Hour of Darkness to be. That is to say the game is presented with many of the same features intact that the original game introduced and those that are standard to the SRPG genre. I was wondering if NIS would have adapted the non-grid style of strategic combat (like those found in Makai Kingdom and Phantom Brave) to the Disgaea series.
To cut to the chase; they didn't. In my opinion this is kind of a good thing and a bad. On one hand I did appreciate the way the other games handled the open-ended nature of combat in that manner with a circle simulating attack range. On the other, having traditional grid-based battles brings the series back to its roots, which was probably the best course of action.
Since there is so much to discuss when it comes to Disgaea's gameplay we might as well just start with the fundamentals; combat. Everything takes placed in an environment populated by a grid (yes, I know, we've already covered this). Characters move about the grid based upon their movement rating and whether or not an attack can be performed depends on distance from your enemy. You can deploy up to ten characters onto the grid and the game isn't over as long as you still have people alive. Several nuances such as lifting characters, team attacks, and geo panels only add to the insanity.
Like the first Disgaea, having a variety of characters with different jobs is really the key to success. If you approach the game with the mentality of "I only want to have fighters" then I'm sorry to say, you'll have a much harder time. Find what works for you and what doesn't, then go with it. Just keep in mind that if you want to obtain level 9,999 you'll probably want some variety at your disposal.
If you have never heard of Disgaea before and raised an eyebrow at that rather large level cap number, then welcome to your new addiction. The beautiful thing about this franchise is that the powering up doesn't stop at level 99 or 100. In fact I'd go as far to say that at that level you're still considered a baby in many circumstances. The new game plus feature, plethora of bonus stages, and unlimited supply of items to jump into help keep things from getting too monotonous.
Newcomers are probably scratching their heads at the whole jumping into items thing. You see, apart from the regular story mode and linear progression of the game's plot you can also partake in the exercise of powering up your equipment. By visiting a specific character in the game's hub you can enter any item from your inventory. From that point you battle through a stage like you would any normal fight or if you feel lazy you could just hope through to the exit. As you make your way from one stage to the next the rewards (as far as leveling up the weapon) get better. Every ten levels there is a "boss" fight of sorts and each stage gets progressively more difficult the further down you get. Needless to say this system is a vortex that sucks up your free time though the gameplay rewards are there in spades once you emerge with a freshly powered-up item.
Fans of the original Disgaea will also be pleased to know that the Dark Assembly has returned for more courtroom goodness. You see, as you kill monsters you gain Mana Points. With these you can seek an audience with the demon senate and try to get various bills approved. From creating new characters to buying the ability for more expensive equipment and even unlocking bonus levels, there is so much to do with this feature that it could take the entire context of this review to explain. Let's just say that the senators vote Yay or Nay depending on your status and if you find the court unfavorable you can try to beat a verdict out of them.
A new feature has been added to the sequel that impacts your dealings with the senate and other things as well, such as buying items. By getting a subpoena (and entering it through the item world) you can take a character before a judge to be handed down a sentence. Now, you may not think that you want a felony at first but once you realize that there are substantial benefits to having them you'll do your best to be your worst. By garnering these demon merits you will find yourself in better standings with the senate and be able to take advantage of better pricing on items. Who said having a record was a bad thing?
In between all of this the hospital is there to heal your wounds, the story is there to keep things moving, and the exploration factor is through the roof. You could easily forgo the story and do nothing but focus on the item world or leveling up your characters. The game's structure is so open-ended that it's almost to the point of being at fault. Then again it's because of this that there is a pick up and play atmosphere so you don't feel like you're being rushed toward the game's end. Speaking of which there are multiple endings too, so that ability to continue on with your stats to a new game becomes ever more enticing.
Overall the gameplay in Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories is as rock solid as you can get. Battles are a blast and making god-like characters is as fun as it has ever been. The only problem with the gameplay stems from the fact that this is basically the same game that we played in 2003. Granted there are some tweaks here and there, but for the most part everything has remained the same. The original Disgaea was ground breaking three years ago but after Phantom Brave and Makai Kingdom, Cursed Memories lacks innovation. This is good for fans who want more of the same and better for those of you that missed out on Hour of Darkness. Unfortunately gamers looking for something fresher may be somewhat disappointed.
Graphics:
If it isn't broke, why fix it? That's probably what NIS felt when crafting Cursed Memories because the game looks identical to the original Disgaea. Granted changing the character designs was out of the question and there has already been an established look for the franchise, but bringing more new elements in would have gone a long way to make the game look more up to date. Some of the animations are more involved and there is a slick opening sequence presumably produced by the team that did the Disgaea anime. Sadly that's about as far as the improvements goes in the sequel.
Don't get me wrong, I love the look of the game. Everything exudes a certain appeal that you just can't find somewhere else. A more polished look with better resolution would do this franchise wonders. Oh, and maybe fix the camera a little more while you're at it.
Audio:
Hilarious voice acting really makes the experience in Cursed Memories transcend to the next level. That singly defining characteristic drove home the humor and charm in the original Disgaea and the same can be said for the sequel. The cast was great in just about every regard though the voice actor for Tink really nailed the lines. Unfortunately the soundtrack, while still good, feels less inspired and the sound effects are pretty much the same from the previous game.
Conclusion:
From start to finish Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories is a netherworld of fun all over again. The story and presentation was just about what I wanted the sequel to be, though I had hopes for more new features. The gameplay is just as fun as it was three years ago and the new additions fit in quite nicely, though the video and audio tend to be a little on the "too" familiar side. That's really my only complain about this game; the feeling that we've played this game before. Yes, the game is great the entire way through, but there is something to be said for giving fans something new to chew on.
Whichever way you slice it, Disgaea 2 is still a fantastic game that deserves all of the attention that it gets. Highly Recommended