Disgaea 6 Complete from NISA brings the same game that was released on Nintendo Switch and PS4 to PC users but with all the DLC content included. The game, which follows the tale of Zed, a zombie in the Netherworld fuses tactical combat with lots of humour and the standard Disgaea over-the-top chaos.
The game however is a bit of a mixed bag and fans of the franchise might be put off by a number of things.
Disgaea 6’s narrative is first and foremost, rather lacklustre. Zed’s tale really takes quite a while to get going and this glacial pace doesn’t exactly grip you from you the start. You can easily spend a couple of hours in the game before you even get anywhere with its narrative. This is typical of some JRPGs though. NISA games in general have a lot of text to get through so expect a lot of writing and visual novel style segments. These are also quite trope-filled with anime genre cliches and unfortunately, it all becomes entirely predictable as you progress. Zed amasses a bunch of allies and sets forth to defeat the God of Destruction and this serves as the main plot driver. There are a lot of humorous moments to be had in the game and it is enjoyable but don’t expect some stellar writing here. The gameplay is arguably the star of the show.
Where Disgaea 6 Complete differs from its predecessors lies with the fact that the gameplay has been revamped to be far more streamlined and less grindy. There are the main story quests to get through as well as access to missions, a shop and upgrades. Players can also grind out levels right from the get-go if they want to and can make extensive use of the super reincarnation system to build their characters up. The game’s difficulty isn’t exactly challenging but there are some battles where you will need to be adequately levelled up in order to progress. Using super reincarnation you can effectively reset your character’s level back to 1 while retaining some stats allowing for further growth.
Players will move their characters around on a grid and can choose from a range of actions as they battle enemies and rack up massive damage totals. You can also stack up your characters, which is classic Disgaea at its finest. The disappointment and grievances to be had with Disgaea 6 lies with the fact that some core gameplay elements that were present in Disgaea 5 have been watered down here. Creating your own custom characters for example has been altered and isn’t as diverse as in Disgaea 5. Your custom characters are also slightly disappointing when compared to the actual story characters. This is due to the story characters possessing unique abilities which make them stronger and more useful to your party.
There’s also the auto-battle option where you can effectively just watch the gameplay itself after setting your preferred A.I behaviour. This is great news for players who don’t want to grind out levels themselves. However, this does become rather boring over time since you’re effectively just watching your characters play out a map over and over. It serves its purpose in assisting you to level up though and works great with super reincarnation in mind. Thankfully you can also fast forward the action to level up faster if necessary. Casual gamers rejoice!
Disgaea 6’s D-Merits system also adds a bit more longevity to the title since you’ll want to unlock some of these. They are pretty much achievements that are built into the game but they do reward you for completing them.
Graphically, Disgaea 6 uses 3D instead of 2D sprites and while it might seem like a massive change for the franchise, somehow NISA managed to make everything look ok. Monsters and enemies in particular look great but playable characters could have had a bit more effort put into them. While it’s clear that the game was developed with the Nintendo Switch in mind, the jump to 3D should have warranted some more animations than what’s on offer here. The flashy effects and massive attack damage numbers that get displayed on screen during battles are visually appealing though and Disgaea 6 cannot be faulted for its attack visuals. It looks good on PC with a colour palette that’s eye-catching.
The soundtrack of Disgaea 6 Complete is great with some absolutely fantastic tracks that play throughout the game. There are both English and Japanese voices in the game and while the dub is fine, fans of the franchise may want to opt for the original Japanese voice acting because it suits the characters more in our opinion. The complete edition of the game also features Hololive crossover characters and these obviously aren’t voiced in English because these characters are Japanese.
Overall, Disgaea 6 Complete feels like it’s a good entry point for newcomers to the franchise. The gameplay mechanics have been refined and streamlined and the auto-battle and fast-forward make the grind less tedious. Hardcore fans of the franchise will find the lack of customization incredibly disappointing and the story isn’t as great as previous entries. With that said, it’s a decent game and one that will surely soak up at least 60 hours if not more of your time. It’s just sad that as a full-priced game, you’re not getting as much content as you would have gotten from Disgaea 5 Complete which is a fraction of the price.
Grab your copy here https://store.steampowered.com/app/1749750/Disgaea_6_Complete/
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