Xbox 360
Done well, RPGs can be extremely gripping experiences. It's always a nice feeling when you come across one you really enjoy, getting involved in the story, upgrading your characters then watching ingenious strategies you've spent ages conducting come to fruition and wipe out enemies before your very eyes. Done badly, however, and the opposite is true. What should be an enjoyable quest through an epic storyline turns into a repetitive, soul-sapping slog through gruelling battle after gruelling battle. Disgaea DS, the first of the series to be released for DS, is a mixture of good and bad, with equal measures of both fun and frustration.
The story involves the demon Laharl awakening from a two-year slumber to the news that his father, King Krichevskoy,has died. Whilst he's been sleeping; numerous pretenders, bent on claiming the throne for themselves, have made their voices clear. Laharl vows to reclaim what is rightfully his and sets out on a massive adventure with his vassal Etna (because of her explosive personality - get it?) to reacquire the throne. The plot paves the way for some truly brilliant scriptwriting, with many interactions between the characters raising a chuckle or a smile, if not a laugh. Self-referential comments, such as Laharl complaining about being made to do things automatically during a tutorial, are witty and amusing, as are statements from NPCs, including gems such as ‘Don't worry, you can still beat the game with minimal knowledge.' While this may be true, only gamers with a hardier constitution will be able to make it past all but the first battle sequences.
Played out in turn-based style à la Front Mission and countless other titles in the genre, the combat is pretty standard fare: choose a character, move that character, attack an enemy or use an item, then repeat for every other team member before ending your go. Unique combat elements spice things up a little: character-specific special attacks add some flourish to proceedings, and being able to lift and throw both allies and enemies is useful, especially when it comes to hurling exploding penguins at your foes (yes, you read that correctly).
It sounds like fun, and is to a point. While it can be interesting, combat in this title is gruelling: the majority of levels are filled with higher-levelled hordes that pummel you in between turns. Some fights can last a long time, which isn't the best concept for a handheld game, and adding to the toughness is the fact that only the character that deals the killing blow gains experience, leading you to rely on one high-level character to succeed in combat. Even then, your victories will feel Pyrrhic, since you'll spend all the money you earned in the last battle reviving your troops for the next slog.
There are some confusing concepts thrown into the mix as well, with one world you're able to explore being called the Item World. You'll think that it's going to be a world in which you can find items whilst exploring, but no: you enter the world inside the item, and kill monsters and find objects that make the item you're exploring more powerful. Confused? Just wait until you hear about the Geo Symbols concept...
The strenuous engagements are really the only thing that hurt Disgaea DS. The excellent scriptwriting and endless mountain of stats will attract the RPG crowd, but only the toughest gamer will be able to crack its tough exterior and enjoy the title to its fullest, proving that games don't have to be difficult to be fun.