The king of SRPGs returns, dood!
Series fans will know exactly what they are getting into here. However those new to the game might feel overwhelmed with the depth, and people who have not given a Disgaea game a second look in the past will have no reason to with the latest installment.
That is because Disgaea 4 follows on the same formula as the first trio, but builds on and improves several ideas- some subtly and some drastically.
Graphics 9- The most obvious difference is that the game finally, finally uses HD character sprites. They look very good and also have more animation frames. The stages also got an overhaul, though slightly. Attack animations are great and flashy as always, though some of them run a bit long. Compared to those brown shooters, prepare to have a ton of color and light popping out at your eyes.
Sound 9- Anime-style themes are here in abundance; some old, some new. On long battles you may forget the music is still playing due to it getting monotonous after a time. Voice acting has always been a series strong point- for the most part. What I heard of the english voices wasnt that good, thankfully the japanese is well done.
Gameplay 9- No other console game probably has more content for your money in that how endlessly deep you can go into party building, customization, and leveling. Aside from the story missions, there is the Item World, Character World, and much more. Disgaea is a game you can literally play for months, if you go that deep into it.
Story-wise, this game is along stronger than Disgaea 3; since now that 4 is out fans might look on 3 as the low-point, and I would have to agree, at least in terms of the background story. That is not to say that the story doesnt have the craziness and random plots twists and such we have come to expect.
Fun Factor 9- When you combine all the silliness and how the game never takes itself seriously, Disgaea is a blast to play, as long as you dont mind grind-heavy game mechanics.
Replay Value 10- Disgaea 4 has near infinite play time depending on how much you dig into the game. Just doing the story is only scratching the surface of what is possible.
Overall Disgaea 4 brings a much needed graphical overhaul to the series while retaining everything else that makes the series so great for fans. If the story of 3 turned you off, 4 is much better. There are few games that give you so much to do for your money, if you like RPGs, crazy randomness, and anime you should give this game a shot.
Overall Score 46/50