Disgaea: Hour of Darkness Review (no fat)

Game Description

The underworld is in an uproar after the death of the powerful King Krichevskoy. His son, Laharl, who was in a deep slumber is awakened to face a massive civil war between factions who are trying to claim the throne. As the rightful heir, Laharl is not going to stand aside and let others claim his throne. Laharl is joined by several characters throughout his journey to become the new King. Disgaea is a strategy RPG with enough features to keep you playing for hours.

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness Gameplay

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness is a humorous story about the complex lives of various beings in the underworld. You play as Laharl and through a number of episodes, you discover what is so important about being Overlord of the Underworld…if Laharl can defeat all of his opponents and claim that treasured title. Several ‘allies’ (a term used loosely in the Underworld) join Laharl on his quest to become Overlord. As Laharl’s story unfolds, you also learn the complicated stories of his primary allies.

Laharl stays in a gigantic castle and this is where you retreat to after every battle. In your castle, you can buy weapons, talk to your allies and other characters, meet with the Dark Assembly and explore your weaponry. You travel to your next battle via a dimensional gateway that just happens to be in your castle. Your castle is where you can also create additional allies to join you on your quest. There is a governmental system in the Underworld and Laharl must follow it like everyone else. If you want the equipment stand to sell more expensive equipment or to acquire advanced character classes, then you need to petition the Dark Assembly for that right.

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness Battle System

Battles are handled on a grided playing field. Each side is given a certain number of movement points that can be used during their attack phase. Once the points are used up, the enemy is given a turn to move. Each character has unique attacks ranging from sword slashes to aerial magical attacks. To add some complexity to battles, Disgaea introduced Geo Symbols onto the playing field. Geo symbols are pyramid-shaped objects that can increase or decrease character stats if they stand in a colored grid. There are also character combinations that can be triggered if certain field conditions are met.

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness Special Features

Disgaea contains several special features which distinguish it from others in its class. The character creation is a complex system that, at times, requires you to meet certain requirements to “unlock” new classes. If you want to change your characters, or increase their strengths, you are going to have to discuss this with the Dark Assembly. The Dark Assembly is a type of governing body that determines what rules are passed and what favors are granted. You can put in a petition but the chances of getting it passed depend on how fond the assembly is. You can curry their favor with gifts or beat them into submission but remember, they don’t die so beating them will make them less likely to help next time.

Another intensive part of Disgaea is the ability to increase your weapons strength by physically traveling into it. You can talk to a special character found in your castle and he will grant you the ability to actually walk inside your weapons. The strength of the weapon determines the number of levels and the strength of the enemies that you will have to fight through to increase the weapons levels.

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness Technicalities

The graphics in Disgaea are much like a Manga magazine. The colors are bright and are a stark contrast to what most would think the Underworld is like. There are no CGI movies in Disgaea so everything is handled predominately by Manga character drawings and text conversations. While Disgaea takes place in the Underworld, the humor and sarcasm takes away the gloomy atmosphere. The music is as oddball as the Underworld. Some scenes have a somber, moody music while others contain a funky upbeat tune. The brightly colored Manga and the offbeat music are wonderful complements to this quirky Underworld tale.

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness 2cent

Disgaea is a very unique RPG. However, it is not for beginners. It is a complicated game that takes a long time to master its many features but that is part of the fun. You can beat the game in 20 hours or play it for 20 days. With its long list of special characters, diverse features and hidden endings, there is always something new to discover. The detailed story and the intense gameplay make Disgaea: Hour of Darkness one of the most enjoyable RPG’s to hit the market in years.

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

Disgaea retails for $70.00.