Nippon Ichi has been keeping the spirit of the Disgaea series alive. This is very evident with the revival of Disgaea 2 being ported over to the PC Steam format. If you enjoyed the strategic RPG mixed in with Japanese anime humor, you are in for a treat!
In case you are not familiar with its console counterparts, Disgaea 2 has over two hundred classes of characters to choose from. As such, you have great degrees of customization and depth in terms of character development. Combat mechanics are well balanced and have great depth as players can recruit characters and add to their stats.
When you are victorious in battles, your equipment stats improve. Coming out victorious improves your equipment’s stats. And as you achieve your primary objectives, you collect random items, health and EXP depending on your bonus level which can be used during battles. There are times when getting past a boss requires levelling up high enough which also means possibly going through that tedious process.
Still, there’s quite a bit involved in other respects that compensate and make the whole gameplay enjoyable. Plenty of opportunities await in gaining more powerful items. Additionally, reviving characters have their own set of prizes that can be claimed at hospitals. Further to that, maps are randomly generated, thereby giving variety and diversity for each and every playthrough.
As for the visuals, there are definitely improvements made on the PC port with the use of filters which can be implemented on the sprites if you choose to. However, even going without the smoothness, the character pixelation still adds some charm to the screen. The effects from combat also look top notch while the music gives some atmospheric impressions to the overall experience. Some may complain about the voice acting, but I find it cute personally. Â One should note that there were some moments where frame drops do occur. Â But this can be unique to each and every PC owner.
What’s really great about Disgaea 2 for the PC is that it includes content from the PS2’s Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories as well as the PSP’s Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days. There are also some extra playable characters thrown in. While it is not essential to have played the previous Disgaea title to understand and get through this sequel, I find that it helps in getting a better appreciation of the spirit behind the Disgaea series. Nevertheless, I’ll have to say that Disgaea 2 for the PC is a great Steam title to get whether you are a fan or just tuning in.
