DISGAEA Overlord Etna

Author notes

02 - Don't call her Master

magnus911

on June 17, 2008

LOL 'NOTHER UPDATE IT SEEMS

Alright, those new to Disgaea(although you probably wouldn't be reading this if you are), listen up!

WTF is this DISGAEA?

Disgaea is mainly a series of SRPG(Strategy RPG) video games created by Nippon Ichi Software, or NIS. Groundbreaking as it was similar enough to the genre-defining Final Fantasy Tactics for FFT players to comfortably get into it, and different enough so that the experience isn't one of deja vu. Also, it's HARDCORE. Casual gamers will be overwhelmed by the level limit itself. Unlike FFT, the level limit for a character is not 99, nor 100, but 9999. Yes. The power attainable in these games is mind-boggling, and each game has lots of post-game content to warrant such gargantuan strength.

Wow, sounds interesting! What's it about?

Hell. Referred to in-game as the "Netherworld". Inhabited by various demons and monsters and ruled by extremely powerful Demon Overlords. The game centers around these Overlords and the conflicts that their status as Overlords bring to themselves. The first game is about Laharl, a young (for a demon), bratty but obscenely powerful demon prince out to claim the title of Overlord from his late father, King Krichevskoy. With his vassal, Etna and the love-obsessed klutz of an angel-in-training, Flonne Laharl journeys throughout the Netherworld to prove that he's the one and only Overlord.

Oh, and these games poke fun at the SRPG genre and RPGs in general, and while the stories are generally good, they never take themselves too seriously and the situations in the game are meant to be humourous.

I AM SO INTERESTED! WHERE CAN I EXPERIENCE SUCH AWESOMENESS?

The first Disgaea game was Disgaea: Hour of Darkness for the PS2, published by ATLUS. That's right, Fatlus, the company who doesn't print much of its games due to their niche nature (and rightly so). It's extremely hard to find, but due to its high quality voice acting and story, worth every penny.

But, if you aren't willing to shed a possible $70+ for one game with some technical flaws, the enhanced port for the PSP, Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness is on the PSP. It fixes some of the technical nuances in the first game and adds a new gameplay mode: Etna Mode. Published by NIS America, this game won't be as rare as the original. Coming soon as well is a Disgaea port for the DS, containing everything from the PSP port and with touch-screen functionality.

Then there's Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories for the PS2. This title contains more post-game(extra) content than any NIS game released before. Kinda hard to find, but not as rare as Disgaea: Hour of Darkness.

The latest entry in the series is Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice for the PS3. Due out on North American shores soon, its graphics might look undeserving of the PS3(2D sprites look like they were recycled from Disgaea 2) but the gameplay is still very addicting and in great amounts.

There's also Disgaea manga, an anime, novels, artbooks and all manner of merchandise related to this awesome series.

So there you have it. Disgaea, one of my favourite series of all time, in a nutshell.