Review:
Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness

In 2003 both NiS and Atlus released Disgaea Hour of Darkness for the Playstation 2. As a result of iconic characters, enjoyable sarcastic humour and game depth (over 100 hours gameplay), it became an instant classic. Now, four years later, NiS has released this immense strategy RPG for the PSP, titled Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness, complete with new features, game modes and a new storyline ‘Etna Mode’. This acclaimed title is ideal for any PSP owner.

Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness is primarily focused on Laharl, Prince of the Netherworld. During the opening scene, Etna mistakenly awakens Laharl after a botched assassination attempt. It becomes apparent that Laharl’s father, King Krichevskoy, Overlord of the Netherworld, has died. With no one to seize the title of Overlord, the Netherworld gradually drifted into chaos, warriors from all over challenging each other for this particular role. Laharl vows to defeat the pursuing warriors to claim his intended position as Overlord.

The game’s absurd and humorous story is divided into a string of chapters, each with a particular objective. To prevail, Laharl and his recruited party must endure a chain of encounters. Between each fight Laharl can return to his castle to heal himself and party, stock up on items, purchase gear, etc. The game also allows the option to return to previous battlefields, this is essential for levelling up and earning new items and gear. Whereas most RPGs caps character growth at ‘Level 100’, Disgaea reaches ‘Level 9999’ for players who enjoy developing characters to their peak.

Character creation is one of the more enjoyable aspects of this game. Other than story related characters that join Laharl’s party without choice, there are custom allies created via mana (gained by defeating enemies). There is a colossal class library ranging from the standard Warrior to the divine Majin. Completing hidden tasks and progressing through the game bulks up the class library, peaking at over 100 different variations. The player is able to ‘Transmigrate’ a specific class to a new one; this resets the level of the character but transfers a number of stats and skills between classes. All this is done by beseeching the dark assembly, a number of senators who can be requested for when wanting things such as more items in store, cheaper items and increased counterattack rate. However they don’t always agree, allowing Laharl the opportunity to persuade them with items or by force.