One of the most quirky, meme-filled, turn-based tactical RPG returns with Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny. A release of a new title to the series means some changes come with it. Being a huge fan of the series, I was excited to see what NIS America is throwing at us this time. I managed to get my hands on the Nintendo Switch version of Disgaea 6.
The Disgaea series is developed and published by Nippon Ichi Software, aka NIS America, known for other games such as Phantom Brave, Makai Kingdom, La Pucelle: Tactics, and Prinny: Can I Really Be a Hero. If none of these names ring a bell, think of games like Final Fantasy Tactics or Fire Emblem.
Disgaea 6 takes the player to various pocket (Nether)worlds home to quirky, flamboyantly designed characters with eccentric dialogue. However, Disgaea 6 focuses on Zed, a cocky zombie out to destroy the God of Destruction who is hellbent on destroying everything in its way.
It is up Zed and his comrades to stop the God of Destruction and to save the Netherworlds, a noble deed.
Those familiar with the Disgaea series will breeze through this. However, newcomers, don’t skip the tutorial; they are informative for successful battles. The basics are: Each character gets a turn, characters can move a certain amount of spaces, during their turn, they are allowed one action ( attack, item, lift/throw, special), and once they have completed their action, their turn is completed it is the enemy’s turn. Repeat until no enemy is left standing.
It is important to mention tactical RPGs because it’s good to have some strategy before going into battle; otherwise, you are setting yourself up for failure. Pay attention to everything; review the battlefield before making any moves.
On another note, Disgaea 6 is a lengthy and grind-heavy game, at minimum 40 hours for the story, 150+ for post-game content. The beginning of the game starts slow, but the game picks up considerably after a certain point. Disgaea series is known for having a lot of content, including DLC. Take a look at the extra content for things that can help during and after the story. Take advantage of the cheat codes. Cheating is promoted in the Netherworlds, and so is bribing the Dark Assembly.
One of the new features in Disgaea 6 is the option to change the quality of graphics. In previous games, the option to change the quality wasn’t there. But now, players can choose between Performance, Balanced, or Graphics. I used balanced as it looked better on the Switch and TV, the other options were a strain on the eyes. Images don’t do the differences justice, so I recommend checking each option to see the differences.
With the inclusion of Auto-battle and Auto-repeat, those long hours of grinding for those insane levels isn’t much of an issue because of these two features. This will handle that for you. With Auto-Battle, there is a system in place where players create detailed instructions for a character while in battle. This is called Demon Intelligence.
This is a huge game-changer for new players and veteran players as well. I mentioned that Disgaea is a grind-heavy game, and that’s because the enemies and bosses are at insane levels and can dish out insane amounts of damage. You need to be able to survive and to do that, you grind.
Paired with Auto-battle & Auto-repeat, there is another aspect of the game that is important called Evility. Reincarnation is a normal recurrence in the Disgaea series; it boosts a character’s stats by resetting their level to one. In simple terms, it’s a special ability that each character has, Zed has the Super Reincarnation Evility, and it plays a big role in Disgaea 6, and the game will remind you of that. The more reincarnations, the stronger you become, and the game will tell you to do this. Literally.
Disgaea 6’s story is straightforward and flows along as you complete stages and progress through the chapters. Disgaea is a Strategey RPG, but not your typical one. You have the option of doing side quests and quests when you feel you are ready unless it’s part of the story.
Disgaea 6 allows the player to choose your party members based on their abilities. The supporting characters have expanded as there are new creatable characters that you can add. The designs and special abilities of the characters are just as unique and diverse as they have been previously. The 3D graphics update showcases the vibrancy and the disrespectfulness of these attacks on the unfortunate soul targeted.
I don’t consider myself a veteran Disgaea player but with this new installment of Disgaea 6, picking up the game is considerably easier. Compared to previous games, it has been simplified but still remains true to its origins. The classes have been made simpler and easier to understand, the game has added more automation to make an integral part of the game more manageable, and the hints, tips & reminders are a huge bonus. Hints such as “Oh, this looks like a good grinding spot” or “Have you tried out x ability or feature yet?” were not prevalent in the previous games.
I believe that NIS stayed true to the origins of Disgaea. Adding in new features that appeal to newcomers while still holding a firm grasp to what brings players back to this quirky series.
Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny is a MUST play if you love grinding to reach crazy levels, dealing over billions of damage, snarky meme-filled dialogue, scandalously designed characters with crazy abilities, tons of DLC, look no further; Disgaea 6 has you covered.
