Being a huge fan of the series, I would review Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless. With every release of Disgaea, some changes come with it! A big shout out to our friends at NIS who graciously gave us a review copy of Disgaea 7 for the PS5. Let’s check it out.
The Disgaea series has many different worlds within it. Some intertwine with others, but most are standalone, which means that each Disgaea game has a different Netherworld that holds separate issues, and well, this Netherworld has its issues. Hinomoto consists of a myriad of Netherworlds. Vengeful ghosts boil forth from Haunt Springs, Sardemon World exists within a gargantuan space sardine, and Shicroaku’s enticing tides are formed from countless demons swirling together like seaweed… In this land of diverse Netherworlds, many inhabitants once adhered to a code at odds with their demonic nature–bushido. But that was all long ago. When Demmodore Opener and his Netherarmy arrived, Hinomoto changed. The demons of Hinomoto now live under the Hinomoto Code of Destruction enacted by Opener… You play as Fuji, your ‘quintessential’ demon that’s brutal, cheap, and lazy to add the cherry on top, who is seemingly on a quest to pay back 10 million HL ( HL pronounced as Hell, is the currency in the netherworld) and will do almost anything to make money. You also play as Pirilika, a filthy rich otaku and occasionally delusional cat-like demon who wants nothing more but to bask in the glory of Hinomoto while locating the Seven Founding Weapons scattered in Hinomoto.
Today, the land’s noble warriors are but a memory. Our tale is set in these worlds that have lost their pride. It is about a girl who adores bushido–and a boy who hates it. Now, they must join forces to fight for one another’s beliefs… If you haven’t checked out my previous review of Disgaea 6, be sure to check it out here: Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny. Based on the previous Disgaea releases, each has a unique feature only in that specific game. I was curious about what would set Disgaea 7 apart from the others. After playing and getting sucked into Hinomoto, here’s my review of Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless.
Earlier, I had mentioned that each game in the series has its world and problems, and Disgaea 7 is no different. The story had me more attentive and engaged than its predecessor, but I want to mention that this is not a comparison of stories. They are all unique in their ways. The whole concept of an Otaku and a true demon working together, paired with their issues and sprinkled on Demon world hijinks of course, there will be plot twists and turns.
I also appreciated the aesthetic of Disgaea 7, the Japanese culture and history enthusiast side of me really enjoyed seeing Ewwdo and the Shogunate, which isn’t just Nobunaga. It was refreshing! I also liked the characters more than before (sorry Piyori!)
Disgaea’s motto is “If the system isn’t broken, there’s no need to change it”. The series is known for its tactics approach, constantly improving the graphics of skills and abilities. I am relieved that NIS released Disgaea 7 for the PlayStation 5, as the performance and graphics are much better than the Nintendo Switch release.
In addition to better performance and graphics, Disgaea 7 has some new and returning features. New and returning features such as the Juice Bar, four new classes to add to 45 classes in the game, a new level cap of a cool 9,999, and more. One of the most noticeable new features is the jumbifying of a character on the battlefield. Jumbifying is Disgaea 7’s unique feature, and it’s actually pretty amusing and done well to incorporate it within the different battles. It’s also pretty funny seeing a different character being jumbified. Jumbified happens when you build up the rage meter by attacking enemies. Once the threshold has been met, you can choose a character to be jumbified, meaning the character is made larger than the field. It stands like Godzilla in the back and can continue damaging normal and jumbified enemies. This doesn’t last forever, though, so plan accordingly!
Disgaea 7 also decided to bring back classes that did not show up in Disgaea 6 as well as new characters. I fell in love with the female martial artist and Gunslinger for obvious reasons. One of my favorite things I noticed is the Dark Assembly, which has also been fitted with an ancient Japanese aesthetic with prinnies in sumo wrestling attire.
Though not much about the gameplay has changed, I found myself grinding early in the game. Specifically, the last section within chapter two had me grinding a bit. This section quickly provided a skill difficulty hike. The grinding was manageable to do due to multiple easy grinding spots. Without accessible grinding spots, the leveling would take a long time if you can’t use the Juice Bar.
I mentioned before the NIS released Disgaea 7 on the PS5 on day one. This was the best decision they made for the series. The series is meant to be vibrant and explosive, with electrifying graphics that the Nintendo Switch couldn’t handle. However, switching between performance and graphics is still an option. Besides the graphics looking more vibrant and sharper, I find it difficult to tell the two apart. If you notice a difference between the two, let me know!
The actual art style of Disgaea never disappoints. The designs are consistent and still deliver a unique feel for each character. I like Fuji’s design, his horn design, and his tail and of course, I have my favorite classes – Gunslinger and Fight Mistress for reasons.
Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless has a charm that draws you in with memes and maybe a bit of that otaku-ness of Pirilika. The improved performance, consistent graphics, and tried and true classic tactics gameplay were carefully delivered. Should you get Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless? Absolutely! If you are a fan of tactics games, love detailed stories, have a soft spot for demons, are a sus-hy lover, love dealing over a trillion damage, like extremely questionable and extra suspicious names, and throwing prinnies? Disgaea 7 is a MUST!
