Marion Kimble
Not much was changed in Nippon Ichi Software’s Playstation Portable version of “Disgaea: Hour of Darkness,” but when you got it right the first time, why try?
When Atlus brought ‘Disgaea’ to American Playstation 2 consoles in 2003, strategy role-playing game (RPG) lovers everywhere received it with open arms. Its light-hearted story, coupled with nearly limitless character customization, simplistic gameplay and plethora of endings, made it appealing to both dedicated completionist gamers as well as novice players who just wanted a good story.
“Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness,” the recent port released by NIS America for the Play Station Portable, retains all the charm of the original, only losing Tsunami Bomb’s “The Invasion Within,” a song licensed by Atlus and added to the PS2 version when the game was first released in America.
Series-defining features like the Dark Assembly, where a player can modify their game experience by increasing the items in stock at the local shop, change the level of enemies, create characters and even add stages to the game remain unchanged.
The item world, a series of dungeons found within items that can be used to power-up weapons and armor as well as find some of the toughest enemies in the game, remains true to the original, not opting to add changes found in “Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories” like pirates.
Afternoon adds a few interesting new touches, like multiplayer gameplay via player-versus-player and a shop akin to that in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, where you can trade items with your friends. A music store filled with all of the games background music (BGM) was added to the main game, with the option of using purchased songs as BGM in the item world.
The biggest addition is “Etna mode,” a five-chapter story made playable after completing the game once. The scenario focuses on Etna, as the name implies, and what would happen if she killed Laharl while trying to wake him. The story is quick and cute, giving a little insight into what the world would be like without Laharl to hold it together.
For anyone who loves strategy RPGs, anime or kooky stories involving demons, angels and humans, “Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness” is a great way to break into NIS’ epic series before the release “Disgaea 3” comes stateside.
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