Disgaea 5: Complete - Nintendo Switch Review

Top-image-Disgaea-5-Complete-Capture-300x486 Disgaea 5: Complete - Nintendo Switch Review

One sardine for 20 hours of labour, that was the deal!!

  • System: Nintendo Switch
  • Publisher: Nis America, inc.
  • Developer: Nippon Ichi
  • Release Date: JP- March 3, 2017, NA- May 23,2017, PAL- May 26,2017

Disgaea 5 Complete — Announcement Trailer (Nintendo Switch)

Who it Caters to

Top-image-Disgaea-5-Complete-Capture-300x486 Disgaea 5: Complete - Nintendo Switch Review
For those who thought the Switch couldn’t get any better, think again! With the release of Disgaea 5: complete for the Nintendo Switch, you can have over 60 hours of gameplay on the go. Previously released for the PS4 on October 6, 2015, as Disgaea 5: Alliance of vengeance, Disgaea 5: Complete is basically the same game but with all the DLC content included, for the same price. The game is a classic SRPG (strategy role-playing game) or as most people call it TRPG (tactical role-playing game); holding on to their roots, the Disgaea franchise has been able to keep their game engine technically the same as in previous games, yet innovating graphics and aesthetics to the point that this Disgaea 5 feels fresh and not more of the same.

For those who haven't played a Disgaea game yet, don't worry, you can jump directly into Disgaea 5 without playing any previous versions of the game because each story is unique to each game, and Disgaea 5: Complete is no exception. For those who have played all of the Disgaea so far, you have never played Disgaea 5 on the go and that alone is a game changer.

What to Expect

Expect an addictive strategy role-playing game that could easily give you up to 100+ hours of gameplay if you grind it hardcore. The game offers great graphics and illustrations, especially compared with previous Disgaea games. Disgaea 5: Complete probably has the best English voice acting compared to any other game in the franchise; a huge plus to the experience is that every cutscene has voice acting, including the tutorial.

Aside from the improvements in the fighting/combo animation —making everything more dynamic and exciting— you can now select languages like French and Japanese, aside from English. Sadly, aside all the DLCs included, the game does not offer any new content; which is a shame, but at least being able to take the game with you on the Nintendo Switch version is an amazing improvement for those gamers that prefer handheld consoles.


Story

Top-image-Disgaea-5-Complete-Capture-300x486 Disgaea 5: Complete - Nintendo Switch Review

The story revolves around the concept of vengeance and the Netherworld War, most commonly known as “the war with no victor” or “the war with no hero”. This war was started by a demon called Void Dark in which he proceeded to invade other Netherworlds with the help of his army known as the “the lost” with the sole purpose of making all Netherworlds fall under his control. After Void Dark successfully achieves his goal, the Overlords; demons that used to control the Netherworlds, swear vengeance upon Void Dark for taking their Netherworlds from them. This sparks a journey in which all the Overlords team up and fights back, in order to take down the Demon Emperor Void Dark and take their Netherworlds back from his control.

The Overlords

Killia: A young demon with an unusual eating habit, he eats whenever he can, even in the middle of war! The character design of Killia has a really nostalgic feeling to it, strowhich reminds us of the Overlord Laharl from the first and second Disgaea games. Killia is quite antisocial and does not like to team up with other demons, but you can see his kindness when it’s time to help others, making you think he isn't as cold hearted as he portrays himself to be. He has a split personality called “the other Killia” which reminds him of his pursuit for vengeance.

Seraphina: The overlord of Gorgeous. She’s a rich demon which claims that all men exist only to serve and kneel before her. Her father arranged a marriage between her and Void Dark, but it was not to her liking, therefore, ran away. This arranged marriage is the main reason of her taking revenge on Void Dark. Seraphina’s character design reminds us also of Etna, which was the main character in Disgaea 1 and 2.

Red Magnus: The Overlord of Scorching Flame. Red Magnus is a knucklehead that likes to pick fights to prove his strength, the stronger the opponent the more excited he gets, therefore he wants to fight Void Dark to prove he is the strongest of all the Overlords. Overall nice guy, he sounds like a “bro” type of person or demon in his case.

Usalia: Cursed by one of Void Dark’s minions, she has to eat the food she most hates — curry— in order to keep her normal body, otherwise she would turn into a beast. She dislikes fighting, but her yellow prinny (basically a yellow penguin) helps her during combat.

Christo: With victory on his mind, he will do everything necessary to win a fight. Brilliant strategist, he sees Killia's magic potential to be of benefit to him in the coming fight against Void Dark. He is the overlord of a mysterious place of a certain giant Netherworld.

Zeroken: A very cocky kid that was a former member of the “the lost army” as a jailer. He left the army after his mentor Goldion was brainwashed to serve Void Dark. Upon meeting Killia he realises that Killia was Goldion’s former apprentice because Killia has similar fighting techniques as himself.

Gameplay

Top-image-Disgaea-5-Complete-Capture-300x486 Disgaea 5: Complete - Nintendo Switch Review
This is probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing Disgaea made so far: the animation flows smoothly, the original artwork between stages was something that we personally loved, the character design is fantastic, great voice acting, the animated intro was amazing and the overall visual aspects of the game have improved. The mechanics might seem simple at first, yet with each level, the game becomes more and more demanding in the strategy and analysis department.The game has an immense amount of strategic possibilities, from stacking your allies on top of each other in order to get closer to your target, to team attacks that could easily combine 10 characters in one single combo. You can actually buy cheats in the in-game ‘cheat shop’ so can literally “cheat the game” (legally, of course). In the end, almost anything is possible! You create your own strategies, playing the game your own way!

Last and most important are customization, which is a key feature for all Disgaea games. You can customize every single status detail of every single character, from their weapons to their skills; this customization gives you the chance to play the game however you feel like it, so if the main character is a fighter but you are more of a mage person, you can easily incline for this by modifying the stats to your liking.


Honey's Gameplay Consensus:

The overall experience of playing Disgaea 5: Complete on the Nintendo Switch was fantastic and nostalgic in a way, being able to play with similar characters as Laharl and Etna brought us back to our childhood, and the game itself felt like a better version of the one we played back in the day.

Honey's Pros:

  • It’s fun and addictive
  • The game includes all the DLC content
  • Great character design
  • Over 60 hours of gameplay
  • Portable
  • Full character stat customisation
  • Huge amount of stages and levels

Honey's Cons:

  • The Switch version doesn't offer new content
  • Can’t use the touch screen
  • No multiplayer mode
  • No new content will be available, ever

Honey's Final Verdict:

Top-image-Disgaea-5-Complete-Capture-300x486 Disgaea 5: Complete - Nintendo Switch Review
If you’re a fan of the Disgaea series or you’re just looking for a new game to play on the go or at home that can kill a lot of your time and challenge your brain’s strategic and analytic skills, Disgaea 5: Complete for the Nintendo Switch is the way to go. This game is fun and addictive to the point that you will probably want go back and play the previous games of the series. With its beautiful graphics, great characters and funny puns, it will give you tons of hours of fun which you will not regret.

Now for those people that play story driven games, you might wanna hold onto your cash; all Disgaea games have different stories yet they are not the most interesting nor complex stories in the world, they are usually really simple stories with some humor. For those who enjoy fast paced games, you might also wanna hang onto your money; Disgaea games are literally like a turn based board game which the speed of the game is determined on how fast you can analyze your moves, which in some cases could take up a lot of time. But if you would like to play a turn based game with anime characters killing each other with crazy animations, all sorts of weapons and magic, this is probably a game you should add to your collection.

If you bought the PS4 version of the game and liked it, just imagine playing it on the train or during your break from work, that was enough motivation for us to get it! We hope you have an amazing journey if you get this game, if not we hope this review was helpful to your decision of getting it or not, whichever it might be.

Top-image-Disgaea-5-Complete-Capture-300x486 Disgaea 5: Complete - Nintendo Switch Review

Illustrator/Editor/
Translator

Author: Yanayme Roman

Yo! I'm yet another anime lover that lives in japan! I also love RPG games! My goal in life is to work in an animation studio! I love drawing anime! Love all related to anime!! Here is my work: https://honeysanime.com/honeys-anime-character-gallery/

Previous Articles

Translated Articles

Top 5 Anime by Yanayme Roman



Recommended Post

6 Games Like Disgaea [Recommendations]