It’s time for another romp through the Netherworld. Was Disgaea 6 worth it?
Full disclosure: We received a review code for the Nintendo Switch version of this game. Rest assured that this will not affect the quality or candor of our review.
Table of Contents
Background
The Disgaea franchise is ancient by video game standards, with the first entry releasing almost twenty years ago on the PS2. The formula hasn’t changed a lot since inception: it’s an anime-styled grindy strategy RPG.
As far as SRPGs go, these games are generally pretty accessible. The games are tailored around replayability, but you don’t normally have to grind to beat the main campaigns.
What’s different with 6?
Disgaea 6 bumps the numbers up a few notches. You can now level to 99,999,999 (this is still lower than Disgaea D2 though), and can deal damage in the quadrillions. The game also has an auto-play feature, for players who would like to automate the grinding (or just want to see the game play itself).
However, the biggest change is the shift in visuals. Some franchises gracefully transition to 3D, but Disgaea is not one of them.
What does Disgaea 6 do well?
As controversial as this may sound, auto-battle is a good feature. These games typically have a lot of postgame content that is hard to unlock unless you have the time to grind. If you take the time to properly train your units’ demonic intelligence, the game can arguably play itself more efficiently than you.
However, it does beg the question as to why implementing an entire system to automate grinding is a better idea than simply removing the grind. If you do use this feature, beware of crashes.
The Juice Bar is a great way to strengthen units without actually using them. If you played previous games in the series, you might remember the frustration that came when you unlocked a good grinding map, but the units you wanted to level didn’t have an attack or spell that could actually clear it efficiently.
In previous games you’d eventually have to decide whether you wanted to try and learn a 3×3 skill to clear quickly, be it magic, swords, etc. The Juice Bar does away with that issue: just pour all those acquired resources into another unit.
What could Disgaea 6 do better?
Let’s get the biggest issue out of the way first: this game looks bad. The character art is crisp and lively, which makes the actual models and gameplay look worse by comparison. If you had told me that this was a mobile or 3DS game, I would have believed you. Appropriate for a game based around Hell, this is a damned if you do, damned if you don’t scenario. Do you go with the graphics setting so that the models look a bit better and sacrifice framerate, or the performance setting where everything is mildly blurry?
Overall, there’s less characters and features. Magichange is gone, as are weapon skills.
The number inflation might be fun for some players, but I feel like it cheapens the experience. In older titles, getting an item like an Imperial Seal that grants +15 to each stat is a big deal early on. In this game, you’re dealing numbers higher than my net worth from the get-go.
Is Disgaea 6 good value?
All games in this series are generally substantial, but the “value” as it were is dependent on your tolerance for grinding.
Was Disgaea 6 fun?
I didn’t find the characters or the story as compelling as other titles in the series. Dealing so much damage and leveling so quickly made combat feel less crunchy and more like action figures smashing against each other.
Should you get Disgaea 6 Complete?
Almost immediately after starting this game, we heard about Disgaea 6 Complete. Here’s a breakdown of the differences between vanilla Disgaea 6 (Switch) and Disgaea 6 Complete (PS4, PS5, PC).
Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny (Switch)
Until recently, this was the only way to play Disgaea 6 in English since its initial release in June 2021. This game has gone on sale a few times, but it’s still listed at the full price of $59.99. There’s also a season pass for $34.99 that adds in content that really should have been in the base game.
Disgaea 6 Complete (PS4, PS5, PC)
Disgaea 6 Complete comes with the previously released DLC, but is a whopping $69.99 on the PSN and Steam. There are also microtransactions available to help “skip the grind”. Otherwise, it’s strictly a port, without any added content or features.
Who is this game for?
This game is for the diehard Disgaea fans, but only if they’re appeased by big numbers. SRPG fans might have some fun, but there are much better titles to scratch that grid-based combat itch.
Was Disgaea 6 worth it?
Ultimately, there are better ways to experience this story than on the Switch. I’ve never played a game that made me second guess my own eyesight before. There are many better options both in the franchise and on the console that I would recommend you try instead. If you’re tempted sorely for the “idle game” prospect, there are certainly more budget-friendly alternatives.
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