Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten: Prinnies, Politics and Power
Company: NIS America
In the Netherworld, Prinnies are usually the first to fight. Granted, by "fight" they are tossed into foes and explode... but that's not the point. In the Human World, they would be hailed as heroes. Monuments would be raised in their honor and no Prinny would ever be alone on a cold night. In the Netherword, they're somewhere between Red Shirt and "kicked dog," if not a few rungs below. Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten takes a slightly different approach. You play as Valvatorez, a vampire who has taken an oath to never again drink blood. Instead, he gets by on the rich nutrients provided by sardines. They're an okay substitute, but without actual blood, Valvatorez's powers have weakened. Once viewed as a tyrant, Valvatorez has been demoted to Hades where he trains newly created Prinnies. For any other demon, this would be a fate worse than actually turning into a Prinny, but Valvatorez actually likes his position and the Prinnies serving under him.
The story kicks off when one of the Prinny teams is kidnapped and subjected to terrible things (you know... like being treated like Prinnies). The event is enough to send Valvatorez into a rage, setting him on a mission to overthrow the Netherworld's current government and assume the role of Overlord. Disgaea 4 plays like a standard Disgaea game, which is great considering the series has typically stood out as one of the best examples of the Strategy RPG genre. The game is loaded with options, mechanics and nearly everything a fan could want from the series. However, NIS has somehow found a way to cram even more options and mechanics into Disgaea 4.
One of the first is the Cam-paining system. The concept plays around with the political themes running all through the game's story, equating the number of people in your party with the amount of support Valvatorez's coup is gaining. As your characters grow in power, you gain more territory. More territory means more followers, allowing you to build your powerbase. Additionally, you can earn symbols during fights (or in other ways, like Senate meetings) to further power-up your party members. The placement of symbols on the territory grid adds another layer of strategy since it only covers so much of a grid. You can further increase your powerbase by kidnapping enemy units. During battles, you can toss enemies into the Base Panel, opening the option to torture enemies into either joining your cause or making a generous contribution to your rebel efforts.
Collecting large numbers of units is a must in any SRPG, though in Disgaea 4, you'll need massive numbers to get the most out of your army. One new option allows you to merge units, creating bigger units. Of course, it would be hard to mention Disgaea 4 without calling attention to the brand new visuals. All of the low-res sprite work from past games has been replaced with big, beautiful hi-res sprites. The new look absolutely shines and helps show off some of the details long lost in the original sprite work. Story sequences also benefit from a brief bit of animation during character conversations. Though far short of fully animated sequences, the new touch is nice. Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten is slated for release September 6. We'll have a full review around the same time.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
Related Links: Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten | Official Site
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