Even the Worst Disgaea Game Is Still one of the best Tactical RPGs on the market
For over 20 years, Nippon Ichi’s Disgaea franchise has been pushing the boundaries of strategy RPGs, combining an anime style with colorful characters and plenty of crunchy number stats that keep going up. Released for every modern platform, including phones, Disgaea is deceptively easy to get into, but to get the most out of each game, expect to spend hours grinding away for the best items and stat boosts. However, not every game in the franchise is equal, as with every long-running franchise, there have been some ups and downs along the way.
Remember that no matter the ranking, even the worst Disgaea game is still one of the best tactical RPGs on the market today.
8. Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny
Released in 2021, Disgaea 6 is intended to be an entry point for new fans of the series. Reincarnation, a way to turn your max-level characters into level-1 versions of themselves with boosted stats, goes from a gameplay mechanic to being front and center of the story. Zed, a Zombie, has to explain to the Dark Assembly how he managed to defeat the Overlord of Destruction that was threatening the entire Netherworld. The secret? Super reincarnation, so with each defeat, Zed gets stronger.
While the story ends up being worth your time, what makes Disgaea 6 the worst of the series is, well, everything else. A graphical overhaul that turned the gorgeous 2D sprites of earlier games into full 3D models robs the series of its cartoony, bright aesthetic, and all of the charm is gone. To make it worse, while the gameplay is great at onboarding new players, for series veterans, a lot of the nuance was taken out, making this the easiest, most simplistic Disgaea yet.
7. Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless
The most recent entry in the series, Disgaea 7 keeps the new graphic style of the previous game, but with a little more time to work on the new engine, everything flows a little better, and performance issues have been smoothed out. That said, it’s still not as charming as the rest of the franchise, and even the return of missing mechanics from Disgaea 6, such as weapon skills, leaves the game a shadow of the previous entries.
Featuring a pair of demons, Fuki, the classic empathy-less lead, and Pirilika, a wealthy demon with no common sense, the characters are reminiscent of the original game, and Lahral and Ettna’s relationship. This is a good thing, as the actual plot is again, bare bones and lackluster, but this time, the writing and humor are good enough to keep you going.
Yet, while it’s a step forward following Disgaea 6, the seventh entry is still lacking in the tactical gameplay aspect. With no tower attacks, a controversial overpowered new mechanic (the “juice bar”), and a simplified item world, those who want the hardcore experience that made the franchise famous should still look elsewhere.
6. Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice
Disgaea 3 deserves credit for introducing Evilities and Magichange to the franchise, but for all of the gameplay innovations, the story drags it down. Set in the Netherworld’s Evil Academy, players control Mao, son of the Demon Overlord, as he sets out on a quest to overthrow his father. While the plot is similar to that of other games in the franchise, the key difference is that Mao is a horrible character.
Not only is he a horrible person, which he is, but he stays that way throughout. Of all the Disgaea protagonists, Mao is easily the worst one. While Disgaea 3 did add to the tactics complexity of the franchise, its additions are used in better games down the line and aren’t enough to overcome the obnoxious plot.
5. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
The original isn’t the best, but it still holds up today. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness starts off slow, but by the time you’ve vanquished “Mid-Boss,” you know exactly what the next 150 hours will be like. Even without the quality-of-life improvements that came later (unless you play the re-release), the rock-solid gameplay, comedic story, and wild characters make it a joy to play.
Lahrl, Etna, and Flonne play off each other so well it’s easy to overlook the comparatively simplistic tactical gameplay. Of course, it’s simple compared to the rest of the franchise, as the ability to lift and throw units, Geo-panels, the Dark Assembly, and the Item World were all present from the very beginning of the series.
4. Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories
Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories is…just kind of there. The original and the later re-release, Dark Hero Days, are perfectly solid tactical RPGs with a decent story that, for once, centers on a human and not a demon. That said, there’s nothing truly exceptional about any version of the game.
There’s nothing wrong with simply being a good game, but there’s nothing memorable about Digaea 2, either, which is why it’s right in the middle of the rankings. Yet, the game is better balanced than the first one, with more classes having their uses and the “rush an uber Maijin” strategy no longer works as well.
3. Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance
The last Disgaea made with the old art style, Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance, is bright, bold, and colorful. This time around, the story centers around a group of Overlords fighting back against Void Dark’s empire, led by Killia, a wandering demon with an axe to grind against the villain. Joining him is one of the best casts, from Seraphina, the Gorgeous Overlord, to Red Magnus, the hulking Overlord of Scorching Flame.
New this time around is the Revenge meter, which fills up as allies die and take damage, eventually letting characters unleash powerful attacks and abilities. Turning units into Giants for a few turns, giving them reach and range on their skills, is new as well to Disgaea 5. With great balance, an expansive cast of characters, and another layer to the combat system, Disgaea 5 is almost the pinnacle of the franchise.
2. Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness
In a first for the Disgaea franchise, Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness is a direct sequel to the first game. Laharl, Etna, and Flonne return in an adventure that picks up where the first game left off. Thankfully, the chemistry between the characters remains the same, and none of the charm was lost over the years.
Gameplay-wise, it might not sound like much, but Disgaea D2 added in all the new improvements from the second through fourth entries and introduced mounted combat for the first time. In addition, throwing is no longer confined to straight lines but the whole area around a character, and if you’ve played any of these games, you know what a difference that made!
1. Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten
With a fantastic story, complex gameplay changes, a deep Item World, new levels of character customization, and of course, the most Prinnies in one game, Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten is still the best in the franchise over a decade later. Playing as Valvatroz, a vampire that swore off drinking blood and is now working as a Prinny Trainer, the story escalates with each chapter, eventually culminating in a massive battle for the fate of both the Netherworld and Earth.
No other game in the franchise matches great characters, from the human Fuuka to the Ultimate Weapon Desco, with such in-depth strategic gameplay. Between the returning Magichange, which turns monsters into weapons, and the new Demon Fuse option, which combines two monsters into a massive behemoth, no game in the series has managed to make as many classes relevant.
From the understated beginnings of the franchise on the PlayStation 2 to its current availability on every platform, including phones, Disgaea has been delighting tactical RPG players for over 20 years. Beyond the grid-based gameplay, what every game in the franchise has in common is that the story is only half the game. Once the credits roll, the real challenge begins, as that’s when you get to embark on the greatest grinds in gaming history and reach the coveted level 99,999.
From Disgaea 6 to Disgaea 4, few games can match the wild combination of anime aesthetics, comedy, and numbers that, like stocks, only go up. When in doubt, pick up the latest release for each game, which will include the DLC, from extra characters to entire scenarios, and a few even have guest stars from other NIS titles. With Disgaea, even the worst game is one of the best ever made.
