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First Disgaea 5 Details Revealed
Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) celebrated big at Tokyo Game Show by holding a press conference today to unveil details on Disgaea 5.
Details have been light up to this point, but NIS was finally ready to share about the strategy/RPG franchise's next adventure. Disgaea 5 will release exclusively on PlayStation 4, which will allow NIS to go in a larger direction with the series. After hearing fan feedback about the story lacking, NIS has decided to greatly expand its scope. This entry will include 16 chapters complete with a new conversation mode. NIS is still working out the kinks on how this conversation mode will function, but it did share that the story is much darker this time around. The narrative is centered on revenge. That doesn't mean the series' trademark humor won't be intact, but NIS wants to create a more balanced and deeper story right down to the characters. All the main characters are overlords and the cast is entirely new.
The leading character is Killia, a mysterious young man on a quest for revenge. Along for the ride is Seraphene, a cocky runaway, who acts like a princess and treats everyone as her slave. And last, but not least, there's Usalia, who NIS referred to as its "mascot character." Usalia may be a demon, but she also loves peace and goes crazy for curry. Usalia is said to have a dark past that you will uncover throughout the story. NIS said the main characters all have their own deep story and revenge pays a part in all of their journeys.
The familiar grid-based strategy gameplay remains intact and NIS said everything from the past games will be a part of this entry. Instead of giving Disgaea a huge overhaul, NIS wants to go bigger with everything the series has to offer. You still can level to 9999, but you can also deal absurd levels of damage in the high millions. All the enemies and sub characters are also overlords along with the main cast. And playing into the story's theme of revenge, a new revenge mode, which increases your stats, can be activated during battle. Since you're playing as demons, you'll also have a demon ultimate skill that can be activated within revenge mode. NIS wasn't ready to share any specifics on these new features just yet, but did confirm that the PS4's extra power is lending it the ability to make battles so much grander. Now battles can include a 100 enemies on screen. This is a far cry from the 30 that were in previous games. Because of the extra power, it's almost impossible for the current Vita to support the game, so don't expect the game to hit Vita like the past main entries have. NIS isn't ruling it out, but doesn't think it would be possible on the current Vita.
Disgaea 5 launches on March 26 in Japan. A demo will hit on PSN for Japan users this October.
NIS America hasn't announced Disgaea 5 for North America yet, but the main entries have all made their way to our shores.
Our Take
I knew Disgaea 5 was in development, but actually getting information and a Japan release date has me even more excited. I like the extra focus on story this time around. In the past, I've been more taken with the humor and strategy gameplay, but if NIS can pull off darker topics and more complex characters I'm all for it. NIS releasing Disgaea 5 exclusively on PS4 also speaks volumes about its confidence in the platform. A lot of Japanese players still haven't upgraded and are content with the PS3, but I enjoy the reasoning behind it: NIS wants to make a Disgaea with a much larger scope. Two mainline Disgaeas have already hit on the PS3, it's time for a change. I'll be keeping my eye out for more information, but I'm really looking forward to this. Disgaea 4 remains one of my favorite games. I'm also extremely confident this will release in North America. I'd be shocked if otherwise.
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