Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited (PSV) – it all makes sense surprisingly quickly

The PS Vita gets an enhanced port of the acclaimed Disgaea 4, but does the funny script help to overcome the very familiar gameplay?

‘A laugh and a smile, and all of a sudden the job doesn’t seem quite so bad’, if we’ve got our Blackadder quotes right that’s the advice he was given before a firing squad attempt to shoot him. It’s true though, because if Disgaea took itself in anyway seriously it’d be the most tediously over-complicated and unnecessarily time-consuming video game imaginable. But because it’s funny you’re willing to forgive it an awful lot.



Although it is a superior example of the strategy role-player concept, it’s not necessarily the gameplay that distinguishes Disgaea from other entries in the genre. What makes this so much more enjoyable than the po-faced Final Fantasy Tactics is that it’s one of most genuinely amusing video game series ever made.

This new PS Vita version is an enhanced port of the 2011 PlayStation 3 title originally subtitled A Promise Unforgotten. The Disgaea games, in fact strategy role-players in general, have always worked best on a portable and this updated version is particularly generous with the additions and changes.


Although there are always plenty of cameos from previous titles each new Disgaea game always focuses on a new set of characters. In this case the protagonist is the vampire Valvatorez, who has been caught in a promise not to drink human blood again – and has instead become obsessed by sardines. By denying his vampiric roots he’s been demoted and given the worst job in the Netherworld: overseeing the training of prinnies, the iconic demonic penguins that house the souls of the damned.

Seeing things from the bottom up, Valvatorez becomes angry at the Netherworld’s government and the game charts his attempts to overthrow it and poke fun at real world politics as it goes. It’s not as if Armando Iannucci is going to be mining the game for new material but there are some good gags at Obama’s expense and some relatively biting commentary on the hypocrisy of politicians, freedom of speech, and the woes of the working class.

But although it’s always been considered one of the best in the series it’s true that Disgaea 4 features little in the way of innovation. As ever combat is resolved on an isometric map, on which you and your opponents take turns to move and attack.

This time around there’s added importance in the position of allies when you set-up attack. Crowd an enemy and you can set-off powerful team attacks or start to chain together combos. This does add to the tactical element, especially given that an ally doesn’t have to give up a go to participate in a team attack, but it’s really only a minor evolution of gameplay elements that were already present.

Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited (PSV) – getting all the DLC for free is a great bonus

As usual for a Nippon Ichi game the battles feature an entirely abstract gimmick, in this case Geo Blocks. These differently coloured blocks confer different stat modifiers to anyone standing on them, but can be stacked up on one another or destroyed. This is not a new feature though and neither are other concepts such as monster fusion or entering an item in order to level both it and your team up.



Other elements are simply minor variations on the norm, such as the Cam-Pain HQ where you organise deputies on a strategic world map in order to give them additional stat boosts. You can also bribe senators into giving you rare items or abilities and set up your own cabinet where your foreign minister can gain rare items from other player’s games.

If you’ve never played a Disgaea game before the last few paragraphs probably didn’t make much sense and it’s true this is not a pick-up and play game. It does take only relatively little practise to work out the basics, but peculiarly the game itself provides few hints. There aren’t nearly enough tutorials and even fairly key concepts are left largely unexplained.

That hasn’t really changed in the PS Vita version but you do now get a portable-exclusive scenario and new playable characters. On top of this you get all the extra downloadable content from the PlayStation 3 version, which was quite numerous, and there’s also some brand new music tracks.

But Nippon Ichi has also tinkered with the gameplay systems, adding in features from Disgaea 3 and the disappointing Disgaea D2 (technically the most recent game in the series but actually a direct sequel to Disgaea 1). This includes a new tier of spells and new job techniques, which given how much content there is already is entirely unnecessary but perfectly welcome.

The only problem with the PS Vita version is that although the visuals (a mix of high resolution 2D sprites on simple 3D backgrounds) do look very smart on the touchscreen there is quite a bit of slowdown at times. In terms of gameplay that doesn’t matter at all, given the game’s turn-based, but it does spoil what was almost the perfect package.


Even so, this is the best version of what is arguably the best entry in the series so far (although naturally hopes are already high for the just-annouced Disgaea 5). There’s plenty to appeal to both new and old fans; although not for the first time its ironic to consider that the game, like the politicians it parodies, is still only offering more of the same in slightly different packaging.

In Short: Still the funniest and best-looking entry in the series, even if it’s the least innovative. And despite a few graphical flaws the PS Version is the definitive edition.

Pros: A great script and the best cast of characters since the first game. Impressively deep and tactical gameplay. Even more content than ever, with an impressive array of PS Vita extras.

Cons: Very little change in terms of gameplay. Not nearly enough tutorials and the ones there are prove unhelpful. Graphical slowdown is irritating.

Score: 8/10

Formats: PS Vita

Price: £34.99

Publisher: NIS America

Developer: Nippon Ichi Software

Release Date: 29th August 2014

Age Rating: 12

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