The Disgaea series has a reputation for extreme leveling, tedious grinding, and insane gameplay. Disgaea 4 is shaping up to be bigger and better than the rest and to further the envelope of tactical RPG's. The main character this time around is a vampire named Valvatorez who is trying to become president of the Netherworld, thus a political theme is a focus for this installment.
Accompanying the main character is a wild assortment of egos. A short-tempered girl named Fuka (who sports a Prinny themed school uniform), a pink haired angel named Vulcanus, a rich boy named Emizel who is the current president's son, and a rejected final boss monster named DESCO fill up the roster to ensure some nonsense.
Several classes have been confirmed to return including Warriors, Mages, Magic Knight, Gunner, Masked Hero, Beast Master, Healer, Heavy Knight, Samurai, Archer, Ninja, and Shaman and almost every monster type is back. There are a few new classes that have been mentioned such as the Professor class from Makai Kingdom, the Battle Suit, Ying-Yang Mage, Android, and the Bouncer. It's definitely going to be interesting to see what the new classes bring to the table.
The Disgaea franchise is no stranger to cameos, and this fourth title will be no different. The Gargoyle from the original Disgaea will be returning after being absent for the previous two games. Laharl, Etna, and Flonne will be making their appearance along with Axel, Asagi, Prinny Kurtis, Raspberyl, and Zetta (humanoid version finally). The sprites have been upgraded into HD, although players will be able to change the style back into their older format for nostalgia.
To add some flavor to this title, a crap-ton of features has been added. It has been announced that Disgaea 3 save files can be uploaded but what effect this has on Disgaea 4 is uncertain. A Punishment system will be implemented as well, allowing the player to punish or torture captured humanoid or monsters into becoming allies. The Magichange system returns but will be enhanced allowing players to merge two monsters to make a mega-monster. The mega-monster can be merged with a human to make a mega-weapon, and if you need more wildness, a mega-monster can be combined with a human holding a mega-weapon to have a human with two mega-weapons. Hardcore Disgaea fans will surely find a way to capitalize on this system for devastating effects.
Perhaps the most interesting two features will be the map creation and online mode. Players will be able to create custom maps and upload them to the Disgaea community to be played and rated. The hub area will be able to be manipulated by changing the locations of scenery or various objects and characters such as which character is in charge of a shop. Pirate ships are returning but will be completely customizable by creating on your own instead of stealing one.
After creating a pirate ship, players will be able to send characters into the internet and invade another player's game. This feature has never been done before for a tactical RPG and will be quite interesting to see the results, especially in the regards of stealing items. There will be an automatic level arrangement system in place to ensure some since of equality. Also, a call for help can be made during an online match, which could be a random person or a friend but could result in them wanting something in exchange.
To top off the crazy amount of fan-service that will be seen in this release, there will be a special edition released. This edition will contain an artbook, soundtrack, and Fuka figurine. It's nice to see Nippon Ichi releasing a limited edition of one of their titles here in America, something that was missed by fans for their previous titles. From the magnitude of changes, Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten is shaping up to be one of the best and wildest tactical RPG's on the market. Be sure to check it out when this title hits stores in September 2011.
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