I’m a huge fan of Disgaea games and have played mostly all of them (haven’t played Disgaea 3 or 4), so when Disgaea 6 Complete was released, I knew I had to get it for Steam so I could play it on my Aya Neo since I love RPGs. Every time I see or hear about a new Disgaea game, I always add it to my list of games to play since I know it’s up my alley, just like how Disgaea 5 was. Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny is developed and produced by Nippon Ichi Software and was released for PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4/5.
I started chapter 2 with the 100% boost at 84 times, with Zed nearly at lv. 140, while the main team I used was at a somewhat higher level (most of the DLC characters from the previous games). Now, I do admit that I unlocked all of the DLC characters after I played the first chapter’s stage before I continued the game so I can use powerful characters instead of the weak, generic vassals, which I usually tend to do when playing Disgaea games so I can get through them faster and not have to worry about making stronger familiars. I love using specials that can take out multiple enemies at once so I can clear the stage faster and move onto the next one. Now, I’m playing on my Aya Neo, so I want to get through as much as I can before the device’s battery dies (I avoid playing while it charges since that could ruin the battery).
For those who haven’t played Disgaea 6 yet, and without giving much spoilers, the story is about Zed, a boastful zombie who wallows on the lowest rung on the Netherworld ladder alongside his sister, Bieko. When a God of Destruction threatens their way of (un)life, Zed must harness his unique ability of Super Reincarnation to stand against the approaching menace. Along the way, he will unite with twisted and colorful denizens of the Netherworld, face challenges around and within, and see if even an undying hooligan like himself can defy the odds!
Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny unites a grim yet touching story with insane tactical combat, while introducing gameplay elements never before seen in previous installments. As a result, new and returning players alike can craft a truly memorable and unique journey through the Netherworld. Bring the pain in battle with special attacks and support from a plethora of ally units. Customizable settings, such as Auto, Retry, and Replay, allow both hardcore and casual players to fight their own way. And should things take a terrible turn, use Super Reincarnation to rejoin the fight and keep trying until you succeed. This truly is a Netherworld fit for everyone!
Two new changes in Disgaea 6 are that they finally included auto battles and replay battles so you can enable them for easier grinding, which I’m a fan of and actually used it for quite a while. I would set them before I stepped away to get something to eat, and when I got back to playing, my characters were way stronger than before. This is how I managed to beat the game with a strong team. It can be one of the controversial features in a strategy RPG that one may wonder why they would use it at all, but I personally don’t have lots of free time and don’t want to spend most of my time grinding repetitively through a game. I’m glad that those features are there so I can use them when I want while also playing and enjoying the game.
Another new feature is Super Reincarnation, which allows the player to reset a character’s level back to 1, but they become more powerful every time you use it, which is actually recommended to do in the story to make the characters in the party more powerful.
What can I say about the visuals? Well, for the most part, they’re still beautifully drawn and look amazing. However, there’s one thing that’s new, and that is the fact that, for the first time, the sprites are in 3D. I, for one, like the new change; however, during the cutscenes before the party goes into battle, there are some small scenes that play out with the 3D sprites, which are kind of out of place since it’s not full animation, just some different sprites in different poses.
Soundtrack-wise, the music tracks that play during the cutscenes keep getting louder, and it’s hard to hear the dialogue. Even when I adjusted the sound on everything, turning all other sounds to 1 and setting the voices to 10, it was still hard to hear the voices, and I had to keep adjusting the volume all the time. I know that the Aya Neo 2021 has the downside of having a loud fan, but I have the volume set to 12-16, and it’s fine (even at 20, the volume is good, but I find games get too loud). But again, I had to set it to almost 80, and it was still hard to hear the characters talk as they get drowned out by the background music. Yes, I know the music is supposed to make the scenes dramatic, but when you can’t hear any of the dialogue, what’s the point? Now, it may just be me, but I have to deduct a point for it. Now, I do know that there has been an update/bug patch (on July 5th) that NIS America has released for Disgaea 6, but it didn’t fix the issue, so maybe there will be a future bug fix patch/update to fix it. However, for now I’m deducting a point from my final score, though I’d gladly put it back if they fix it.
Overall, I have enjoyed my time with Disgaea 6 Complete and would easily recommend it to any Disgaea fans, any strategy RPG fans or even any JRPG fans. The game is on almost everything – PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), so anyone with either one of those systems could pick it up. Although the price for the PC and PlayStation 4/5 is $70 when it’s not on sale, the Switch version is around $30 used. I would still definitely recommend it, but remember that there are always sales going on all the time, and you could find one for a good price if you look, or you could always just go with just the base game.
Developer: Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.
Publisher: NIS America, Inc.
Platforms: PlayStation 4/5, PC, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 28th June 2022
