Self-referential humor and addicting combat make Disgaea 3 an entertaining strategy RPG despite many shortcomings.
There are few games quite like the Disgaea series; with their self-referential humor, their often eclectic and overly-exaggerated cast of characters, and their vast array of classes to use in combat, it's no wonder they have gained a strong following amongst a very small, but very vocal group of gamers. To say the series is not for the average player would be quite the understatement.
With Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice, all of that humor has been left in tact. You take on the role of Mao, a demon and a student of the Netherworld Academy of Evil. All that you think you know about good and evil has been flipped on its topside: "honor students" are considered the most violent and cruel demons, and "delinquents" are the ones who do good and follow the rules. Mao, of course, being the son of the Overlord - or, rather, the Dean of the Evil Academy - is the top-ranking honor student of his Freshman class. At the onset of the game, Mao strives to overthrow his father's control of the Netherworld so that he, himself, can become the new Overlord. The inspiration for this comes from years of research into comic books, video games, and other forms of similar entertainment.
Sound absurd? Wait, there's more.
The game will chronicle the travels of Mao and his compatriots as he seeks to achieve his goal; along the way, you'll encounter Almaz, a human, who reluctantly and unwillingly joins Mao in the demon prince's travels. An exchange of "titles" occurs between both, wherein Mao's title of "Demon" is transferred to Almaz, and Almaz's "Hero" title is given to Mao. Almaz is thus cursed with the fate of turning into a demon if he cannot find a way to rid himself of this title; and ultimately, the only way for him to do so is for Mao to open his heart - literally, in fact - and willingly return to Almaz his own title.
On and on the story unfolds, as more unusual and sometimes hilarious characters are revealed: amongst my favorite are the resident head-chef of the Netherworld, and apparently a master of Kung-Fu, Mr. Champloo, as well as Mao's rival at the Evil Academy, the prime delinquent of the school, Rasberyl, voiced brilliantly by Laura Bailey. The game will frequently make references to itself in full-acknowledgement that it is merely a game; a specific moment occurs near the end, when the final boss willingly admits (not verbatim): "Did you really think I was dead? You should know all final bosses have a second form."
Grid-Based Combat With a Twist…
The series is perhaps best known for its addicting and inventive use of grid-based tactical combat. Unfortunately - or fortunately, depending on how you look at things - not much has changed with regards to how combat unfolds. I'm reminded of the idiom, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it." The problem is, if you let it sit for so long without fixing it, it gets rusty and impractical. The basic functions are lost, and without those, everything else is worthless. So now that I've beaten that reference to death, let's get back to the combat.
It's still as fun as it was six years ago when Disgaea: Hour of Darkness was released for the PS2, and sure, it's seen some minor changes here and there (the transition from Geo Symbols to Geo Blocks is evident on the surface, but ultimately both have the near-exact function), but the game has essentially remained the same. If you've played other grid-based tactical games, you'll be easily familiar with Disgaea's style: you control a cast of characters on battlefields of varying size, and position them in the midst of combat by spawning them from a single location. You can have up to 10 characters on the field at a time, but if one character dies, you are not refunded a slot.
Among the other features of combat is the "Magichange" system, wherein you can include monster-type characters into your party, and if placed directly beside another party member, the monster can transform into one of few possible weapons, provided that character is able to use that type of weapon. There are more than a dozen monsters available to choose from as the game proceeds, and each monster can transform into different weapon types. Perhaps what the series is most infamous for is the ludicrously high level cap of 9,999 - a feat which only the truly dedicated will achieve.
Stuck In The Past…
More than just the gameplay seems to have missed the train ride to the next generation. One look at Disgaea 3 and it can easily be mistaken for something of the PlayStation (PSX) days. The sprite models have not even been rendered in HD, leaving the overall presentation of the game a disappointment; how much space on that Blu-ray disc is being wasted supporting a game that could have easily fit on, say, the Wii's optical DVD? Or perhaps a PS2 release would have been even more sufficient, in the same vein as Atlus releasing their acclaimed Persona series still on the PS2 for the past two years. If one good thing can be said, it's that during dialogue, characters are represented as hand drawn still-motion images, and those are generally well done.
Saved By The Bell…
In between combat, you'll be transported to the Evil Academy hub, which contains the various necessities for character development and combat preparation. From the classroom NPC, you can create new characters, petition for new things from classmates (among these petition options is the availability of newer, expensive equipment, various school clubs, and more). School clubs are special groups wherein you can place certain characters from your party to gain various benefits. You can also rearrange the positioning of the desks in the classroom (every character is assigned to a desk); those characters who are placed immediately next to each other gain a 20% chance to chain a combo attack during combat if they are likewise positioned in adjacent panels when attacking the enemy.
Among the other NPCs in the hub are the various shops (weapon, armor, and item), the nurse, who will heal your characters fully after a battle (for a price, of course), the stage/mission selector, the Evility trainer, who is the primary means of learning new abilities for each individual character, the Heart Bank, an alternate stage/mission selector only available during certain chapters of the game, and the Item Worlder, a sub-mission type world where you can effectively level up one weapon or one piece of armor by fighting through various stages of randomly-generated maps; the further you proceed into this dungeon, the stronger the equipment gets. Be forewarned that you must unequip whichever armament you wish to strengthen while in the Item World, so if you offer up a weapon, make sure you have a spare.
The Classroom Blues…
Disgaea 3 boasts an eclectic mix of upbeat j-pop tracks and melodramatic string instrumentals befitting the game's constantly-shifting tone from self-deprecating to serious to hectic. One of the stand out tunes is whatyou'll hear more than anything else, the theme song to the Evil Academy hub. As far as the game's voice acting goes, it is bar-none exceptional. The English voice dubs are some of the best you'll hear for a role-playing game. The actors perfectly understand the nuances and eccentricities of the character they portray.
And The Verdict Is…
Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice is a satisfying grid-based role-playing game, but leaves much to be desired. The post-game features will drag another 4 or 5 hours out of you, if that, and perhaps the sufficient amount of downloadable content will keep the most dedicated coming back for more (especially for that level cap), but ultimately, those looking for a relatively simple albeit entertaining role-playing game will breeze through this in about 25-30 hours.
Pros: Engaging yet simple combat; self-indulgent sense of humor; excellent voice acting and soundtrack
Cons: Little depth to the story; painfully outdated visuals; not much to return to for the average player, or little motivation to do so; combat becomes a bit of a grind by mid-game
The Final Verdict: 7.5/10
If you're looking for a quality tactical role-playing game on the PlayStation 3, pick up Valkyria Chronicles. However, if you enjoy a bit of monotony in your strategy games and have some spare cash to throw around, then don't feel bad getting this. Self-referential humor and addicting combat make Disgaea 3 an entertaining strategy RPG despite many shortcomings.