Hands On with Disgaea 5 Complete

The energy was high, the room was loud, and the game was familiar.  Disgaea 5 Complete, coming to the Nintendo Switch this May, is not a new game, but that is not a problem.  Originally released two years ago for the Playstation 4, Disgaea 5 is the perfect game for NIS America to test the waters with Nintendo’s new system. 

For those unfamiliar with the series, Disgaea is a strategy RPG franchise more similar to Final Fantasy Tactics than Fire Emblem.  The game will offer hundreds of hours of content, especially due to the inclusion of the DLC content from the original game: 8 bonus levels, 4 classic characters, and 3 additional classes from previous games.  The original release received mostly positive reviews, and our hands-on time makes it clear that this is more of the same. 

Speaking to a representative on the floor, we have been told that the game will run at the same 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second framerate as the PS4 release.  While it took a few minutes to get used to the controller, which felt mildly cramped at first, the controls were as intuitive as ever on the Switch. 

While we only had a short while to go hands-on with the game, here are our thoughts:

Disgaea 5 Complete is every bit the strategy RPG masterpiece of its predecessor, Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance.  There is good reason that Disgaea remains, alongside Fire Emblem, one of the only prominent SRPG franchises left.  When good graphics meets great gameplay, NIS America continues their winning formula.  The interface is familiar to those who have played previous entires in the franchise, but may be an information overload to newcomers, throwing every statistic about your character at you at once and menus that go on for weeks. 

The high definition sprite graphics remain just as beautiful today as they were two years ago.  This is a perfect fit for Nintendo’s newest console.  We only played the game in console mode but if there are no major performance dings – which we were assured there are not – then this is as perfect a fit to take on the go as any SRPG.  NIS America keeps emphasizing the ability to take this game on the go and after just a short while with the game we understand why – while being the most bold and large entry in the franchise, it condenses the best of the genre into several battled per episode that you can pick up and return to at your own pace. 

This is the first entry in the franchise on a Nintendo console in nearly a decade, be sure to support it and show NIS and NIS America that Nintendo fans are ready for RPGs on the Switch.  While Nintendo has announced that Fire Emblem will be coming to the Switch in 2018, Disgaea 5 Complete is here in 2017 – launch in Japan, May 23rd in the US, and May 26th in the rest of the world.  If you are a fan of strategy RPGs, be excited. 

Editor’s Note: While the article carries a byline of Scott Berlin, it was originally written by Larijohn Adorable who attended the NIS America press event and heavily edited by Scott Berlin.