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Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited is a PS Vita turn based strategy game, and a kind of "complete collection" of an early PS3 game, Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten. Coming complete with new stories, levels, music, and settings, this a pretty substantial upgrade over the PS3 version, although if you're coming here after playing the PS3 version, you will have to play through the old stuff again to get to it.
Set in the depths of a very cartoony hell, and with its tongue firmly in its cheek, the plot follows Valvatorez, a former tyrant of the underworld turned good guy, who's taken on a new honest life as a Prinny trainer - Prinnies being the small, blue penguins that house human souls when they first arrive in the underworld. Having sworn off sucking human blood a long time ago, he instead espouses the all conquering power of sardines - and is devastated when the Corrupternment (effectively hell's government) orders the extermination of all Prinnies. Determined to protect his little penguin friends, he sets off on an adventure to topple the government, in a story that's every bit as batty as it seems.
Despite its crazy plot, Disgaea 4 is a game for the thinking player - slow paced and strategic, with layers of complexity tying together a fairly simple concept. With a team of around a dozen characters at your disposal, it's up to you to take it in turns with the computer player to move your characters around a grid-based map, as you try to outmanoeuvre. and outsmart your opponent.
As you'd likely expect, there's a lot more to it than we have room to talk about here, the game has a pretty comprehensive tutorial explaining everything. Positioning your units is key to your success, as adjacent units have a chance of teaming up when you attack an enemy, letting you unleash a super move. Completely over the top (like the rest of Disgaea), whether it's knocking your opponent into the stratosphere inside a clump of earth, or teaming up with your allies to form your own, Roman centurion style human millipede of shields, there's a wide range of potential madness, and plenty that will raise a smile.
That said, Disgaea 4 is also widely known for its difficulty, and this is something parents should keep in mind. This is not a simple button masher of a game, and while it isn't the hardest strategy game to get the hang of if it's your first foray into the genre, it's not the easiest either (that accolade goes to Fire Emblem: Awakening). With loads of reading to be done if you want to understand how everything works, a solid reading ability is a must. Other than that, parents (and children!) should just be aware that you're expected to replay the levels, rather than just blitz your way through the game in one setting. Get too far ahead of yourself, and you'll soon come up against a brick wall - and the only way around it is to head back into a level you've already completed, and beat it again, earning more XP in the process. Stick with it, and Disgaea 4 is a beast that can be tamed!
Although it's set in the seedy underbelly of the underworld, there's not too much for parents to worry about here. There's no gore, which is perhaps surprising in a game set in hell, and any other questionable content is suitably mild. There's some mild swearing (the very ocassional "b**tard", "biotch" and "pi**ed" being as strong as it gets), and some occasional scantily clad characters, with large cleavage gaping over the sides of some small clothing.
Age Ratings
Format Reviewed: PS Vita
