Nintendo Switch – Disgaea 1 Complete #220

Maybe sleeping a bit longer would have been best….

Disgaea 1 Complete Screenshot 2018-10-25 19-59-36

Disgaea 1 Complete – Nintendo Switch – Released: 10/9/18 – $49.99

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Short Review (Review copy provided by NIS America)

Disgaea 5 Complete is my top played and most highly recommended game on the Switch so when Disgaea 1 Complete was teased… it was a dream come true. I get to replay a game that I haven’t played in years but this time updated and on the go. Sadly D1C is not the game I wanted but was just another half ass-ed remaster instead of putting in some new additions to bring the original up to par with D5C.

Disgaea is a series that doesn’t get better with time when you boot it up, you will either love it or hate it. There really is no in-between since it is basically an anime version of Final Fantasy Tactics. The stories are always a bit crazy and the original is no different as Laharl’s father has passed away, Laharl has been sleeping well beyond his death, and the other demons want to be Overlord. Fairly generic but fitting for the first in a series as things get a bit crazier as the series progressed. Certainly 4 when you are a vampire that doesn’t drink blood with a servant that always tries to sneak blood into your diet and you have to train Prinnies.

Disgaea 1 Complete suffers from a few flaws that end up being a bigger issue down the line depending how you like to play the series. First is the price… $50 for a “complete” version is a fair price if the complete version had any extras. The “complete” in this title is just to match the new staple of “complete” added to the series in the US. In Japan, the game is called Refine, which is a more fitting title. This game adds nothing but the new layer of paint so how is it the “complete” version?

Second flaw which is bigger deal for people that are fans of the newer games. The newer games add many levels of complexities that add replayability to the game in the form of the other worlds and monsters to collect. These are obvious missing in this since it the original game is the bare bones of the series. It only has the Item World which is infinite but is much easier in my opinion than the newer games, likely due to the better range of enemies to deal with.

These flaws while small take away from the experience if you have been playing any games beyond 3. It is also a shame that D2 wasn’t added to make the full game a truly “complete” game. Disgaea D2 is the direct sequel to the original game starting with the ending of the first game. Disgaea 1 Complete is a game that fans of the series should try out if anything for the story since the newer games have DLC that add Laharl and many new players may not know who he is or Etna or Midboss or any of the original cast.

Final Thoughts

While Disgaea 1 Complete is the bare minimum port of a classic title, it is a shame that didn’t push further. Even if it was new DLC that added short stories from the newer games, it would have made the game more complete. The game is fun from beginning to end but as a fan of the series since the DS port in 2008, it shouldn’t have the title “complete”. Disgaea 1 Complete isn’t “complete” by a long shot and they should have adapted the “Refine” title from Japan. Should you go out and buy this game? Likely no, this game has been ported to almost half a dozen consoles now so if you own a PS2, PS3 that has PS2 BC, PSP, Vita, DS or 3DS, pick up the game on those consoles. All of them can be purchased under $10 with the DS version being as low as $5 sold recently.

My Gameplay Footage:

Trailer:

End Credits

And another one is put to rest… It is a shame but what had to be said was said. I really like the Disgaea series but it definitely didn’t start out as good as the newer games. The Complete title shouldn’t have been added to the game and the price is out of this world when you can pick up Disgaea 5 Complete which includes almost $100 worth of DLC. I hope the other games get ported but they should drop the “complete” title for Disgaea 2 since it too has no extras or go big and do a set of them on one cart rather than remastering them like this one by one. Many of these still hold up really well so why bother doing all that work to clean up backgrounds and models.