Disgaea 7 Complete Review: A Joyful Return to the Netherworld

It had been a long time since I last spent real hours with a Disgaea game. After a stretch of playing many of these sprawling, content heavy strategy RPGs, I quietly stepped away for about a decade. So when Disgaea 7 Complete landed in front of me, I was surprised by how much I wanted to dive back in, and how good it felt to do so.

Returning to the series felt like catching up with an old friend. A lot had changed, yet the heart of it was instantly familiar. Since I skipped the recent entries, I cannot compare this to them directly, but I can speak to how welcoming it is for someone coming back after years away.

This time the Netherworld is Hinomoto, a setting drawn heavily from Meiji era Japan. The story pairs Pirilika, a wealthy tourist who adores Hinomoto from afar only to find the real place very different from her dreams, with Fuji, a mighty demon warrior buried in debt who notices just how rich she is. Together they tumble into a chaotic adventure involving a corrupt government and a set of legendary weapons.

The plot is light rather than deep, but that is not really why most people come to Disgaea. What fans want is a huge, endlessly customizable game that lets you battle for hours and build an absurdly powerful army, and on that front this one delivers in spades.

All the series staples are here, from grid based, turn driven combat and a wide range of classes and weapons to signature touches like tossing units around the map, effect granting Geo Panels, and team up attacks. The main campaign mixes straightforward fights with clever puzzle like stages that keep things fresh.

My take: Disgaea 7 Complete reminded me exactly why I fell for this series, and it is a wonderful entry point if you have been away or are simply curious. Just be ready to lose a great many happy hours to it.