Disgaea 4 Complete+ PS4 Review

*Editor's note:A review copy of Disgaea 4 Complete+ on PS4 was given to The Geek Getaway. Also be warned, there will be light spoilers in the review.

Basic info and some history
Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten, developed and published by Nippon Ichi Software, was originally released for the PS3 in Japan on February 24, 2011, in North America on September 6, 2011, in Europe on November 4, 2011, and in Australia on November 24, 2011. The game was ported, and given an update, to the PS Vita in Japan on January 30, 2014 as Disgaea 4 Return. The English language version of the Vita port was called Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited and released in North America on August 12, 2014, in Europe on August 29, 2014, and in Australia on September 4, 2014.

On October 29, 2019 Disgaea 4 Complete+ will release in North America and Europe. Japan will see the release of Disgaea 4 Return, yes it is still using the Vita name for this release, on October 31, 2019. On November 5, 2019 Disgaea 4 Complete+ will be released in Australia. The game cost $49.99, however it is 20% off if you pre-purchase it digitally on the Nintendo eShop with you earning 200 Gold Points alongside your purchase. You can also use any Gold Points you have to make the purchase. If you have a PS+ Membership you can also take advantage of a 20% discount on the digital copy of Disgaea 4 Complete+ at the PSN store.

Maps can be rotated 360 degrees

Minor story spoilers ahead...
That said, Disgaea 4 Complete+ follows the same story as the two previous releases of the game. The main character Valvatorez used to be a "Tyrant" and one of the most powerful demons around but a promise to no longer drink blood has lead him falling down the pecking order to a spot near the bottom as a Prinny Instructor. Valvatorez takes promises very seriously, something unique among demons, and it is when he is unable to keep his promise of a sardine meal to a group of Prinnies under his instruction that the plot takes off. In an effort to keep his promise Valvatorez and his loyal servant Fenrich find themselves going against the very government of Hell as things spiral further and further out of control. Without giving too much away, Valvatorez befriends many other demons on his path toward the game's climax with the true villain and each named demon has a unique story and reason to join up with Valvatorez and his growing crew of rebels.

Disgaea 4 Complete+ includes 2 post game modes that add quite a bit of depth to several characters as well as post story missions that tell the backstory of Valvatorez and Fenrich and other characters who attempt to take over Hades. The first bonus mode, The Fuka and Desco Show, was part of the original release of Disgaea 4 as DLC. It tells the story of Fuka's attempts to reincarnate and the wacky shenanigans that happy as a result. The other additional mode, The Time Leap Episode, was part of the PS Vita port and focuses on a character named Nagi Clockwork and her attempts to stop a war that is raging all around her. Of course, the war Nagi is attempting to stop is the very same one mentioned by Valvatorez throughout the main story of Disgaea 4 Complete+.

This little genius is Nagi Clockwork

How does it play?
Gameplay in Disgaea 4 Complete+ follows the same style and basic setup of previous games in the series. The battlefield is littered with monsters, you summon allies from a home portal, you send your allies after the monsters in tactical combat, rinse, and repeat. The gameplay is far more complicated than that simple breakdown but I feel it gives a pretty accurate, if not simplistic, take on these games. So, if you are not interested in tactical RPGs then you should probably turn back now because we are going to dive right into the many little nuances of this game. There are quite a few unique mechanics at play in Disgaea 4 Complete+ that I am not even sure if I have space to talk about all of them.

The companion cube looking thing is the Null Geo Block

The battlefield itself often features colored sections , Geo Panels,that can be effected by colored Geo Blocks. You can choose to leave the Geo Blocks and reap the beneficial or suffer the negative effects the block is putting on the Geo Panels of the color it is sitting on. You could also destroy the Geo Block and thus change the color of the Geo Panel it was on, along with any other Geo Panels of that same color, if it was indeed a different color from the Geo Panel in the first place. Null Geo Blocks would remove the Geo Panels instead of changing their color should you destroy the Null Geo Block when it is on top of a Geo Panel. Destroying Geo Blocks have a dual benefit as they damage friend and foe who are on the same colored Geo Panel as the one the destroyed block was on top of and they help build up the bonus meter.

Small guy, giant female demon...this is someone's fetish isn't it?

During battle monsters that you summon as allies can combine with other monster allies to become giant versions with increased stats and a few new moves. These new giant monsters can only be fused for a limited time tho, so be sure you're allies are in a good position before you attempt this. Monsters can alternatively choose to change into a weapon for humanoid allies to wield, offering an increase in stats to the wielder and a new special ability. Eventually you will unlock the ability to fuse 2 monsters into a giant monster then make that monster change into a weapon, giving a huge bonus to the lucky humanoid who is wielding the new weapon. Like with the fusion, changing into a weapon comes with a time limit so you need to plan accordingly.

Ash here is wielding a Prinny bow

Humanoid allies have a few unique features themselves. They can wield several different types of weapons, each with their own unique skills, as well as lift and throw other allies. Humanoid allies can also lift and toss the different objects or enemies that are on the battlefield. Eventually you can also learn unique skills to use lifted allies as weapons, essentially beating up enemies by smacking them with an ally.

This is but 3 ways that this game adds layers to the tactical RPG formula. I hardly have the room to talk about the unique stat growths, skills, and features of each class or monster. The ability to learn new skills, unlock and equip "evilities", reincarnate, get reborn into a new class or tier of the same class, and gain bonuses from one of several other systems. Luckily the game goes over every mechanic before letting you play around with it. If you have further questions or forget what you were told there is an in game help system that will refresh your memory. It all seems like a lot, but it makes a lot more sense when you actually start to play the game and use the various systems and mechanics.

Disgaea 4 Complete+ is full of references to anime and other video games

What makes it complete+?
Now, chances are you already played Disgaea 4, and maybe even the PS Vita port, and just want to know what is new/different in this version. Well, I got you covered. Disgaea 4 Complete+'s biggest feature is all of the previous DLC and PS Vita updates are in this version.There are also options for English or Japanese audio. You can also set English or French text for the game. The game also adds a Cheat Shop, Event Viewer, ability to change weapon appearance, an Innocent Warehouse, and the ability to bribe senators to outright vote in your favor. Peta level spells and job/class specific skills have also been added to the game.

The resolution of the game has been upgraded to 1920 x 1080p. Skill speeds, how fast the skill animations go, can now be set to 2x, 3x, or 4x speed. The game autosaves after returning to the base. You can quit a map and go back to the map selection screen. Characters can be re-positioned when using spells. Additionally, you can change your characters position without having to send them back to the base panel first. There are now a ton of online features for various things like pirating, arena fights, and senate hearings.

The two bonus modes are accessed by talking to this android

So, what do I think?
I have always been a fan of the Disgaea series, going back to the precursor La Pucelle Tactics game, and already played and beat this game when it came out on the PS3. The game was a fun, wacky, grindy experience back then and it remains as such today. The addition of the Time Leap scenario was nice as I missed out on that since I do not own a Vita. The story is fun and has a lot of genuine laugh out loud moments but it is almost over the top in its wackiness. A Kojima Productions this isn't. The gameplay is still solid as ever and the addition of new skills and spells kept things feeling fresh for a Disgaea veteran like myself.

Here is the code to unlock everything at the start of the game
At the title screen press Triangle, Square, Circle, Triangle, Square, Circle, X
if you hear Valvatorez shout "Sardines!" then it worked.
Choose start or continue and enjoy.

The ability to use a code to unlock all the bonus and post game content from the start really made the game so much more fun for me, as I was able to tackle the stuff I missed out on from the aforementioned Vita port and any DLC I was too poor to afford. I do warn you, if you haven't played and beaten the game there will be a lot of spoilers in the bonus and post game content. If this is your first time I strongly suggest playing the game from start to finish as it was intended.

I really wracked my brain trying to decide if this game deserved to be recommended or not. Anyone who played the original wont find much to be excited about. Those who played the Vita port will find even less. However, seeing s the original game released 8 years ago and the Vita port was over 5, I think there will be more than enough people who are into the Disgaea series that missed the previous versions of the game.

Final verdict: Recommended

*All images are owned by their respective copyright holders and are used under fair use guidelines