Disgaea 1 Complete Reviews
Disgaea 1 Complete has a great history, and it is great fun revisiting this classic title with its new paint job and additional bells and whistles. There is something of a missed opportunity to add content to the core story or gameplay that does not occur here, but for an RPG / strategy fan such as myself, there is a lot of quality gameplay mixed with nostalgia that reminded me that even at fifteen years later, Disgaea does it better than most.
Disgaea 1 Complete is the original Disgaea: Hour of Darkness from the PS2 ported to the Switch so that you can take it with you anywhere you go. It’s one of the best tactical RPG games to hit the market and it will give you many, many hours of satisfying strategical gameplay with great graphics and excellent music. If you haven’t had the pleasure of playing the original or just want to play it again for the first time, it’s a solid purchase you won’t regret.
There’s a huge journey to be had and a grueling grinding session that needs to be done. Veterans of the series might not be its main audience especially after pushing through thousands of levels and character reincarnations and the lack of quality-of-life improvements in sequels and spin-offs. But as a newcomer it might as well be the best starting point when things are simple and there’s not a lot of things to consider. Price is of no importance but the $49.99 tag can be a huge turn-off especially for a game that’s been remade a bunch of times on different systems already.
Disgaea 1 Complete is an incredible remake of 2003’s uncompromisingly idiosyncratic JRPG breakout hit. Hundreds of hours await, endlessly toiling at copious dungeons and enemy encounters, and the sheer delight that battles manage to produce is never lost on you.
The original Prinny-hurling, monster-recruiting strategy JRPG comes to Switch and PS4.
While the art, animation, and sprite work all look better than ever, the game does not update any of the old, outdated mechanics that newer entries have fixed over the years.
Sharp HD visuals highlight an incredible tactical RPG. Anyone willing to put in the time should, because Disgaea 1 Complete remains best in class, even 15 years later.
Disgaea 1 Complete brings back the franchise to life and gives a chance for newcomers to experience a stellar game that amazed players humour in the days, it does it so with impressive combat, characters and a stellar soundtrack. Disgaea 1 Complete falters graphics wise, still managing to look aged even with the updated visuals and with a system that requires much grinding.
Disgaea 1 Complete does not provide significant news nor does it solve the problems of the original game, which is disappointing considering the price at which it reaches us. Basically, it's just a graphically more advanced version of the recent PC port.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Regardless of the texturing issues, Disgaea 1 Complete looks good and plays quite well for a fifteen-year-old game. Returning players will feel right at home, and newcomers will enjoy what made Disgaea a popular, tactical role-playing game in the first place. Best of all, playing on the Nintendo Switch allows you take this great, comedic adventure anywhere. Basically, when it comes to whether or not you should play, the answer is clear: Aye Aye, Dood!
This is some of the basic gameplay elements of Disgaea 1 Complete. This may seem a bit overwhelming to newcomers, but if you do the tutorials, you will be slaying your foes and making insane equipment in no time flat. If you enjoyed the original, I think this is well worth the upgrade for the new graphics and the fact that it includes all of the bonus content from the PSP version of the game. Etna mode is just freaking great! The fact that it is portable is just icing on an already delicious cake. It took me around 53 hours to complete the main story, but there are probably another 100 more if I want to do everything, making it well worth the $49.99 price tag. If you’ve been looking for a place to jump into the series, there’s no better place to start than here. It sets an example of how great strategy games could be. While it may not have all the bells and whistles of the newer entries, it’s still pure gold!
Disgaea 1 Complete may now be the best way to play the game that kicked off the popular franchise but a lack of recent features or any real touched up gameplay elements leave it as a great game that is likely only for hardcore fans of the series.
If you're an existing fan or want to get into the series then Disgaea 1 Complete is a must-buy remake.
After all these years, the original Disgaea 1 and its gameplay mechanics are still very deep and engaging and if you're a fan of Tactical RPGs and haven't played the original PS2 game, then it is a very good opportunity for you. But if we analyse the quality of "remastering", it doesn't seem very good, technically. Cutscenes seem so old, a lot of models are nearly copied from the new installments in the series and it seems they didn't put much effort for the remaster. As a conclusion, If you haven't played the PS2 version and looking for a deep tactical RPG, I absolutely recommend this game to you, but if you played that game, then it is better to try newer games of these beautiful popular series.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Disgaea 1 Complete is an excellent remake of an excellent strategy RPG game, and it fits perfectly in the Nintendo Switch's library. We already got to enjoy Disgaea 5 Complete last year on Nintendo's hybrid console, and getting a chance to play the first one with a whole new look is definitely appreciated. There is a ton to do in this one, and that's without even going into Etna Mode which features an alternate scenario in which Etna ends up killing Laharl, so she becomes the main character of the story!
Aside from some major crash bugs and a couple of other niggling faults, portable Disgaea is right at home on Switch.
If you are a fan of the strategy RPG genre, this game will give you a lot of bang for your buck, and is set as the perfect beginning for you to take on the entire series! Disgaea 1 Complete is an absolutely remarkable remake of an excellent game, which you now get to enjoy at home and on the go on the Nintendo Switch. The game might not be for everyone, but that's a burden most games of the genre carry, but is certainly an amazing release!
Final Thoughts Although not a new game into the series, it's still great to see the game that started it all coming back on PS4 to get some new people playing it. As with most of the Disgaea games, there are hundreds of hours of gameplay to get from this game, and it should all be pure fun with everything there is to do and with the humor you'll find in the story. Definitely a must-play for fans of strategy RPGs or of the Disgaea series !
I very much enjoyed Disgaea 1 Complete, but I don't feel it's for everybody. On the surface, there's a great strategy game full of interesting and unique takes on the genre. But it's also grind-heavy, with a learning curve that can be extremely daunting. If you have a lot of time to spare, this is easily one of the better strategy RPGs released on the Switch thus far.
As a remake, Disgaea 1 Complete is pretty barebones and lacks new content. It also has a slightly misleading name, but this doesn’t take back that it is a still a classic that holds up well even today and serves as a good entry point into the series.