Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited is an updated rerelease for the Vita. The graphics are nothing to be amazed at, given that it is sprite-based on an isometric map, which you can rotate using the shoulder buttons. As a result, given that there are different heights within the map itself, there can be times where objects on the map will block the view, no matter how much you rotate the camera. It’s not all bad, given that the sprites are nicely detailed and animated, and it carries with it a certain charm.
Your characters and parties are important though. You start with a limited amount of story characters, but you can create your own, which are equally viable (although they’re way more generic and aren’t in the story at all). Each character has their own level, and will level up as you defeat enemies. They have different classes which will have them excel in some areas while not so much in others. However, while levels are important, equipment is more so. Characters have abilities that you can unlock and equip, although they seem a bit generic and limited.
The game has multiple gameplay systems that can be overwhelming, since some of them don’t particularly intertwine too much. The game tries to introduce them to you slowly, to the point where it’s still introducing stuff in the fourth chapter. These things include a Cheat Shop, which you can use to fiddle around with the output of the experience points and money, which is helpful. Equipment also has weapons, which is tied to a randomly generated dungeon. The game encourages you to take your time to get the most out of everything.
The story itself follows Valvatorez, a Prinny Instruction in Hades. Prinnies are the souls of humans when they die and are required to atone for their sins. Val was a powerful vampire, before he was stuck in this role. He’s supported by Fenrich, who is the sane man of the duo. Val is content with his menial and takes it very seriously. So when the President of the Netherworld set out to kill all the Prinnies, Val is not going to let it slide. It quickly escalates until Val vows to take over the Netherworld. It isn’t a school setting anymore, and is slightly more political, but the story doesn’t take itself seriously and constantly breaks the fourth wall.
Story progress is made by complete each level, and the game is split into ten chapters. It takes around 30 hours to finish the story, which is a solid amount of time. Oddly though, not every level will contain story content. Sometimes they are just there for you to fight the enemies and move on. The story itself is more like a prelude to the postgame, and so generally it isn’t too difficult to finish. Granted, a lot of the difficulty later on relate to the gimmicks of those levels, such as playing restrictions on the player or buffing the enemies.
Later story levels will raise the enemy levels faster than you can level up your own characters. If you have a bigger party, or even just a party with the main story characters, they will fall behind and you will need to grind for a bit. However, this is a Disgaea game, so there are various levels that are geared towards fast leveling, which can be satisfying and strangely cathartic.
Since the story doesn’t take itself too seriously, when it uses anime tropes, or have massive plot holes, they’re done for laughs and you can easily overlook them. The story is simple, since it’s basically just Val fighting his way up the Netherworld. He gains various allies, and the stakes escalate until he ends up fighting more and more supreme beings. It’s heartwarming at the end given how much camaraderie and loyalty that they characters have for each other. Everyone’s subplot is wrapped up by the finale. However, the final boss can feel somewhat short and unsatisfying.
After the story, there is the postgame and for many, this is where the game truly starts. There is a lot of things to do. In the base game, there is a series of postgame bosses, optional dungeons and of course, just maxing your characters’ levels and stats. Since this Vita version contains all the DLC, there is even more things to do, with all the DLC stories. Although you will be underleveled for most of them, and yes, as the general theme goes, you will need to grind to level up to clear that content.
Overall, Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited is a fun SRPG. Even if you’re no interested in the grinding part of the game, it has a solid story and likeable characters. The gameplay is complex but still simple to pick up. There are plenty of customization options and you can play the game however you want and still be able to progress. If you’re so inclined, there are hours and hours of content in the postgame.
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