While there have been numerous entries in the Disgaea series of games, there has never been a true sequel to the original PlayStation 2 game with the same characters. That is about to be rectified with the imminent release of Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness (Or Disgaea Dimension 2 as it is known in Japan) for the PlayStation 3. We were able to get a demo with NIS America during E3, and we’ve got our impressions and details available for you here.
While the demo consisted of pretty early, still-Japanese code that we weren’t able to get our hands on, we were able to glean from quite a bit in our sit-down with publisher NIS America. A Brighter Darkness has plenty of characters from the original Disgaea, and the popular trio of Laharl, Etna and Flonne are back, which should make fans happy.
Also updated is the Master/Pupil system. You essentially designate one character as a master, and others as pupils. The pupils gain entirely new skills and higher proficiencies with their weapons, while the masters gain stat boosts. This adds even more options to the game, as there are countless combinations possible with this setup. This system looks like it will aid the player with plenty of options for them to play around with.
Geo Symbols from the first Disgaea are now Geo Panels, but the basic concept remains intact. These panels are elemental icons strewn throughout the battlefield, and can provide either a bonus or detriment to the player or enemy. These were not elaborated on during our demo, but from the sounds of things they have been only subtly changed from the original game. Don’t fix what ain’t broke, right?
When you get right down to it, A Brighter Darkness seems to play like the original, which isn’t a bad thing at all. It has some additions such as the Master/Pupil system, deeper customization options, and more that will appeal to fans new and old alike. Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness is currently set to release exclusively for the PlayStation 3 this fall in North America and Europe, and was released in Japan on March 20th.
