It’s been 10 years since the first Disgaea: Hour of Darkness was released and introduced us to the Netherworld and it’s self proclaimed Overlord Laharl. D2 brings back the main cast of Laharl, his sarcastic vassal Etna, and loving and cheerful fallen angel Flonne. Taking place after the events in Hour of Darkness, D2 is both a throwback and a new installment in the SRPG franchise, with old classes and new, item world, dark assembly, master and apprentice boosting system, and much more.

The story starts off with one of the greatest intros of all time—Laharl standing arms crossed atop a plummeting meteor, his evil laugh roaring through the skies. Flonne is busy tending her garden at Krichevskoy’s Castle, when the appearance of both Laharl and Etna end her gardening abruptly. Laharl issues forth his plan to enforce his status of Overlord of the Netherworld upon all of demonkind, and finds out most demons don't care, or are actually plotting against him. Laharl then journeys through the Netherworld where he encounters progressively weirder and weirder foes. He also meets his little sister (?!), and learns what it’s like to be a female idol pop star (I’m not joking).

Players are then introduced to the turn-based tactical battle system, where they can deploy their units one-by-one and execute orders as they see fit. Stacking units on the same square creates towers where unique "tower attacks" can be used, or you can just throw units around the map. Monster classes can be mounted and special "mounted attacks" can be used when ridden. Team attacks from units standing next to each other are now influenced by characters' likeability ratings with each other. High likeability means more team attacks, and a higher chance the units will defend each other. It also affects the dialogue when interacting.

Combat and leveling up is as deep as ever. Geopanels litter the maps granting bonuses and hindrances. Character abilities level up the more you use them, increasing their power and range of use. With the master and apprentice system, classes can learn the abilities of other classes easily. For instance, fighters can learn healing and destructive magic, while mages can learn strong weapon skills. Leveling up characters (which looks to be up to level 9999) is one way to boost stats in addition to leveling up weapons in the item world. Battle the residents that live within items and enhance items stats by adding and subtracting residents to your needs. Any min/maxer player will adore the depth of details this game lets you alter, but if you just want to play through the game, it's quite forgiving and you don't have to power level.

The return to original cast and revamped classic SRPG combat makes Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness a game that will entertain you for hours. And with all the anime, tokusatsu, comic, and game humor peppered throughout the story and item text, if you're a nerd like me, you’ll be pausing to post each hilarious joke you find over and over.

Hint: The early part of the game can be handled easily with Laharl and Etna fighting on the frontlines just by using Flonne as the main healer.

by Reginald Rhoades