Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice

"School has never been so much fun!"

Ever since the Disgaea franchise started, many people were greatly intrigued by its addictive gameplay and humorous storyline. Time after time, the Disgaea franchise has even been known to rival Square Enix's Final Fantasy Tactics, which is without a doubt the most legendary strategy RPG ever to exist. As soon as I got a PS3, I managed to pick up 3 games, one of them being Disgaea 3. It only took mere moments to realize that this game is my best purchase for the PS3 up to date.

Disgaea 3 is an extremely addictive game, but it's certainly not without its flaws. The first thing every player might notice is the graphics. I'm certainly not the type to expect CGI or Hi-Def designs in every game, but I think Nippon Ichi can have done a lot better in the PS3. Honestly speaking, I even find the art of the first and second game a bit nicer.

The graphics did not wreck the game's fun one bit, but what I'm really saying is that Disgaea 3 may not attract many newcomers of the franchise. At the very least, I was expecting designs like Level 5's Jeanne D'Arc. It's true that they have added far more voice acting and options than the previous games, but seeing the design alone, I couldn't think of any solid reason on why this shouldn't be in the PS2.

The gameplay, as every fan of the Disgaea franchise knows, is extremely addictive and fun. Disgaea 3 offers far more things to do than the previous games, such as Class World and Magichanges. In terms of gameplay, it's basically still the same as Disgaea and Disgaea 2, which is a good thing to see. Like any other strategy RPG, you are offered a battlefield where you and the opposing force's units fight. A unique ability of the franchise, which is the ability to throw your units, is still present. I'm glad to see that battles are still fast-paced like the previous games.

The famous deep unit customizations are even better in Disgaea 3. The game offers tons of human and monster units that you can create. As always, every unit has 6 tiers that you can choose from. Unlike the previous games, unlocking the next tier is now a bit more complicated. For example, to unlock the fourth tier of a unit, you must first gain levels and become the unit's third tier by the means of transmigration. Just like climbing a ladder, getting to a unit's final tier means transmigrating to all of its previous tiers first.

For those of you who never played the Disgaea franchise before, transmigration means resetting a character back to the first level while storing a small portion of its previous power. It's easy to imagine that in order to create an almighty unit, Disgaea 3 will take a lot of time off your hands. For some, this game may be a key to many hours of fun, while to others, Disgaea 3 maybe a bit too time-consuming. In any case, I can easily say that this game is not meant for everyone.

By far the most original part of the Disgaea franchise, the senate is back in Disgaea 3. The senate of any Disgaea franchise is the key to unlock the most secret and valuable options of the game. To unlock a certain event, players must first obtain an approval from the senate. If they agree, the event will be unlocked. Likewise, the event will stay locked if they disagree. Being a demon, it's your job to ‘stiffen' the senators that are against you. It's always important to know that the senators have enough power to oppose your force.

Every good RPG always comes with a nice storyline. This is no exception for Disgaea 3, which has probably one of the most unique and funniest script I have ever seen. Unlike many RPGs that has dark and menacing plots, the Disgaea franchise has always been known to have a lighthearted and kid-friendly story (with a few exceptions for Disgaea 2). Believe it or not, Disgaea 3 takes place in my worst nightmare, otherwise known as the school!

The story begins as Mao, the son of an overlord and headmaster of Maritsu Demon Academy, is reading a manga about a great hero who has slain hundreds of demon overlords. Being a demon boy who dreams to someday overthrow his almighty father, Mao decided that becoming a hero is the first step for his mission. After capturing a young human ‘hero' named Almaz, Mao switched his Demon title with Almaz's Hero title. To great dismay, the switch made him much nicer and humanlike while turning Almaz into a more devious and brutal person. Together with Almaz, his childhood friend Raspberyl, and a few others along the way, Mao sets off into a journey where he must reclaim his title while trying to find a way to defeat his father.

While the plot may seem a little bit dark and serious, it is in fact filled with quirky humor and creative dialogues. The main character, Mao, is probably one of the funniest character in video game history. To think that his hatred towards his dad is caused by him ‘accidentally' smashing Mao's PSP! While imaginative at times, anyone who wishes for an epic, dark, or romantic story will not find it here.

Disgaea 3 offers a lot of soundtrack that are truly memorable. Many of them fit the game's setting wonderfully while some of them can be quite forgettable. Both English and Japanese voice acting is superb, which is clearly expected for any game in the Disgaea franchise.

Replayability is no longer a question. With hours of training plus many other hours for maximizing the potential of your characters, Nippon Ichi didn't lie when they announced that Disgaea 3 will offer 100+ hours of gameplay.

My final statement is that Disgaea 3 is a must-buy for any RPG fans out there, especially if they have already played the previous Disgaea games. With endless hours of replayability and a humorous story, Nippon Ichi has fulfilled its promise in creating the best RPG for the PS3.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/30/09

Game Release: Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice (US, 08/26/08)