Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless review

thesixthaxis.com:

For the longest time, the Disgaea series was the ultimate gaming manifestation of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Rather than reinventing the wheel with each subsequent entry, every game up until Disgaea 5 would instead marginally build upon the familiar mechanics of the prior game, with some minor new gameplay systems tossed in but a majority of the freshness coming from the unique characters and stories that each entry tackled. Disgaea 6 aimed to shake things up at every level, from the gameplay down to the graphics, but it felt half-baked in so many ways. Thankfully, Disgaea 7 takes the best parts of the last game to a higher level, and reverses the less successful decisions. Disgaea 7 is a rewarding mix of old and new, and the sequel that Disgaea fans have been waiting for.

A lot of Disgaea games take place in Hell-adjascent setting called the Netherworld which is usually a weird amalgamation of various devil-ish ideas – it’s both a broad and specific aesthetic that puts a gothic twist on JRPG tropes. Disgaea 7 brings a way more specific vision of the Netherworld to the table, though, taking place in a version of the Netherworld that is entirely themed around samurai-era Japan – Hinomoto. Protagonist Pirilika is obsessed with the Bushido culture of Hinomoto, and like any other klutzy rich girl on vacation, she’s incredibly excited to be here and incredibly misinformed about what’s really going on in her foreign dreamland. Hinomoto’s culture has long been eradicated, with udon shops are now serving pasta and not a single honourable bushido warrior in sight. After a chance encounter with the sword-wielding demon Fuji, things kick into gear as the duo set out to restore Hinomoto and track down a set of ancient