The Disgaea series is pretty unique, to say the least.
Originally released as a tactical role-playing game on the PlayStation 2, the franchise has seen a number of spin-offs and connected series that have changed up the formula. From platforming games to a visual novel, and even a recently announced party game, there are quite a few options available. Combined with wacky stories, memorable characters, and a unique setting taking place within different "netherworlds"—where good deeds are seen as bad and chaos rules—the series also stands out for its focus on powering up and chasing high numbers. Rather than simply leveling from 1 to 100 like in many RPGs, Disgaea takes that concept and asks players to shoot for level 9,999, all while improving their equipment to insanely high levels and unlocking over-the-top skills. Then, once characters have seemingly reached their limit, their levels can be reset to 1 to retain a portion of their base stats, allowing players to start the process all over again and reach even higher stats than before.
This loop is the standard Disgaea grind. With the ability to increase enemy stats and apply other custom boosts to your own characters, it can basically go on indefinitely. It quickly becomes a full-on addiction, and now developer Nippon Ichi Software has taken the series in a new direction—an action RPG inspired by the likes of Dynasty Warriors.
Disgaea Mayhem is the first entry in a potential new "Mayhem" sub-series. While nearly all of the iconic Disgaea features and mechanics have been adapted for this new style, it isn't the character-focused, hack-and-slash fever dream fans of the series might have expected. Instead, it features a completely standalone story with a new protagonist, making it a title both newcomers and long-time fans can enjoy. However, due to its number-heavy focus, it still might not be for everyone, as this is truly where most of the enjoyment lies. Despite a large number of weapon types to master, the general gameplay is bare-bones and doesn't truly evolve past what is on display in the introductory chapter. So, unless you let the level-grind addiction take hold, Disgaea Mayhem might sadly have little else to offer you.
The Story:
The story in Mayhem is a very simple and short one.
It begins with a demon mercenary named N.A. taking on a job from a young girl named Tichelle, after the demons who once served her father stole her precious flan. As the daughter of the former Overlord of their Netherworld, she has succeeded him following his passing, and she chose N.A. simply based on her father's recommendation. Though N.A. himself is surprised, as he only had a brief encounter with Tichelle's father in the past, he still accepts the mission and sets out to return the stolen flan by any means necessary. It is a completely ridiculous story, on par for the series, with each chapter focusing on the specific demons who stole the flan. While initially this was just a job for N.A., we also get to see his relationship with Tichelle develop, with a few other surprises thrown in. Sadly, the plot is extremely short, so it never has time to fully develop, but the characters are enjoyable to watch, to say the least.
The Basic Gameplay:
Disgaea Mayhem is an action RPG that has a lot in common with hack-and-slash titles produced by Omega Force. As previously mentioned, the game features a single protagonist, named N.A., and allows for one support character to be by his side, with seven different weapon classes to make use of. Each weapon has its own unique set of combos using both a normal and a heavy attack button, and players can equip and use special skills as well. These skills have a cooldown timer upon use, so players cannot simply spam them, but they are powerful enough to take out entire mobs of enemies at once or to hit a boss where it hurts. In addition to this, N.A. can block, dash, run, and even jump, with different attack combos available while off the ground.
It is honestly everything standard one would expect from this type of title, with even the maps not really being anything too special. They consist of single connected areas with multiple regions for enemies to spawn in, and single-room battle arenas while in the game's "Item World" mode. While extra missions feature all enemies spawned within the world at once, with basic goals of "kill 60 of this specific monster" as the requirement to progress, during the standard story they spawn in groups with even simpler objectives, such as "kill 15 of anything" instead. It isn't quite the one-versus-one-thousand gameplay the title Mayhem would imply, but it works.
Outside of normal enemies, bosses take a bit more effort, featuring attack patterns to memorize and powerful hits to dodge. Each boss also has a break-style meter to contend with, where breaking their shield will put them into a temporary stunned state, leaving them open to your attacks. Additionally, bosses can be countered by using skills against them while they attack, which also leaves them open to extra damage. Early on, these fights can actually prove to be a bit of a challenge, but with Disgaea's nature of focusing on becoming overpowered, don't be too surprised if you can one-shot kill the final boss, despite setting the enemy difficulty to maximum. Of course, you can also intentionally use weaker gear and keep your stats low, but not many players will go this route.
As for the weapons, we have Swords, Spears, Axes, Fists, Bows, Guns, and Wands. As stated above, they each have their own unique set of combos, but their use completely comes down to personal preference. No one weapon seems to outclass another, though some do hit harder, while others have a much wider reach. For example, guns will shoot and destroy multiple enemies in front of you, while the bow has a much narrower but longer range. Since all options are viable in nearly all situations, players shouldn't worry about missing out by simply sticking to their favorites.
The final aspect of the main gameplay comes from the Buddy system. Here, players have a chance to recruit demons they fight during the main game to then act as their partner character. While you cannot control them directly, they will support you during missions and have their own special skills to boot. They also have a transformation that alters your weapon into one of the other types, with a finishing move available as well. Although there are only a handful of "base" options for each Buddy, they have three versions each, tripling the overall options. These color-swapped versions are, in fact, stronger than the base ones, and thankfully, existing partners can be rebirthed into their upgraded forms—but we'll go into those details later. Disgaea Mayhem has an in-depth customization system, and that extends to all aspects of the game.
The Hub
Outside of missions, the game features a main hub that gives you access to all of the different facilities and general features needed to advance through the story. However, very few of these are unlocked from the get-go, which is where the Dark Assembly comes into play.
The Dark Assembly is a meeting hall where you can put forth suggestions, and the assembly of demons will vote on them. These can range from "give me triple EXP next round" to "let's add more items to the shop," or even "let's unlock the post-game!" All of this must be voted on, and mana points, which are earned during normal play, are required to do so. Of course, not all demons will agree, or even be awake to vote for that matter, so before starting the vote, players can walk around and bribe them with items. Even then, it doesn't guarantee they will vote for your side, which leaves two additional options when a vote fails—pay them off, or beat the literal heck out of them. Some of the demons in the assembly can be much stronger than your current level, but with enough patience and practice dodging, they can be overcome so you can get your way.
One of the first features players might want to consider voting for is none other than the Cheat Shop. This facility lets players alter the amount of EXP, money, or mana they receive from each round; points can be decreased in one area to distribute them elsewhere. Not interested in money at the moment? Drop that to 10 and put the remaining 90 into mana. Want to focus on leveling up instead? Drop everything and go all-in on EXP! Additional points are gained during progression, but there are always limitations on how much you can spend. Additionally, there are sliders to increase the overall enemy level and to decrease your own power, so players are free to customize the experience as much as they wish. Stronger enemies mean more EXP, however, and that means reaching level 9,999 becomes much more feasible.
The Item World is the next available option, and it is, in fact, the core of the entire game. Here, players can jump into a round-based combat mode using the equipment they have acquired. By default, each item begins with five rooms to clear. Each enemy defeated will increase the item's level and reward equipment upgrade points. Using these points, the main stats of the equipment can be increased, as can the rarity, which will further extend how many rounds that item has in its Item World. More rounds mean more enemies to take out, which in return increases the item's overall level and gains additional points. Clearing an Item World stage also typically rewards you with additional, stronger equipment to use, which once again has its own Item World stages to take on. It becomes a never-ending loop of upgrading gear and getting better gear in the process, but eventually, there is a point where better items stop dropping. At that stage, players need to move onto the game's "true" post-game to continue—which comes complete with its own harder version of the Item World.
In addition to the standard use of the Item World, it can also be used to upgrade and form attachable buffs for equipment called "Innocents." Each item has a limited number of slots and typically comes with at least one equipped, but using the Item World facility, players can freely remove them or swap them for other skills. This adds an additional layer of customization on top of standard stat increases for items, and it can be very useful if the best ones are chosen.
The Buddy Base and Chara World are the final "standard" main features in the game. As mentioned above, Buddies are partner demons you can take with you into battle to support you in multiple ways. The Buddy Base lets you recruit new demons, rebirth them back to level 1, and even add additional stats. Once enough Buddies have been unlocked and leveled up, they can then be taken to the Chara World, which plays out a lot like a board game. Players choose their party of demons to send in and roll dice to progress, while landing on battle spaces pits them against enemy demons in an auto-battle style RPG mode. SP can be used to support your demons in battle, and there is an option to use items, but there is very little direct control overall. It is a mode where the higher-level demons will inevitably come out on top, and the reward for progressing through this mode is additional stats for N.A., extra passive skill slots, and other customization options. It is a major part of the game's grind, and a must for those hoping to move onto the end-game.
Grinding Numbers, Numbers and More Numbers!
There's no denying that the main focus of Disgaea Mayhem is, in fact, the level-up and stat system, and this is the true draw of the game. While the story itself is weak and the gameplay is simplistic to say the least, there's something engrossing about spending countless hours slaughtering demons and watching your own stats and your buddy's stats go through the roof. There are so many ways to keep bringing those numbers up, and the constant damage readout in battle is a persistent reminder of just how far you've truly come. Early on, you'll feel powerful just because you reached one million damage after comboing a large group of enemies using all of your attack skills! But if you keep working at it and using all of the facilities to your advantage, eventually even your most basic attack will do millions of damage on its own, making your combos reach into the billions range—and even that isn't the end!
As already stated, the Item World is, in fact, the main game. With this feature, similar to the main series, you can crank the enemy levels up to maximum, give yourself large EXP bonuses, and then jump into the Item World of your highest-level piece of equipment. Even if it isn't useful to you, you'll gain tons of experience, money, and mana points, and you'll also obtain better equipment drops—assuming you didn't use the Cheat Shop to turn one of these rewards off. From there, the better equipment will feature higher-level enemies, and eventually you'll reach a point where your favorite weapons, accessories, and armor will drop.
By equipping your favorites and jumping into their Item World, you'll be able to upgrade them to insanely new heights and possibly even receive better versions of them along the way—which you will then, of course, use instead and once again take into the Item World to increase their stats. By doing this, it also won't take long to reach level 9,999 for both N.A. and your Buddy, and rebirthing them will keep a percentage of their stats. Following this, you can jump back into the Item World, get back to 9,999 in no time, or even choose to level up a different Buddy instead.
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Buddies are used in the Chara World, and the final version will need a group of level 9,999 characters with the best possible equipment attached to them, so there's not much of a reason not to work toward this goal right from the start. Using the Item World, it's also possible to obtain multiple copies of the best equipment in the game, which can then be equipped to every single Buddy in your possession, further increasing their stats. Then, using them in the Chara World will also greatly increase N.A.'s very own stats, though extra mana points can also be used to improve a Buddy's base stats as well. While doing this, players might as well work on upgrading and getting better passive skills, or even focus on leveling up their different weapon classes instead.
The Cheat Shop allows players to bump up the amount of EXP weapons gain from usage, so once you hit 9,999, feel free to set the EXP gain to 0 and invest those points where they are needed. There are simply so many ways to improve both N.A. and your multiple Buddies, and despite the very basic gameplay, it can become highly addictive. Of course, this type of gameplay will not be for everyone, but Disgaea fans should already expect this, and newcomers might just find themselves getting sucked in as well.
That being said, the main story can be completed in roughly two hours, but I personally invested another 20 in the Item World alone prior to writing this review. And I will keep coming back, because the true game doesn't even begin until you reach this point.
The True End Game, the Carnage Dimension:
After completing the initial grind and becoming an overpowered demon that can slaughter everything in your path, Disgaea Mayhem sucker-punches you out of nowhere and knocks you down a peg. Once specific conditions are met, the Carnage Dimension—a series staple—can be unlocked from the Dark Assembly, and with it comes a challenge on a completely different level. In this mode, every enemy is level 9,999, and your seemingly impressive stats become almost meaningless. What you've truly done is reached the new "level 1" standard, and an entirely different grind now awaits you. But even then, you might still not be strong enough.
Those who make heavy use of the Chara World, and who have obtained the best gear the standard Item World will allow, will find themselves having a bit of a fighting chance against this challenging new mode. Here, new Carnage Dimension equipment can be obtained, which begins with the most basic gear just like when the game first started. From here, players will need to dive into the Item World and once again attempt to work their way up. Of course, this new version of the Item World will contain Carnage Dimension-level enemies, so don't be too surprised if even the most basic enemy can one-shot kill you in round one. It will take time, but N.A. and the Buddy demons will eventually climb the ladder in this completely new tier; however, it isn't going to be as easy as the previous version of the game.
Here, players will need to learn to dodge and block attacks, rather than just relying on brute force. It is where the gameplay mechanics truly come into play, and one can't help but wish the entire experience was like this from the get-go—it would have made things much more engaging. Of course, the ultimate goal is to become overpowered once again, but it is a much slower process that feels more like an actual game and less like a mindless button-masher. It is a lot of fun, but chances are the vast majority of those who give Disgaea Mayhem a chance will never actually reach this point.
Should you play it?
Disgaea Mayhem is going to be a very difficult game to recommend due to a number of factors, but that doesn't mean it is a bad game per se. The story is undoubtedly the weakest part of the entire experience and doesn't live up to the mainline games—not to say every entry in the series has a quality story, but Mayhem is a step down from Disgaea at its worst. It is serviceable, and our main characters are fun, but with how short the experience is, it never feels like any of them truly get time in the spotlight. It's just a checklist of bosses to take down to retrieve the stolen flan, and that's about it. And sadly, while I'd like to say the gameplay itself more than makes up for this shortcoming, even that is barebones and basic.
Despite having seven weapon classes, you are left with basic attack combos and only a handful of attack skills to use for each. It is very repetitive, and the main story stages, along with the "kill 60 enemies" extra stages, are just not that special. With some stiff animations, a lack of voice acting for the in-stage dialogue that pops up on the left side of the screen, and a just-okay soundtrack, even the overall presentation doesn't really stand out. In short, everything about the core of this game is generic and will simply not be for everyone. However, the Disgaea grind is addictive, and it is what personally kept me coming back for dozens of hours.
It's hard to put a finger on what exactly makes grinding so addictive, and what truly pushes you to watch your numbers rise. But after clearing the main story and figuring out exactly how to keep progressing, I couldn't stop myself. In fact, because I have a handheld PC, I spent hours each day just grinding while also watching TV! I've always preferred playing RPGs on a handheld because of their potentially grindy nature, but Mayhem took that to a whole other level for me—one I was already familiar with thanks to the main series, yet also different due to the new action combat system. As someone who enjoys taking down endless waves of enemies in the Warriors titles, everything about this just clicked for me, and it honestly was a bit hard to stop. Eventually, there was a bit of fatigue, but simply walking away for an hour or so was enough to make me want to come back to it, and things only got even better once the Carnage Dimension unlocked.
The Carnage Dimension is truly where Mayhem shines. It is where the entire experience comes together, and all of your hard work leading up to it was ultimately just the bar you needed to pass to get in. For those who understand the reference, it's like finally getting into the Salty Spitoon, and once you are in there, you had best be ready to give it your all. This is where the true fun starts, but many may never even make it, nor will they feel that it is worth the effort. And I honestly can't blame them.
Overall, Disgaea Mayhem is a flawed and generic hack-and-slash that will not be for everyone. Those who enjoy grinding and watching their stats go up to insane heights might find themselves sucked into an extremely addictive gameplay loop, but for others, it will simply not be worth the time. The Carnage Dimension is where the game truly shines, but reaching it is a high bar to clear.
VERDICT: Maybe
Reviewed on PlayStation 5
Review Copy was Provided
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