I first encountered Disgaea shortly after the first one was released and my first impression was that it looked extremely complex and difficult to both learn and play. While it might appear that way on the surface, it's not very difficult to get the hang of, and once you do, you find that the...

It's time to go to hell…well actually just the Netherworlds dood with the release of Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance exclusively for the PlayStation 4. I've been playing the Disgaea series by developers Nippon Ichi Software for years now and this is easily one of my favorites in the series to date.

Positives Tons of stuff to do Memorable characters and jokes Deep combat mechanics

Negatives Not enough hours in the day May be overwhelmingly tough at certain points Story throws off pace of game at times

'Disgaea 5' is one of the best strategy RPGs I've played in years. The gameplay is fun and addicting, and the rest of the package offers more than enough incentive for me to play until the ending and beyond.

It seems like a lifetime ago that Etna erupted onto the scene in the first Disgaea game. From that moment, massive number crunching became a way of life for many console gamers and there have been few games since that are so humorously twisted and crazy.

Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance brings together a completely new cast of characters to tell a tale of rebellion and revenge.

Few franchises can get away with feeling this similar from version to version, but Disgaea is just that deep, requiring you to understand and exploit character stats, equipment attributes, and class abilities at a level most modern RPGs have abandoned in the name of accessibility.

Deep customization; Strong RPG systems; Visual improvements; New classes

A little too familiar

Disgaea's eccentric and complex brand of strategy has been around for more than a decade. Each successive sequel iterates on the core foundation, layering on even more mechanics for players to endlessly tinker with. Disgaea 5 follows suit in nearly the same way.

This is the Disgaea you know and love, but with a fresh coat of paint and enough new features to warrant another trip through the Netherworld, dood.

Addictive gameplay; loads of side activities; Red Magnus; jabroni

Simplistic AI; short songs loop endlessly; grinding is necessary

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness is old enough by now to be considered an SRPG classic. Still the most famous game in Nippon Ichi Software's growing catalog, the title introduced players to the Netherworld and Celestia, two mystical realms populated by fallible angels and loveable demons.

A lengthy campaign and with lots of post-game content; Interesting new ways to tweak your army; Deep characters and plot; Item World is more extensive than ever

Doesn't look much different from the PS3 games; Added features make some older ones feel redundant

Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance is an excellent Japanese turn-based role playing game. The deep battle mechanics define it as one of the most original strategic role-playing games, rivalling the Fire Emblem franchise and Final Fantasy Tactics in content.