Overview – developed by Nippon Ichi Software and published by NIS America, Disgaea Mayhem is an action RPG spin off in the Disgaea universe, allowing players to take control in battle. As the sword for hire N.A. enter the Netherworld of Super Duper, hired by the new Overlord Tichelle who has taken over from her late father. This title is available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Steam, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of the review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank NIS America for providing the copy of Disgaea Mayhem that was used for this piece, via the Keymailer Service. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting off with the story. please note that I will only be covering the core mechanics and experience of the base game. There is DLC content available, but I was not able to test it out for this review. I have covered other games in the Disgaea franchise which you can find (HERE).
Story – N.A., a battle-hardened mercenary has been summoned by Princess Tichelle, the Overlord of Super Duper, a Netherworld where demons vie for supremacy. She gives him a job, which leaves him shocked when learning the details. The princess’ now deceased father, the former Overlord created the Pristine Gleam Flan, which has been stolen by his former subjects who rebelled upon his death. Now she wants it returned, hiring the mercenary N.A. to get the job done.
Gameplay – Disgaea Mayhem is a significant departure from the traditional SRPG games, taking the action from the board to open fields. In this new adventure, the player will have full control of the protagonist, the hired hand N.A. as they go across the areas of the Netherworld causing chaos. The game is split into chapters, where the player must complete a set of stages to progress. Each stage will have hordes of enemies to annihilate in battle.
While on the battlefield, the player will be able to use a variety of attacks, with a light and heavy strike that can be mixed together in a combo. There is a lot of versatility to the attacks, mixing them together to deal maximum damage to the enemies in battle. Depending on the weapon that players select for battle, some attacks can be charged up to deal maximum damage. Each weapon also has special attacks tied to them, giving them even more options in combat.
During the stage, the special attacks will have a cooldown to them. This means that players will need to wait between these power attacks, adding a level of strategy to the deployment of special skills. Players will also be able to use different defensive skills, including a dodge, jump and guard to avoid the onslaught of the enemies. It is also possible to interrupt enemy attacks, using special skills before enemies attack to interrupt them to devastating effect.
In each of the stages, the player will need to complete several objectives, before reaching the boss of the area. The boss battles can be dangerous, with a significantly larger enemy that can deal massive damage to the player. These battles will have the player needing to wear down the boss, dealing enough damage to break their shield, stunning them for a moment. In this weakened state damage is amplified, making it the perfect time to unleash special attacks.
Some enemies will be able to hit the player with status ailments, like poison or paralysis which will leave them to additional damage. They can also knock the player down and prevent them from getting out of danger. If the player is not careful, they can be defeated in battle and fail the stage. To prevent this from happening, there are items that can be used, with health recovery, status cures and more with up to four different items that can be used.
If the player succeeds in clearing the stage, they will gain several rewards once the stage boss is defeated. The main reward that the player will receive is experience points, levelling up N.A. when milestones are met and increasing their strength. Players will also receive money in the form of HL, which can be used in the different facilities in the castle hub world. New equipment and items will also be awarded for the battles ahead in the Super Duper Netherworld.
Between the stages, the player will be able to roam the castle of Princess Tichelle, having access to several different facilities. While in the Hub, the player will be able to use the Rosen Queen Store, offering a range of weapons, equipment and items that can be purchased. As the player progresses through the story, there will be more powerful items that will be made available for battle, with discounts available for buying items.
As the player progresses through the game, there will be additional features that are added to Castle. Here is a quick breakdown of the main features that players will be able to unlock in the hub world;
- Dark Assembly – by visiting the Dark Assembly, players can call a vote to pass bills for different effects. These include adding new features to the castle (discussed below), giving bonuses for the next stage and even Reincarnation, where players reset their Level with a bonus to the base stats. All Bills cost Mana earned from battles.
- Buddy Base – a special base that is unlocked during play, where monsters can be recruited as battle Buddies. These support characters can turn into weapons through Magichange, allowing N.A. to harness special attacks and ultimate destructive skills. Only one partner can be assigned at a time, levelling up alongside the player.
- Chara Worlder – Enter the dungeon inside N.A. with Battle Buddies accompanied by Princess Tichelle, who will guide them on a boardgame style world, where they will take on a challenge to unlock the hidden potential of N.A. by taking on battles and events.
- Item Worlder – Here the player can enter items as N.A. while accompanied by their chosen Battle Buddy, players will battle through multiple waves where hordes of enemies appear. Each of the waves have a gatekeeper that needs to be taken down to move onto the next, with bonuses like enhanced power to select between waves.
Before the player delves into the action of each battle, they can prepare themselves for the chaos by adjusting their weapons and equipment. Like many other Disgaea game, players can change their gear freely in the Castle to adjust their stats and skills. Unlike other games in the series, the player is fully proficient with all weapon styles. These include melee weapons like the sword and Axe, and ranged weapons like the Gun and Bow.
Each of the weapons have their own unique positives and negatives, with some dealing with crowds well, whereas others being better at taking down foes one by one. Finding a weapon that fits the players chosen style of play, as well as the stage can make battles exciting as the hordes of enemies are annihilated. The weapons and gear can be enhanced through the Item World, making them even stronger for battles and levelling the player up.
There is a lot of replay value for Disgaea Mayhem, with the variety of content available in the base game. This is due to the player being able to play any unlocked mission, as well as having endless challenges with the Item and Chara Worlds. Being able to return to previous stages, alongside the infinite battles within Item World is a good way to accelerate EXP gain. This can be useful for players to prepare for the tougher stages later in the game.
This is not as long as other Disgaea titles, with many games lasting for up to 100 hours. However, there is a good depth of content present here, with enough for players to enjoy and return to. It is possible to adjust difficulty and make the game tougher, making enemies stronger to deal more damage. Players can also unlock a range of achievements and trophies, which is a nice touch adding additional challenges to try and achieve.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – Disgaea Mayhem has a very easy to pick up control system, with the main action inputs across the face buttons and character control with the thumbstick. This works well in battle, with snappy and responsive inputs in battle, especially when using the combo inputs for special skills and defensive moves. There is some awkwardness when using the camera, but it doesn’t sour the overall experience and action.
Difficulty – as this is an action RPG, there is a lower difficulty ceiling than the traditional Disgaea game, making it more approachable for players. It can become quite easy to over level the main character, which can make some parts of the game relatively easy. So to fix this, players can use the unlockable cheat shop to raise the difficulty, adding a level of control to the challenge. Players can also challenge themselves by entering areas under level, making stages tougher.
Presentation – from a graphical perspective, Disgaea Mayhem has the anime style that is the signature of the series. All character models are done well, with beautiful artworks for the character cut in portraits. The third person perspective gives this game a whole new dimension, as it is the first game to use this camera. Then we have the way the action flows on screen, with smooth animations for all attacks and the Magichange transformation skills.
The sound for the game is excellent, with the sound effects having a lot of weight and impact to them. Then we have the music overseen by Tenpei Sato, the long time composer for NIS behind the signature Disgaea sound, with an excellent mix of vibrant, exciting and heavy compositions. Last is dialogue, available in English and Japanese, with the EN voiceover featuring Blythe Melin (Digimon Ghost Game), Risa Mei (Phantom Brave the Lost Hero) and Kellen Goff (My Hero Academia).
Final Thoughts – I make no effort to hide that I am a pretty unabashed fan of Disgaea, having covered all of the releases for the Nintendo Switch. So when I first saw this mix of the Musou genre with signature Disgaea lunacy, I was immediately sold. The story is not as rich as a traditional entry, but the soul of Disgaea is present with the chaos of gameplay. There is a lot of content on offer, with the main story, Item/Chara worlds and some additional hidden content.
The combat is a lot of fun while being easy to pick up, making it accessible for people who have an interest in Disgaea, without needing to learn complex mechanics. Some people may find the game to be shallow on the surface, but there is a lot of depth with the endless replay value. My only negative for this is that was DLC released at the same time as the game. However, I am happy to recommend this game to fans of the series, Musou enjoyers and those looking to dip their toes in.
In the end, I give Disgaea Mayhem a final score of 5/5. This is another excellent entry in the Disgaea franchise, with satisfying combat, charming yet goofy characters that fit perfectly into the world, an excellent soundtrack and the signature chaos that the name is known for. if you want to check this title out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.
Link to Nintendo Switch 2 version (HERE)
Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)
Link to PlayStation 5 version (HERE)
Link to Steam version (HERE)
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