The new game has plenty of fantastic elements to keep players engaged (Image via Nippon Ichi)

Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless review - A classic feeling retold in glorious 3D

Timeless

Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless is the latest installment in the popular series, which has gained a cult following over the last two decades. However, the seventh mainstream entry is a bit different from the older releases, and I am not even talking about the changes that have been made to the gameplay mechanics.

To enjoy the older games on PC, I, like so many others, had to wait for a significant amount of time. Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless released on multiple platforms on October 3. Unlike previous entries of the series, the seventh installment had the same launch date on all available devices. In many ways, it's for the better, given how much I have enjoyed playing the game so far.

Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless blends the tried-and-tested formula with new elements

When you make a new Disgaea game, it's always a tricky task to satisfy fans. While the community will expect certain innovations, too many changes will completely ruin the franchise's signature experience.

Developer Nippon Ichi Software certainly understood the task right off the boat, given the kind of changes that have been made. While there are still some areas where things could have been slightly different, the story, for starters, sets up a solid foundation.

Story

The chemistry between the two lead characters is hilariously good (Image via Nippon Ichi)

Having played video games for over two decades, I have my list of iconic characters who have made a dear place in my heart. The Disgaea series itself has no shortage of interesting choices, given the vast nature of the lore. That said, Fuji and Pirilika are arguably the most contrasting duo you can ever meet in a video game. Fuji is no hero, and he's on the journey for his love of money, whereas Pirilika is far more idealistic.

She's someone who will literally throw her money than get engaged in a fight (that's how she meets Fuji as well). Her intentions, like Fuji's, are quite clear - she wants to take Hinomoto's Netherworld to a romanticized version she has in her mind. While the story begins with a lighter and satirical tone, it soon takes you into the campaign's depth.

Gameplay

Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless continues along the same path as the previous release when it comes to the core gameplay. However, there are certain changes that Nippon Ichi has incorporated that you may like or dislike. I liked it more overall, as the new system feels a lot more simple for me to understand. However, if you're one of the purists who have gone through all the games, you could end up feeling it is slightly too basic.

The campaign's missions start with simple choices at first, but you'll have to put your thinking cap on soon. Your in-game squad can have 10 members at most, although the actual number of choices you'll have at first will be rather limited. It's also essential that you understand the actual mechanics instead of hoping to go lucky. The new combo system will be easier to manage this time around, but there will be tough decisions to make.

A centralized hub makes things easier to manage (Image via Nippon Ichi)

I quickly understood that there's no one certain way to carry out the missions, which applies to the distribution of different classes and roles in your squad as well.

Establishing a balance between the characters you use will be key in winning battles. Just dropping the most powerful line-up you have won't work every time, and you also need to take care of the strategy you adopt. Even if you manage to successfully win a battle, you will have to spend resources to heal your characters. Unless you're careful with your plans, these costs can cause a major dent in your treasury.

Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless won't disappoint you if you are thinking about endgame. The main campaign reportedly takes about 20-odd hours to complete, and there's an ample number of other content for you to consider as well.

Both Jumbification and Hell Mode have their relative set of positives. However, I genuinely wish that the latter was available for more characters; maybe that will still happen with a later update. Fortunately, both options provide extra means for the players to enjoy new content.

Item Reincarnation is arguably one of the best additions that Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless' could have had. It completely changes how you build your characters, and offers a tremendous amount of customization options for the classes. Thanks to the ability to swap items across different classes and characters, it provides an immense number of options.

There's plenty of different ways to build your squad (Image via Nippon Ichi)

Presentation and graphics

None of the Disgaea titles can be considered resource-intensive, and the recent release walks the same path. The optimization is on point, and players don't need a superb gaming to run Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless on the recommended settings. There were no stuttering or major bugs that I found during my playtime, which only uplifted my experience in the beautiful Netherworld.

The decision to switch to 3D in Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless has worked flawlessly as well, and many could even think that this is the norm of the entire series. Each character feels well-designed and different from the rest. While Fuji may be my favorite, the development of others you encounter on your journey is worth paying attention to.

A switch to the 3D design has been quite innovative in Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless (Image via Nippon Ichi)

I also love the hub system that forms a core part of the gameplay. Whether you're trying to upgrade your characters, heal them, or are all set to take the next step of your journey, the centralized hub system makes the entire task easier to manage. Moreover, the hub will be perfect if you're new to the series, as all the possible activities and tasks are present within a small, compact area.

In terms of dialog design and music, the homage paid to medieval Japan is well documented throughout Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless. Like I mentioned earlier, the emphasis on dark humor ensures that the story feels engaging at all times.

In conclusion

Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless has some areas where Nippon Ichi could work on. For example, the grind can become tiring and even monotonous at times, although it purely depends on the amount of time you spend in a single session. A few missions and enemies can also become difficult to deal with, and you will sometimes tend to look for shortcuts to bypass them.

The introduction of a gacha system and the simplified combo system could go either way. I have always been a lover of anything gacha, so the uncertainty over a particular set of rewards kept me motivated to grind more. However, you might not appreciate it as much as I did.

However, Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless is definitely a worthwhile addition to the title. It pays homage to the older games of the series, but doesn't forget to create a place for its own. If you want to expand your experience, you can also choose to invest and get the DLC expansions, which will add fresh angles to the main storyline.

Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless Review

Detailed scorecard (Image via Sportskeeda)

Reviewed On: PC (code provided by Nippon Ichi)

Platform: Windows, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch

Publisher: NIS America

Developer: Nippon Ichi Software

Release Date: October 3, 2023 (On PC)

Edited by
Abu Amjad Khan