Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories Interview

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness was and remains one of the defining cornerstones of the modern console turn-based strategy RPG hybrid genre. As a marriage of anime, traditional strategy elements, and yes, even a dash of chess tossed in for good measure, the game seemingly came out of nowhere and became - quite literally - an overnight sensation.

The game also served the dual purpose of putting Nippon Ichi on the map, at least in terms of players residing outside the the confines of Japan. Thanks to Atlus USA and its tendency to take risks with Japanese projects that might otherwise never see the light of day in North America, players were given the chance to know the names Laharl, Etna, Mid-Boss, and yes, even those lovable demonic penguins known as Prinnies.

While the game itself has seen a variety of side stories and similar properties released since Disgaea's release in 2003, there has not been an official sequel, until now. NIS America, Nippon Ichi's North American publishing arm, has just finished localizing the game for domestic release, and while we have been playing the game, we thought it would be entertaining to sit down and speak with the team who will very soon be bringing Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories into your homes and lives. As such, we recently spoke with Steve Carlton, the localization coordinator for the game, as well as Nao Zook, marketing coordinator for NIS America, to get their unique insight into this upcoming, highly-anticipated strategy game for the PlayStation 2.

To start with, since Disgaea has become such a success, and has garnered such a cult following, are you at all worried about the sequel's ability to live up to the original? I mean, sequels to popular original games oftentimes have a hard time living up to the expectations of fans.

We believe that when it comes to Disgaea, there are two major expectations people have, gameplay and story. We've kept the core elements that made the first Disgaea such a great hit, while adding more depth, customization, and features to improve the gameplay. We've also put together a great story incorporating awesome, new characters along with some memorable characters that our fans already love. Only by exceeding these expectations can we hope for Disgaea 2 to live up to the success of the original.

Disgaea was a notorious time sink, and could take a hundred hours or more to complete if you wanted to see everything. That's great for players who have limitless time to play games, but why should players like myself, who are older, have jobs, and limited time to devote to games care about Disgaea 2?

The beauty of Disgaea 2 is that there is so much great stuff. The story alone is enough to draw in casual gamers. Others may just find the battle system so entertaining that they may spend their free time engaging in random battles in the improved Item World.

How does the story in this game tie in with the first game? What ending from Disgaea does this sequel follow?

Disgaea 2 follows the Good Ending from the first Disgaea. It takes place in another world, which is being converted into a netherworld. At this time, Etna has set out on her own, determined to steal the Legendary Overlord Zenon's title for herself.

One of the things that attracted me to Disgaea originally was it's humorous story. Does Disgaea 2 carry one with this same sort of humor?

Absolutely. Humor is the heart and soul of Disgaea.

So about how many hours can you see someone taking to complete Disgaea 2?

For gamers who play fast and just want to get through the story as fast as possible, they can complete the game in little as maybe 40-50 hours. Most players however may spend 100 hours or more playing the game. If you played the first Disgaea, you can expect to spend the same amount of time on Disgaea 2, if not more.

What are the key differences between this game and the original?

This game has a new cast of main characters, several new character classes, and more gameplay features. There is now a Dark World that mirrors the regular story maps, but adds more difficulty to the game by combining difficult Geo Effects with the Dark Sun which adds a whole new level of adversity to conquer. The Item World has been improved with the Dark Court, Item Assembly, and mystery rooms with special game events or encounters. And, there is also a new feature called the Land of Carnage where you can fight the story and Dark World stages with much more difficulty.

Speaking of characters, we've seen that few characters such as Etna and the Prinnies are making a return for this second game. Will any other recognizable faces be making a comeback?

Well, the greatest superhero team ever assembled return for part two. That's right, the Prism Rangers are back! Plus, there are a few other Disgaea characters to be found. *cough*Laharl*cough*

And what about cameos, which have been something of a constant with regarding the NIS-developed strategy titles. Can we expect similar cameos from other games such as Makai Kingdom or Phantom Brave in Disgaea 2?

You'll definitely see some familiar faces in Disgaea 2. Some of them make story cameos, and some make an appearance during certain special moves.

What new characters should players keep a look out for?

Other than the main characters of course, you'll want to keep a look out for Axel, Tink, and Yukimaru. Oh yeah, you might want to beware of the "God of All Overlords," too.

We're heard that the game will feature a new character creation system. How will this work and what does it bring to the game?

The major differences with the new character creation system are the necessity to pass a bill in the Dark Assembly to unlock the more powerful job classes, and each job class now has its own unique in-born character effects, such as dealing more damage when your HP is low, or boosting other characters' stats.

Does the Item World still play a key role in the leveling up of weapons and items in Disgaea 2? How will it work now?

Yes. The Item World is used to level up your weapons and item, (and is also a good place to level up your characters, too) just like in the first Disgaea. But, now the Item World has so much more to offer you. As before, every level that you travel down into the Item World increases your item's level by one. But now, there are special levels hidden in there, such as the Dark Court where your characters can get convicted of crimes, and other mysterious rooms where you can find special shops that sell rare items, or meet strange Item World dwellers. There's even a town hidden in there. Many strange occurrences can be found in the Item World, and that's not even including the random maps you have to fight on.

What else can you tell us about this Dark Court? You said character can really be punished for committing crimes in the game. How does this work?

The Dark Court is a special level that can only be accessed in the Item World. After committing too many crimes, you'll eventually be issued a subpoena to appear in court. But don't worry, having a criminal record is actually good for your characters. So in a way, you're being rewarded for being bad. Hey, it's the netherworld.

Will Disgaea 2 keep the "Game +" feature from the previous game?

The "New Game +" feature is retained in Disgaea 2.

What was one thing that you were not happy with about the first game that you felt was better addressed with this sequel?

This would have to be the special moves. In the first game, the special moves were awesome, but when you're trying to power level, it seems like they take forever to do. In Disgaea 2, not only have the special move animations been improved, but there is now an option to turn them on or off. So, you can enjoy the full magnificence of the moves when you want to, or you can cut them out when you just want to get through as many battles as you can within a certain amount of time. And you can change it back and forth whenever you want.

What is your favorite feature of Disgaea 2?

That would have to be the cell phones. You can now get an item called a Cell Phone, which you can use for various effects such as calling in a friend to help you clear a level, ordering a pizza to use as a healing item, or calling up one of the political parties to trick them into voting for your next bill in the Dark Assembly.

Many fans have been asking for a Disgaea game for a portable system, such as the Nintendo DS or PSP. Do you see this as a possibility?

This is Nao Zook, PR for NISA. I would like to take over the questions from here. I am actually very excited to hear that many fans are asking for a Disgaea game for a portable system. As for the possibility, all I can say now is that you may soon hear some exciting news about it.

Assuming that Disgaea is a financial success, do you anticipate Disgaea being a long running franchise? Should we anticipate more sequels in the future?

Disgaea is the most important franchise to the NIS group (Nippon Ichi Software in Japan and NIS America). We would like to see Disgaea keep growing all over the world. We would like to see it grow within different media, as well as among different demographic groups. As for now, in addition to the Disgaea games, we also carry manga and figures, such as the Prinny plushy, and Disgaea character sets. For your information, you can purchase these items at the NIS America Online Store! And soon, Disgaea anime will be available too!

Regarding the sequels, you can definitely look forward to more sequels in the future!

Finally, thank you for your time today. Is there anything you would like to add?

Thank you very much for giving us this opportunity for the interview! We are all psyched about Disgaea 2, and we definitely hope that everybody will enjoy and love the game as it is more exciting and funnier than the first one! Once again, thank you very much for all the support!

Aug 4, 2006 - 9:57 pm | 0 comments
Jason Dobson