There’s no understating the popularity of thePersonafranchise. The fifth entry in the series,Persona 5,has been especially popular since its release in 2016. Fans and critics alike hail the game as one of the finest in the series for its mechanics, story, and overall tone. The game’s publisher, Atlus, has another long-running franchise that fans ofPersonawould be wise to try out:Disgaea.
At first the similarities between theDisgaeaandPersonafranchises seem superficial. Both games share anime-inspired visuals that seem clearly inspired by anime likeYu Yu HakushoandCowboy Bebop. But while the gameplay is definitely very different between the two, specifically fromthe upcomingPersona 5: Strikers, digging deeper reveals more parallels that makeDisgaeaa series to check out for long-timePersonafans.
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Themes and Tone
Both franchises are popular among their fans for a myriad of reasons but one of the most prevalent is the tone of both series.PersonaandDisgaeaboth share a tone that again harkens back to their anime roots. Somewhat silly dialogue and characters belie often very dark or lofty themes. The discovery of the true self is dealt with subtlythrough the Arcana gameplay mechanicsinPersonaand through the redemptive arc that lead character Laharl goes through on his demonic quest in the originalDisgaea.Both games have a habit of hiding their hand behind a generally cute and stylish world.
Another area where the two franchises shine is in their soundtrack.The soundtrack of thePersonaseriesis held in especially high esteem but the music inDisgaeaalso goes a long way in establishing the overall tone of the games. The calm and sometimes melancholic music in the hub world is juxtaposed against higher energy jazz and rock pieces once out on the battlefield.
Allusions to mythology are plentiful inPersonaandDisgaea, from references as obvious as the selection of enemies in both games. In either franchise players will encounter imps, minotaurs, or the cockatrice. Each series puts their own spin on the creatures and they change somewhat ineach new release forDisgaeaorPersona.The allusions run a little deeper in the stories present in each franchise, and deftly make use of Jungian archetypes and storytelling structures like The Hero’s Journey.
Gameplay and Embracing the Grind
On their face, the gameplay conventions ofDisgaeaandPersonaare very different.Disgaeais a tactical turn-based RPG in the vein ofFinal Fantasy TacticswhilePersonasticks with the tried-and-true traditional turn-based gameplay common to JRPGs. Both games, however, have some similarities in how they innovate on those traditional gameplay structures.
Taming the Personas themselves in thePersonagames shares similar mechanics with taming monsters inDisgaea.InDisgaeaplayers can recruit any type of monster they have defeated through the Dark Assembly, a demonic congress in each game where players submit motions to greedy Netherworld Senators to perform certain game functions like recruiting new units and upgrading shops.In later iterations ofDisgaeaplayers can also use monster units to power up human units akin to the Personas, but instead of fighting with their human counterpart, monsters can Magichange into weapons to be wielded. This is satisfying at higher levels and it’s quite entertaining to watch an adorable penguin demon called a Prinny transform into a dead-eyed, penguin-shaped blade for hero units to wield.
Cooperation between player characters is also a big focus in both games.Personaencourages exploiting enemy weaknesses to set up massive group attacks.Disgaea’s tactical-style gameplay encourages setting up group attacks where up to four players can perform combos or up to 10 characters build a tower and attack enemies at once with specific moves that can become insanely powerful.Disgaeabuilds upon the combat options in each new iteration and fans will be eager to see the new optionswhenDisgaea6inevitably releases.
Overall one of the biggest gameplay parallels between the two franchises is the sheer amount of depth available to players. Either franchise incorporates mechanics that are as deep as players want to engage. SomePersonaplayers will finish the game in a fairly standard 40 hour playthrough but it’s very common for players to have over 400 hours in the game exploring dungeons and expanding relationships.Disgaeahas even more depth, to a quite literally infinite degree. The series doesn’t have a true level cap as units can reach level 9999 (already absurd) and then reincarnate their character at the Dark Assembly. Depending on the amount of resources invested, a character will be reborn at first level with most of their stats intact in order to rise through the levels again, becoming more powerful. AndDisgaeaprovides plenty of reason to power units, as infinite dungeons like the Item World are full of powerful secret bosses.
Fans ofthePersonafranchise are some of the most dedicated in gaming, but there’s plenty to love inDisgaeafor fans who decide to dive into one of Atlus’s most popular franchises.
