A unique blog about game design and development, by a 40yo professional game sculptor.

I've been playing and enjoying Disgaea 2 on the PS2.  It's a turn-based, grid-based, number-crunching blast.  And it takes a neat game design mechanic to extremes.

We're all familiar with CRPG conventions, where characters have 6 stats (hlth,str,dex,int, etc.)  and then we get a +6 sword, which usually means +6 points to your character's damage while the sword is wielded.  The Disgaea system simply makes characters, monsters, and EVERY item in the game have the same set of stats.  Your character might be defined as (12, 9, 17, 11, 11, 11).  You wield a sword that is defined as (0, 0, 3, 0, 0, 0).  So your adjusted stats, while wielding the sword, are simple the sum of the stats (you plus the sword), or (12, 9, 20, 11, 11, 11).

Not only is this system simple to understand, but it opens up lots of complexity (just what the player wants).  It's trivial to "fuse" items together.  Combat calculations are written once; no special cases for hitting a wall instead of a  monster.  On top of that, Disgaea goes crazy.  Do you want to upgrade your sword?  Level it, just like you would level yourself.  Do you have a magical stick of gum?  Wield it, for extra magic.  Or fuse it with a trash can and a bone wand. Or sacrifice it to your god.  Or sell it back to the shop.

So, if you don't want to traverse 50 random dungeons just to level up your helm, stay away from Disgaea 2.  But if number-crunching turn-based CRPGs are your thing, play it.