I’m not an elitist – I think video games should be accessible and enjoyable for everyone. I embrace features like difficulty modes, the ability to skip things that might not interest you (like puzzles!) and all those other things that people complain about that ultimately they don’t have to use and doesn’t really affect them at all. Because it lets more people experience them – which is always a good thing, because more people = more sales = more games – and…y’know, I’m not a teenager anymore. I work, I have other hobbies and interests, and I have a huge backlog. Sometimes I don’t have the time or the inclination to plug hundreds of hours into something. These things can benefit me, too…and I can ignore them if I feel like it. It’s nice to have options.

But when I play games like Disgaea 6, I can almost see the viewpoint of these kinds of people. Almost.

One thing I am very big on in video games is the concept of reward being proportionate to the amount of effort you put into something. I have given up on more than one game and passed on plenty more because the amount of time and energy you have to spend doing something isn’t worth the effort. It took me the better part of four years to complete my Guild Card in Monster Hunter Generations/Ultimate because grinding monsters for crowns is the most unrewarding thing imaginable, and I have never even considered competitive play in Pokemon.

Enter Disgaea, the franchise that rewards me with billions of damage for hundreds of hours.