Sparky's Update - Week 3 of Disgaea 4

Heya gang! I know I'm a week off on this thing, so expect another update sometime over the weekend. Let's dig in.

Week 3 - Foreshadowing, Ahoy!

This episode is all about long-term payoffs. Right off the bat, Val and his motley crew square off with a bunch of snarling monster ruffians, straight out of Hades' prison. Axel cheers them on, promising a grand reward if the prisoners can defeat Val. That reward, you ask? Pardons! Except... well, Val questions the validity of Warden Axel being able to promise such things, since he is only a lowly warden and not the president. So to reinforce the idea that the prisoners will be granted pardons, Axel unveils his partner-in-crime, the nefarious... Death Emizel! That kid pops up everywhere, doesn't he?

Needless to say, groups of monster prisoners are soundly thrashed. Axel and Emizel confer over whether or not they really should be promising the pardons, but Axel convinces Emizel that E's father, the President, will happily do so once Emizel brings him back word of the uprising's demise. It doesn't take long to convince Emizel, and the two escape from Val and his crew, only to unleash more and more monsters.

Along the way, Fenrich intentionally lets it be known that Val is known other than a former Tyrant of great reknown and incredible power. This information leaves several of the monsters quakin' in their boots, as well as Emizel, who once saw Tyrant Valvatorez as a childhood hero. Axel had no idea who Val had been before he hired him, stating that he hadn't included that on his resume for the prinny instructor position.

We're also given a little foreshadowing for a handful of future characters important to the plot. The President is shown meeting with one of his top men regarding news about the uprising and his missing son. When the top man leaves, the President sighs with what seems to be exhaustion and a hint of despair. An unknown, nasally-voiced stranger appears, asking the President if he's got something ready. The President does indeed. Dum dum DUM!

We also see, for the second time, an angel, who appears only briefly to state that she's ready to do what it takes to stop... him. The implied "him" seems to be the President. Is it, though? Is it really?

In any case, foreshadowing aside, after numerous defeats, Axel and Emizel decide to enter into a forbidden chamber and unleash a Final Weapon against Val's party. The former prisoners, who have by this point all but joined up with Val and his crew, explain that the Final Weapon has the potential to destroy half the Underworld. Sounds pretty scary! Val and Co. make their way to the Forbidden Chamber (after a brief interlude that has the player introduced to the Item World, if they haven't been already), where they encounter Emizel and Axel unlocking the chamber. Desco, the Final Boss wannabe and the Final Weapon, escapes from the chamber, crushing Emizel and Axel in one blow apiece.

Of course, Val battles Desco. This battle itself is pretty interesting, in that Desco hides behind a timed No Entry barrier, but has a long enough special attack that she can still do plenty of damage if you're underpowered. Once that barrier comes down and she can be surrounded, though, the battle's a cakewalk and she's quickly defeated (even faster, since this is my second playthrough and my Val is somewhere near level 450). Once the battle ends, Desco breaks down and we realize she's little but a castaway child, a Final Weapon designed by humans and cast down to the Netherworld. She wants to become a Final Boss, but realizes she's too weak to defeat a hero. Val, taking pity on the childlike monster, consoles her and convinces Desco to join their party.

Let me say this now - Desco becomes a freakin' killing machine if you take the time to develop her. Her special attacks have some strange ranges, which can be a bit annoying, but her later attacks become awesome and she can Magichange with any character to become even more useful.

Anyways, back to it. Desco develops an immediate attachment to Fuka, whom she calls "Big Sis," much to Fuka's irritation. Emizel comes to, and is told by Fenrich in no uncertain terms he'll be accompanying them too. The chapter ends with Fenrich holding up a newspaper, which states that Emizel has been killed, an egregious error which becomes the focal point for the next chapter - along with a typo.