i've spent hundreds of hours on this game. ive played this on the PS4, PC, and switch. all with separate accounts and currently making my PC account catch up to go to endgame.

its kinda just my comfort game at this point, lets me just turn off my brain and forget that things in life are happening. has helped me coped with a bunch of terrible dogshit in my life too.

the ost is pretty good, the gameplay is super super super fun. i just wish that to gain access to things like the end game didn't require having to scour the internet to look for some old ass gamefaq forum that explains it. cause otherwise, its great. The information learning curve is tough. but so fucking satisficing once i did finally cracked the game and just got it.

the story is obviously terrible, especially in comparison to the other games in the series. but despite the terrible story, i found the characters themselves to still be sorta charming in their own weird ironic way, its still disgaea so character designs and quirks are still really annoyingly loveable. don't get me wrong. the story is actually bad, but i felt it didn't detract from the game itself since i was able to basically all of it for the times i just didn't give a shit.

idk.

i just really really really like this game. it makes me happy.

This is coming from someone who typically avoids the genre at all costs-- let alone touching a series known for the grinding-- but Disgaea 5 nails its gameplay loops and map design in a seemingly accidental perfect balance. The way you can assess each situation with any given party of characters is hardly comparable to much else, and all of the usual progression mechanics allow for "ways of getting there" to accommodate varying skill levels, rather than necessary time sinks. Overload abilities bring incredible nuance to every situation as you figure out how to apply them on the fly. All of these things come together in such a way that still makes it insanely accessible.
Disgaea 5's art style brings its HD hybrid animation to a peak with smooth transitions between attacks, and each ability doing very much with very little. Environments are fantastic but very readable and attacks are over the top and more insane than you could ever expect.
The game's greatest shortcoming is easily the story, something which used to be the highlight of the other Disgaea games, however it was still terse and effective for changing locales. Even that being said, characters don't ever become stale and always have their fun little moments.
Top this all off with my personal favorite soundtrack of the series, and you have a pretty exceptional game for the genre that is still accessible to even the fresher players.

Good
- Endless battles in item world.
- Characters are still quite funny.
- Character and item customisation.

Meh
- Story line is forgettable.

I'm too stupid for this game, but I looooove it. The writing and voice acting are atrocious. The art is so good. The music is memorable. Mechanically it's a beautiful nightmare. Most menus I've ever seen. Nested menus. It's the most maximalist tactics game I've ever played.

Worth noting, I picked the base game up on PS3/4/whatever shortly after launch, and I wasn't super into it. But putting it on the Switch, which I can just suspend and immediately resume? That's the best way to play. It runs great on there, too. But not having to turn on the TV, boot up the PlayStation, be stuck on the couch, boot up the game all over again if someone played something else while I was away, go through the load times, etc. etc., that makes this game such a seamless experience, and I highly recommend picking it up on Switch if that's an option for you. One of those games that shines even brighter with that platform's inherent nimbleness.