Platform: PlayStation Portable

Developer: Nippon Ichi Software 

Publisher: Nippon Ichi 

Release Date: February 17, 2009 

Genre: Platform, Hack and Slash 

Nerd Rating: 8.0 / 10

Reviewed by Rhutsczar

Hey Doods! Welcome to the Netherworld, where you will live in wealth and prosperity until the end of your days. Oh wait…wrong game. Welcome to the real Netherworld, run by the oppressive Overlord and other rulers fighting for control. Just like in tradition, the Overlords employ the Prinny Squad mercenary group and make their lives a living hell. Hey, being in Hell or the Netherworld doesn’t have to be all bad. At least you are a bad-ass explosive penguin that dual wields swords.

The powerful Prinny stare

Before we go any further, you might want to know what exactly a Prinny is. First introduced in its parent series Disgaea, Prinnies are the souls of evil and corrupt humans that have passed away on Earth. Were you a serial killer, terrorist, or a rapist (just to name a few) in your past life? Then you deserve to end up as a Prinny. A Prinny takes the appearance of a blue and white penguin, equipped with a fanny pack and dual swords. They are the lowest rung of demons in the Netherworld as well as being the most expendable. Despite their appearance, they are incredibly agile fighters when combined into the Prinny Squad. By themselves they are much more useful as projectile explosives. Best part? Their catchphrase is DOOD. While it will be annoying, you will get used to it. Trust me, I’m a clone dood.

I would rather deal with Laharl than Etna…even if I was a Prinny.

Alright, so now you know what a useless Prinny is. In this spin off game of the Disgaea series, Prinny: Can I Really Be A Hero? follows the 1,000 Prinny strong Prinny Squad as they are hired by the current overlord Etna. Prinny takes place in between Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories and Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice, as it occurs after the previous Overlord Laharl (whom Etna served as a vassal) died and was revived as a Prinny. Now let’s get back to the game at hand. The Prinny squad is hired by Etna to concoct the “Ultimate Dessert”, a sweet that is supposed to be the best dessert available hence its name. While this is definitely more for Etna’s amusement since she doesn’t actually want the meal, the Prinnies take it to heart and make it their mission. They better succeed, as Etna will make sure the Prinny squad meets their end if they are unable to make the “Ultimate Dessert”.

To give you an idea of Prinny‘s difficulty, you are given control of the “Prinny Squad” with a total unit strength of 1,000 Prinnies to complete the game’s main objective. Sure that seems like a lot, but when each Prinny dies in three hits and faces an ever-increasing multitude of enemies, those numbers will dwindle very fast. You can’t slack off and take it easy though, as after the tutorial you only have ten hours to complete the game in its entirety. Be quick so you can easily die, get frustrated, and eventually move on. Interested in making Prinny even harder? Feel free to tackle the game on hard, as the increased difficulty knocks down the Prinny’s health to one. If you can make it through even the first level without losing one Prinny along the way, then tickle me impressed.

1000 Prinnies strong!

Luckily, Prinny is not entirely long. The player only has to maneuver their Prinny army through a handful of different areas. I’ll give you some advice though, make sure you plan out which areas you will be tackling in order. Mainly this is because of the day and night time cycle, which makes certain levels five times as hard as they are during the day or some even near impossible to complete at night. Luckily, this won’t hinder your overall time, as regardless how long you take to complete a level the timer only drops a single hour. The game is very difficult, but an experienced player can complete it in one day.

PRINNY BARRAGE!

When it comes to the actual platforming mechanics, Prinny is actually rather easy to learn. Your Prinnies don’t have much in the ways of jumping and attacking. You are allowed to make single jumps and double jumps, but you are restricted as you can only jump a pre-determined amount. This is very unfortunate, as it is annoying to maneuver around enemies and when you are hit you are sent flying back off of the stage. Bleh. Not again. At least you have both a ground and aerial attack where you can strike the enemy with your dual swords or use your “Prinny Barrage” to attack with blasts from the air. Barrage your enemies so you can collect the “Ultimate Dessert”!

Like I have said with many of the games I have tackled for the PSP, Prinny‘s visuals look great on the system. Based on the graphic quality that the PSP provides, I couldn’t see Prinny on any other system. Just like with the other games in the Disgaea series, the 2-D visuals are nicely drawn and the character animations are well done and crisp. There is also a camera change whenever you aerial attack, as the screen shifts just a quarter to a more isometric view to give the player a better view of the attack’s effectiveness. I thought this would be in the way most of the time, but after the tutorial you hardly even notice the change.

The score is what peaks the interest of most Baconneers and Prinny doesn’t let you down. Nippon Ichi Software makes another solid effort in the music department, easily holding up against the soundtrack of the original parent Disgaea series. The score keeps you battling into each area, even going so far as to give a feel of accomplishment after you have conquered your enemy’s lair. I highly recommend listening to the soundtrack in full, as it will give you a better picture of what all games in the Disgaea series are like.

Lastly, Prinny is just a hilarious game to play! Many of the characters bring their own brand of humor to the table, just making the characters even more likeable than they already are. The voice work isn’t top notch, but it is rather solid for the main cast. I’ll give you a fair warning right now, the characters’ voices are designed to be annoying and not taken seriously. So if they get on your nerves by Prinny’s end, their job is done.

Overall, I recommend Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero to anyone who wants an absolutely frustrating game that you can feel great about accomplishing. Bring along some beautiful visuals and complicated controls and Prinny will be amazing to look at yet completely piss you at the same time. Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero is a fantastically difficult platformer that is a serious pain in the ass to complete, but gives a satisfying experience all the way until the end.

Need some more games to satisfy your platformer fix? Check out these suggestions courtesy of Nerd Bacon!

•  Kid Icarus by The Cubist
•  The Lost Vikings by ZB
•  Monster Party by Chronosloth