February 6, 2009 – More than five years ago, a little strategy game called Disgaea: Hour of Darkness introduced gamers to a colorful, comical world filled with mischievous demons and mind-bending amounts of level-grinding. Although Laharl — son of the Overlord and an all-around devious fellow — was the star of Disgaea, another important group of side characters were introduced that would forever dominate the comic relief of the Disgaea universe: the Prinnies. Small, penguin creatures with a knack for being punished, the Prinnies quickly became a well-known icon for the series and always had something entertaining to contribute to the tale. Now, they have their own game.
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? is a platformer that features a Prinny as the main character (his name — which is sure to cause some confusion in this article — is Prinny). At the start of the game, Prinny reports to his boss, Master Etna (Sound familiar?), who is furious over her missing dessert. The Prinny squad is tasked with finding the Ultra Dessert — a confection of legendary flavor — and the main Prinny is given a red scarf for his mission that helps protect him from exploding… most of the time.
As you can see, Prinny is a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The Disgaea series was already over-the-top and comical in its presentation, so making an entire game out of the franchise’s joke character would obviously lead to a silly setup. For the most part, this style really works and makes for an incredibly light-hearted, enjoyable plot. This goofy story is complemented by the animated sprites, which are simply bursting with personality. All the Prinny animations are not only adorable but keep in line with the overall tone of the game. Similarly, the game’s music is also enjoyable and sounds like the sort of stuff you would expect from the Disgaea series.
You must log in to post a comment.