Ever since its release back in 2017, the Nintendo Switch has quickly become the new place for JRPG fans to get their fix. And one of the many developers/publishers leading that charge is Nippon Ichi Software/Nippon Ichi Software America. Not only has NISA released a ton of new games on to the Switch it also has re-released Disgaea 1, 5 and a pair of games that are the subject to this review. These two games were first released on the PSP back in 2007 and have not only become a fan favorite of the Disgaea series but also the mascot of the company. Ye those loveable, yet highly explosive penguins, Prinnies, are back and this time ready to be the hero the Switch needs, or die trying. Let’s see if they can make in Prinny 1•2: Exploded and Reloaded.
Story
Prinny 1•2: Exploded and Reloaded comes packed with both Prinny Can I Really Be the Hero and Prinny 2 Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood (as least the physical release, digitally the games are separate downloads. Both star the titular exploding demon penguins. Prinny 1’s story is as follows:
One normal day in the Neitherworld the Prinnies are going about their business, doing whatever it is exploding penguins do in hell when suddenly it starts to rain Prinnies, exploding as they hit the ground. One main Prinny (that’s you) sees what’s going on and runs in the direction of where the Prinnies are coming from. It turns out that Etna, your boss and all mighty Demon Overlord, is pissed off that someone stole her dessert. And not just any fool, but a Prinny shaped fool, which is why she is tossing Prinnies blaming them for stealing her dessert. The Prinnies say to her that none of them are crazy or stupid enough to steal her dessert. Annoyed that they’re right she orders them to fetch her the Ultra Dessert to replace the one that was stolen or else get tossed into oblivion. With no other choice they say they’ll do it but what about them exploding in one hit? Knowing that they would bring that up, Etna bestows on the Prinnies the Hero’s Scarf. With it they can withstand up to three hit before exploding, in which the scarf gets passed on to the next Prinny. So now its do or die for the Prinnies as they make their way across the Neitherworld to find the ingredients to make the Ultra Dessert.
In Dawn of Operation Panties, its laundry day and the Prinnies are going about doing their chores when suddenly an alarm sounds. Turns out some one as broken into the castle and as stolen something. You rush in to see what’s going on and encounter the thief trying to escape. After a hard fight you defeat the thief but he still gets away, but wonder what is it that he stole. As you’re thinking this it starts to rain Prinnies. You race back into Etna’s throne room as she’s chucking Prinnies in the air like Tom Brady. She shouts to the Prinnies that some pervert has stolen her special panties and that if she doesn’t get them back there will be hell to pay. So donning the Hero’s Scarf once again, you and 999 other Prinnies are out to save the Neitherworld (and their own skins), one exploding Prinny at a time.
Both stories are pretty simple and only serve to show case the Prinnies’ missions in each of the games. But just because the stories are simple doesn’t mean that they can’t be fun and enjoyable, which they are.
Gameplay
Both Prinny games are action-platformers, meaning that there is a lot of jumping and dicing of enemies. And since these games are just ports of the PSP games, nothing much has changed. The controls are super simple: you have your slash and jumping slash attacks, hip ground pound, jump and a twirling dash. Levels are straight forward, just make it to the end of the stage and jump into the boss gate to fight the boss. Each of the stages are themed and change depending on the time of day in the game. Both games are what I like to call “platformer-hell” games. Everyone knows the term “bullet hell” right; a shmup that has enemies firing a constant barrage of neon colored bullets at you? That’s what the Prinny games are but as platformers. At first the level seems to be easy enough, but as you progress the levels get progressively harder: enemies spawning from nowhere, attacking from both sides, bosses calling in minions to assist them and jumps getting harder. There are all sorts of things flying and crawling everywhere trying to kill you. It even gets more difficult when playing the Netherworld (hardest) difficulty, as one hit means instant death. This really forces players to have quick reflexes and good pattern memorization skills. This wouldn’t be so bad, but the way the game has Prinny jumping makes it frustrating. When standing still, Prinny can only jump up, he can’t jump forward or back. The only way he can do either is if he’s moving. This gets really annoying as there are times when you need to make some precise jumps.
Music
Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) games have always had some really great music tracks in their games. From the typical anime openings and ends to rock anthems and everything in between, the musical tracks in their games are always enjoyable. As for the Prinny games, the music is alright. It’s not bad by any means. Each of the stages have their own themes and change when the time of day changes. Bosses also have their own themes as well.
Graphics
The graphics for both Prinny 1 and 2 really haven’t changed much since the PSP versions. Even so everything is bright and colorful, from the enemies to the stage designs. Stages also change when the time of day changes and often change the layout of the stage. I believe the promos for the game say that the sprites are HD, however personally I can’t tell the difference. Both games still look great, especially on the Switch’s larger screen when playing in handheld mode.
Extras
There are a ton of extras to be found in both Prinny games that were carried over from the PSP versions of the games. These extras include an alternate ending, playing as Asagi in the first game through the same stages, a new game mode called Asagi Wars in Prinny 2 that stars Asagi and stages tailored to her move set, extra bosses to fight and much more. In order to access these extras there are some requirements that need to be met, such as collecting secret items found in the stages, using up all 1000 Prinnies, beating the game, etc. Honestly its a lot of work, which is why in the PSP version there are cheat codes to unlock a lot of the extra content right away. I’m not sure if the Switch ports have the cheat codes as well though. If they do I’ll be sure to add in an aside/note after the review goes live.
It’s great to see the Prinnies back in action in Prinny 1•2: Exploded and Reloaded. Though nothing much as changed about the games, they’re still fun to play through. The games will available for seprate download, but if you want to get both games, the Just Desserts special edition comes with the games on a physical cart and other neat ites such as an art book, a CD soundtrack and more. Hopefully more games from the PSP era of JRPGs get the same treatment that the Prinnies received. If you’re a fan of the Prinnies, Disgaea, hard platformers or a combonation of all three, then check these games out. Just be should to handle with care, because of well you know, exploding Prinnies.
