Prinny 1-2: Exploded and Reloaded

These are two fantastic games that have aged very gracefully, and are today as enjoyable as they were when first released on PSP.

Prinny 1•2: Exploded and Reloaded is a lovely piece of gaming history that holds up decently well and is still a fun little platformer to this day.

Prinny 1•2: Exploded and Reloaded is as great a title for the Switch as it was for the PSP. It’s challenging 2D platforming will cause many moments of frustration, but you’d be hard-pressed not to want to jump right back in and try again. The platforming physics themselves can come off a bit dated, but the excellent level design and the genuinely unique experience that these adventures offer make up for most of what lacks mechanically.

Prinny 1 2 Exploded and Reloaded hits Nintendo Switch as an attractive tribute to classic 2D platformers, maintaining Disgaea's great sense of humor with any remarkable features compared to the PSP original games. A fun and challenging adventure despite the discreet visual adaptation and the clumsy gameplay.

Prinny 1 & 2 will endure on and be remembered, if only because they have that infamous challenge level and the highly amusing approach the developers took to address that. Who doesn't want to throw a thousand-strong horde of Prinnies at a problem? Scratch beneath that surface are two platformers that are more bluster than refinement, relying more on humour than adventurous design to keep players interested, and while there's nothing wrong with that, it does need to be noted that as far as the platformer genre is concerned, these efforts are neither stand-out nor inspiring. You might not have favourite levels or scenes by the time you've ground out victory across these two titles, but as raw entertainment, they really are hard to put down. As a double feature, NISA is providing real value and entertainment, and hopefully plenty of people are willing to tackle the challenge.

For someone who isn’t a fan of the original Disgaea games, I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed my time with Prinny 1•2: Exploded and Reloaded. It’s not the best remaster I’ve seen and the challenge can be overly frustrating at times, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had in its simple-to-learn, hard-to-master mechanics and charming characters.

Prinny 1•2: Exploded and Reloaded is a charming, if sometimes crude, platformer that comes with the signature style and flair Disgaea fans have known and loved for years. Even if you’re mostly unfamiliar with the series, the animations for the Prinny’s themselves and for the enemies on every stage are still a delight and the music is jovial and easy to listen to for hours on end.

Prinny 1 & 2: Exploded and Reloaded contains a couple PSP games that are pretty fun and undeniably challenging. However, their clunky controls lead to much frustration so make sure you have plenty of patience in your pouch before you dive in.

The choice to remaster the two Prinny spinoffs was puzzling to begin with, and, unfortunately, the remasters are puzzling too themselves, leaving a lot to be desired. Definitely wait for a sale for these.

Taken as a single package Prinny 1-2 exploded and reloaded is not so bad. However, it is impossible to turn a blind eye to the mere porting operation performed by the developers. The two games have been modernized by a bland filter for 2D elements, without any possibility to intervene on the graphics. The result is a slightly blurred image, even in portable mode, which together with the rigid and frustrating gameplay, outline a very lazy and unattractive package.

Prinny 1•2: Exploded and Reloaded is not my cup of tea, which is sad given how much I wanted to enjoy it. I always appreciate a challenging platformer when said challenge is approached in a fair manner. Still, there’s no getting past the fact that both of these penguin-packed platformers thrive on doing little more than punishing the player without giving them much notice. I know that there’s a fanbase for these kinds of games, and if you’re among them, then this is right up your alley. However, for those who don’t want to become a punching bag for the game that you’re playing, you should look elsewhere.

Prinny 1-2: Exploded and Reloaded is a small compilation based on a beloved series and it comes with a good amount of challenging platforming action, as well as a good dose of humour. Unfortunately the conversion job for the Nintendo Switch gives it a lacklustre look and makes it seem like not much effort went into this, and at the same time both games included in this offer feel too similar to each other.