Disgaea fans, be warned: this game is not worth your time unless you enjoy playing a side scrolling game that is remarkably well at making your thumbs ache while you constantly mash upon the buttons.

Prinny 2:  Dawn of Operation Panties is a spin-off of the popular Disgaea series and sequel to the original Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? for the Playstation Portable. As the title suggests, players will be given control of a Prinny. Prinnies are souls that have committed petty crimes in their lifetimes and must repent by serving demons, such as the fan favorite Etna, in the Netherworld. Like in the regular series, they are extremely weak, which is why you start out with a bizarre 999 lives for use throughout the game.  The sequel of a game usually comes with improvements from its predecessor, yet there was nothing improved at all; they just changed the premise and sent you off on a journey to find a seemingly underage girl’s panties.

The game is a side scrolling action platformer with levels filled with platforms, enemies, and checkpoints.  You attack with a sword, which fills up a combo meter overtime and puts the Prinny in a special mode once it’s full.  While it sounds simple, the levels’ difficulty borders on torturous; but at least the boss fights are a bit easier because you are equipped with a butt stomp which helps stun and lower the bosses’ defense. The game also incorporates a day and night mechanic with enemies becoming more difficult once night falls. This makes it almost unbeatable unless you have the patience to die some hundred times. The basic gameplay is not fluid; while you struggle to control your Prinny avatar, you will die many times to random foes. Prinnies, after all, are very weak and will explode upon death.  Even during a normal playthrough on the default difficulty, there will be bottlenecks where you most likely will struggle to get through and if there is no checkpoint close by, you may be in danger of ‘rage quitting’ the game.

Some of the features you’ll see in the game are added moves like the aerial burst damage, which sends a blade-like projectile towards enemies, and new rare items that bosses drop. Each rare item unlocks a character from the outskirts of Etna’s castle that offers different types of fluff. There is also a library where every enemy you encounter is recorded and an explanation of their strengths and weak points are displayed.

All in all the game gives you what the title states: a journey to find panties and NIS is really pushing the Disgaea franchise to the edge by releasing games like this.  The art, however, is enjoyable and sure to satisfy any NIS gamer’s tastes. Disgaea fans are likely to jump on this title at the very mention of Prinnies or Etna’s panties, but may end up disappointed at the lackluster side scrolling in contrast to the Disgaea series’ deep gameplay.