Memorable Melodies: Lord Laharl's Hymn from Disgaea

Original

8-bit remix

Song: Lord Laharl's Hymn

Game: Disgaea (All of them)

Composer: Tenpei Sato

Last week I did not get a chance to write Memorable Melodies, because it was the first day I got to play Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance. I have been a proponent of Disgaea ever since I accidentally picked yp Disgaea 2 in the mid 2,000's. I was at Gamestop, and had enough money to buy a game. Disgaea 2 caught my eye, so I got it. Initially I thought it was just a weird strategy game, but a few chapters in I realized it was insane. I found myself in a swamp. All my units were leveled into their mid-teens, and there is Etna a few hundred levels higher than them. I thought this was something that was impossible to beat, but little did I realize that you can grind to level 9,999 multiple times! Stats get crazy in games, but now in Disgaea 5 stats can go up to 40 million, literally.

I have a weird thing for grinding in RPGs and seeing my characters get stronger. Disgaea cranks that feeling all the way up and makes me super happy. 

The type of game it is isn't the only reason I like it though. All of the Disgaea games have a heartfelt story that is often goofy, but very self aware. All of those things sound counter-intuitive, but somehow they mesh together very well. The main character of the original Disgaea, Laharl, is the epitome of what Disgaea is. He's selfish, lazy, and egotistical, but deep down he has a great love for his comrades. He makes appearances in every other Disgaea game in one form or another, and I couldn't be happier about that. He wants to be the center of attention, so he travels around telling everyone he is the main character, even when he isn't.

I love Laharl, and by association that means I also love Lord Laharl's Hymn. It's in every Disgaea game, and you hear it a whole lot. I have played each of these games for over 100 hours, so the song is ingrained in my mind. A lot of video game songs put a smile on my face when I hear them, and this is definitely one of them!

Note: Laharl is the kid pictured in the top video who has blue hair, and a cape.