Title Jeanne D'Arc Date 09.30.2007 Genre RPG Platform Sony PSP Developer SCEA Publisher SCEA

When Jeanne D'Arc was first announced, I admit I scoffed at the idea of the game. You can't make a game about Joan of Arc... The story is already written! You have to die in the end no matter what! Then I saw the screen shots. French soldiers fighting blood thirsty orcs and wizards? That sure wasn't the Joan I knew of. And it's a good thing too. With Jeanne D'Arc, the PSP finally flexes its raw RPG muscle.

Jeanne D'Arc retains an excellent story filled with interesting characters and plot twists. I hope you paid attention in history class because the game's story actually remains pretty true real life. Granted there are quite a few liberties taken here and there what with the talking animals and all, but the detail Level 5's writers went to is pretty cool. As far as the game's plot goes, basically five heroes long ago sealed away an ancient evil with five bracelets. Now the evil has been let loose again. When Jeanne comes into possession of one of the amulets and hears the voice of "God", she begins her quest to free France from the tyranny of the English. It might not sound like anything out of the ordinary, but trust me. I can't give away the good stuff after all! Important story scenes are told in the plentiful number of quick, well animated anime sequences throughout. This is great because it breaks the game away from the whole "too much talking" thing, yet doesn't yank you out of gameplay since you're out of it already. All told, the story will likely keep you coming back. That is, if the gameplay doesn't...

But it will. As far as gameplay goes, Jeanne handles like most familiar SPRG's you've probably played before. It's got the whole grid battle system going on. Turns are taken by moving your entire army and then switching to the bad guys army ala Tactics Ogre. What sets this game apart from other SPRGS is the skill stone and transformation system. Jeanne and other can turn into super warriors (go go Power Rangers!) for a limited number of ass kicking turns. Even better, if you kill an enemy while transformed you gain another move. Skill stones can be added to slots in your characters to do things such as raise stats, grant magical spells, or give additional abilities. You can can even combine stones to make new ones. Another interesting battle addition is the Unified guard, a constant team function that raises your defense based on how many allies are nearby. Simply enough, Jeanne makes excellent use of level design and gameplay. There's plenty of layers here to be explored, and many ways to complete all kinds of battles. Better yet, unless you level outside of the story the game is not going to hold your hand. There is a challenge here that is comfortable and thankfully not frustrating. Of course if the game didn't look good it probably wouldn't be as fun to play through. It's a good thing Jeanne looks as good as she plays.

Presentation values are constant throughout the game. The cell-shaded graphics look vibrant on the PSP screen, and the characters are all high in detail. Battlegrounds too look as fantastic as they are to fight in. It's nice to see fully 3D battlefields too, and you have complete camera control over the whole thing. The controls are spot on too. It's all very tight and works very well. The musical score will keep you marching your way across France. Anime sequences are smooth, and the voice actors even have French accents! Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir? The ability to save mid-battle (THANK YOU!) helps keep the game portable, and the load times are there, but acceptable. Level 5 really out did themselves with the level of quality that went into producing this title.

I do have a couple complaints though, starting with the difficulty. Although I particularly enjoyed it, there is no choice over it. The game is what it is, which unfortunately might turn away some players who wish for a more casual experience where they can turn the heat on later. It's nothing huge, but it would have been nice. The game also has pretty minimal replay value. Once the game is over there is a small Colosseum you can fight your way through and a few extra free stages. Those are nice and all, but they lack any real incentive to be completed. Once you do get them, that's it. The equipment and skills you earned can't be used in a New Game+ or anything. The game essentially becomes a dead end. There is a branching path within the game that determines a certain team member you acquire, but again the game lacks any real reason for you to go back and take the other person (although one IS quite hot for a cartoon...). Nothing about the game or story changes if you do so.

All told though, Jeanne D'Arc is a solid and enormously fun strategy title and just what we've been waiting for on the PSP. It's some of the 30 best hours of gameplay I've squeezed out of the system yet, and I was rarely disappointed the whole way through. At a bargain price, there's no excuse for you not to run out and buy this immediately. These kinds of games are exactly what the PSP needs more of, and I hope this game makes other developers sit up and take notice. Strategy RPG's take note: you have a new and imposing rival. That rival is Jeanne D'Arc.

Game Score

A-

Reviewed By: Troy Mossman