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Although battles keep you pressing forward, you shouldn't take that to mean Jeanne D'Arc doesn't offer its own brand of complexity and flexibility. Most of the customization is found in the system of skill stones, which function like spells and upgrades that characters equip to their limited number of slots. There are restrictions to what stones certain characters can equip; in the same way that characters are limited to a certain weapon type, they are also limited to certain types of skills. Stones are found as loot and in shops, at least in the beginning. However, about a quarter of the way through the game, you will earn the ability to combine stones into new, more powerful ones. This is underwhelming if the resulting stone is one available as standard battle loot, but it's genuinely exciting when you receive a brand new, formidable stone that far exceeds what you already possess.
When you throw in a rock-paper-scissors system of elemental affiliation, you have plenty of ways of customizing characters. For example, a jack-of-all-trades route--a strategy that often falls flat in other games--can be surprisingly effectively in Jeanne D'Arc, particularly with the right combination of skill stones. It all makes for a tight, focused experience that hits all the right notes without ever getting too dense or too simple. Yet nothing is breaking new ground here, so as appealing as the gameplay and story are, you're never quite blown away. Everything falls safely into the SRPG formula. That's not to say it feels formulaic, but Level 5 didn't take any huge chances either.
Jeanne D'Arc is an attractive and vibrant game. It isn't stunning, but it's got a keen sense of style and crystal clear visuals that make it easy to identify characters during battle. However, the character design may not be everyone's cup of tea: The characters looks like bobbleheads, which is an interesting design choice but doesn't always fit with the serious theme. In part, this is because the static 2D character drawings and awesome cinematic cutscenes are realistically proportioned; thus, while they are interesting to look at, there's some inconsistency in the art direction. Recent PSP RPGs, such as Riviera: The Promised Land and Tales of the World, have featured a ton of voice acting, so it's a little disappointing that there isn't as much in Jeanne D'Arc, but what is there is quite good. The soundtrack is appropriately French, but it's repetitive and occasionally grating.
If reliving 15-century French history sounds as appealing to you as being burned at the stake, rest assured you will find a lot to love about Jeanne D'Arc. This is revisionist history at its finest, which sounds like a dubious honor but in fact is high praise for one of the year's most compelling and fascinating stories. The gameplay is equally gripping, thanks to the pounding pace of battle. Finally, 2007 brings us a PSP RPG well worth its price tag.
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Where to buy
Jeanne D'Arc (PSP):
$27.99 - $29.99
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RadioShack.com
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$29.99 | Yes |
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Amazon.com
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$29.99 | Yes |
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$28.99 | Yes |
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$28.99 | Yes |
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$27.99 | No |
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