The Gamer's Quarter

[silentmatt]

So, as per the "what everyone is playing" thread it seems like a bunch of you haven't heard of this game yet. Which, I guess, is pretty understandable because:

a) I don't seem to think that it was publicized very much, if at all.
b) The PSP just isn't a "console of choice" around here.
c) Even when you do hear about the game, I would imagine most people's gut reaction would be akin to mine, which was... "why the hell would I want to play a game about Joan of Arc?"

But! After spending some time with the game (I'm about 15 hours in already), I can honestly say that it is one of the best games on the handheld.

So, what is it all about?

As apparent in the title, you play, literally, as Joan of Arc. While it has many of the more overt elements of the story (young girl who, upon talking with God, decides to lead the French against the British for what she believes to be France's salvation, et cetera), there are huge liberties taken with the source material. For instance: the British are not only British, but have made pacts with demons to take over France, the story takes place in a world filled with magic and creatures like lion- or raccoon-folk, and there is a significant sub-plot about 5 armlets that, through divine powers, can transform characters into badass soldiers of the Lord once per round. Random, for sure, but it all comes together in a pretty damn coherent story (especially for the fact that Jeanne is portrayed as being frigging over-the-top crazy).



Which is too be expected, really, as the game was crafted by Level 5, the same company who did the both Dark Clouds, Rogue Galaxy and Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King. As apparent in their other games, Level 5 definitely have a soft spot for the more old-school type RPGs and this love definitely also applies to their take on the strategy RPG genre.

While, at first, it might seem like you cannot really customize your characters very much (each PC that you recruit will only wield a particular type of weapon, so you cannot really "change classes"), the game circumvents this might be problem with a deep (and immensely satisfying) interface that uses gems (which you buy from stores or pick off your dead enemies, of course) to enhance your characters. These can affect anything from the character's strength or MP reserves to which special attacks they can use during a battle. It is kind of reminiscent of the materia from FFVII.

If that wasn't enough, a few levels into the game you will also unlock the ability (through a character from Rogue Galaxy) to combine gems to make new ones, like the alchemy pot in Dragon Quest. It is through this system that each character, despite being restricted in their weapon-type, can really be tweaked exactly how you deem most fitting. Plus, you will pretty much always have more characters than necessary so you aren't forced to use any character you don't like (characters who sit out of a battle still get a percentage of the experience and so still level up, in the background).

As far as the battles themselves go, the most poignant thing I can say about them is that they are epic. You will generally control a team of 7 against dozens upon dozens of opponents. As such, the strategy involved is generally a combination of knowing when to push forward and when to fall back... But, this is all under the pressure of a timer, which makes it so you constantly have to keep on your toes, plan accordingly and strike fast.



It is true that this can be frustrating (I played a couple battles where you have to get your team out of an area, only to have 1 of the characters make it within one square of the exit when the timer ran out). Also frustrating is when you've gotten a handle on your opponents and they suddenly summon reinforcements, throwing your entire action plan into disarray. But these are minor qualms.

And if we are to discuss the graphics in the game... they are beautiful. Everything is crisp and the level design is always intricate. Depending on the characters you bring into battle, you can confront each level in completely different manners (for example, one character can place ladders to storm castles, so you don't have to break down the front gate). It looks much worse in the IGN screenshots, so take them with a grain of salt.

The voice acting varies between pretty great (the French accents tend to be hilarious) to somewhat mediocre. The music is fitting but, like in games like Puzzle Quest, isn't necessarily a focal point. I tend to tune it out.

The game is also riddled with side-quests and optional battles (pretty much every level has a "Free Battle" mode that you can return to) so, if you want to put off the story a bit and just have some fun... you can do that too.



All in all, Jeanne d'Arc is a nostalgic trip through SRPG conventions, that manages to add in enough new ideas (such as the rock/paper/scissors aspect of the elemental powers, "Burning Aura" which involves tiles that increases your hit strength based upon comboing attacks, and "Unified Guard" which increases your defenses if characters are side-by-side) to make the game feel fresh and, really, one of the best games I have played in recent memory.
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PSN: Twitch_City ||| Wii: 8083 5371 5767 6700
"Jadis, si je me souviens bien, ma vie était un festin où s'ouvraient tous les coeurs, où tous les vins coulaient."

[Talbain]

This might go on my Christmas list. Glad it comes recommended, though the reviews I've read on it seem to like it too. So! Might be fun to give it a spin, seeing as how I'm the minority of people who have a PSP. Also in the minority of people who don't have a PS3/Wii/X-Box 360, but that's another rant for another time.

Nice read, all in all.
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Stop looking at what it does for them and look at what it does for you.
What they want it to be or think it to be doesn’t–or shouldn’t–matter.

[silentmatt]

Between this and Monster Hunter Portable 2... my PSP is going to get some pretty heavy usage in the coming weeks.


Daaaaamn.
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PSN: Twitch_City ||| Wii: 8083 5371 5767 6700
"Jadis, si je me souviens bien, ma vie était un festin où s'ouvraient tous les coeurs, où tous les vins coulaient."

[Isfet]

it's nice to see someone else actually picked this up. so far i've only put about an hour or two into this game, but it i can definitely agree that it looks gorgeous. the systems seem fairly coherent, too, and the game has a very polished feel overall (which is almost odd considering how little publicity it's received).

[ryan]

According to Next-Generation, it's the #1 selling PSP game on Amazon. I think I'm about 7 hours in, and my two complaints are the wizards with their unlimited mana - you cast blizzard on me one more time! one more time!! - and the endless cutscenes. The levels are actually really short, but then you have to sit through ten plus minutes of "jeanne!!!!" "thanks, roger." "rar I tark wark a jarkass."
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Come to me, Mordel. We shall depart.

[silentmatt]

Yeah, wizards, necromancers (who tend to spam heal) & whip-ladies/the lance guys (who have that freezing attack that renders your characters useless for a turn) are always my first targets on a map. Then archers, because they are annoying, and then whatever brutes are around.

There ARE a lot of cutscenes... but I either kind of only half pay attention to them or find them humorous. There have been a few pretty damn poignant ones though, that I was impressed the developers had the balls to pull off. The story (while there is an argument that there might be too much of it) does have some merit.

But yeah, the main thing that impresses me is, just as Isfet said... it is frigging coherent. Everything ties together and - ohmygod- actually makes sense. There doesn't seem to be any aspect of the game included just for show.

The levels do get a LOT of more epic (holy crap, I just finished one that I thought was unbeatable... it was awesome). The only main problem I have is that, if you go into a fight with the wrong strategy... it can be impossible to make things work in your favour.
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PSN: Twitch_City ||| Wii: 8083 5371 5767 6700
"Jadis, si je me souviens bien, ma vie était un festin où s'ouvraient tous les coeurs, où tous les vins coulaient."

[Shapermc]

I decided I wasn't interested in this game when it was talked about like this in EGM:

"It's really great to see a jRPG taking on a serious historical situation. Some history buffs will scoff at lizardmen being added on to this historical game, but don't let that fool you: the history is nearly spot on with just a bit of exgaggeration."

Honestly, this just has to do with the stupidity of the writing and nothing to do with the game.
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“The average man has a secret desire to be a swaggering, drunken, fighting, raping swashbuckler.”
-Robert E. Howard in a letter to a friend circa Decmber 1932

"There is no place in this enterprise for a rogue physicist!"

[silentmatt]

"Just a bit"

Holy shit. I am astounded.
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PSN: Twitch_City ||| Wii: 8083 5371 5767 6700
"Jadis, si je me souviens bien, ma vie était un festin où s'ouvraient tous les coeurs, où tous les vins coulaient."

[ryan]

They certainly can't mean that the English didn't have gargoyles guarding a fortress with lightning-generating towers.
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Come to me, Mordel. We shall depart.

[Shapermc]

[dhex]

[Dracko]

Chill out, guys. Not even the supposedly secular French government knows how to teach this little ditty. It's a total embarrassment seeing a national icon taught as a divinely vindicated heroin while undermining the politics of the time.

Which leads me to believe that this review hasn't the first clue of what he's talking about. I blame too many jRPGs.
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"This is the most fun I've ever had without being drenched in the blood of my enemies!"

[dhex]

dude it's totally easy to teach joan of arc.

1) bitch was crazy
2) holy shit god's talking to her
3) just by fuckin' accident the brits are up in their croissants and god sez "'ey you get me some motherfucking parisian croissants and while you're at it go fuck up some limeys."
4) she shows up in orleans (named after new orleans) and sez "'ey you are all je ne sais british so fuck off" and thus breaks the seige and shit
5) she gets captured after pissing off the wrong frenchies and busted down to camping with drug-addicted french ninjas
6) joan of arc? more like joan of inflammable!

i went to public school btw.
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[Isfet]

that's an excellent summation.


i wonder if the burning segment will be an anime cutscene?

oh, i hope so.


anyway, yea, the game is just fun and trying to determine/defend it's "historical accuracy" is really silly. and especially silly to bring up in a review. i mean, it's just sort of the next progression of JRPGs:

1) rip off Wizadry/Ultima/whathaveyou
2) start infusing more anime elements
3) start distorting Western religions
3) start distorting Nietzschean/Jungian/Freudian archetypes
4) start distorting actual European history

[Harveyjames]

[SuperWes]

[Swimmy]

[Winged Assassins (1984)]

[simplicio]

[ionus]

waiting for George Washington shonen war of independence giant robot srpg itt!

[silentmatt]

[dhex]

at least koei pretends to care about history, or at least the textual accuracy of early bodice rippers/knights in white satin classics.

[Pijaibros]

I don't know if anyone is still talking about the PSP game, but fuck that Dauphin escorting mission.

That one took me at least 2 hours to clear because he just LOVES running headfirst into one of the blades of those crow knights. It also doesn't help that the archers can snipe the guy from halfway across the map and reinforcements become available 6 turns in.

This mission was the equivalent of the Wiegraf battle from Final Fantasy Tactics. Only in the elation I felt once I managed to clear the board.

It's been a joy to play until then, I'm still afraid of taking on the Colosseum or those Dragons in that one prairie field. They look so beefy, and the whip girl with the dragons dodges everything.

[silentmatt]

Yeah, that mission was a pain in the ass. All you need to do though is make sure ALL OF YOUR DUDES go into that straightaway first and block his path. Then just sort of huddle around him. Your team will take all the shots, the dauphin will survive and everything is cool.

The first time I played it, I wanted to take the left path and so sent all my team over there... only for dauphin's turn to come up and watch him singlehandedly brave the middle path (and get slaughtered). What an idiot.

But, yeah... if you go into the mission knowing that the guy is going to behave like that... it really isn't bad at all.



As far as the other two missions go: I played the first 3 or 4 rounds of the Colosseum and then got slaughtered. But, that is probably just because I got cocky. Haven't gone back to finish it yet.

The dragon level isn't as hard as it looks, however. If you do it when it first gets unlocked -you probably will get slaughtered. But I came back a few levels later and - so long as you take out the bee things on the left hand side first - you should be able to get through it relatively scarfree.
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PSN: Twitch_City ||| Wii: 8083 5371 5767 6700
"Jadis, si je me souviens bien, ma vie était un festin où s'ouvraient tous les coeurs, où tous les vins coulaient."

[Pijaibros]