Jeanne d’Arc is a pseudo-historical retelling of the story of Joan of Arc from developer Stage-5, launched on PSP in 2007. It at all times had a popularity as a rock-solid turn-based technique RPG, however as writer Sony by no means launched the title in Europe and different territories, it was one many who gamers exterior the U.S. and Japan (together with yours really) by no means had an opportunity to attempt for themselves.
With the discharge of the sport for PS5 and PS4, which options up-rendered graphics, quality-of-life options like rewind and fast save, and customized video filters, there may be now no excuse to not play what has rightfully turn out to be one thing of a cult traditional. Stage-5’s tackle the historic Hundred Years Battle that raged between the kingdoms of England and France within the fifteenth century is a artistic one, and we’re glad to report that the wait has been value it.
Made very a lot within the vein of its genre-defining tactical predecessor, Last Fantasy: Ways, Jeanne d’Arc places a bigger emphasis on story and character, with the items that you simply command representing actual historic figures in some instances, with extra time spent in cutscenes attending to know the forged. On this ahistorical retelling of occasions, England, underneath the regency of the Duke of Bedford, makes a pact with demons, permitting a very evil one to own the physique of the younger Henry VI, inheritor to the throne.
When English troopers and their monstrous allies raze her village to the bottom, Jeanne, alongside together with her childhood companions Lianne and Roger, is thrust headlong right into a battle for the survival of France’s soul. Within the melee, Joanne acquires a mysterious, magical armlet that permits her to listen to the voice of God and even quickly rework, granting her superhuman powers based mostly on its at present infused gem.
Gameplay takes place on a grid, with the participant commanding Jeanne and a restricted variety of her allies in opposition to a pressure of enemies that may usually accompany a gimmick from stage to stage. This may vary from defeating a selected foe inside a set variety of turns to not letting an ally fall in fight, or reaching part of the map throughout the flip restrict. As there aren’t any generic allied items in Jeanne d’Arc, every character that joins the social gathering has a character, given their second to shine and stand out, serving a selected position or enjoying a wanted half.
For a tactical RPG that got here out nearly 20 years in the past, fight is surprisingly strong, with quirks and methods that make it distinctive even all these years later. That is maybe greatest exemplified by the Burning Aura and Unified Guard mechanics, and alignments correlating to Sol, Luna, and Stella (solar, moon, and stars) additional add to the equation with a rock-paper-scissors system that provides one other layer of elemental complexity.
Unified Guard lessens the injury a person unit takes, in keeping with the positioning of allies round them. The draw back of making these little defend partitions is you turn out to be extra of a goal for area-of-effect assaults. Nevertheless, as positioning impacts injury dealt and acquired, aggressive motion is incentivised by the Burning Aura that seems behind a struck enemy, encouraging gamers to make use of characters in tandem to interrupt out and sort out highly effective foes rapidly, because the buff disappears after a flip.
Jeanne and choose different characters can quickly rework right into a divinely blessed armoured type utilizing the ability of the armlet and at present geared up gem, with every bestowing particular results. The primary offers Jeanne bonus injury and the power to maneuver once more after killing an enemy; the catch is that these transformations can solely be used as soon as per battle, and characters revert to regular after a number of turns, so timing is important.
Equally, magic works a bit in another way than what we have come to count on. MP begins at zero and will increase every flip slightly than being subtracted from a complete, so items might want to wait between turns to maintain casting. It helps that each one characters can forged spells (though some are extra suited than others), and it is a refreshing change of tempo.
Between battles, gamers information Jeanne and firm between cities, castles, villages, and different geographic landmarks on an overworld map of France. Some areas enable for grinding, which is usually crucial, and in others, the shopping for and promoting of recent arms and armaments. Together with tools, the participant should handle every character’s geared up expertise and spells (in a restricted variety of slots), and on this approach, the affinity of a selected alignment will be additional boosted.
Graphically, the items and the environments look nice, however the impact is considerably undercut by the low-resolution UI, which does not look nice on bigger screens. It isn’t a deal-breaker, however you will want time to regulate. Extra annoying is the sadly archaic type of management, which we want had been modernised, however we suppose that is why the asking value is comparatively low. The cursor is managed through the directional buttons, with the sticks mapped to the digital camera by default. It may be remapped manually through the emulation settings, nevertheless it takes some getting used to, and even then stays a bit fiddly.
There are a shocking variety of impressively animated cutscenes sprinkled all through the sport’s prolonged marketing campaign, that are fairly compelling. There aren’t any spoilers right here, however should you’re acquainted with the destiny of the actual Joan of Arc, that should not be too shocking. Stage-5 performs with historical past, nonetheless, and throws some genuinely surprising narrative curve balls alongside the best way.
Conclusion
Even after almost 20 years, Jeanne d’Arc stays a traditional technique RPG, now accessible to a broader viewers than ever earlier than, because of its launch on PS5 and PS4. After all, it seems a bit dated and controls a bit stiffly, however revolutionary tactical mechanics and a compelling narrative make historical past come to life.
