If history was this interesting, I don't think I would've done so poorly in my World History classes. Sure, real history didn't have the French fighting the English with giant lion-men, talking bulldogs wielding axes, and knighted heroes who could magically transform into the medieval equivalent of the Power Rangers, but it sure would've been interesting. In this modern adaptation and retelling of the famous Joan of Arc, maybe you'll find yourself discovering a new story you weren't that familiar with, but even if not, you'll still be walking away having played one excellent tactical RPG.

THE STORY SO FAR
If you're not familiar with the real story of Joan of Arc, it was about a young French woman who claimed that God directly spoke to her, giving her the orders to lead the French and drive the English forces from her country. As for Jeanne D'Arc, it proceeds in much the same way, with our hero Jeanne and two of her hometown friends, finding their village decimated, and with a magical gauntlet that gives her the ability to transform into a knight of mythical power, she seeks out to rid France of the English, insuring that nothing ever happens again to her countrymen like had happened to her village.

Though the game isn't a direct retelling of the Joan of Arc story, it features many of the same elements and even a few locales and key moments. Jeanne still wants to rid France of the English, she claims the voice of God is telling her this must be so, and there is even the fabled battle of Orleans that happens early on, as well as a moment in which Jeanne was injured, but still led her troops. However, the game won't detail all the events you could find in a history book, and besides, dragons, demon possessed child kings, and animal warriors are far removed from reality.

The story is actually quite moving and dramatic, following this young girl who gives up everything to become this new warrior, and to help protect all the people around her; though Jeanne starts out relatively flat in terms of characterization, the longer the story goes on the more interesting and round she becomes. However, Jeanne isn't the only character to grow as the story goes, as it's a very story-driven game that will have you playing the battles and leveling up just so that you can see what happens next. The story is presented through a mixture of in-game cutscenes with text boxes and a smattering of beautiful animated cutscenes that detail key points in the narrative; if you love anime, you'll dazzle at these moments.

GAMEPLAY
If you've ever played a tactical RPG, you'll probably know what to expect in terms of controls and gameplay; more precisely, if you've played Final Fantasy Tactics, it will all seem very familiar. That's not to say the game completely steals from that franchise, but if it isn't broke, why try to fix it?

Depending on the level/mission, you'll usually have a few moments of story detailing what's going to happen on this level and what its objectives will be – objectives can be anything from obliterating all the enemies, taking out one main one, or just getting your troops across to sanctioned zones in order to "win." Sometimes, depending on what the story depicts, some characters may not be available to you at all times, as story may dictate them going off and temporarily being unavailable.

The levels are all fully rotatable and isometric, broken off into a grid based system where every square-inch of ground is designated a square patch on the playing field. When the level starts off, you'll place your handful of troops (numbers vary depending) anywhere you want on their assigned blue squares though some troops you'll be forced to use and will automatically be positioned on the field already. All of your characters will use their turn up in a row, so there's no need to worry about starting a move only for the enemy to follow up next; all your characters will move before the enemy begins their attack.

Combat is centered around two things more prominent than all the rest: movement and attack. After selecting a character, the first thing you'll probably want to do is move your character, which is really easy to do thanks to the highlighted grid system that pops up around you; if a square is colored then you'll be able to move there. If you're fighting with anything but the bow and arrow, you'll need to be right up on most enemies, placing you on one of the squares directly horizontal or vertical to them; archers, meanwhile, can shoot from a farther distance. Much like movement, attacks have their own range, with simple sword strikes usually looking like a cross pattern only extending one square; lances being able to go forward two squares; and other attacks that can extend much further or in a scattered line (it all really depends on what you use).

Continue On Page Two