Strengths:Fantastic storyline. Great integration of FMV. Unique 'transformation' battle system.
Weaknesses:Some plot-forced character changes.
Posted Jan 6, 2008 - This is hands down the best tactical RPG out for the PSP that I've tried. It's almost hard to know where to begin in singing its praises but a lot of the credit goes to a fantastic storyline. Jeanne D'Arc is set during the Hundred Years War between France and England, reimagined for a world which contains magic and monsters. The characters are deep and engaging and the use of FMV spices up the exposition portions of the story.
From a technical standpoint, Jd'A is a strategic turn-based RPG, much like Final Fantasy Tactics and games of that ilk. In addition to the basics of any such system, it adds a transformation mechanic by which characters and 'power up' and wear divine armor to gain new abilities and stats. The more powerful the transformation, the more turns you have to wait until you can use them and they're all of a limited duration. A sort of 'materia' also makes it to J'dA in the form of skill stones. These can be equipped on characters to provide attribute bonuses and access to special spells and skills. There's also a quite deep combination system so you can fashion new stones from the meshing of two others.
All in all, one of my favorite things about J'dA is that there aren't many 'MUST DO OR MISS' senarios when it comes to hidden items or paths or things like that. You won't need to spend your time playing the game with a 500 pg FAQ closeby just to make sure you don't miss anything important. This allows you to really be swept up into the storyline and the characters, and it's a hell of a ride.
If there's any downside at all, it's that the intricate plot requires that characters will appear and disappear for stretches at a time. This means that you might spend time leveling someone up only to have them go poof on you (though this only occurs once for good). When characters return in due time, they are often underpowered compared to the rest of the party and might require some extra attention/protection during battles.
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Jeanne D'Arc
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