How cool Joan of Arc would have been with dragons, mages, and mystical transformative armlets!

User Rating: 8.5 | Jeanne d'Arc PSP
Not being a a great JRPG fan, playing Jeanne D'Arc was a leap for me, but it was a leap that has been incredibly rewarding.

First, the pluses:

Character design - each character (including the historically murderous Gilles De Rais) is designed with with customizable attacks, skills, (and for the armlet wielders) special animations.

Story - admittedly, great liberties are taken with the historical facts, but the story is compelling, fun, and a treat for RPG fans. (Perhaps even a little additive, in two weeks I've logged 15 hours, and I've not finished it yet.)

Skill Crafting - You can experiment with different skill combinations to create new skills for your characters.

Combat Features - You can see a damage estimate, cancel a move, and re-execute your move if you don't care for your initial strategy. Quite useful!

Graphics - Superb character models, cutscenes, environments, and effects.

Bonus Maps - Bonus maps featuring special monsters and quests are also included.

Now the minuses -

Sound - The soundtrack is decent, but the effects can get a little repetitive.

Grinding - To be able to progress, you may have to grind out a level or two. I'm not a fan of it, but some enjoy replaying old stages to implement new strategies.

Bosses - There are some bosses in this game that you will fight several times before they kick the bucket. I'd rather see a more interesting array of bosses than fighting the same one repeatedly.

-----------

The Nitty-Gritty: This is a damn good game, and one you'll likely pour hours into. Enjoy!