by David Rasmussen

Created on: April 23, 2009   Last Updated: April 24, 2009

Tactics style video games seem to be all the rage, this year being no exception as you can find quite a few games on the DS and PSP that follows the standard rhythm and roll of tactics style gameplay. Jeanne D'Arc is another one of these games, even if the game doesn't have the word Tactics in the game. The thing is, however, if you've been reading the reviews then people have nice things to say about Jeanne D'Arc. Everyone is giving it a high score, and that's all well and good as the game is actually fun to play to a point! I say that because while the game does have it's good points it also has it's failings, and it's those failings I want to bring to your attention today because it'll make all the difference between a good and not so good gaming experience.

First off, as far as Tactics style inspired games go, Jeanne D'Arc is a slice of better to a point. With it's depth of tactics you can employ, the means by which you can use your numbers well in both attack and defense, and the way you can combine skills in order to create new skills through a strange creature that swallows skill crystals and eww does something in it's stomach to make new crystals. All of this and the rather deep amount of skills you can use in battle (not to mention the nicely done battle boards and the amount of enemies you can deploy against) make for a good game. However, that being said, the main failing of Jeanne D'Arc is that it's a one trick pony that could have stood for a shot of depth and side missions. However the story of the game seems to be the main driving force of the overall game, and while you can revisit areas to replay some levels there are practically no true side missions or exploration of any kind except the relentless road towards the game's end from one side of the countryside to the other (a few missions pop up but it's like throwing the gamer a bone whose hungry for steak). Like I said the gameplay is golden, but the depth leaves something to be desired (that and the fact once you realize that this is all there is, and there is nothing more, even the combat may fail you no matter how well it's crafted).

I think this is a 3rd party developer that made this game, but the thing is it just isn't the next Puzzle Quest because at least Puzzle Quest had a depth of content and things to do even if the combat was the same over and over again (because the game offered up several ways to approach the simple Bejeweled slash Zoo Keeper style gameplay with different tasks

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>