I’ve never been a big history buff. I learned about Joan of Arc way back in grade school and high school and haven’t really revisited that time period since. But Jeanne d’Arc brings me right back. What was once a bore is now a fun gaming experience. Here is a breakdown of some of the facets of Jeanne d’Arc for the PSP:

Presentation and Graphics: Jeanne d’Arc utilizes both anime cut scenes and cell shaded character gameplay which works out great. The anime cut scenes look just like watching a movie, as expected. During gameplay and in-game cut scenes, the backgrounds are all layed out nicely with a distinct cell shaded feel for the characters. With everything together, it’s one of the better looking PSP games I’ve seen. The character animations are minimal, but they look pretty good. 4 of 5

Sound and Music: Most of the game features a medieval orchestral score. The only deviations are during the cut scenes, when you get to hear voice acting and such. Otherwise, the only sounds are those during attacks where you hear the standard hit sounds or “whoosh” sounds when a spell or item is used. Turn based RPG’s tend to lack in the sound department, and Jeanne d’Arc isn’t an exception to the rule. I know size is a limitation on UMD discs, but I would loved to have seen more voice over work in game. 3 of 5

Gameplay: Jeanne d’Arc has a great combat system for a turn-based RPG. Battle consists of two phases: a Player Phase and an Enemy Phase. You begin by choosing five outfit members for the battle from your party, which consists of up to 14 characters, each with own unique abilities. Each battle starts with a Player Phase where you being by moving your character to a square near an opponent. Once you move, you may use an item or spell, or you can attack your opponent. More damage is done from behind or at the side of an emery, as they can block part or all of a frontal attack. Some weapons allow you to attack from further away, which most require you to be within 1 square from the enemy. Once your Player Phase has finished with all five of your outfit members, an Enemy Phase commences where your opponents inflict damage on you and your outfit. This repeats until your objective or the maximum number of turns is reached. Each battle has a different objective, from defeating an English soldier to moving your troops to the North end of the grounds. Battles can last anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on how far you are in the game and the objective, and you can save at any point during or after the fight. While battles can be repetitive, the changes in terrain along with the placement and types of enemies makes each battle feel fresh. 4 of 5

Lasting Appeal: If you hate the French, this game might annoy you from the start. The entire game takes place in France during the Hundred Years War and their battle with England. And as long as you don’t mind a 40 hour game on your handheld, there’s nothing else to hold you back from playing Jeanne d’Arc. The compelling storyline coupled with the changing terrains and battles will keep you coming back to help Jeanne save France. 4 of 5

Final Word: I was skeptical at first of a 40 hour RPG on the PSP, but Jeanne d’Arc delivers with both quick and deep gaming experiences. Because of the quick save features, the game allows you to play as long as you want, which is terrific feature for portable gaming. If you’re an RPG fan, you should definitely check out Jeanne d’Arc, especially with it’s $29.99 USD price tag.

Overall: 4 of 5

1 = Not worth the bandwidth.

2= Demo is enough, not worth your money.

3= Game is good, depending on the price, seriously consider picking it up.

4= Worth your money. Should provide some good times for quite awhile.

5= Buy the game. Lock your door. Pick up a case of beer. This could take all night.