Classic PS2 review: La Pucelle Tactics

La Pucelle Tactics for PS2La Pucelle Tactics: “When the powers of evil are at their peak, the Maiden of Light shall appear to destroy it. Prier is out to prove that she is destined to become the next Maiden of Light and let all those who stand in her way meet divine justice.”

Editors Note: Today we’d like to introduce you all to VGB’s newest review writer: Glorious Leader. No doubt after reading this review conclusion — and in time his future reviews — you’ll come to agree with us that he’s got the writing chops to inform you about the various RPG classics. Take it away Oh Glorious Leader! …

System: PS2
Genre: Tactical RPG
Released: January 31st 2002 (JPN), May 4th 2004 (USA), April 1st 2005 (EUR), April 15th 2005 (AUS)
Players: One Player
Developed by Nippon Ichi Software
Published by Mastiff
Origin: Japan
Rating: T for Teen with Blood, Crude Humor, Mature Sexual Themes, Mild Violence

La Pucelle Tactics screenshot

An Aside:
Many players were disappointed with this game for one reason. They expected another game. Disgaea (Developer, Nippon Ichi’s nearest release) has a story so different as to fall into another genre entirely. The game was also made before Disgaea (but was released later in the US) so it has many features that were later improved on in its successor. The other game players expected another Final Fantasy Tactics. This game does not boast the same complexity of plot or the level of difficulty found there. It is far more accessible, both in story and mechanics than its Final Fantasy counterpart (though this is not to say La Pucelle is without difficulty or complexity). That being said, if the game is approached with an open mind in these regards, they will not be disappointed. Now on the topic at hand…

Story:
La Pucelle is the name of an elite group of demon hunters for the Church of the Holy Maiden. Based loosely on 17th century France (very loosely), the Pot a Feu City in the country of Paprika is the home of our heroes. Prier and Culotte are novice demon hunters in La Pucelle. Together with their instructor, Alouette, they are given some small tasks to perform. As the missions become progressively harder, the group recruits some diverse and unlikely allies. They get pulled into a story of religious and political intrigue and try to prevent the world from becoming a “dark utopia.”

The game seems very much like an anime in look, sound and feel. The story plays out in twelve chapters in which you learn about the characters and watch them develop. The story can be both very touching and serious or silly and lighthearted. All of the characters are interesting and lovable. The plot as a whole can be cliché and predictable, but is definitely worthwhile and enjoyable if given a chance.

Watch the La Pucelle Tactics trailer.

Mechanics:
The game is a fairly standard Tactics RPG where the player commands a team of allied characters against a 3D map full of enemies. The map is broken up into a grid, and both distance and elevation will be a focus of combat. Play is turn based with the players units deploying from (and perhaps retreating back into) a base panel. The facing of a unit is also a factor because attacks to the back of a unit become more effective. Like most RPGs, characters gain experience and levels through combat and equip weapons and armor for Stat boosts.

Attacks and skills are shown in a separate battle screen like many older style RPGs. Regular attacks allow the enemy to counter-attack while special skills do not. However, only regular attacks can utilize combo attacks.
Combo Attacks – Any attacking character will bring adjacent allies into battle with them. The unit being attacked will do the same. This is where the greatest level of strategy within the game will take place. It allows the player to swarm enemies and pick them off, or use skills to avoid allowing enemies to hit back. Careful movement and attacks will allow players to dispatch more power and more plentiful enemies. Yes, so far this is a fairly typical Strategy RPG. The game boasts a few more unique features as well.

The game first introduces Dark Portals and a Miracle System. On every map, a handful of squares will be occupied by Dark Portals. Streams of dark energy will flow from them in a straight line. A unit (or a special item called Change-Ups) on a Dark Portal or its stream will cause it to flow in the direction the unit faces. The Dark Portals, like all units, have an elemental alignment. They will give a boost to units of a proper alignment, but have the opposite affect on others. While Dark Portals and their streams can be used to strengthen the players’ board position, their ominous name is not without warrant. Every few turns monsters may spawn from the portals. This brings with it a need to destroy them or clear the map quickly. It is most fortunate the main characters work for the church and have the ability to Purify.

The Purify command can be used to destroy Dark Portals. Doing so will cause damage to all enemies standing of these dark streams. If a large energy stream connects to itself, it will create a Miracle and cause more damage to all enemies within them. The Purify command can also be used on monsters. A purified monster may join you when it is defeated and can immediately be brought onto the map.

The game also has a fairly unique leveling system. When enemies are defeated the characters gain experience and levels as any RPG aficionado would expect. Equipped items have Stat Attribute that will also provide experience in those Stats. These levels give the character Passive Skills related to the appropriate Stat. These bring various affects such as increased movement, critical attacks, defense boosts, and health regeneration to name a few. Special skills will also gain levels when used, making them stronger and increasing their area of effect. Purifying Dark Portals will give experience to the character’s equipment, making the equipment stronger also.

Inside the item shop, there stands a dark and shadowy figure. He is looking to recruit soldiers for a war in the Dark World. This is the perfect place to send monsters and demons you have recruited through purification but don’t use anymore. In return he will send you items from the Dark World. These items will often be unusual things that are not normally available in the store. Giving him your units will also give you access to the most complicated part of the game: Item Synthesis. All of the items equipped on the unit will be fused together. It is complicated because the items need to be leveled high enough to transfer their properties, and if the unit is too weak the item will be powered down. Using Item Synthesis properly will give the player equipment far more powerful than can be purchased, but it will cause a great deal of wasted time and effort if done incorrectly.

Maps have a Dark Energy Index. The Index goes up or down depending on the player’s actions. Purifying will prevent the Index from climbing while killing allies will cause it to go up sharply. If the index reaches 100, a portal to the Dark World will appear on the map. In the Dark World, the player will need to traverse ten levels and either clear them, or reach the Portal to proceed to the next level. Most monsters in the Dark World won’t join your team when purified. Instead, they will give you an item they were equipped with. This is the second way to gain access to Dark World items. The third is to buy ever item from the shop. It will then be restocked from the Dark World. This method is great if there is a ridiculous pile of money laying around.

With all of the leveling, synthesizing and recruiting to be done in the game, players may find themselves with a common dread within RPGs: Over-leveling. Any strategy game ceases to be fun when there is no challenge. The brilliant minds at Nippon Ichi added one final brilliant feature in the item shop: Surveys!

Allow me to explain. Whenever an item is purchased in the shop the player can take the time to fill out a survey. The survey will ask what kind of items you would like in the shop (in case you feel that weapons are passé and armor is the wave of the future), how strong of items you would like (to find that balance between what you want and what you can afford). The surveys occasionally have a bonus question which will give access to things like a triple experience boost on the next map or stronger enemies in the game. This allows players to adjust their difficulty mid-game, which is a rare feature in any RGP.

La Pucelle Tactics heroine Prier

So how does the game rank on a scale from 1 to 10?

Fun Factor – 8
La Pucelle is an easy game for anyone to pick up but offers a great deal of difficulty and challenge to players who seek it. There is really only one annoying factor to the game. Toward the end it requires various story characters to fight on certain story battles, often alone. If they player hasn’t touched the character up to that point, it’s going to require going to do a bit of leveling before proceeding. That aside, the story isn’t going to win any awards for ingenuity, but it will keep players entertained with a feel of playing through episodes of an anime rather than a video game. The mechanics are fairly simple and intuitive but are unique and fun. The game has item customization and allows the player to recruit most enemies for some team customization. Overall, it is a fine game that most interested players will likely enjoy.

Graphics – 8
The game consists of tons of hand drawn 2D sprites while the maps and effects are rendered in 3D (similar to Final Fantasy Tactics). Towns and story sequences are beautiful 2D animations which is a bit rare in this genre. The game was beautiful for its time and, in contrast to 3D graphics of the time, still looks nice today.

Audio – 9
The voice acting is good but probably not award winning. Sound effects are also good and never seem to detract from the game. The background music is great and always well suited to the mood. While graphics and mechanics have been improved on over the years, the Audio stacks up just as well to recent games as it ever did.

Ingenuity – 8
Nippon Ichi took a style from its Marl Kingdom games but gave it a huge overhaul to make them appeal to a very broad range of players. It found a happy balance between typical strategy RPGs and the RPGs they were known for. While the game boasted very nice graphics for the genre and had some interesting and creative mechanics, the true ingenuity within this game was opening the genre to other types of players.

Replay Value – 5
This game suffers from the same replayability factor that plagues most RPGs. For the majority of players, the game is complete when the ending is reached. Each chapter has multiple endings based on the player’s actions within the chapter. This is the only factor that might draw players to go through the game again. Like all other RPGs, only true fans of the game will find the urge to play through repeatedly.

Appeal…
So who will this game likely appeal to? The 2D sprites will feel familiar to old gamers and have new appeal to anime fans. Naturally the game is a Must to Nippon Ichi fans. That aside, most fans of Tactical RPGs or RPGs in general will at least find the game to be a worthy way to pass the time.

La Pucelle will not appeal to gamers looking for a Disgaea clone or a game filled with intense strategic battles. Players who don’t care for anime will likely be put off by both the graphics and story of the game. Also, this should be avoided by gamers who feel that anything less than 3D rendered characters sporting a billion polygons should be considered bad graphics. While this last bit is a little facetious, I have heard a lot of players complain about the game, and almost all of the complaints fell into these categories. Take this last paragraph to heart. If you don’t feel you fall into any of these sections, you will likely find La Pucelle Tactics to be a pleasant way to pass the time.

Happy Gaming.