The high fantasy setting of Jeanne d'Arc keeps things interesting, as the story is free to go into all kinds of territory. Along the way, you'll run into a large variety of characters. However, this comes at a price: many of the characters rarely develop, weakening the player's involvement with these personas. Many interesting plot themes do arise, especially between the overzealous Jeanne, the misguided Lianne, and Roger, who's caught in the middle. Many of the other characters are disposable, but these three keep the story focused and interesting throughout.

Although storytelling is a large part of the Jeanne d'Arc experience, the core gameplay is what keeps me coming back for more. The opening moments of the game do a great job of easing the player into the various mechanics to be found. The level progression is fantastic: not once do you ever feel as though the game is being surprisingly or unnecessarily difficult. Even beginner players of SRPGs will find the controls intuitive, and the integrated tutorials very helpful.

As with all SRPGs, proper placement of your forces is crucial to victory. Levels are based on grids, and players are limited to a number of spaces for movement each turn. At the end of a turn, players can attack, either with their weapon, or through a magic spell. A variety of factors then comes into play. For example, attacking an enemy's back will inflict a much more significant amount of damage than facing the enemy head-on. As players begin to find different characters with different weapons and abilities, the tactics will continue to change. Lancers, for example, can hit two spaces ahead of them, instead of one. A thief character, like Colet, will be able to travel long distances, and steal items from enemies.


When making an attack on an enemy, the space behind them will glow. Called the "Burning Aura," this space will allow attackers to inflict a greater amount of damage. If the "Burning Aura" falls on a character already occupying the space, the Aura will move with the character, giving them the ability to use the damage bonus elsewhere. When characters are no more than one space apart, they will combine their defensive abilities, minimizing the effects of enemy attacks. Considering the placement of enemies and allies becomes even more crucial, in this regard, as players will want to take advantage of these bonuses to as little detriment as possible.

Every turn, each character will earn a little MP, which can be used on a variety of skills. The abilities are fairly standard fare, letting players attack with greater strength, alter stats, or attack a number of enemies at once. What makes special attacks so enjoyable is how players can choose apply different skills on each of the characters before each battle. Abilities take the form of jewels, which can be traded amongst the various characters. Some jewels can only be used by specific character types, so each character will have a unique feel.

The customization system adds a lot of depth to the game, and is simple enough to understand. The frog from Rogue Galaxy makes a significant cameo in the game (especially in the latter half), and like in the PS2 RPG, he has the ability to create new skills. By combining two skill jewels, a new one is created, and it's through combination that the most powerful abilities will be unlocked. For example, creating the incredibly helpful HP+100 jewel involves taking HP +50 and adding it to a Luna Sol +2 block. Through these abilities, players will be able to counter enemies before they attack, run longer distances, run through enemies, and more. It's these abilities that make the game constantly evolve and stay interesting.