La Pucelle: Tactics

"Cats, hairballs, and mushroom lizards"

Introduction:
La Pucelle Tactics is what you can say prequel to the hit Disgaea, hour of darkness. Although Disgaea came first in the U.S., in Japan, La Pucelle had already been out. Since Disgaea made good hits, La Pucelle was given a try. Did it lived up to its sequel? Read on.

Story: 8
The story is based around Prier (pronounced Pree-yay) and her little brother Collette and rival/friend Allouette. They are members of La Pucelle, which is the house of the Holy Maiden. They are demon hunters, swore and oath on helping those in need. Prier longs to be the maiden of light, which was the warrior that, in a way, represents the light goddess and all that is good (think "the chosen one" in a way). A few twists and turns happens, you'll be surprised on what is going to happen. I can't tell you but the game's story is pretty unique as it is not mainly about saving the world, but the fact that the balance between light and dark must be equal. So if you are tired of all those "gung ho, save the world, we can do it because I have you", pick this game up.

Characters: 9
Ah, an important factor in a stratedy grid based RPG. I tell you, when I played this game, I HEAVILY compared it to Disgaea and yes, I LOVED disgaea a bit more. But don't get me wrong. The character development is pretty good in this game. It ranges from a girl who wields a baton as a weapon and a guy who uses guns to a captain hook cat. Yes, it is bizarre, but it Nippon Ichi we are talking about. It is weird, but hey, it is INTERESTING and qutie hilarious. Although, there are some enemies that you might not like. Read below.

Sound: 7
Many might not like the voices in the game. Personally, I am fine with it. "I'm the best. In the name of the goddess, In the name of the holy maiden." If you cannot tolerate those lines, turn off the volume. Overall, alot of the character's voice sound like an 8 year old, but there is an ANNOYING monster voice. You will see when you play it. But besides the voices, the music is BEAUTIFUL. I am deeply in love with the opening theme "song of the holy maiden." If they made games as an art, this game will be Mona Lisa.

Gameplay: 8
The heart of any RPG game. Although they relate, Disgaea and La Pucelle have a different system. They both use grid based tactcs, but the command sequence no longer is the same. In Disgaea, attacks can be piled unto each other to increase the damage. In La Pucelle, you have to use special skills immediately, when you do, your character's turn ends. Also, La Pucelle acts like a wave based game. If characters are near, you can do maybe a double team on a single enemy or triple or more. But beware, enemies can do the same thing. As far as stratedy goes, this game keeps great stratedy in it. For instance, leave a strong character alone against a few average strength enemies and watch you character get slaughtered. Now bring with him bait and use that distraction to pick them off one by one. Overall, impressive Nippon Ichi.

Replayability: 5
No, the score is not bad. I am talking about 100% completion of the game and replay it again. This game is LONG. There are TONS of secrets in the game that even I as I speak haven't played yet (its very hard but hey, what's a little challenge). This game has alot of hidden stages, bosses, and goodies. Don't let the 5 score fool you, you will only need to play this game 3 times to have your fill of it.

Difficulty: 7
The game is not hard. Boss battles are a pain as they 80% would have more stats to your best characters (supposing you are in an average level). Think of it this way, on a scale of 1 to 10, the game itself is about a 6. But if you play to fully complete the game, it is about a 9 to 11.

Conclusion:
BUY. Don't rent. If you like grid rpg's, then get the game. If not, don't bother. I played the game for 30 hours just to beat the final boss but not the secrets. If you want to test it out, read other reviews so that you REALLY want the game. In my humble opinion, get the game if:
+you like cute anime girls
+love stories are your liking
+anime comedy
+cute look
But the game is good no matter what gamer you are. By the time you finish the game, you'll be wanting to find out more about the yin and yang, lol.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/02/04