Jeanne d'Arc review

Imagine an empty chessboard. Now, populate the board with 3-dimensional medieval architecture (think cathedrals and fortress walls), infuse the game pieces with distinctive personalities and motivations, and steep the whole concoction in rich historical context, with a twist of the fantastical thrown in %26ndash; that should give you an idea of how complex and amazing the strategy RPG Jeanne d%26rsquo;Arc is.

Technically, Jeanne d%26rsquo;Arc retells the story of the French heroine-turned-martyr Joan of Arc, but don%26rsquo;t expect a History Channel type of rendition. Instead, the game %26ldquo;reads between the lines%26rdquo; in a more creative historical interpretation that includes anthropomorphic characters, demonic underlings, and more plot twists than you can shake a history book at. Anime style cutscenes are scattered throughout the game, but most of the story is told though wonderfully written dialogue. An added bonus is that characters have their own speech quirks %26ndash; like the alliteration-adoring wood elf or the prideful Frenchman who speakz like he eez somezing extra-ordinary. It really sets the mood for a delightful, though slightly warped, romp through pseudo-history.