History VideoGame / JeanneDArc

* MutuallyExclusivePartyMember: Optional members Rose (a whip-using thief) and Claire (a mage).

* AliensSpeakingEnglish: The therions, the Reapers, the elves, and the dwarves... and this is a game set in France with French heroes.
** FridgeLogic when you consider that if it's told from Jeanne's point of view, wouldn't they actually be speaking French?

* AristocratsAreEvil: ...or they are useless.
* AwesomeButImpractical: Nearly any skill that costs more than 70 Magic points to cast (nearly because there are some that cost more than 70 that are worth it), but especially the "ultimate" spells. Sure, you gain Magic points every turn, but waiting for your magic user to charge up 5 turns of magic just to cast one spell, and by that time, you've probably already killed almost everything on the map already. The upside is that most of the ultimate spells hit everywhere on the map at once for large amounts of damage and don't hurt your allies. The downside is, you have to charge another five turns to do it again.

* BareYourMidriff: Rose. Surprising, since every other female character in the game is dressed rather modestly (Except the female dark elves).
* TheBattleDidntCount: Especially those against Talbot.

* BonusDungeon: Some of them open during the main story and a lot more in the postgame.
* BossRush: The Colosseum, the final gauntlet of plot battles.

* ADayInTheLimelight: A couple of the [[BonusDungeon Bonus Dungeons]] focus on Colet's ability to drop ladders and short bridges to cross obstacles, and even include the condition that Colet must survive (as opposed to all allies or just Jeanne).
* DealWithTheDevil: The game opens with this scene, and Bedford allowing the Devil to possess his nephew, King Henry.

* ElementalRockPaperScissors: Sol > Luna > Stella > Sol. This applies both to elemental spells and to attribute stones that the characters can equip, gaining strength over some enemies but also acquiring weaknesses against others.
* EscortMission: The Dauphin is an idiot who walks into arrows all by himself, [[FridgeBrilliance which actualy makes sense when you consider that he wasn't that much of a strong person in real life]].

** Perhaps not intentionally, but Jeanne bears a certain resemblance to [[FateStayNight Arturia Pendragon]], ranging from outer appareance (complete with IdiotHair) to facial expressions to general attitude.

* {{Fauxshadow}}: [[spoiler: Gilles is set up to betray you with his looks, air of mystery, and true historical record as a serial killer. However, not only does Gilles remain loyal but Gilles is also one of the most noble and levelheaded members of the party]].

* FinalDeath: Averted; Nothing dies, except nameless enemy units.

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Jeanne, of course. Also, despite what he was in real life, [[spoiler:Gilles]].
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: Talbot. Despite how many times you kill him and how he ''finally'' appears to be DeaderThanDead...he comes back ''again'', but this time ''helps you''.]]

* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: For most of the game, Jeanne runs around dressed reasonably in plate armor. However, late in the game, she obtains a new outfit that is supposed to make her stand out less. Ironically, as [[BoisterousBruiser La Hire]] points out, it just makes her stand out even more as it's basically a modern shoulderless black top with metal boots, gloves and a "skirt". How this is supposed to quality as armor is anyone's guess.
* InterfaceSpoiler: You can buy whips and steal whip skills from enemies before you can get the (optional) whip-using character. Averted in that you'll never get to use those monster attack skills you can acquire (like a dragon's Tail Whip or a golem's Body Slam) aside from possibly having some fodder for skill fusion.

* JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind: [[spoiler: Jeanne and other armlet wielders go into Roger's mind to free him from the reaper that is consuming his soul]].

* JustAStupidAccent: Everyone in the videos, plus [[FunetikAksent Colet who is the only one who has it reflected in his written dialogue]].
* KnightTemplar: Jeanne comes dangerously close to slipping into this, becoming increasingly insistent on driving the English out of France after having been "ordained by God" to do so. [[spoiler: Liane is even worse.]]

* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: Averted, but then switched around a lot. Mages in this game aren't really that useful other than Richard, so really the only mages one needs are Liane or Beatrix in case of emergencies to cast Heal, and the only thing keeping Richard from being benched is the armlet. Having only two possible defined mage characters in the game, one of them being optional, doesn't help either, since Liane and Beatrix are hybrids. And while everyone's stats are technically linear, it's actually the ''archers'' who wind up becoming some of the most powerful characters, since Sky Dart can make them attack from ''anywhere'' on the battlefield and they can attack without fear of being countered, although they don't create burning auras, which can be an utter GameBreaker. Rose and Rufus, too.
** Colet fits this trope to a T, actually. He's not that useful early in the game, but upon getting better weapons that have a higher critical chance rate as well as the useful abilities that hit multiple times.

* MagikarpPower: Rufus is a minor character with godawful starting stats. If you level him up he'll trump characters who possess the GameBreaker armlets which make everyone of the same weapon type who doesn't have one useless.
** Colet is also rather mediocre at first, not being a very good attacker outside of his high critical hit chance; but once you get the Two Hits (or three hits) ability and he gets better weapons with higher damage output, your patience will be very well rewarded by not benching him early on.

* MysteriousWaif: Sort of. Male version of this trope with [[spoiler: Roger]]. He has forgotten past and mysterious power that has a connection with BigBad, which become important to the plot. [[spoiler: However, his personality and role in battle are the exact opposite of this trope.]]

* NoticeThis: Maps have up to three hidden treasures on them, which are (usually) randomly selected. Getting within one square of a treasure causes its location to light up with sparkles, while Colet and Rose both have skills that automatically reveal all treasures on a map from the start. Key locations for missions (such as escapes or places you cannot let the enemies past) also have bobbing yellow arrows marking them off.
* ObviouslyEvil: Bedford, he even looks like [[Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame he could be related to a certain whacko of a Catholic judge]] or [[Disney/SleepingBeauty the brother of a certain sorceress]]. [[spoiler: Subverted, though. The guy ''was'' one of the heroes who defeated the BigBad in the past. In game he's actually more of a WellIntentionedExtremist who just wanted to protect Henry from the dangers of noble politics -- in the worst way possible]].

** OurDemonsAreDifferent: The Reapers. They seem to need to possess people to manifest on Earth (at least most of the time), and when they take their true form their host's face is visible (asleep, mercifully) over their stomach area. When separate from a body, they appear as wispy shadows, sometimes with GlowingEyesOfDoom.
** OurDragonsAreDifferent: Big and reptilian, though apparently unintelligent. Not all breathe fire, if only because that's a skill and not all of them come with the skill stone. Some can breathe poison gas as well as fire.

* PaintItBlack: [[spoiler:Roger, after the Reaper trapped inside him awakens. After transforming into a Reaper and then back, his leather armor has been magically replaced with a new suit that has a ribcage-like pattern of reinforcing... er, ribs, and is generally darker-colored.]]

* SevenDeadlySins: A few of these are represented by the major Reapers: Superbia, Ira, Luxuria and Avaritia.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: [[spoiler:Cuisses is this to Liane, having the same stat growths]].

* TimedMission: You have only a limited number of turns in each mission, which makes certain battles, particularly in the postgame, extra difficult. (Although some are a little more generous than you think).

* WeAreStrugglingTogether: France is dealing with English invaders backed by strange monsters and dark magic. Rather than uniting, the Duke of Burgundy begins leading a rebellion against the Dauphin, the previous king's heir, and Jeanne finds herself having to subdue other French cities in open revolt just to pass through. [[spoiler:Engineered, of course, by the Reapers. The Duke of Burgundy, among others, is possessed by one.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist. [[spoiler: Arguably Bedford. After his defeat, Bedford states that his making a deal with the devil was to protect Henry VI from assassination. However, the said deal with the devil resulted in deaths of countless English and French people. Moreover, Gilvaroth actually booted real Henry VI from his body]].

** This could provide either a HilariousInHindsight or a FunnyAneurysmMoment after you watch ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' whereas [[spoiler:Joan IS a MagicalGirl after making contract with Kyubey, and is doomed to become a Witch...]]

** This could provide either a HilariousInHindsight or a FunnyAneurysmMoment after you watch ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' whereas [[spoiler:Joan IS a MagicalGirl after making contract with Kyubey, and is doomed to become a Witch...]]

** Perhaps Lianne [[FauxActionGirl to a lesser extent]]. A few other characters count too.

** TheHero: Jeanne D'arc

** TheChick: Lianne

* MissionFromGod: [[spoiler:subverted, as the voice from the armlet was actually a [[FallenHero previous hero]]]].

* YouShouldKnowThisAlready: [[spoiler: Subverted. Given that the real Joan of Arc was burned to the stake, you could expect this version of her to follow the same fate. But she, um, she didn't. That was Lianne. Funny that Roger said that ''Jeanne's'' the one who should have burned]].

* KnightTemplar: Jeanne comes dangerously close to slipping into this, becoming increasingly insistent on driving the English out of France after having been "ordained by God" to do so. [[spoiler: Liane is even worse.]]
* JeanneDArchetype: Obviously.

* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: Averted, but then switched around a lot. Mages in this game aren't really that useful other than Richard, so really the only mages one needs are for Liane or Bellatrix in case of emergencies to cast Heal, and the only thing keeping Richard from being benched is the armlet from Having only two possible defined mage characters in the game, one of them being optional, doesn't help either, since Liane and Beatrix are hybrids. And while everyone's stats are technically linear, it's actually the ''archers'' who wind up becoming some of the most powerful characters, since Sky Dart can make them attack from ''anywhere'' on the battlefield and they can attack without fear of being countered, although they don't create burning auras, which can be an utter GameBreaker. Rose and Rufus, too.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: the ''dramatis personae'', many historical events (such as the siege of Orleans, the assault on Les Tourelles,) and the circumstances of Jeanne's capture all correspond with the true history of the Hundred Years' War. We missed the part where the English army was led by an EvilOverlord and his LegionsOfHell, though, and the [[{{Masquerade}} hidden war]] between mankind and the Netherworld. And where did all the PettingZooPeople go?

** FridgeLogic when you consider that if it's told from Jeanne's point of view, wouldn't they actually be speaking French?

* ImprobableWeaponUser: Averted since everyone uses ''real'' weapons...at least until you fight the possessed Henry VI, who attacks by zinging his teddy bear at whoever is within range (...which is actually kinda painful).

* JustAStupidAccent: Colet.

* NoExportForYou: You'd think that a game based on ''Joan of Arc'', of all people, would see the light of day in Europe ? Think again.

* TranslationConvention: Yes, presumably everyone is speaking French (except for the English), but non-French-speaking players have to be able to understand it. For some reason that doesn't stop Colet from having an outrageous faux-French accent that nobody else has, though...

VideoGame/JeanneDArc is a TurnBasedStrategy RolePlayingGame for the PlayStationPortable from the very talented folks at [[{{Level5}} Level-5]]. It's [[TheThemeParkVersion based]] on the [[SadlyMythtaken reimagining]] of [[InsistentTerminology Saint]] [[JeanneDArchetype Joan of Arc]]'s involvement in the Hundred Years' War as part of a greater war between mankind and the "Reapers," [[TheLegionsOfHell demonic creatures from the Netherworld]]. Cue the {{Magical Girl}} transformations, the half-human warriors, magic spells and, of course, the mystical armlets that make all of this possible.

* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Jeanne, of course. Also, despite what he was in real life, [[spoiler:Giles]].

* CosmicHorror: [[BigBad Gilvaroth]].

* YouShouldKnowThisAlready: [[spoiler: Subverted. Given that the real Joan of Arc was burned to the stake, you could expect this version of her to follow the same fate. But she, um, she didn't. That was Lianne. Funny that Roger said that ''Jeanne's'' the one who should have burned].]

A TurnBasedStrategy RolePlayingGame for the PlayStationPortable from the very talented folks at [[{{Level5}} Level-5]]. It's [[TheThemeParkVersion based]] on the [[SadlyMythtaken reimagining]] of [[InsistentTerminology Saint]] [[JeanneDArchetype Joan of Arc]]'s involvement in the Hundred Years' War as part of a greater war between mankind and the "Reapers," [[TheLegionsOfHell demonic creatures from the Netherworld]]. Cue the {{Magical Girl}} transformations, the half-human warriors, magic spells and, of course, the mystical armlets that make all of this possible.

Often called ''FinalFantasyTactics Lite'' (although it has much more in common with ''FireEmblem'', down to the "attack -> counter" style of melee), ''Jeanne D'Arc'' is a surprisingly fun and intuitive Strategy RPG, where the main appeal is the character transformations into mighty, armored soldiers. The transformations available to each character are limited to the gems on his or her armlet, and they last only a few turns; however, they come with increased stats, special attacks, and the ability to move and act indefinitely as long as the character keeps defeating enemies. In addition to this, players can take advantage of elemental affinities between allies and enemies, a huge variety of class-specific skills, and the "Burning Aura," a spark of light created by physical attacks on an enemy, and which the other characters can receive to enhance their own power. Combat is generally quick and easy to follow; unlike other strategy [=RPGs=], where character order is determined by their agility or speed, battles are split evenly between "Player Phase" and "Enemy Phase," in which either side gets to move and act at its leisure. Although this allows the player to gang up on enemies or retreat to heal, the enemy side can and will be just as ruthless.

''Jeanne D'Arc'' is an excellent game, straightforward enough to appeal to more casual RPG fans but with more than enough depth to please even hardcore strategy nuts. If you like Turn Based Strategy and own a PSP, this is a must-buy game.

This game provides examples of (please note that this list may contain plot spoilers):

* AmnesiacDissonance [[spoiler:(Roger)]]
* AnimeHair: Gilles

* BackFromTheDead [[[spoiler: ...as a ghost, anyhow]].

* EscortMission: The Dauphin is an idiot who walks into arrows all by himself, [[Fridge
Brilliance which avtualy makes sense when you consider that he wasn't that much of a strong person in real life]].

* {{Fauxshadow}}: [[spoiler: Gilles is set up to betray you with his looks, air of mystery, and true historical record as a serial killer]]. However, not only does Gilles remain loyal but Gilles is also one of the most noble and levelheaded members of the party]].
* FightingYourFriend: [[spoiler: Roger and Liane]].

* FiveRaces (Humans, Reapers, Therions, Dwarves and Elves)

* ImprobableWeaponUser: Averted since everyone uses ''real'' weapons...at least until you fight the possessed Henry VI, who attacks by zinging his teddy bear at whoever is within range. (Which is actually kinda painful)

* MissionFromGod: [[spoiler:subverted, as the voice from the armlet was actually a previous hero]].

* OptionalPartyMember: You have a set of two characters who can be recruited, either another mage, or a completely unique character who attacks with a whip and actually acts as a thief.

** [[spoiler: Despite appearing to be killed off for real much earlier on, he makes a HeelFaceTurn]]

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: [[spoiler:Cuisses is this to Liane, having the same stat growths.]]
* TalkingAnimal: [[spoiler:Cuisses, after a major character death]].

* ThatOneBoss: Tiamat. Also every enemy in the Colosseum II and III after Round 8, but [[spoiler:Luther]] takes the proverbial cake and ''[[CounterAttack Counter 2]]''s it into oblivion.)
* ThatOneLevel: The EscortMission where you have to escort the Dauphin to the church. He only goes in a straight line, and walks into the range of arrows This unfortunately makes this level ''quite'' annoying, as ''no'' amount of leveling will help you get past this.
** Until you realize you can usually [[OneHitKill one-hit kill]] said archers with your own archer by using the Sky Dart skill.

* WellIntentionedExtremist. [[spoiler: Arguably Bedford. After his defeat, Bedford states that his making a deal with the devil was to protect Henry VI from assassination. However, the said deal with the devil resulted in deaths of countless English and French people. Moreover, Gilvaroth actually booted real Henry VI from his body.]].

* YouShouldKnowThisAlready: [[spoiler: Subverted. Given that the real Joan of Arc was burned to the stake, you could expect this version of her to follow the same fate. But she, um, she didn't. That was Lianne. Funny that Roger said that ''Jeanne's'' the one who should have burned.]]

A TurnBasedStrategy RolePlayingGame for the [=PlayStation=] Portable from the very talented folks at [[{{Level5}} Level-5]]. It's [[TheThemeParkVersion based]] on the [[SadlyMythtaken reimagining]] of [[InsistentTerminology Saint]] [[JeanneDArchetype Joan of Arc]]'s involvement in the Hundred Years' War as part of a greater war between mankind and the "Reapers," [[TheLegionsOfHell demonic creatures from the Netherworld]]. Cue the {{Magical Girl}} transformations, the half-human warriors, magic spells and, of course, the mystical armlets that make all of this possible.

* ActionGirl (Jeanne, natch. And does a damn good job of it, too.)

* AnimeHair (Gilles)

* AristocratsAreEvil (or they are useless)

* BackFromTheDead (as a ghost, anyhow)
* BareYourMidriff: Rose. Surprising, since every other female character in the game is dressed rather modestly. (Except the female dark elves)

* BossRush (the Colosseum, the final gauntlet of plot battles)

* BreakTheCutie: Not Jeanne. [[spoiler:Liane.]] And ''how''!

* CosmicHorror ([[BigBad Gilvaroth]])

* CreepyChild (Henry VI, [[spoiler: after the possession by Gilvaroth]])

* ElCidPloy: Gone horribly wrong. There's a reason [[spoiler:the game continues after the English manage to "{{burn the witch}}"]].

* EscortMission: The Dauphin is an idiot who walks into arrows all by himself.
** FridgeBrilliance, when you consider that he wasn't that much of a strong person in real life.

* {{Expy}}: Cuisses is essentially the same character as Toady from Level 5's earlier ''RogueGalaxy'', except that he doesn't talk. [[spoiler:Until later]]

* {{Fauxshadow}}: [[spoiler: Gilles]] is set up to betray you with [[spoiler: his looks, air of mystery, and true historical record as a serial killer]]. However, not only does [[spoiler: Gilles]] remain loyal but [[spoiler: Gilles]] is also one of the most noble and levelheaded members of the party.
* FightingYourFriend: Roger, [[spoiler: Liane]].
* FinalDeath, averted: Nothing dies, except nameless enemy units.
* FiveManBand: Jeanne and her pals

* FiveRaces (humans, Reapers, therions, dwarves and elves)

* GoryDiscretionShot ([[spoiler:a character being burned at the stake, although you see her outline as Jeanne comes up]])
* GrandTheftMe ([[spoiler: Gilvaroth just possessed the body of Henry VI and booted the soul out, instead of giving him power as Bedford presumably intended.]]

* HeyItsThatVoice: Would you believe that Roger is actually Yuri Lowenthal? You probably wouldn't know given the lack of voice acting on his part, and the fact that when he does speak, he has a (Pretty well faked) French Accent. (Liane's is actually legit; her VA was from Rome and spent her life in Europe before moving to NewOrleans)
** Jeanne is Sakura from the second ''[[Manga/CardcaptorSakura Cardcaptors]]'' movie, [[{{Spider-Man}} Mary Jane Watson]] in the third ''SpiderMan'' game, and two members of TheLegionOfSuperheroes, where the afore-mentioned Lowenthal voices {{Superman}}.

* JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind ([[spoiler: Jeanne and other armlet wielders go into Roger's mind to free him from the reaper that is consuming his soul.]])
* JumpedAtTheCall (Jeanne, of course)
* JustAStupidAccent (Colet)
* LeakedExperience (Thankfully, especially since Gilles and Roger leave at one point, and you have only one other lancer.)

* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards (Averted, but then switched around a lot. Mages in this game aren't really that useful other than Richard, so really the only mages one needs are for Liane or Bellatrix in case of emergencies to cast Heal, and the only thing keeping Richard from being benched is the armlet from Having only two possible defined mage characters in the game, one of them being optional, doesn't help either, since Liane and Beatrix are hybrids. And while everyone's stats are technically linear, it's actually the ''archers'' who wind up becoming some of the most powerful characters, since Sky Dart can make them attack from ''anywhere'' on the battlefield and they can attack without fear of being countered, although they don't create burning auras, which can be an utter GameBreaker. Rose and Rufus, too.)

* MadScientist (the Soldats Laboratory)

* MessianicArchetype (Jeanne D'arc)
* MissionFromGod ([[spoiler:subverted, as the voice from the armlet was actually a previous hero]])
* MysteriousWaif (Sort of. Male version of this trope with [[spoiler: Roger]]. He has forgotten past and mysterious power that has a connection with BigBad, which become important to the plot. [[spoiler: However, his personality and role in battle are the exact opposite of this trope.]])

* NoOneCouldSurviveThat ([[spoiler:A character falls from a Great Height... into a river. Said character is believed dead for an entire chapter of the game and then comes back.]])

* OptionalPartyMember: (You have a set of two characters who can be recruited, either another mage, or a completely unique character who attacks with a whip and actually acts as a thief)

* PlotlineDeath ([[spoiler:probably not the one you're expecting]])

** [[spoiler:Despite appearing to be killed off for real much earlier on, he makes a HeelFaceTurn]]

* SealedGoodInACan (the armlets and their gems)

* TalkingAnimal ([[spoiler:Cuisses, after a major character death]])
* TeamPet (Cuisses, during the first half of the game)
* ThatOneBoss (Tiamat. Also every enemy in the Colosseum II and III after Round 8, but [[spoiler:Luther]] takes the proverbial cake and ''[[CounterAttack Counter 2]]''s it into oblivion.)

* TimedMission: You have only a limited number of turns in each mission, which makes certain battles, particularly in the postgame, extra difficult. (Although some are a little more generous than you think)

* WellIntentionedExtremist (Arguably Bedford. After his defeat, Bedford states that [[spoiler: his making a deal with the devil was to protect Henry VI from assassination.]] However, the said deal with the devil resulted in deaths of countless English and French people. [[spoiler: Moreover, Gilvaroth actually booted real Henry VI from his body.]])
* WhipItGood: (Rose attacks with whips, and has the most flexible attack range in the game.)
* YouShouldKnowThisAlready [[spoiler: Subverted. Given that the real Joan of Arc was burned to the stake, you could expect this version of her to follow the same fate. But she, um, she didn't. That was Lianne. Funny that Roger said that ''Jeanne's'' the one who should have burned.]]

* ThatOneLevel: The EscortMission where you have to escort the Dauphin to the church. He only goes in a straight line, and walks into the range of arrows This unfortunately makes this level ''quite'' annoying, as ''no'' amount of leveling will help you get past this.

** Then again though, the PSP ''is'' Region-free, at least most models available at the time are.

* ObviouslyEvil: Bedford, he even looks like [[Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame he could be related to a certain whacko of a Catholic judge]]. [[spoiler: Subverted, though. The guy ''was'' one of the heroes who defeated the BigBad in the past. In game he's actually more of a WellIntentionedExtremist who just wanted to protect Henry from the dangers of noble politics -- in the worst way possible]].

* ReviveKillsZombie (averted)

** Jeanne is Sakura from the second {{Cardcaptors}} movie, [[{{Spider-Man}} Mary Jane Watson]] in the third spiderman game, and two members of TheLegionOfSuperheroes, where the afore-mentioned Lowenthal voices {{Superman}}.

* FridgeBrilliance: After Jeanne & Co. defeat Gilvaroth, [[spoiler: the party realizes that the only way to [[FinalDeath defeat him for good]], one of the party will have to [[SealedEvilInACan seal him away within themselves]]. Gilles ends up volunteering, and as the credits roll, it seems everything's gonna be alright.]] However, given what we know about [[spoiler: Gilles]] ''historically'', we can assume that [[spoiler:[[DownerEnding Gilvaroth eventually broke free and made Gilles the serial murderer and rapist he's remembered as.]]]] This also leaves [[spoiler: Gilvaroth]]'s fate ultimately undecided...
** This makes [[spoiler: Gilles']] line after the [[spoiler:second to]] final battle ''incredibly'' squicky. [[spoiler: "Look at his face... the face of a sweet child."]]
** Charles VII wasn't actually that strong IRL...and in this game, he's actually kind of a wimp.
* GameBreaker (Sky Dart: It can hit anywhere on the map, it usually delivers critical hits, and you can accrue MP fast enough to shoot Sky Dart after Sky Dart almost continuously. Equip the two archers with it, and...)
** Also, transformation gems. The strategy in most battles with kill 'em all victory condition comes down to let enemies gather together, wear them down, transform, and godspeed through all of them.
*** Bah, both Sky Dart and transformations are nothing special by lategame. Sky Dart is useful on some maps, but does too little damage to kill tough monsters fast enough and transformed characters have lower stats than axe-wielders. The true gamebreakers are Rufus (has the best attack, defence and HPs in the game, other stats are at least decent) and Rose (incredible evade allows her to dodge nearly all physical attacks 95% of the time and whip, while not doing much damage by itself, can easily set auras for Rufus). These two, when equipped with proper skills, can destroy almost anything.
** Also, Area of effect spells. If you target a unit that takes out more than one square, you hit them multiple times. This means that Richard and the other mage character can potentially wreck the final boss in a matter of rounds because he's ''literally'' the size of an area of effect spell.

Often called ''FinalFantasyTactics Lite'' (although it has much more in common with ''Fire Emblem'', down to the "attack -> counter" style of melee), ''Jeanne D'Arc'' is a surprisingly fun and intuitive Strategy RPG, where the main appeal is the character transformations into mighty, armored soldiers. The transformations available to each character are limited to the gems on his or her armlet, and they last only a few turns; however, they come with increased stats, special attacks, and the ability to move and act indefinitely as long as the character keeps defeating enemies. In addition to this, players can take advantage of elemental affinities between allies and enemies, a huge variety of class-specific skills, and the "Burning Aura," a spark of light created by physical attacks on an enemy, and which the other characters can receive to enhance their own power. Combat is generally quick and easy to follow; unlike other strategy [=[=RPGs=]=], where character order is determined by their agility or speed, battles are split evenly between "Player Phase" and "Enemy Phase," in which either side gets to move and act at its leisure. Although this allows the player to gang up on enemies or retreat to heal, the enemy side can and will be just as ruthless.

* AristocratsAreEvil (or they are useless)