I got this game today thanks to VG+, my next review for the site. For those that don't know, La Pucelle was a Japanese only release on the PS1 a few years back - this is a US PS2 remake. It is the prequel to Disgaea and similarly a tactical RPG.
First impressions are good. Anyone who was at home with Disgaea will be right at home here. The whole thing feels very familiar. You play the part of a squad of demon hunters called La Pucelle (spookily). The idea is to purify the world and send the dark energy to rest in peace.
The first few minutes tell the story of the game, the next ten or so lead you through the tutorial on how to battle. If you've played Disgaea then you'll have no problems here, the same isometric maps are there, the gaining experience as you fight is there, the enemies are there.
You have attack and specials, you can move about the map, you can team attack. In fact the whole feel is very similiar, but there are a couple of things that will change game tactics. In Disgaea you had Geo Squares, in La Pucelle you have Dark Portals. These are flows of dark energy that you can purify. When enemies are on them it makes them stronger, so it is a good idea to destroy them. You can use these to your advantage though, you can change the flow of them by standing on them and changing the direction you're facing. When you purify them, any enemy on the flow will take damage.
In Disgaea you could go to the council and create allies, assuming you had enough mana. In La Pucelle you can purify the enemies on the map and make them allies - although you have to kill them to do this. The more you purify them, the more likely they are to join you. Joining you isn't a certainty after purifying them.
When you execute a battle round, the screen for each attack changes to 2D rather than it being shown on the isometric map. There also always seems to be a counter to any attack.
At victory, you are awarded Battle Points and Purification Bonus. These add up to make your Purica total. I'm not sure yet what these can be used for.
Getting to locations requires more leg work. You have to traverse locations and the world map, rather than just portalling as you did in Disgaea.
The only thing I've seen so far that I didn't like is the default menu option in the battles. Instead of it being execute commands, it's end turn. You'll need to be careful not to select that by mistake if you're not ordering all your units at once.
Well, that's my first impressions, and so far it's looking pretty good. Could it be another 150 hours of my life? Time will tell.
If you have any questions, ask away and I'll do my best to answer them.
Regards
Marty
First impressions are good. Anyone who was at home with Disgaea will be right at home here. The whole thing feels very familiar. You play the part of a squad of demon hunters called La Pucelle (spookily). The idea is to purify the world and send the dark energy to rest in peace.
The first few minutes tell the story of the game, the next ten or so lead you through the tutorial on how to battle. If you've played Disgaea then you'll have no problems here, the same isometric maps are there, the gaining experience as you fight is there, the enemies are there.
You have attack and specials, you can move about the map, you can team attack. In fact the whole feel is very similiar, but there are a couple of things that will change game tactics. In Disgaea you had Geo Squares, in La Pucelle you have Dark Portals. These are flows of dark energy that you can purify. When enemies are on them it makes them stronger, so it is a good idea to destroy them. You can use these to your advantage though, you can change the flow of them by standing on them and changing the direction you're facing. When you purify them, any enemy on the flow will take damage.
In Disgaea you could go to the council and create allies, assuming you had enough mana. In La Pucelle you can purify the enemies on the map and make them allies - although you have to kill them to do this. The more you purify them, the more likely they are to join you. Joining you isn't a certainty after purifying them.
When you execute a battle round, the screen for each attack changes to 2D rather than it being shown on the isometric map. There also always seems to be a counter to any attack.
At victory, you are awarded Battle Points and Purification Bonus. These add up to make your Purica total. I'm not sure yet what these can be used for.
Getting to locations requires more leg work. You have to traverse locations and the world map, rather than just portalling as you did in Disgaea.
The only thing I've seen so far that I didn't like is the default menu option in the battles. Instead of it being execute commands, it's end turn. You'll need to be careful not to select that by mistake if you're not ordering all your units at once.
Well, that's my first impressions, and so far it's looking pretty good. Could it be another 150 hours of my life? Time will tell.
If you have any questions, ask away and I'll do my best to answer them.
Regards
Marty
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