Hot off the heels of last year's Rogue Galaxy, developer Level 5 is leaving the skies of the future and entrenching themselves in the past with their upcoming tactical RPG, Jeanne d'Arc. Based on the historical figure of Joan of Arc and her heroic feats in battling the English during the 100 Years War, Jeanne d'Arc plants itself in a well-known and somewhat controversial story. But, beyond a few crucial plot elements, Level 5 seems to be side-stepping a good chunk of the historical details and replacing them with the bizarre fantasy elements that is their hallmark.

Ditching most of the religious overtones in lue of a tale of high-fantasy, in-game conversations deliver the bulk of the story, and during the more grandiose scenes, high quality anime sequences will weave it all together. Time spent in the game will consist primarily of watching or reading how the story progresses in between strategic battles. Level 5 is promising over forty different environments through which you can traverse as the tale unwinds. Some of these locations will only be used to deliver further elements of the storyline, but the bulk will also be used for the game's grid-based battlefields.

While Jeanne herself is certainly the principle protagonist, she will not be fighting alone. Thirteen other characters will join her in her quest to unlock the secret behind the powers from above that seem to be leading her forward in an attempt to save France. Each character, and not all of them will be human, will possess different traits and abilities, as is customary, yet the key to success lies in how well the characters are prepared for each unique battle. Before each battle, it will be necessary to analyze the battlefield and then properly equip each character so that they can be most effective in that particular situation. Characters can then be strategically placed on the field. Each battle will also have it's own particular goal, such as reaching a specific point on the field or killing a particular enemy, as well as a definite way to lose, such as letting a particular character fall in battle. As such, each battle in the game will essentially provide a very different play experience.

While the game will not hit store shelves for over a week, we've been able to spend some time with the final build of the game. All initial signs are pointing to an incredibly solid title. The visuals are sharp and bright, although the animation can be a bit stiff at times, as even the characters in the story sequences seem to still be moving on a grid. The story telling is quite compelling and well written, and the voice acting in the cut scenes, while not superb, is far better than average. The story is certainly intriguing, for even if you are already familiar with the plight of Joan, with so many liberties taken in the narrative, the end result may very well be different than what we anticipate.

We still have a lot of game left to play, but the game appears to have an undeniable charm and a deep combat system that could result in a very solid RPG for the PSP.