Adding another dimension of strategy to the purification of portals is the fact
that players can enter the flow and redirect it by 90 degrees. By spreading your
team out to direct the flow while one character purifies the portal, you can aim
the energy wave to hit as many monsters as possible. If you can manage to loop
the flow back to the portal, you can unleash a particularly powerful attack that
will make life miserable to any monsters caught in the loop.
Another interesting tactical option is the ability to purify the monsters
themselves. If you manage to purify a monster, it comes over to your side when
defeated and will attack its former comrades. Tougher foes are harder to purify
and it may take several rounds to succeed; rounds during which your purification
target is busily pounding away at you.
A battle continues until one side is eliminated. If you lose a character or two
they will be revived for the next battle (everyone is just knocked unconscious,
you see), but if you lose your whole team then your game is over and you’ll need
to reload from your last save. Unfortunately mid-battle saves are not supported,
so you’ll be forced to go through the cutscenes preceding the battle all over
again. There just aren’t any time-saving shortcuts in the game.
Good tactics are important to winning battles, but a lot of it comes down to
experience levels. The game’s AI relies more on brute force than on finesse and
tactics, so some battles can be really tough if you don’t have the stamina to
hold out against the monsters. To compensate for this the developers made it
possible to replay any battle that you’ve already won so that you can go back
and work on leveling up for a while before taking on the next new battle.
Another way to beef-up your experience levels is by accpeting the optional
quests that you’ll be presented with from time to time.
La Pucelle’s slow pace, long playing time, and cutesy animation prevent it from
having a broad appeal. However, those who enjoy console RPGs, and especially
strategy RPGs, will find a lot of gameplay here to keep themselves occupied for
hours on end.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
78%. Anime fans who enjoy slower paced tactical games will love what’s
got to be the cutest strategy RPG this side of Teddy Bear Junction.
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