I've been going out on a limb lately with a few reviews. About a month or so ago, I brashly proclaimed Persona 3 to be one of the best RPGs to hit the PS2. Well, I'm at it again, only this time I'm upping the ante a bit; Jeanne d'Arc isn't just the best Strategy RPG (or RPG) on the PSP, but one of the best to come out for any console.

Visuals are the first thing that really pops out about Jeanne d'Arc. The game opens with a beautifully animated sequence that fills you in on the game's backstory and introduces you to Jeanne and other supporting characters. This transitions to cel-shaded in-game visuals that come really close to matching the animated intro. Though they aren't a perfect match, the use of color and general style flow and work together really nicely.

Sound follows the visuals perfectly. Most story sequences are well-voiced and the writing is really good. The accents manage to sound appropriate to their country of origin while not sounding like a stereotype. Music is equally appropriate and always fits the situation perfectly.

Jeanne d'Arc is a loose retelling of the legend of Joan of Arc, the girl who united France and crowned the dauphin. Jean still finds herself receiving a holy mandate, leading the French against the English and crowning the dauphin; however, this retelling also ties in a number of fantasy elements such as beast-men, elves and magical armor.

Playing as Jeanne, you lead a rag-tag band of soldiers on a mission to not only run the English out of France, but defeat a mysterious demon king who was banished long ago by a group of heroes. The characters that make up your army all have their own distinct personalities as well as weapon types. Although you can equip more powerful weapons throughout the game, units can only use a particular type of weapon that defines their play style. Swordsmen can only attack from close range, while those equipped with pikes or bows have a little more range to their attacks.

Battles take place on a grid-based map, similar to other Strategy RPGs. You can rotate the camera around the map or zoom in or out. Both are very important since battles rarely take place on a flat field - and even then there's usually some sort of set piece present to give it some character. Battlefields are never so complicated that you can't see what is going on, though there is usually a lot going on. Even the more "cluttered" fields are still clear thanks to the game's clean, colorful visuals.

One addition Jeanne d'Arc brings to the genre is the turn counter. You are typically given a limited number of turns to complete your mission. This greatly affects how you approach battles since there are times where you simply can't defeat everyone on the screen, instead forcing you to develop new strategies. This also helps speed up the game's pacing, something that plagues many Strategy RPGs. You'll also earn mana with each passing turn, further quickening the pace.

Two other notable additions are the guard and aura abilities. When characters are grouped together, they receive a defensive bonus. The ability is very useful, though it leaves you wide open for attacks with a wide Area of Effect. Another addition is the aura system that leaves an "echo" of an attack behind an enemy. If one of your characters is standing in the aura (which only lasts until the end of your turn), they receive an attack bonus.

While the bulk of your troops are typical soldiers, you will also recruit a few special units who are armed with special armlets that allow them to transform into powerful characters. Transformed characters can quickly turn the tide of battle; they can usually either kill or heavily damage characters in one hit and, if they do manage to kill an enemy, they get an extra turn. The trade-off is that you need to "warm-up" these characters before you can use them by using them in battle. In addition, the power only lasts a few turns. The only downside is that your transforming characters will quickly out-level your other troops, which can lead to some bad situations if you aren't careful.

Although Jeanne d'Arc is a Strategy RPG, a genre that is typically one of the least friendly types for newcomers to get into, Jeanne d'Arc manages to provide a game that is easy for anyone to get into, though still challenging enough for long-time fans. The difficulty can't be adjusted, though the game manages to stay on-pace with your party's level progression. There are few "cake-walk" battles, though you will rarely face a number of really hard battles one after another.

Even the most difficult of missions can be completed by simply changing tactics which are defined by mission goal. A mission may require that a certain character make it to a specific point on the map, so your goal should be to get that character where he needs to be rather than focusing on clearing a map of enemies.

Although your character's main form of attack is limited by their weapon type, Jeanne d'Arc features a flexible ability system that lets you expand how each is used in battle. Ability gems, which can be looted or stolen from enemies, can be equipped and grant any number of special abilities. Some grant passive abilities like stat boosts while others allow the use of magic or special attacks. Characters can only equip a limited number of gems, though the number does go up as they level, giving you enough room to experiment.

Selecting which gems you give to characters will also depend on their alignment. Some are better suited as spell casters, so you'll want to give them the better gems. At the same time, you may want to have a healing spell attached to a warrior just in case. You can also use stat boosting gems to balance out a unit's inherent weakness. Gems can even be combined to create better ones, but you'll have to give up two gems to do so, which can be a little risky.

In addition to adding abilities, you can also alter a character's alignment to one of three elements. Strengthening an alignment to one type will, of course, make that character weak to another, though it can really help during some battles.

Except for a few minor balance issues (mainly in regards to transforming charcters), there is little that Jeanne d'Arc does that doesn't work. Though I usually don't suggest Strategy RPGs to those who aren't a fan of the genre, Jeanne d'Arc is something that should appeal to much broader audience. Granted, it won't appeal to everyone, but if what you've read interests you, it is definitely something to check out.