Sony recently revealed the PlayStation Plus lineup for July, headed by the likes of Crisis Core: FFVII Reunion, Mount and Blade II, and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. But the most exciting part of the announcement is buried at the bottom of the blog post, with a semi-obscure PlayStation Portable game that’s coming to PS Plus after being missing from modern consoles for over a decade.
The big reveal is that the PSP tactical RPG Jeanne d’Arc heads to PS Plus this month for subscribers at the Premium tier. In all likelihood, you either just got very excited or very confused at hearing that title. Based extremely loosely on the historical figure of Joan of Arc, Jeanne d’Arc is a game that seems to have turned anyone who played it into a devoted fan, but remains largely unknown to everyone else.
I cannot stress enough how loosely Jeanne d’Arc is based on historical events. In real life, Joan of Arc was a French peasant who fought against Britain during the Hundred Years’ War while claiming to be taking orders from God. In the process, she became both a revered symbol of France and — after being executed by the British — a Catholic saint. The protagonist of Jeanne d’Arc is a fictionalized version of the real woman whose life goes pretty much the same way. The major difference is that, as far as I know, the real Hundred Years’ War didn’t involve demons or magical bracelets.
Jeanne d’Arc also features other historical figures, all of whom differ at least as much from their real-life characters as Joan of Arc herself. One fan-favorite party member, Gilles de Rais, confessed to and was convicted of several murders. The game’s version of Henry VI is also possessed by a demon, which doesn’t appear to be the case in real life.
A big part of what made Jeanne d’Arc so beloved is its historical-ish narrative. Few games are set around real-world events in the first place, and the story of Joan of Arc is about as compelling of a saga as there is to build a tactics game around. The game’s world map is also loosely based on the actual map of France at the time, giving it another bit of semi-historical appeal.
But it’s not just the novelty of its historical fiction that players responded too. Jeanne d’Arc also features an innovative combat system that sets it apart from other tactical RPGs. Part of the game’s plot concerns enchanted armbands, one of which is owned by Joan of Arc. That allows her to empower herself in battle using magical gems, transforming into a stronger form that grants her new abilities. Character positioning is also extremely important, as standing near allies can grant various buffs depending on the situation. Some players describe it as being on the easy side, but not enough to spoil the enjoyment for most.
What makes the reveal of Jeanne d’Arc’s PS Plus debut so enticing is that it’s essentially rescuing a hidden gem from a defunct console. Unless you happen to have a PSP lying around, there’s been no legal way to play Jeanne d’Arc for years, but that changes now. Jeanne d’Arc is a real oddity of the PSP era, combining a one-of-a-kind historical plotline with a top-notch tactical combat system.
PlayStation Plus has often faltered in its offerings of new games compared to Xbox Game Pass, but more and more, its classics catalog is proving the service’s worth. You may not be able to play the latest releases with PS Plus, but if it can serve as a repository of overlooked games from decades past, that seems well worth it. July is one of the better examples of that, as PSP’s Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters and PS2 launch title Summoner round out an excellent classics collection this month.
