This weekend I finally broke down and picked up La Pucelle Tactics. It is a “tactics” game in the spirit of Final Fantasy Tactics, one of my all-time favorite video games. In the tradition of tactical RPGs, you effectively are managing an army of heroes and monsters as they track down and do battle with a horrible menace that would otherwise destroy the world. Invariably, this menace is a corrupt church. La Pucelle Tactics is no exception.

The nominal main character is a headstrong, brash, somewhat obnoxious young woman named Priel. If she reminds you of Tomo from Azumanga Daioh, you aren’t alone. As the story progresses, you have the option to forgo attacking a foe in order to try to “purify” it into joining your group. This, along with the ability to replay scenarios that you’re already defeated, allows you to customize your fighting force to a great degree.

So far I have about six hours of gameplay in, and so far it looks great. This isn’t one to buy if you can’t handle super-deformed sprite animation. If you absolutely must have bump-mapping, cell-shading, and crazy particle effects to have a good time, then save your money. If you like games that force you to think, pick it up.