La Pucelle: Tactics
Encyclopedia
La Pucelle: Tactics, released in Japan as , is a tactical role-playing game
for the PlayStation 2
, developed by Nippon Ichi Software
. It was released in Japan in January 2002, and in North America by Mastiff
in May 2004. The game received a port to the PlayStation Portable
in Japan on November 26, 2009 under the title La Pucelle Ragnarok.
The player starts combat by clicking on the Base Panel, and drawing out their party members one at a time. Whenever a spell or special attack is used, it resolves immediately; normal attacks are set, but do not take place until the end of the turn.
Each instance of combat takes place on a separate screen, and not only involves the attacker and their target, but also any friendly units adjacent. All attackers and targets get one chance to attack. While the attacker always strikes the unit they attacked to initiate the combat, all other participants in the combat will attack random targets. All party members get experience from the combat if the team inflicts any casualties, even if they didn't strike any fatal blows.
Dark portals usually come in three colors: red (fire), blue (ice) and green (wind). Due to their initial positioning or redirecting, their streams can be made to intersect, which merges them into new colors and effects:
When two streams intersect, the one whose intersection point is closest to its portal will redirect the other stream in its direction. Items called Change-ups can also be used to force a stream of energy to go in a certain direction.
When a Dark Portal is purified, the character's Purification Power is subtracted from the portal's hit points. If the Purification Power is greater, the portal is closed, which sets off a chain reaction along the stream of dark energy in that element which damages enemies standing on it (ie: red inflicts fire damage). Aqua energy heals the characters or purifies monsters if they're standing on the line. At the end of the reaction, the energy released becomes experience points for the items carried by the character who purified the portal.
If a stream of dark energy more than fifteen panels long can be made to intersect itself, it activates a Miracle, a massive summon-like attack that affects not only the entire line, but also anything within the loop made by the energy. This also immediately purifies any Dark Portals within the loop, which, with clever use and positioning of characters, enemies, and Change-ups, can cause a cascade effect with multiple Miracles.
Monsters, when converted, join the party after they have been defeated. Each purification increases the chance of a monster converting. Certain boss class monsters, like Mushroom dragons, cannot be purified until the player accomplishes a certain secret task in the game.
A trained monster can be used in battle, or can be sent to the Dark World, where they are used in the many wars between the Demons that live there. The monster's Happiness and Training help determine its fate in the Dark World, which can lead to it sending strong items back to the party.
In exchange for introducing a monster, the Dark World representatives will combine the weapons carried by the monster, which merges their stats, effects, and bonuses into one item.
The Dark World is a series of randomly generated levels full of enemies and Dark Portals. Gameplay is as normal, except that Purification cannot be used to recruit monsters. Instead, a fully purified monster, when defeated, will give up an item it was carrying rather than join the party. The exception to this rule are the Haniwas, strange-looking demons that will join the party if they are fully purified. These monsters are odd, considering that no 2 Haniwa look alike. A level in the Dark World can be completed by defeating all enemies, or by moving a character onto the level's exit gate.
Battles in the Dark World occur immediately one after the other, until every 10 levels, where the player has the option to return to the real world. Depending on the player's performance in the Dark World, one may be given a bonus item upon completing the area.
The strength of the enemies in the Dark World varies. The higher the Dark Energy Index of the area the portal appears in, the stronger the enemies in the Dark World will be. Enemy levels increase as the player goes further into the Dark World as well.
It is said that the Dark Prince, favored servant of the fallen angel Calamity, will rise to scourge the land. But legend tells that when the Prince arises, a warrior known as the Maiden of Light will challenge him and restore the balance of Light and Dark. Prier hopes to be the Maiden of Light.
The game's story is broken up into chapters. Each chapter has a number of endings, depending on the information La Pucelle discovers before reaching the chapter's end.
An apprentice Demon Hunter and the Byronic main character of the game. Prier's heart is in the right place, but she is also impatient, selfish, and has a short temper. Prier usually carries a baton, but more often uses her legs in combat. She later gains an infatuation with Croix as the story progresses.
Prier's younger brother who tries to act more mature than his sister. Culotte is often stuck carrying the team's supplies, which he throws at enemies. Because he is younger, Prier feels the need to protect him. Therefore, he often feels the need to rely on his sister. Culotte has a crush on his teacher Alouette and, as a result, pays more attention to her than Prier does.
Prier and Culotte's teacher. Despite her young age, and having shown up at the Church of the Holy Maiden two years before with amnesia, her great spiritual power allowed to quickly rise in rank. As Prier's teacher, she is quite used to disciplining her.
Once a freelance Demon Hunter hired by the Church of the Divine Mother, he joins La Pucelle after suspecting that the Church of the Divine Mother may have evil intentions and because Prier reminds him of someone whom he cannot identify, since Croix has no memories outside of a few years ago.
The Princess of Paprica, and a close friend of Prier and Culotte. She was destined to be the next queen of Paprica, but the pressure has gotten to her. She has a dark side referred to as "Dark Eclair".
The leader of the Chocolat gang, a group of air pirates whom, aside for Homard himself, are mostly small black cat
-people. He is out to find the demon who injured his father.
Once leader of the Chocolat gang, before he challenged Homard to a duel and lost. Fights mostly with a hook on a chain and his hind paws. He is constantly in conflict with Papillon.
The crew of the air pirates, that are a group of small black cat
-people, currently commanded by Homard.
The pilot of the Chocolat pirate air-ship, he is absent minded and can be employed to fight for a small price.
A fairy with a crush on Homard. Because Homard is usually caught flirting with other girls, Papillon tends to harbor hatred towards those girls.
Founder of the Church of the Holy Maiden and La Pucelle. He trained Prier in just about everything he knows about combat.
Head of the Church Of The Divine Mother, which leads roughly 70% of Paprica's faithful.
which means The Maid. Some names are religion related like Prier (verb: to pray) and Croix (Cross
) while others are either related to food like Salade (Salad
), Chocolat (Chocolate
), Homard (lobster
) and Mount Champignon (mushroom
) or are completely unrelated to one another like Papillon (butterfly
), Noir (black
), Allouette (lark
), Eclair (lightning
) and Culotte (pant
) but more likely a reference to calotte (Toque) because he is always wearing one.
Mastiff offered an explanation for these changes in an interview with 1UP.com
just before the game's release. According to Bill Schwarz of Mastiff:
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, developed by Nippon Ichi Software
Nippon Ichi
is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. They are responsible for such titles as Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Phantom Brave, La Pucelle: Tactics and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure.-History:Nippon Ichi Software was founded in September 1991 in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, as an entertainment...
. It was released in Japan in January 2002, and in North America by Mastiff
Mastiff (company)
Mastiff is an American publisher of video games, with offices located in both Tokyo and San Francisco. The executive staff includes Bill Swartz, Mika Hayashi, Danny Hammett and Charles Van.-Game Boy Advance:*Dr...
in May 2004. The game received a port to the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
in Japan on November 26, 2009 under the title La Pucelle Ragnarok.
Gameplay
Combat takes place on an isometric map of varying size and shape. Each battle starts with a set number and arrangement of enemies, a Base Panel, and a number of random Dark Portals scattered around the map.The player starts combat by clicking on the Base Panel, and drawing out their party members one at a time. Whenever a spell or special attack is used, it resolves immediately; normal attacks are set, but do not take place until the end of the turn.
Each instance of combat takes place on a separate screen, and not only involves the attacker and their target, but also any friendly units adjacent. All attackers and targets get one chance to attack. While the attacker always strikes the unit they attacked to initiate the combat, all other participants in the combat will attack random targets. All party members get experience from the combat if the team inflicts any casualties, even if they didn't strike any fatal blows.
Dark Portals and Dark Energy
Dark Portals are gates to the Dark World. They commonly release a stream of dark energy which spills over the ground in one direction until they meet a character or enemy or an obstacle. Obstacles stop the energy, while the stream will be redirected in the direction a character on the stream is facing. A character facing in the opposite direction of a stream of dark energy will stop it just like an obstacle. If left uncovered for a number of rounds, a dark portal will release a new enemy onto the map.Dark portals usually come in three colors: red (fire), blue (ice) and green (wind). Due to their initial positioning or redirecting, their streams can be made to intersect, which merges them into new colors and effects:
- Red+Blue = Purple (Aid)
- Red+Green = Yellow (Lightning)
- Blue+Green = Aqua (Healing/Purification)
- Red+Blue+Green = White (Holy)
When two streams intersect, the one whose intersection point is closest to its portal will redirect the other stream in its direction. Items called Change-ups can also be used to force a stream of energy to go in a certain direction.
Purification
Purification is the ability of members of La Pucelle to use the holy power of the Goddess Poitreene. In battle, purification is used both for closing Dark Portals and converting monsters.When a Dark Portal is purified, the character's Purification Power is subtracted from the portal's hit points. If the Purification Power is greater, the portal is closed, which sets off a chain reaction along the stream of dark energy in that element which damages enemies standing on it (ie: red inflicts fire damage). Aqua energy heals the characters or purifies monsters if they're standing on the line. At the end of the reaction, the energy released becomes experience points for the items carried by the character who purified the portal.
If a stream of dark energy more than fifteen panels long can be made to intersect itself, it activates a Miracle, a massive summon-like attack that affects not only the entire line, but also anything within the loop made by the energy. This also immediately purifies any Dark Portals within the loop, which, with clever use and positioning of characters, enemies, and Change-ups, can cause a cascade effect with multiple Miracles.
Monsters, when converted, join the party after they have been defeated. Each purification increases the chance of a monster converting. Certain boss class monsters, like Mushroom dragons, cannot be purified until the player accomplishes a certain secret task in the game.
Monster training
A monster that has joined the party can be trained. Training consists of a number of actions that the player chooses from a list that is randomly generated after completing a map. Each action either increases the monster's Happiness or increases their statistical growth rate while decreasing their Happiness. A monster whose Happiness is decreased to 1 or below will run away, while a monster at Happiness 10 (the maximum) can use purification.A trained monster can be used in battle, or can be sent to the Dark World, where they are used in the many wars between the Demons that live there. The monster's Happiness and Training help determine its fate in the Dark World, which can lead to it sending strong items back to the party.
In exchange for introducing a monster, the Dark World representatives will combine the weapons carried by the monster, which merges their stats, effects, and bonuses into one item.
The Dark World
Each level has a Dark Energy Index, a measure of how much dark energy is in the area. Acts during battle such as leaving Dark Portals unpurified, attacking the player's allies, and opening presents will increase the Dark Energy of an area, while completely purifying the map will decrease it. When the Index reaches 100 or greater, a full-sized portal will open randomly on the map. Unlike the portals that can be purified, this portal goes both ways, and can be used to enter the Dark World itself.The Dark World is a series of randomly generated levels full of enemies and Dark Portals. Gameplay is as normal, except that Purification cannot be used to recruit monsters. Instead, a fully purified monster, when defeated, will give up an item it was carrying rather than join the party. The exception to this rule are the Haniwas, strange-looking demons that will join the party if they are fully purified. These monsters are odd, considering that no 2 Haniwa look alike. A level in the Dark World can be completed by defeating all enemies, or by moving a character onto the level's exit gate.
Battles in the Dark World occur immediately one after the other, until every 10 levels, where the player has the option to return to the real world. Depending on the player's performance in the Dark World, one may be given a bonus item upon completing the area.
The strength of the enemies in the Dark World varies. The higher the Dark Energy Index of the area the portal appears in, the stronger the enemies in the Dark World will be. Enemy levels increase as the player goes further into the Dark World as well.
Story
La Pucelle takes place in a kingdom named Paprica. The story centers on a small church called the Church of the Holy Maiden, in the city of Pot a Feu. In addition to the normal roles and duties of a Church, they also have a group of trained Demon Hunters called La Pucelle. Two of La Pucelle's newest members are Prier, a sixteen-year-old girl, and her twelve-year-old brother Culotte.It is said that the Dark Prince, favored servant of the fallen angel Calamity, will rise to scourge the land. But legend tells that when the Prince arises, a warrior known as the Maiden of Light will challenge him and restore the balance of Light and Dark. Prier hopes to be the Maiden of Light.
The game's story is broken up into chapters. Each chapter has a number of endings, depending on the information La Pucelle discovers before reaching the chapter's end.
Characters
- Prier—
An apprentice Demon Hunter and the Byronic main character of the game. Prier's heart is in the right place, but she is also impatient, selfish, and has a short temper. Prier usually carries a baton, but more often uses her legs in combat. She later gains an infatuation with Croix as the story progresses.
- Culotte—
Prier's younger brother who tries to act more mature than his sister. Culotte is often stuck carrying the team's supplies, which he throws at enemies. Because he is younger, Prier feels the need to protect him. Therefore, he often feels the need to rely on his sister. Culotte has a crush on his teacher Alouette and, as a result, pays more attention to her than Prier does.
- Alouette—
Prier and Culotte's teacher. Despite her young age, and having shown up at the Church of the Holy Maiden two years before with amnesia, her great spiritual power allowed to quickly rise in rank. As Prier's teacher, she is quite used to disciplining her.
- Croix—
Once a freelance Demon Hunter hired by the Church of the Divine Mother, he joins La Pucelle after suspecting that the Church of the Divine Mother may have evil intentions and because Prier reminds him of someone whom he cannot identify, since Croix has no memories outside of a few years ago.
- Eclair—
The Princess of Paprica, and a close friend of Prier and Culotte. She was destined to be the next queen of Paprica, but the pressure has gotten to her. She has a dark side referred to as "Dark Eclair".
- Homard—
The leader of the Chocolat gang, a group of air pirates whom, aside for Homard himself, are mostly small black cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
-people. He is out to find the demon who injured his father.
- Yattanya—
Once leader of the Chocolat gang, before he challenged Homard to a duel and lost. Fights mostly with a hook on a chain and his hind paws. He is constantly in conflict with Papillon.
- Chocolat gang—
The crew of the air pirates, that are a group of small black cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
-people, currently commanded by Homard.
- Monya-Monya—
The pilot of the Chocolat pirate air-ship, he is absent minded and can be employed to fight for a small price.
- Papillon—
A fairy with a crush on Homard. Because Homard is usually caught flirting with other girls, Papillon tends to harbor hatred towards those girls.
- Father Salade—
Founder of the Church of the Holy Maiden and La Pucelle. He trained Prier in just about everything he knows about combat.
- Noir—
Head of the Church Of The Divine Mother, which leads roughly 70% of Paprica's faithful.
Names
Most of the names of characters and places in the game are in French. La Pucelle (or La Pucelle d'Orléans) was a nickname given to Joan of ArcJoan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
which means The Maid. Some names are religion related like Prier (verb: to pray) and Croix (Cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
) while others are either related to food like Salade (Salad
Salad
Salad is any of a wide variety of dishes, including vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, eggs, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They may include a mixture of cold and hot, often including raw vegetables or fruits.Green salads include leaf...
), Chocolat (Chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
), Homard (lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
) and Mount Champignon (mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
) or are completely unrelated to one another like Papillon (butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
), Noir (black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
), Allouette (lark
Lark
Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. All species occur in the Old World, and in northern and eastern Australia; only one, the Shore Lark, has spread to North America, where it is called the Horned Lark...
), Eclair (lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
) and Culotte (pant
Pant
Pant may refer to:* Pants, an article of clothing* To breathe quickly, spasmodically, or in a labored manner** Panting is used by many furry animals as a means of thermoregulation* Pant , a North Indian and Nepalese surnamePlaces...
) but more likely a reference to calotte (Toque) because he is always wearing one.
Censorship
When La Pucelle was released in North America, almost every instance of a cross was removed from the game. This included the many crosses adorning the clothing of Prier and Alouette, altering the shape of Croix's gun, and altering spell animations with the exception of holy panels. The "Dark World" was originally "Hell". Croix's prominent cigarette was also removed from both his character portraits and his sprites. This includes a pose of Croix taking a drag from a cigarette with a cigarette missing.Mastiff offered an explanation for these changes in an interview with 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
just before the game's release. According to Bill Schwarz of Mastiff:
- "There are well organized forces that work hard to punish software makers and sellers for what they consider religious transgressions. As a very small and brand new publisher without deep pockets we need to pick and choose our battles. Had we thought the crosses were meaningful we would have fought. But they weren't. And we'd much rather have the game widely available then [sic] face disappointed gamers who cannot find the title. It was the right decision, though as we grow as company we may make different calls in the future."
Game cross-overs
- Prier appears as a hidden bossBoss (video games)A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
in Disgaea: Hour of DarknessDisgaea: Hour of Darknessis a tactical role-playing video game developed by Nippon Ichi Software and published by Nippon Ichi Software in Japan, Atlus USA, Inc. in North America, and Koei in Europe for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
. In Disgaea, Prier (translated as Priere) is the Overlord of an Alternate Netherworld, an allusion to the hidden "ending" in La Pucelle where Prier ends up accidentally becoming a Demon Overlord if she gets too strong fighting in the Dark World. Fighting through the Alternate Netherworld and defeating Prier in battle makes her join the player's army. She appears again in Disgaea 2: Cursed MemoriesDisgaea 2: Cursed Memoriesis a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Nippon Ichi Software for the PlayStation 2 video game console. Disgaea 2 is the sequel to 2003's Disgaea: Hour of Darkness for the PlayStation 2 and was released in Japan on February 23, 2006 and North America on August 29, 2006...
as a hidden boss, and in the PSP port Dark Hero Days can be recruited as a playable character, much like in Hour of DarknessDisgaea: Hour of Darknessis a tactical role-playing video game developed by Nippon Ichi Software and published by Nippon Ichi Software in Japan, Atlus USA, Inc. in North America, and Koei in Europe for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
. She is available as a downloadable character for Disgaea 3: Absence of JusticeDisgaea 3: Absence of Justiceis the third video game in the Disgaea series by Nippon Ichi. It was released on January 31, 2008 in Japan for the PlayStation 3 video game console. The North American version was released by NIS America on August 26, 2008...
.
- La Pucelle is loosely related to Nippon Ichi's Marl KingdomMarl Kingdomis a series of RPGs developed by Nippon Ichi Software. The three main games in the series are Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, Little Princess: Marl Ōkoku no Ningyō Hime 2, and Tenshi no Present - Marl Ōkoku Monogatari....
series wherein several names and characters recur.
- Dark Eclair was made downloadable in the PSP port of Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories. She has been released only in Japan at this point.
- Nippon Ichi has announced a PSP port under the title of "La Pucelle+Ragnarok". It was released on November 26, 2009 in Japan.