Disgaea: Hour of Darkness was an example of one of those great games that comes along, destroys everything else in the genre and doesn't get the respect it deserves from the general gaming populace. While a vast majority still claim Final Fantasy Tactics to be the greatest Strategy RPG ever made, those who played Disgaea would be the first to argue that title. Following in the footsteps of Disgaea is La Pucelle: Tactics, which not only manages to carry all that was good with Disgaea, but also manages to carve out its own little place in the genre.

Disgaea wasn't exactly a graphical masterpiece and neither is La Pucelle. Both are low res and beg the question, 'Why couldn't this have been done on the PlayStation?' And, frankly, there's no real answer to that. What both lacked in visual wow they make up for with character and style. All of the characters in the game have their own personalities and don't fit within the norm of current character design. Every character you come across has its own uniqueness and is likeable. Everything about the game is very anime-inspired, right down to the 'cute' look of some enemies and the overly expressive faces during story sequences. Spells are also colorful and add a lot of fireworks.

Sound is great. I would even venture to say that it manages to top Disgaea in vocal quality. Not to say anything bad about Disgaea, but the voices in La Pucelle feel just a tad more 'professional'. Deliveries are a little better and you catch a little more range of emotions in characters. At the same time, the writing isn't nearly as good, so it's a trade off. For the purists, the option to listen to the game in Japanese is also available.

The music that accompanies each mission is great. This is another game where I really wouldn't mind having the soundtrack... hint, hint.

Legend warns that the Dark Prince, who is the servant of the Angel Calamity, will return to plunge the world into darkness. However, the prophecy also states once the Dark Prince arrives, so will the Maiden of Light, who is the servant of the Goddess Poitreene. What sounds like a typical RPG storyline soon snowballs into a very compelling and interesting story. While not as well written as Disgaea, there's still enough humor and sarcasm to keep you playing just to see what happens next. Those who can stick through the clich and almost 'kiddy' setup of the story will find a much more mature and dark plot in the end.

La Pucelle: Tactics follows in the footsteps of other Strategy RPGs, but also manages to put its own spin on the genre. You begin the game with only thee characters. Prier and Culotte are students at La Pucelle, which is the church's demon-slaying Special Forces unit. Prier is the hothead of the group who is always looking towards the next big thing and hopes to one day become the Maiden of Light. Culotte, who despite appearance is a guy, is Prier's timid younger brother who can be a little over-sensitive at times. The two are joined by Alouette, their stuffy teacher whose past is a complete mystery -- even to her.

As the game progresses, you'll gain more soldiers in your army. How you go about recruiting allies is one of the game's more interesting twists. During battles you'll have to convince enemies to join your side by 'purifying' them. This leads to a whole new level of strategy since purifying takes more than one turn to do and counts as your character's move for that turn. Should you make a run at trying to recruit that monster right off the bat? Or should you take out other enemies first and hope he doesn't kill you in the process?

After a monster joins your team, you can train it to be a better soldier. Doing so plays out in a manner similar to something like Poke'mon or a digital pet, at least in a sense. While in the training dialog box you can feed your monster, make them do exercise and other activities. The trick is to find out what makes each monster happy so they will remain on your team. Another interesting aspect of the system is that you can trade in your allies to a Dark Recruiter for the Dark World for rewards. The better the recruit you give him, the better a reward you get.

Dark Portals also play a role in the game's strategy. Each battlefield contains colored squares which make up rows, similar to the Geo Panels in Disgaea. These rows not only produce new enemies, but can also provide benefits during battle if you can purify them. After a character purifies a dark portal, it will close and start a chain reaction destroying the rest of the row. Depending on the color of the square, a different effect will occur. Red squares cause fire damage while blue ones heal. The flow and direction of the rows is controlled by who is standing on it. When your character (or an enemy) stands on the square, it will create a flow in the direction that person is standing. This unlocks more strategic depth since you can try and aim the portal energies towards far-away enemies. You can even unlock miracles, which are similar to summons, by trapping enemies within a giant square created by the energy from one portal and purifying it.

As it is with most strategy RPGs, La Pucelle: Tactics is more about how patient and strategically-minded you are and less about how powerful you are. Even with a powerful team, it is possible to get outmatched by a small group that plays its hand just right. Fans of Disgaea will find La Pucelle a little easier, but should still find it a challenge thanks to the new gameplay elements.

One of La Pucelle: Tactics's failings is that it doesn't offer as much to do as Disgaea. However, when you consider the actual real-world timeline of the game, this makes a little more sense since La Pucelle was actually made before Disgaea. This doesn't mean that there's not much to do in within the game, nor does it mean that the game is a short affair.

In addition to pawning off your monsters to the Dark Recruiter for items, you can also haggle with merchants over prices. Also, the more adept you become at purifying, the bigger the monsters you'll be able to capture. Eventually, you may even become good enough to purify bosses. With the game rounding out at about 100+ hours, you'll be here for awhile.

Team play is a big part of strategy in La Pucelle. When on the battlefield, your armies can join in on attacks with each other, even when it is not their turn, by simply being placed next to another. Sometimes this produces powerful double attacks, while at other times it merely gives the attacker some support.

Though it has a few small issues, La Pucelle is still a great strategy game that any strategy fan will enjoy. Most of the game's issues stem from La Pucelle being released after Disgaea instead of before it (as it should have been). It's like staying at the Best Western after a night in the Four Seasons. Fans of Disgaea should already have this one, especially since it serves as a nice companion to the game. Fans of Strategy RPGs in general should also check this one out. Highly recommended.