Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc
- September 3, 2015
- Enlight Software Limited
You play as the heroic title character during the height of the Hundred Years' War—sadly, without Joan's divine inspiration. The 3-D locations and characters look spectacular in this third-person action game. But the hack-and-slash game play wears thin, and the seemingly endless melees and mang
Get on Steam"Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc" is a third-person 3D action game set during the hundred years' war in medieval Europe. As the player, you will engage in intense battle scenarios, slaying enemies and leading troops to victory. With experience gained, unleash more powerful combo attacks and transform from a single warrior into a military leader, all while battling through eight epic battles.
Reviews
- The game features a nostalgic experience with a strong female protagonist, Joan of Arc, who offers engaging hack-and-slash gameplay.
- The RPG elements, including character leveling and diverse combat styles, provide a satisfying progression system.
- The graphics, while dated, hold up reasonably well for a game from 2004, and the soundtrack enhances the overall atmosphere.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs, including AI pathfinding issues and controls that can feel clunky and unresponsive.
- The gameplay can become repetitive, with long missions and a lack of variety in objectives, leading to a mundane experience.
- The overall lack of quality control is evident, with poor audio design, minimal narrative development, and frustrating boss encounters.
- story39 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story, centered around Joan of Arc and her historical battles, is generally well-received, with many praising its satisfying conclusion and engaging quests. However, players note that the plot is simplistic and lacks significant development, often leading to tedious gameplay due to repetitive mission objectives and RNG-based challenges. Despite these criticisms, the game offers a unique blend of RPG and RTS elements, providing a historically rich narrative that some players find enjoyable and worth exploring.
“The story is based upon the character of Joan of Arc and other great warriors who helped her in battle.”
“It's basically the whole Joan of Arc story, but it ends on a happy note.”
“The story is well done and the ending is very satisfying.”
“The plot is very simple.”
“The main takeaway is that there is next to no plot development whatsoever.”
“However, that's as far as the story goes.”
- graphics26 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, reflecting its 2004 release, though some players appreciate the improvements made by fan-created HD update mods. While the original graphics were decent for their time, many reviews note that they do not hold up well by modern standards, with some describing them as unrefined or lacking detail. Overall, the visuals are seen as a mixed bag, with nostalgia for the original design clashing with the expectation for contemporary graphical fidelity.
“However, fansh has created an HD update mod that greatly improves upon the graphics and makes it look far better than it did back in the day.”
“Graphics wise it's amazing for 2004!”
“The graphics are actually pretty amazing for its time (2004) and at the same time they aren't particularly anything to freak out over.”
“Needless to say that the graphics don't hold up on a game this old.”
“To call this game graphically and physically unrefined would be an understatement.”
“It's old, its graphics looked meh even in 2004, the AI is silly.”
- gameplay25 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive, clunky, and outdated, particularly criticizing the controls and animations. While some appreciate the strategic elements and the classic hack-and-slash mechanics, others feel that the overall experience lacks innovation and can be frustrating. Despite these issues, a few players still find enjoyment in the game's simplicity and engaging soundtrack.
“An honestly good game, with pleasant gameplay and nice soundtrack.”
“Great gameplay overall, would recommend if historical inaccuracy doesn't bother you too much.”
“Definitely gives Joan of Arc the ending she deserved and it definitely makes Joan of Arc awesome, gameplay-wise.”
“The core gameplay loop is obtuse, repetitive, and annoyingly mundane.”
“The gameplay is repetitive and mundane when it is not a pain, and the controls and animations are janky.”
“But to be honest, the gameplay is not good enough for 2019.”
- music22 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with a mix of beautiful background tracks and engaging combat themes. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack's emotional impact and its fitting integration into the gameplay, despite some noting that it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's appeal.
“The soundtrack still gives me chills.”
“An honestly good game, with pleasant gameplay and a nice soundtrack.”
“Overall, the music is satisfying if you like music that really goes for the home-run and fits into where it's placed.”
“However, the peplum-esque soundtrack will forever make me think of the very unmedieval Romans fighting Egyptians on the Nile or Alexander the Great chasing Persians throughout Mesopotamia instead.”
“Now that I've grown up, I can see that the game is really shabby (bad quality audio conversations, one resolution, AI is a little bit dumb, the fun fact that Joan has a squirrel as hair and can jump like 3 meters with full iron armor, etc.), but playing it with the hardest difficulty (with some gangsta music in the background while kicking some English butts) can be really fun.”
“Also, the soundtrack, whilst it can eventually get a bit irritating, as it tells you there's an enemy just out of sight, is magnificent.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous glitches and bugs, including issues with AI and pathfinding that can lead to units becoming stuck. While some players appreciate its nostalgic value, the overall stability is considered poor, significantly detracting from the gameplay experience.
“However, the lack of any options outside of the campaign limits the experience; the pathfinding is poor, and there are still glitches that lead to units getting jammed in unmovable objects.”
“This game is very buggy, has horrible AI, and has overall bad balancing with enemies, specifically generals and archers/crossbowmen.”
“Glitches ruined the entire experience from level 1.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Joan of Arc" is a mixed bag; while it features immersive sound design with atmospheric sounds and fitting non-combat music that enhances the game's theme, some players feel it ultimately falls short of creating a truly captivating environment.
“It has atmospheric sounds (e.g. dirt crunching beneath feet, sound of metal armor hitting the ground when moving, bird chirping, shouting and cheering sounds when fighting, etc.) that go very well with the game.”
“The first side being the atmospheric non-combat music like this one, my personal favorite https://www.youtube.”
“All things considered, Joan of Arc is one game that shot for the moon but didn't even leave the earth's atmosphere, let alone become lost in the stars.”
“It kills a bit the atmosphere.”
“It just has a great feel to it for what the game's theme and atmosphere is.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring over an hour to complete missions while battling numerous enemies and dealing with frustrating controls. Despite these challenges, many feel that the grind is ultimately rewarding and contributes to the overall enjoyment of the game.
“All of this combines to make the game a test of your tolerance where you spend more than an hour or two trying to painstakingly clear every single mission while tediously mowing down hordes of enemies and hoping that the RNG works out in your favor.”
“Yes, the leveling system is grindy, and people get stuck on scenery from time to time, and just don't get on a horse (the controls are god-awful), but the game is fun!”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game lacks significant replayability, with players noting minimal variation in gameplay. While it offers an RTS mode, the experience is described as more about moving units than engaging in meaningful play.
“No variation or replay value.”
“They are playable in RTS mode, but that's not so much 'playable' as it is just moving them around.”
