La Pucelle (a.k.a. La Pucelle: Tactics) is a Turn-Based Strategy game released on the PlayStation 2 by Nippon Ichi. In Japan, it came out in 2002, a year before Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, but was released several months after that game in other countries. It is set in the same world as the Marl Kingdom series, and one of the characters is the grandson of the main character of the first Marl Kingdom game (a.k.a. Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure).
The kingdom of Paprica exists under constant threat from "Dark Portals", which spread the evil energies and demons of The Dark World across the land. To protect the peace, the Church of the Holy Maiden has established "La Pucelle", an order of demon hunters dedicated to slaying these monsters and purifying the Dark Portals.
Priere is a hot-headed and obnoxious young nun who has her sights set on becoming the next Maiden of Light: a revered paragon of the Church who, long ago, fought against the chosen one of the fallen angel Calamity and triumphed. Becoming a full member of La Pucelle, Priere sets off to brute-force sainthood despite her glaring personality flaws and the actually-very-serious rebirth of Calamity's champion, "The Dark Prince".
An Updated Re-release has been released for the PSP entitled La Pucelle: Ragnarok. It has some Disgaea cameos, multiple new endings, and an additional scenario in four acts following on from the comedy ending where Priere (accidentally) becomes a Demon Overlord. Despite NISA originally announcing that they will not be localizing it, it was remastered alongside Rhapsody as a Compilation Re-release through Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol. 3.
You can also download the game on the Play Station Network as of July 11, 2012.
In addition to many of the tropes mentioned in the Nippon Ichi article, this game provides examples of:
- Aerith and Bob: Most of the characters have French words as names, and then you have Yattanya.
- Allergic to Evil: As the Dark Prince comes closer to awakening, Alouette starts feeling physically ill and starts dreaming of her death.
- Always Chaotic Evil: All the demons are assholes. The only known exception was Noir's father — so, not surprisingly, he doesn't think any higher of them than he does humans.
- And Then John Was a Zombie: "Demon Overlord Prier."
- Art Evolution: Nippon Ichi had Ryoji Majima, the original artist for La Pucelle and the Marl Kingdom series, return as the lead artist for the Updated Re-release, and his art has gone through some noticeable changes since then.
- Bat Out of Hell: The bats and bits.
- Battle in the Center of the Mind: Fallen Angel Calamity's influence on Croix is represented as a monster.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Prier and Croix.
- Berserk Button: If you value your life, do not mess with Croix's girl.
- Bilingual Bonus: A lot of the characters, locations, and spells are French words. In no particular order: La Pucelle (The Maiden, a Joan of Arc reference), Prière (Prayer), Croix (Cross), Culotte (Breeches, but a sideways Bastille Day reference as the revolutionaries called themselves the "Without Culottes"), Alouette (Sparrow), Eclair (Lightning, also a kind of pastry), Homard (Lobster), Salade (Lettuce), Papillon (Butterfly)... However, the bonus-est is probably Goddess Poitreen, meaning Breasts (although it's spelled "Poitrine" in actual French).
- Bittersweet Ending: Although the world and everyone in it is saved, Alouette dies to save Croix, and despite having confessed love for each other, Croix and Prier part ways.
- Even Ragnarok's Golden Ending has some of this. Everybody Lives thanks to Prier's newfound Overlord powers, but she must now separate from her friends and live in the Netherworlds from now on due to the fact she's now a demon.
- Black Cloak: Demons from the Church of the Divine Mother.
- Blessed with Suck: The Maiden of Light has awesome divine powers to defeat the Dark Prince, yes, but she dies if she uses them all, and it pretty much takes all her power and then some to defeat him in the first place. This is why Father Salade founded La Pucelle: Having witnessed the Maiden battle the Prince to a draw, he resolved that when the battle started up again, she would have some goddamn help this time around.
- Bloodsucking Bats: The bit monsters, which are essentially little bats, all have the ability to suck blood.
- Bonus Level of Hell: The Dark World to some extent, as it's filled with demons.
- Bowdlerization: Mastiff censored the game for the North American release, such as modifying any cross imagery (Croix's guns and Prier's crucifixion) and spell animations and removing Croix's cigarette, because they were not prepared to handle attention and criticism from demographics unfamiliar to them.
- Breaking Speech: The Demon Overlord Prier who manifests in chapter 1 & 2 delivers one to Prier pointing out how much she values power. While Prier and friends defend her, it becomes clear that it will take more than that to solve the problem, since they never actually address Prier's desire for power.
- Brought Down to Normal: Croix and Alouette. Alouette retains some of her power as the Maiden of Light, but it's nowhere near what she was tossing around during her fight with Croix. Croix was almost entirely de-powered, causing him to rely on his guns, at least until he unleashes his Superpowered Evil Side.
- The Cameo: The shopkeeper Erie is actually from Memories Of Marl Kingdom, the third instalment of the Marl Kingdom series started by Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure.
- She's made playable in Ragnarok.
- Church Militant: All the La Pucelle operatives.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Papillon
- Combination Attack: Eight characters can appear on the field at once, and it is possible to have all of them attack at once if they're lined up adjacent to one another to attack the same group of enemies. Naturally, this also works in reverse.
- Also, certain characters can grant another character unique Combination Attacks. For example, having Croix next to Prier gives Prier a special attack in which she beats the living hell out of the enemy, only stopping once Croix has his gun fully charged.
- Corrupt Church: The much-larger Church of the Divine Mother.
- Cross Attack: Croix's gun is shaped like a cross. It, along with several other crosses, were removed from the game for the US release.
- Crucified Hero Shot: Prier. With bonus cross censure, making it look like she's tied to a pole with her arms just floating there.
- Crystal Dragon Jesus: The Goddess Poitreene and the rival church.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Croix does this to a Demon Lord who has been pretty much winning in the first round after he unleashes his Superpowered Evil Side.
- Cutscene Incompetence: Prier gets captured offscreen following a boss fight. The music playing at the time, the character dialogue, and the boss' reactions to said dialogue hangs a nice lampshade on it… Until things turn serious.
- Defeat Means Friendship: Monsters must be "purified" to the point where they'll "join" you no matter what. After you defeat a pure-of-heart monster, it will join your team and can be summoned immediately, provided you have enough space to do so.
- Becoming an Overlord lets you do the same thing to Demon class enemies.
- Disc-One Nuke: Much like with the Item World in Disgaea, it is very possible to get very strong before leaving the starting area by accessing the Dark World.
- Distressed Dude: Croix, for the last chapter of the game.
- Dual Wielding: Homard fights with a pair of rapiers, and uses them for cutting and slashing.
- Gameplay-wise, any character can equip up to four items, with no restrictions on which slots are weapons or armor. So it is technically possible for any character to quad-wield.
- Evil Costume Switch: Aside from the above example, this trope is played with, in that Croix switches to his normal outfit that you usually see him in when he becomes the Dark Prince. Played straight, though, in that he more recently loses his Cool Shades when he unleashes his Superpowered Evil Side.
- The Evils of Free Will: Noir's motivation. Killing all demonkind won't bring about a paradise as the humans believe; they only started hunting half-breeds as an excuse to knock out dissident voices and take out their repressed anger on someone, and then turned on each other once all the demons in their village were finally gone. As long as there are more than two people existing in the same world, there will ALWAYS be conflict; no two people, even those brainwashed by religion, ever see things the same way. So Noir's plan is to kill everyone else. Prier is outright disgusted and believes that the reasons why Noir hates everybody are the same reasons why conflict is so fun and meaningful.
- Evolving Attack
- Expy: Eclair's Princess and Dark Forms are a clear homage to Princess Gradriel of Princess Crown. Papillon is also an expy of Kururu and the fairy class type monster from their earlier work Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure.
- Eyepatch of Power: Homard. He's a Pirate, so it comes with the job.
- Fission Mailed: In the original game, the Demon Overlord "ending" happens when you kill enough Demon Overlords in Hell/Dark World. The original game mostly plays any ramifications for laughs. Later Nippon Ichi games and the Updated Re-release expound on it.
- Freudian Excuse: Being half-human, half-demon, Noir ended up as the victim of Fantastic Racism from both groups.
- Geo Effects: An even earlier example than the Trope Namer.
- Godiva Hair: Fallen Angel Calamity.
- God Was My Copilot: It is heavily implied that the girl in town asking all kind of questions to Prier is actually the goddess Poitreene.
- Groin Attack: Prier's Coup de Grâce attack, which she also uses in a cutscene to reveal a fake Father Salade (the real Salade would have simply shrugged that kick off).
- Hades Shaded: Again, Fallen Angel Calamity.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Noir, the Big Bad.
- Hellgate: Dark portals.
- Hell Has New Management: It is possible to conquer Hell if Prier defeats enough Demon Overlords. They make her their leader. There's a "faux" ending to this, as the main plot continues without paying attention to this. Later games elaborate.
- Heroic BSoD: Prier is shaken badly by Croix's return to his days as the Dark Prince. It takes divine intervention to bring her back around.
- Hot God: Goddess Poitreene.
- Humans Are Bastards: And how! Croix felt so strongly this way with the unjust execution of his lover Angelique that he turned into the Dark Prince. And it's justifiable!
- If I Can't Have You…: A villager in love with Angelique decides to sell her off to the Kingdom's "Witch Hunters" for execution because she was going to marry Croix.
- Also, the story behind the first chapter has an entire castle getting murdered, including the count and his wife and son, because the count's brother couldn't accept that she loved the count and not him.
- Improbable Weapon User: Culotte's method of attack is throwing various objects at the enemy — apples, lollipops, rocks, Mushroom monsters… just about anything he can find in those little pockets of his. Alouette often uses a Holy Book as a weapon.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Father Salade is a perverted old man that has one of his female subordinates running around in a very inappropriate outfit, and doesn't seem too good at the whole priest thing. He can also kill demon lords alone and barehanded.
- Level Grinding: It seems this is what brought about Nippon Ichi's love of this. It is possible to "reverse" the Gates which spawn monsters and enter Hell; or "The Dark World" as the westernization puts it; in itself a direct translation of the word Disgaea (hint, hint). Hell is a completely randomized dungeon filled to the brim with Demons, Demon Lords, and Demon Overlords, stronger than any enemy in the main game.
- Love Redeems: Prier's feelings for Croix help him break free from his dark side.
- Luck-Based Mission: Going for the good ending in Chapter 10, are you? Better start praying to Poitreene that the computer's (random!) enemy movement and actions are agreeable, and that the sole mook type's paralyze-inflicting special isn't used and doesn't work too often.
- It's slightly better in Ragnarok due to the addition of the Re-Action system… but just slightly.
- Mook Maker: The Dark Portals that appear in every level generate new monsters every so often if they're not purified.
- Monster Is A Daddy: If you kill the Forest Lord in chapter 3, and then return to the scene of the crime later on, Prier finds his cub son and heals a minor injury it has. The cub follows her around, prompting Prier to decide to raise him. After leveling him up and returning later on, he'll leave, having grown up, but not before granting Prier a new skill that lets her call him out to crush her enemies.
- Monster Town: The valley of the Eringas. They also take over any town which becomes eliminated due to your actions.
- Multiple Endings: Although the original game itself has only one ending, most chapters have multiple endings.
- Nipple and Dimed: A strange twist on the trope. Papillon's name was actually changed from her original Japanese name: Mamelon, which is French for 'nipple'. Poitreene got away with a deliberate mispelling. (Poitrine = Breast)
- Noble Demon: Averted, especially when you consider how demons are portrayed in other Nippon Ichi games…
- No Smoking: The American release censored out the image of Croix's cigarette (but only the image; he still frequently pulls nothing from his lips and puts it back a moment later).
- Nuns Are Mikos: Alouette, Prier, and the other La Pucelle operatives.
- Paper Fan of Doom: One of Papillon's special attacks; occasionally used on Homard in cutscenes. Alouette substitutes a very thick book.
- Parental Abandonment
- Ramming Always Works: Prier decides to take control of Homard's ship to ram it in the Angel Gate. He doesn't approve.
- Really 700 Years Old: Croix and, to a lesser extent, Alouette are both much older than they appear.
- Relationship Values: Monsters that have joined your party have an individual "friendship" rating, which increases or decreases through "training" them. Harsh training rituals increase their stat growth, but decrease their friendship rating. If you bring this value too low, they'll leave the party, and there's no way to recover them. On the opposite end, if you decide to dote on them repeatedly to maximize their friendship level, they'll gain the ability to purify enemies.
- Right-Hand Cat: Yattanya, Homard's first mate, is a rather literal example.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Homard is in fact the Prince of the Marl Kingdom. He's Cornet's grandson. (Amusingly, in the Cornet DLC, he shakes his head and says "Nah, couldn't be").
- Eclair counts too.
- Schizo Tech: A somewhat regular fantasy setting is somehow filled with airships and walkie-talkies.
- She's Back: Prier snaps out of her Heroic BSoD just in time for the battle with the newly-reborn Dark Prince, AKA Croix.
- Shoot the Shaggy Dog: The Overlord Ending, in which Prier fights through the demonic hordes of the Dark World only to kill one too many demons and turn into a Demonic Overlord herself. This causes all of her friends and allies to leave her, alone and trapped in the Dark World with nothing but a sexy new makeover to show for it. Worse, this ending is canon: Overlord Prier makes cameos in every other Nippon Ichi game, and the Updated Re-release has an entire bonus story based upon what happens next.
- Shout-Out: Eclair's character of a Princess with a Dark Alter-Ego is clearly homage to Princess Gradriel of Atlus's Princess Crown.
- Sky Pirate: Homard and his crew.
- Spell My Name With An S: Prier's name is given as Priere ("prayer") in the Disgaea games.
- Even Japan seems unsure if her name is supposed to be Prier or Priere, using both names on the official website and in offical materials.
- Sprite/Polygon Mix
- Stone Wall: Eclair, who has the party-best base defense and resistance combined (two others beat her in those stats separately, but are basically defenseless for the other) but low-end (for the front-row fighting characters) attack. Her dark half is a mixture of a Fragile Speedster and a Glass Cannon.
- Super Move Portrait Attack: Many character-specific skills have this.
- Superpowered Evil Side: Croix and Eclair, for a certain degree of "evil" in the latter case.
- Take Your Time: Justified, Noir deliberately holds off on summoning Calamity until the party could arrive because Prier upset his ideologies, because she reminded Noir of his mother.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Prier and Alouette, respectively and initially. Character Development sends both to opposite sides of the spectrum, Alouette becomes more and more willing to bend the rules and cut loose as the game progresses, and Prier reveals her inner warmth and compassionate side.
- Theme Naming: Most character and location names are in French (Prier = "to pray", Alouette = "skylark", etc). This includes some not so cute names (references to female anatomy and underclothing, for example).
- There's also a hefty chunk that's based off food of all things.
- Tsundere: Of a fraternal sort between Prier and Culotte.
- Utopia Justifies the Means: Noir makes lots of comments about his "utopia". It's not until the end of the game when you find out what his "utopia" actually consists of.
- Victory Pose: Every character has at least one and some random quotes after killing something.
- You Kill It, You Bought It: Prier learns this the hard way.
The Updated Re-release contains the following:
- Alternate Timeline: The Demon Prier story is basically this.
- As Long as There Is Evil: After Demon Overlord Prier is defeated at the end of Chapter 2, she swears that even though she's defeated, she will manifest again the moment the real Prier wishes for power.
- Asshole Victim: Sure, Prier is completely consumed in darkness, but after being forced to kill Croix and having Noir destroy his body and soul, it's hard not to cheer for her as she kills him.
- Battle in the Center of the Mind: Two entire chapters are dedicated to Prier fighting her dark self inside her heart.
- Cerebus Retcon: The Demon Overlord "ending" was treated as a joke in the original game. This is lampshaded in the beginning of the new Overlord route, where even the characters treat the proclamation of Overlord Prier as a joke. Then the Creepy Child shows up...
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Regardless of Good Ending or Bad Ending, whoever is still standing will just stomp Noir. Either through vaporization or A Twinkle in the Sky.
- Dark Is Not Evil: You have to do everything right to achieve this.
- Downloadable Content: In Ragnarok, you can recruit Erie, the Rosenqueen shopkeeper, Hero Prinny, Cornet, and Rozalin.
- Enemy Within: Prier faces Demon Overlord Prier within her own soul.
- Enemy Without: Unusually, Demon Prier first appears this way. She initially appears as a little girl trying to encourage Prier to become an Overlord before revealing herself. While she and her friends defeat her, since she's a part of Prier, she points out that she'll be back.
- Gameplay and Story Integration: While one can get the "Demon Lord" (Devil) title in Hell in the normal gameplay, you cannot get Overlord anymore. This is because the event is its own story now.
- Gameplay and Story Segregation: One can unlock Overlord Prier as a transformation from the start in New Game Plus; as well as have all party members and the usual Nippon Ichi bonus fights.
- Love Makes You Evil: In a painful reversal of the Love Redeems entry, the bad ending of Overlord Mode in Ragnarok has Prier become consumed by her Superpowered Evil Side after Croix is killed in front of her.
- Mind Screwdriver: The Demon Prier story explains what happened after the "Demon Overlord ending" in the original La Pucelle. In fact, it basically starts with that apparent "ending" and moves on from there.
- Moveset Clone: While their special attacks are different, Laharl, Etna, Flonne, and the Prinnies have the exact same stats as Prier, Alouette, Culotte, and the Chocolats respectively.
- Multiple Endings: The Demon Prier story has 4 ultimate endings.
- Nonstandard Game Over: Father Salade kills Prier after she turns into a demon and attacks everyone in Church in confusion.
- Bad Ending: Prier utterly fails to save Croix despite all her best efforts and he is destroyed by Noir whilst dying in Prier's arms. The following Unstoppable Rage causes Prier to be completely consumed by her Superpowered Evil Side.
- Normal Ending: Same as above; however, a small part of Prier's "Light" seems to linger on in the real world as an individual entity.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Emphasis on "Earn." Prier becomes the "Maiden of Darkness" and purifies "Dark Prince" Croix such that his powers stay the same, becoming the Hero of Darkness (no, not that one), with his free will intact; and Everyone Lives, even Alouette.
- Mythology Gag: Overlord Mode starts with the line "It was only supposed to be a joke...."
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Prier in the Bad Ending kills her friends, including Alouette, which allows the Dark Prince to fully awaken. She still defeats him, but Croix nearly dies and is killed by Noir.
- Noble Demon: While the original game averts this, Ragnarok makes it possible.
- Optional Party Member: Laharl, Etna, and Flonne, what a surprise.
- Ramming Always Works: Ragnarok takes it even further by having Prier as a demon using the same technique... without the ship, using only herself flying at top speed.
- Same Content, Different Rating: The original game was rated Cero A, but Ragnarok was upped to Cero C. No explanation was given as to why. This is especially strange when you consider that Soul Nomad & the World Eaters and its infamous "Demon Path" is rated Cero A...
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: In the good ending and in response to Noir's threats, Prier and Croix tell him he's wrong and kick his ass.
- Talking Is a Free Action: In the good ending, Prier and Croix have a lengthy conversation while Noir mostly stands by and does nothing besides express shock when Prier kicks Croix.
- Talk to Everyone: The key to getting the Golden Ending; talking to the children at the start of each chapter opens a "plot square" in one of the stages of that chapter, and each must be visited in all chapters.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Noir is far more of a jerk in the Overlord Prier story.
- Unrealistic Black Hole: Used by Culotte, of all people, to trap enemies into his backpack and spit them out.
- Unreliable Narrator: In the Overlord route, Prier is succumbing to Darkness, so a lot of things in the real world may not quite be so. Like her seeing her friends as demons and demons as her friends. Whether she snaps out of it in time depends on a number of factors.
