Just a quick public service announcement: today La Pucelle: Tactics will be available on the PSN as a Playstation 2 Classic for $9.99.

When I first played Disgaea: Hour of Darkness my mind was blown that a SRPG — scratch that; a game in general — could be so dramatically unique.  In the fallout that proceeded I feverishly sought out any SRPGs that could hold a candle to the dark humor and depth of Disgaea.  Yeah, there were quite a few disappointments.

One game, however, impressed me with a similarly mind-boggling depth while maintaining its own charm.  That game was La Pucelle: Tactics.  Although it was developed before Nippon Ichi Software really hit their stride, the game still clearly has that NIS DNA.

Just a quick localization note: this localization was NOT handled by Nippon Ichi Software America (they hadn’t established a Western branch yet), it was handled by Mastiff.  There is also some minor censoring that may make you facepalm.

It’s still a great game that will make you laugh, cry, believe that Japan really doesn’t understand Western religion… and oh, did I mention there are pirate cats?  Yeah, it’s only $9.99: