Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc Review Summary

A consistently fun game with excellent music, story, and unique genre blending, though broken AI pathfinding, outdated graphics, and repetitive combat hold it back.

Consistently fun experience: Overall, the game is described as very good, fun, and enjoyable, with many players expressing strong positive sentiment despite its age.

Aged well for its time: Repeated comments note that the graphics and overall gameplay hold up well despite the game's age, being praised for their quality at the time of release.

Excellent music and story: The soundtrack and story are consistently praised as standout elements, with the music described as magnificent and the story well-told and satisfying.

Combat and combos praised: The combat system is frequently praised for its enjoyable combos, character progression, and similarity to classic Dynasty Warriors gameplay.

Unique genre blending: Players highlight the innovative combination of RTS mechanics with action, RPG, and first-person elements, creating a unique genre blend.

AI pathfinding is broken: Units frequently get stuck on buildings, mountains, and other obstacles due to poor AI pathfinding. This leads to frustration as players must constantly micro-manage unit movement.

Graphics are outdated: Multiple reviews note that the graphics were subpar even at release and have aged poorly. Visual quality is a common complaint, though not game-breaking.

Combat is repetitive: The combat mechanics quickly become monotonous, often devolving into repetitive clicking without strategic depth. This reduces long-term engagement with the game.

Archers are frustrating enemies: Enemy archers, especially those with exploding arrows, are described as very annoying because they retreat when approached and frequently interrupt the player. This disrupts combat flow.

Horse controls are terrible: The horse controls are widely criticized as unresponsive and frustrating to use. Players advise avoiding horses entirely due to the poor handling.

Hybrid RPG and RTS combat: The game merges role-playing game progression with real-time strategy troop control, allowing players to lead and rally soldiers in battles.

Multiple camera modes in battles: The game combines RTS, first-person, and third-person modes, allowing full control of the army in big battles.

Two distinct playstyles available: Players can choose between two distinct playstyles: building and commanding an entire army or playing as a solo character rampaging through enemies.

Character upgrade system with skill tree: A character development system includes attributes, skill points, a skill tree, and a level cap of 30.

Action like Dynasty Warriors: The action component of the game is reminiscent of the Musou series, similar to Dynasty Warriors, offering hack and slash style gameplay.

Optimization is good: Users report that the game runs well and is well-optimized on modern systems.

Compatibility issues on modern systems: The game has trouble running on newer operating systems, requiring additional tools or settings to function correctly.

Works fine on Windows 10: Some users confirm that the game runs smoothly on Windows 10 without extra tweaks.

Mouse stutter reported: Some players experience mouse stuttering, which can affect gameplay responsiveness and comfort.

dgVoodoo2 enables higher resolution: Using dgVoodoo2, players can run the game at higher resolutions, improving visual quality.

Highly recommended overall: Many reviewers strongly recommend the game, praising it as a must-play or a classic. This is the most common sentiment across multiple clusters.

Best bought on sale: Multiple reviewers recommend purchasing the game at a discount during Steam sales or for a low price. They suggest it is worth it for a single playthrough.

Good for niche audiences: Several reviews suggest the game is best for players who enjoy old-school slasher games, RTS/action hybrids, or those seeking nostalgia. It may not suit everyone.

Not recommended for some: Some reviewers cannot recommend the game, citing clunky controls or old-fashioned gameplay. This feedback indicates the title may not appeal to modern audiences.

Expect rough edges: Some reviewers warn about 'jank', clunky feel, or dated mechanics, advising players to temper expectations. The game is compared to a straight-to-CD movie.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $15.00.

Game completion: 20.0h.

Session length: 0.8h.

Player feedback shows a mix: some enjoy the game immediately and sustainably, others find it tedious or boring from the start, and many note that repetitive gameplay diminishes longer sessions, while one finds it worthwhile despite tedium.

Friction: tediousness; repetitiveness; simple mechanics; unpredictable controls; limited capabilities; bugs.

Nostalgic Veteran: Revisiting the game for sentimental enjoyment, less focused on technical optimization. Motivation: Nostalgia and emotional connection to childhood gaming memories. Stance: buy.

Strategy-Action Hybrid: Strategic, optimizing stats and commanding troops, often playing on hard difficulty. Motivation: Unique tactical gameplay combining RTS elements with action combat and squad management. Stance: buy.

Story-Driven Player: Completionist, exploring side quests and focusing on narrative progression. Motivation: Engaging story, emotional resolution, and atmospheric music. Stance: buy.

Game lacks engaging feedback: The clusters mainly contain metadata like item descriptions and cheat code instructions rather than substantive praise or constructive criticism. This suggests the reviews lacked meaningful commentary about gameplay.