Combat strategy.

Looking at the graphics, which you kind of have to, you will notice that Arc goes from very detailed and nice, to rather rushed and incomplete.  I don’t get the feeling overall that this game was rush to the market so I’m not sure why there is such a discrepancy.  While the game never looks as good as a Final Fantasy X, it can have its moments, especially in the FMV cut scenes.  The voice acting is also a mixed bag.  Although here’s one bit of trivia, the voice of Darc was done by the same actor that did the voice for the Taco Bell Chihuahua.  Not sure what that means, but there you have it.

Of course the story is not all that we need to be concerned with. Arc tries a little something different with its battle system by combining a little turn-based strategy with the normal RPG battle scheme. This does require more planning and thought than the regular RPG and some gamers may be put off by this. I have to admit I wasn’t a huge fan of this extra strategic element. Call me old-fashion but if I was looking for a strategy game I would turn on Command and Conquer or some such game. But knowing that many RPG gamers could very well be looking for something a little different I do applaud the effort to not just do the same old thing. Arc even tries a different tactic with magic by only allowing a character to be able to carry a limited number of the spirit stones that fuel the spells. This makes the gamer decide with a little more thought when to use spells and depending on your style this can be either a nice touch or a frustrating endeavor.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 81%.  Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits is a good RPG that may not set the world on fire but it also doesn’t suck, which sometimes is all we can ask of a game…

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