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Take a group of pre-teen and teenage adventurers, task them with saving the world, add dozens of hours of gameplay, but subtract significant press or mainstream attention and what do you have? Arc the Lad, a very well made but minimally publicized series originally released in Japan that silently landed on game shelves in a large collection by Working Designs for the PlayStation. Centering on a group of kids that utilized the powers of the elements, the epic storyline ranged across six CDs and followed the band of characters as they grew up, gained new powers and abilities, and became heroes. Hoping to bring the series the recognition it rightly deserves, SCEA is releasing Arc The Lad: Twilight of the Spirits for the PS2.
 
Unlike true sequels, Twilight of the Spirits takes place more than a millennium after Arc The Lad III. The elemental spirits that once populated the world have disappeared after an evil ruler managed to enslave all of them. A group of warriors, along with a few liberated spirits, struggled against the forces of the malevolent leader and finally succeeded in trapping him in a specially designed prison. Of course, evil doesn’t stay down for long, and the unnamed monarch manages to escape and terrorize the land all over again. Only with the prophesied arrival of two champions, a hero and a healer could the forces of good triumph over evil. However, the price of victory was high, as all the elemental spirits in the world disappeared, never to be seen again. In their place, however, came the Deimos, fierce monsters and creatures that sought the destruction of all humanity. After years of bloodshed, an uneasy truce was finally settled between both races that allowed them to live in relative peace.  
Players take on the role of Kharg, a young teenager of “royal” blood. With monarchies abolished because of the truce with the Deimos, ruling families have become stewards of individual cities. As a brash, overeager member of the Civic Defense Corps of Yewbell, Kharg yearns to adventure outside of his city’s walls, protecting his citizens while killing off monsters. Naturally, the leader of the Defense Corps and his mother have other plans for the ambitious wannabe hero, most of which don’t involve action of any kind. Like most teens, Kharg rebels against their wishes, sneaking outside of the city walls and performing “tasks” related to the city’s “safety.” Along with his childhood friend (and protector) Paulette, Kharg accomplishes tasks such as rescuing an imperiled explorer and stopping a rampaging “monster” stealing from Yewbell’s citizens. I won’t spoil any of the significant plot points of the game, but a majority of it is enveloped by the numerous battles that Kharg and his party get embroiled in. Like most RPG’s, Twilight of the Spirits battle system is turn based. However, instead of basic button presses and simple menus, Twilight hosts a little more action based around the area and range of attack available to each character. Characters can run around the battlefield during their turn, attacking enemies from any side provided they’re in the attack range of their weapon, which can provide extra damage to successful hits. Those hits, in turn, power up a gauge, which can then be triggered to unleash joint attacks with other party members. Twilight’s battle system also solves the constant RPG struggle for bigger and better equipment with the Parts system, an augmentative process to your party’s gear. Recognizing that certain characters get attached to specific weapons, Twilight allows players to upgrade your weapons with items, giving them different properties and abilities.
 
Probably the most interesting facet about Twilight of the Spirits’ battle system is the fact that the characters talk smack during fights. That’s right, Kharg and his friends will cheer when they score deadly hits and razz enemies that miss with attacks. They’ll even have running dialogs during joint attacks before laying down the law on some poor monster. Here’s the surprise though: the voice acting isn’t bad at all. Along with plenty of 3D cutscenes that move the plot along instead of bogging the story down with meaningless information, Twilight of the Sprits also hosts detailed 3D models for characters and some eye-catching visual effects. Heroes ready to get their adventure on should head to stores, as Arc The Lad: Twilight of the Spirits hits shelves today. We’ll have a full review up soon!
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