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Video Games: Arc the Lad Twilight of the Spirits
Date: Wednesday, 07 January, 2009 :: 11:38
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Arc the Lad Twilight of the Spirits
Brand: Sony
List Price: USD $19.99
Price: USD $5.69
Product Group: videogames
Manufacturer: Sony Computer Entertainment
Model: P2SNY 711719723127
Release Date: 2003-05-21
Studio: Sony Computer Entertainment
Features:
- Start off as Kharg, expert swordsman and royal scion, and learn how his destiny is intertwined with a half-demon boy named Darc on the other side of the world
- In a unique twist, you'll get to play either side of the conflict -- fight for the human or demonic side, then unravel the mysteries behind their forgotten links
- Engage in the quest from town to dungeon to town, as you accumulate the magic power you need to uncover the spirit stones
- Use your combination of arcade-style combos and strategy to face off against monsters and beasts of all types
- An incredible storyline combined with vivid graphics bring a legend to life in the latest Arc The Lad game!
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Editorial Review:
Array
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Reviews:
Average Customer Review: 
Summary: WAAAAAAAY too short!!!!!
Date: 2008-12-12 - 
Comment: OMG (and I'm not someone who does a lot of OMGs), this has to be one of the greatest stories EVER. I was absolutely astonished at how much they could pack into such a short game (about 70 hrs for me), and was thoroughly disappointed when it was over, even though it took me a week to figure out how to beat the final boss.
A++ for character development; this is probably one of the greatest triumphs of this game, and one of the greatest examples of such I have seen in any story in any medium. Each of the ten main characters begins in a very set niche, and as the story progresses, each experiences situations which gradually transform them into more emotionally complex people than they had been previously. Every single character has to rethink his or her own ideology in order to work towards their final goal, and all must cooperate with those whom they have great personal grievances against (with the exception of Bebedora and Maru). The concept is so ingrained in the story that a handful of battles are even centered around it, and at times I had difficulty deciding who to root for. (I personally happened to prefer Darc's side of the story by far, but there were things that fascinated me about all the human characters as well, particularly Maru and Ganz). The plot was also completely unpredictable; I had no idea where it was going to end until we reached the last area, and I had had a completely perfect theory about Tatjiana that was completely blasted out of the water when the time came. The duality of the story contributed greatly to the entertainment as well--watching either side gradually discover things about the other that I already knew was particularly exciting--I quite often said aloud, "Ooh, I can't wait to see what happens when X finds out that Y did Z thing!" etc. The dialogue was also very, very realistic and flowed beautifully compared to some RPGs I've played. The music was fantastic, too--I had just finished playing Star Ocean 3 (another A game!) when I started this one, and a few minutes after turning it on I already wished that SO3 had had a little more of the great musical depth present in Arc the Lad. The songs were easy to listen to repetitively, and I particularly liked the battle theme with the bagpipes experienced by the Deimos party. There are no blatantly annoying characters in this game either, and even the ones I liked the least were only less likeable for their personality traits, and not inconsistencies created by the programmers.
If there was anything at all that disappointed me about this game, it was that only part of the dialogue was done with voice acting, and of course the lack of length. I could honestly have played this game for hundreds more hours if it were possible.
Do not be put off by any negative reviews of this game, or of its sequel (which I haven't played). Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits is an absolutely fantastic triumph, and I will definitely play this game over and over again.
Summary: Absolutely a nice game
Date: 2008-02-19 -
Comment: This is definitively not the best RPG game, but for certain one of the best, I really like this game except for Arc The Lad - End of Darkness, they shouldn't have done that crap, in the other hand, there is an interesting series of this game, i'd like to have all the PS1 Arc the Lad but the collection is kinda expensive :-S
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Summary: An Extremely Average RPG
Date: 2008-01-19 - 
Comment: This review was written by my son, James Shea.
The first incarnation of the AtL series on the PS2, Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits is a tactical RPG, though more the latter than the former.
The game follows two viewpoints: that of Kharg, a human prince, and Darc, a Deimos (monstrous humanoid) slave. The two must unite to fight off a powerful army that seeks to capture the five elemental stones and gain ultimate power. The plot is, as it sounds, fairly cookie-cutter, and there isn't a huge amount of character development or really deep storyline. It's certainly not enough to support the gameplay. There are several attempts at "messages" - the splintering between the Deimos and the Humans as a metaphor for racism being the main one - but as a whole these are shallow.
The gameplay is "tactical", in a way, though the numbers of your party aren't as high as would be expected in such a system. Similar to Phantom Brave, each character has a radius that they can move in. Walking within range of an enemy allows you to attack them. Different weapons have different ranges, and certain skills also have longer ranges. Positioning for combination attacks becomes important.
The graphics are decent, and reasonable for a PS2 game of the time, but for the most part the character designs are uninspired. Every part of the character costumes and design seems to be stylistically taken from some other RPG, and none of them stand out in any way. The music is similarly generic; no particular piece stands out. This game is so remarkably average that it is unbelievable.
As a whole this game isn't excellent in many ways. It is simply another one of the seeming thousands of PS2 fantasy RPGs, and it doesn't add anything major or important to the formula that would be worth discussing.
Rating: 6/10.
Summary: Pretty Good
Date: 2008-01-17 -
Comment: It was quite interesting. As you play it tells you 2 different stories: one of a human and the other as a demon. I enjoyed playing it! It's pretty good!
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Summary: All Glam and No Substance
Date: 2007-07-25 - 
Comment: I have never written a review before, but I feel that I must warn off anyone thinking of getting this game before they waste 30-40 hours of their life. This is one of the least enjoyable games I have ever played. The worst thing about this game is that it is just intersting enough to keep you playing, while never giving any real satisfaction from the experience. The voice acting is absolutely terrible, the characters personalities seem to come right out of some cheesy teen flick, and the endless battles quickly become tedious. There are NO NEW ARMOR OR WEAPONS in the game, period. They try to make up for this lack with some lame weapon upgrades, such as a damiond coating, that must be equipped to improve each characters attack power. Really, how do you apply a daimond coating to a sword? There are barely any treasure chests at all to find in this game, and most just have spirit stones and the same items you buy in the shops. The game is super easy until the final boss, whom I had to spend hours leveling up to defeat. Finally, the story could have been interesting if the dialouge between the humans and deimos had not been so completely unbelievable and two-dimensional. Any comparisons between this game and Shining Force or Final Fantasy Tactics are purely aesthetical, as those two games are some of my favorites of all time. In any area other than graphics this game falls far short of those two. Apparently gaming companies these days are under the impression that some pretty graphics and a bunch of animated cut scenes make a great game. Sounds kind of like Hollywood.
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Accessories:
PlayStation: The Official Magazine (1-year)
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Play
Tips & Tricks Magazine
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Arc the Lad: End of Darkness
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