Arc the Lad Twilight of the Spirits

by Sony

Product 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!

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00008W2R8
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches ; 4.8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: May 21, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,229 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

In Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirit, you'll set off on a quest that decides who controls the planet of Deimos -- the humans or the demons!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining story, August 1, 2003

By 

zeuslyone "polymath" (Eugene, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arc the Lad Twilight of the Spirits (Video Game)

I have been interested in this game recently, and I finally gave in and bought it. It is well worth every penny. I have been a major RPG fan for years, and this one is high on my list now. I think the most powerful and recommendable part about this game is its story. It is a story that is TRULY epic. I remember thinking to myself at one point that the plot twists in this game seem more like something from Shakespeare or mythology than the standard, run of the mill RPG. The issues of racism, hate, and prejudice are all handled so well in this game, and it makes the characters much more interesting than just powerful heroes. The story is also very seldomly predictable. I like this a lot because some recent RPGs have been so easy to predict, like FFX. With a couple of thoughts, about 90% of the storyline could be foreseen after reaching only about the half-way point of the game. I think that this RPG does not fall to this error at all.

Also, I really like the battle system in this game. It is really similar to FF Tactics. The style is move around and attack. It keeps the turn based style a lot more interesting than usual. It is a definitely refreshing change.

I also loved the music and graphics in this game. It is completely stunning.

The only drawback is that there are no side-quests (unless you want to fight in arenas to unlock secret characters, which there are two of), but the story runs so smoothly that they really aren't necessary.

I hope that many of you will buy this game and enjoy it as I have.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable RPG romp, June 23, 2003

By 

E. Harris (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arc the Lad Twilight of the Spirits (Video Game)

Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits is a Strategy RPG simular to games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Shining Force, and Ogre Battle. Not a standard RPG like a Final Fantasy X, Suikoden, and so on. Let's get to the review.

The story is well told with solid voice acting, and an intersting plot. You plays as one of two brothers as main characters, switching between their stories before they eventually meet up. But their very gathering could cause great disaster. Added to the two brothers are 12 other main playable characters who can take place in battle with you.

Battle takes place on detailed hand drawn locations and instead of an old fashioned grid movement system you are alowed total analog freedom of movement (within your characters max walking distance) before you can attack an enemy. The game rewards you hard earned time with some fantastic full screen magic spells. Ice meteors, flame swirling everywhere, even a selection of summon beasts. The characters vary from human swordsmen, archers, and even some cool looking demon people.

I think that the games highest praise goes to it's music. It sounds very proffesionally composed and has a very celtic feel. Flute and bagpipes along with standard RPG fanfar themes. Overall, I am really looking foward to this game. It seems to be a very solid Japanesse RPG with it's share of good cinematic scenes, character developement, and eye poping spells. For the price tag, it's worth it, go for it!!

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Little Long Winded, December 15, 2003

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Arc the Lad Twilight of the Spirits (Video Game)

On a world that depends on magical energy for it's motive power two races vie for control of the scarce source of that power - spirit stones. Humans seek them out to run their maachines, and the Deimos, or demons, seek them because their very nature is magical. Children of a rare Deimos/Human relationship two brothers who were seperated at birth are drawn into a web of conflict that makes them mortal enemies - each raised by a different race, each sworn to defend their own by killing the opposite. Kharg and Darc are their names and this is the story of how they discovered that there are even worse enemies out to destroy them both.

The game is a standard RPG in format, but shifts the player back and forth between Darc's demon quest abd Kharg's human one. As the game builds the player can select characters for battles, and chose how individuals will develop skills. The plot meanders back and forth across the face of the world in carefully orchestrated fashion, the only variable being how many random conflicts one finds. You need a large number of these, since money and spirit stones are extremely scarce commodities. So hard to find that their acquisition will become the primary fixation of the game.

The reason for this is that you have to stop fighting and actually pick up your winnings during the battle, rather than receive a lump sum payment. As a player who likes to acquire new weapons and skills, I found this irritating - too often you leave a titanic struggle with almost nothing to show for it. The other big flaw in the game is that it is completely linear. The game makes sure that you always do the right thing in the right order, which limits its replayability. Many people are comfortable with this kind of game, but I find that, once you taste freedom, you don't want to head pack.

But most of my issues with Arc the Lad have to do with playing it right after playing Final Fantasy X-2. The result is that I became acutely aware of it's shortcomings. Of course, FFX-2 was created to be an extravaganza, and Arc the Lad was developed to be something less - just another decent, playable RPG. Thus the plot, which is really adequate for an RPG, comes of as glaringly tepid and character development seems sketchy and archetypical. Yet, had I played this a year ago I would have liked it much more. In any case, Arc the Lad is quite playable, even if it fails to meet the compelling quality of some of the releases of the past few years.