 It's
anybody's guess if this is the conclusion of the
Arc the Lad series. If it is it's going out with
a bang that would rival that of a small firecracker.
It's already losing momentum in Japan where it
was very popular but Sony has now seen fit to
do away with the online servers. Will the same
happen here in North America? How the hell do
I know? I don't even know what I'm having for
supper tonight.
Arc
the Lad: End of Darkness is a continuation of
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits. The series
is a RPG which up until now boasted a unique
storyline with diverse gameplay elements. End
of Darkness realizes that its glory days are
in the past and as such was designed to include
many of the same locations and characters that
appeared in the last game. At least the developers
had the good sense of mind to bring something
new to the table, even though it looks and smells
like roadkill. Hey, isn't it the thought that
counts?
Actually
the thought never counts when it comes to games.
It's reality that matters. I do love the fact
that the battle system should be in real time,
but the execution of it is another story. Instead
of a well developed turn-based system this hack-and-slash
combat system suffers from unresponsive controls
and animation sequences that continue through
the routine even though you are trying to access
a different command. Even when you're not already
committed to a particular move there is a noticeable
delay between command and execution.
It's
five years later and the world appears safe
and sound. Edda is the playable young exorcist
that is in the process of becoming a hunter.
He notices a strange young girl that just doesn't
seem to belong. As he searches for clues he
begins to unravel a new mystery that might shatter
the peacefulness of his world and all of its
kingdoms.
 Edda,
like most of the characters in the series, is
memorable. To give you a connection to the past
you will interact with dozens of your favorite
characters from Twilight and see just what they're
up to five years later. Fans of the series will
find this irresistible. Newcomers will have
little interest in these references but fans
will be rewarded with other surprises. You can
load data from the last game to instantly have
access to certain abilities and items from the
outset. It's not a huge upgrade but it's better
than nothing. Both fans and novices will notice
that the storyline is not as deep as the previous
one. It's very basic and only serves to explain
some of the make-work missions that you'll encounter.
Roaming
from village to village there are fetch quests
that require lots of backtracking. These missions
will help to upgrade you but they do get repetitious
after a few hours. You will receive cards that
you can use to acquire and upgrade weapons,
armors and spells. The game has a very slow
start to it but picks up after a couple of hours.
Don't give up until you spend at least four
hours on it otherwise you're sure to miss out
if you dismiss it too early.
Online
play offers both co-op and Deathmatch modes
which can accommodate up to eight players. The
co-op mode still features hundreds of missions
with plenty of backtracking but the headsets
put a whole new dimension on things. Dungeon
crawling has seldom been more fun. There are
plenty of goodies to collect. The Deathmatch
modes feature teams of four players per side.
Unlike the Japanese version the game doesn't
suffer from lag online.
 There's
not much improvement in the graphics, animation
or sound. Not that Twilight suffered from any
glaring technical issues. It's just too bad
the combat system wasn't more fleshed out.
I
can't say that this game is going to be a hit
but it should keep hardcore RPG fans happy for
a few weeks. It's doubtful that it will spawn
any new recruits.
|
Arc
the Lad: End of Darkness takes place five years
after, yet in the same world as Arc the Lad:
Twilight of the Spirits. Players take the role
of Edda, a young man whose youth is marked by
a “boring island life”. His serenity
is shattered, however, when he meets Kirika,
a rude young woman, on the beach. Shortly after,
Edda tries to help a hunter capture vicious
criminals, but the latter gets killed. Edda
notices Kirika standing nearby, and his suspicions
begin to grow about the mysterious young woman.
Edda who has awakened as a full-fledged exorcist
becomes a hunter himself, and realizing a sense
of responsibility to save the weakened world,
he sets out on a remarkable journey that will
ultimately pit civilization against nature.
The
first real-time action-style battle system in
the Arc the Lad series, Arc the Lad: End of
Darkness delivers remarkable battle intensity
as players perform real-time combat combos,
equip items and cast magic. The series that
has been highly successful in Japan returns
to the US with an improved upgrade and guild
system, all the while a deep storyline unfolds
that brings the return of 24 favorite characters
in the series, each with his or her own unique
weaponry and skills.
