Arc the Lad

This article is about the video game series. For the first game in the series, seeArc the Lad (video game).

Arc the Lad
Genre(s)	Tactical role-playing
Developer(s)	G-Craft ARC Entertainment TOSE Cattle Call AltPlus
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment Working Designs Bandai Namco ForwardWorks
Creator(s)	Toshiro Tsuchida
Platform(s)	PlayStation,WonderSwan Color,PlayStation 2,Android,iOS
First release	Arc the Lad June 30, 1995
Latest release	Arc the Lad R August 25, 2018

Arc the Lad(アークザラッド,Āku za raddo)is a series oftactical role-playinggames created byToshiro Tsuchidaand published bySony Interactive Entertainment.EachArc the Ladgame often features recurring characters and locations, as well as a consistent timeline. Most of the stories in the series involves a cast of characters battling against the forces of an evil organization or empire, with monsters attacking the world alongside them. The series features a similar strategy-like battle system, which all games exceptArc the Lad: End of Darknessfollow.

The series began with the release ofArc the Ladin 1995 exclusively for thePlayStation,followed up by asequela year later. Alongside seven other released games after II, theArc the Ladseries has also branched into other media such asmanga,anime,andnovels.

Though the series enjoyed huge success in Japan, often regarded as a staple RPG of its generation in the region, Western sales and overall knowledge of the series are low due to its obscurity. This is due to the first threeArc the Ladgames not being released outside of Japan until theArc the Lad Collectionwas released byWorking Designsin 2002, which was followed byTwilight of the Spiritsin 2003 andEnd of Darknessin 2005.

Games

Release timeline

1995	Arc the Lad
1996	Arc the Lad II
1997	Monster Game with Casino Game
1998
1999	Arc the Lad III
2000–2001
2002	Collection
	Kishin Fukkatsu
2003	Twilight of the Spirits
2004	End of Darkness
2005–2017
2018	Arc the Lad R

Arc the Ladwas developed byG-Craftand published by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on June 30, 1995. Notable for being the first game to feature an orchestral soundtrack, Arc the Lad featurestactical role-playing gamebattle elements that combines both tactics and traditional role-playing game elements, which would become a staple for the series.In this first installment, the lead protagonist, Arc, sets off from his small town of Touvil after he learns about a plot involving the destruction of the world during his quest to discover what happened to his missing father 10 years prior to the game's events. During his travels, Arc gathers a band of six other allies: Kukuru, Poco, Gogen, Tosh, Chongara, and Iga, all of whom would go on to appear in later games.

Arc the Lad II,developed by ARC Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, was released in Japan on November 1, 1996, and was re-released twice under Sony's 'The Best' brand. Arc the Lad II continues to use the tactical battle format seen in the previous game, this time featuring much more complex mechanics than its predecessor that include leveling systems for weapons and armor for both playable characters and enemies, a redesigned battle system, a more interactive world map including explorable towns, and a longer game length.A new feature to the game is the Hunter's Guild, which allow the player to take jobs as side quests. Also, for the first time in any game, Arc the Lad II also has the ability to transfer save data from the original Arc the Lad, allowing the player to carry the same levels they had on their party members in the original game. In this sequel, Elc, a young hunter who is the last person from a tribe of firecasters, is joined by a new cast of allies in his own quest against the evil corrupt Empire of Romalia, revealed to be the one involved with the plot to destroy the world. Harboring hatred towards Arc for most of his life due to believing he was involved in the massacre that decimated his village, Elc soon learns that he and Arc's destiny are closely intertwined, and them and their allies join forces to take down Romalia and its Four Generals together.

Arc the Lad: Monster Game with Casino Game,developed by ARC Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, was released in Japan on July 31, 1997, and was re-released twice,first as part ofArc the Lad Collection(where it was known asArc Arena: Monster Tournament), and again when it was released on the JapanesePlayStation Storeas aPSone Classicon December 12, 2007.This spinoff for Arc the Lad II consists of theMonster Gameallowing the player to raise up the stats of recruitable Monsters gathered in Arc the Lad II, as well as the stats of the playable characters by pitting them in fighting arenas, and theCasino Game,an unrelated set of gambling minigames featuring Chongara, who runs his own Casino House in the hopes of finding a gambling champion. So far, theCasino Gameis the only Arc the Lad game that has yet to be translated into English.

Arc the Lad III,developed by ARC Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, was the final Arc game for thePlayStationand was released on October 28, 1999. It was the only PlayStation Arc the Lad game to be on two discs. Similarly to the first two games, this Arc the Lad title uses tactical battles and basic RPG elements based on the one from Arc the Lad II.The explorable maps of Arc the Lad II also return. However, unlike the first two games, Arc the Lad III is strictly job-driven; with the story only progressing as the player takes and completes jobs from the Hunter's Guild. Taking place three years after Arc the Lad II, this final entry to the original PlayStation titles follows a young boy named Alec, a survivor of the Great Disaster that occurred during the ending of Arc the Lad II. After a hunter saved his life, Alec determines that he wishes to become a hunter, and once he becomes of age, he sets off from his small village with his best friend, Lutz, only to encounter a large plot involving a new, corrupt establishment known as The Academy. Like in Arc the Lad II, characters from previous games make cameo appearances and occasionally fight alongside Alec.

In the US,Working DesignspublishedArc the Lad I,II,IIIandMonster Tournamentas part of a compilation of Arc games (Arc the Lad Collection) on April 18, 2002 in North America. The collection as a whole received mainly positive reception.

Arc the Lad: Kishin Fukkatsu(アークザラッド: Cơ thần phục hoạt(Arc the Lad: Resurrection of the Machine God)is aWonderswan Colorgame developed byBandaiand released in 2002 in Japan.Set after Arc the Lad III, this game features similar combat and gameplay to the previous installments. In this spinoff, Elc returns as the main character alongside a mysterious girl named Finia, who was sent from the future to his time due to a hostile robot takeover that occurred in her time. Finia, Elc, and several of Elc's friends return once again to save humanity from the robots that have now begun to travel to the past.While this title was only released in Japan, a fan translation is currently in the works.

Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spiritsis the firstPlayStation 2game in the Arc the Lad series, and the first 3D game in the series. It was developed byCattle Call,published by Sony Computer Entertainment and was released in Japan on March 20, 2003 and in North America on June 25 of the same year bySony Computer Entertainment America.This was also the only Arc the Lad game to date to come out in Europe, released bySony Computer Entertainment Europethe following year. Set 1,000 years after Arc the Lad III,Twilight of the Spiritstakes place in the same world amid striving tensions between humans and a new race of humanoid monsters known as Deimos ( ma tộc,(Mazoku,lit. Demon Clanin the original Japanese version).The game follows an intersecting storyline involving a pair of hybrid human and Deimos twins named Kharg and Darc, who set out on a journey to collect five magical stones for their own ambitions and for the future of their retrospective races, all while trying to take down the autocratic Empire of Dilzweld who longs for those very same stones and a mysterious girl who carries one of the stones. Twilight of the Spirits redos the original grid based battle system in favor of allowing characters to move freely in circular ranges across fields during combat.

Arc the Lad: End of Darknessis the second Arc the Lad game to be released on the PS2. Developed by Cattle Call and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, the game was released in Japan on November 3, 2004.Namcothen published the game for its North American release.Taking place five years after Twilight of the Spirits,End of Darknessfollows an exorcist named Edda who becomes a hunter and has to defeat a group of monsters called Malademons, who can only be destroyed with his exorcist powers. While previous gameplay elements such as the Hunter's Guild and Synthesis returns, this game does not follow the tactical style of the previous games, instead usingaction RPGbased combat. This game also has the distinction of being the first crossover in theArc the Ladseries, allowing players to play as select characters from the original PlayStation trilogy, as well all playable characters fromTwilight of the Spirits.

Arc the Lad R(アークザラッドR)is the latest Arc game, released on August 25, 2018 foriOSandAndroidin Japan, later getting a Chinese localization by Boltrend Games in 2019, with the company announcing an English localization in 2020 andreleasedon May 11, 2021. Developed byAltPlusand published by ForwardWorks, Sony's mobile gaming division, Arc the Lad R was developed by many key members of the first two Arc the Lad games, including creator Toshiro Tsuchida, world planner Hiroshi Hayashi, character artist Ryuichi Kunisue, graphic and field artist Eiji Koyama, and composerMasahiro Andoh.It returns to the tactical grid-based gameplay of the original trilogy while including a newgachabased system to obtain characters. Taking place 10 years after the events of Arc the Lad II in a new timeline (Retconning the series after Arc the Lad II, however, characters from III appear in R), Arc the Lad R follows two new protagonists named Halt and Mizuha, who attempt to stop the Empire of Aldia from taking Mizuha for unknown purposes, as well as the Divine Beasts, monsters which threaten the world as society currently tries to rebuild from the events of the Great Disaster caused during the ending of Arc the Lad II.On April 26, 2021, it was announced that the Japanese servers forArc the Lad Rwas going to be discontinued on June 30, 2021,however, existing players are still able to play the game via an offline-only update offered on the day of the server's shutdown. The English servers would later shutdown on June 14, 2022, with no offline version offered.

Development

When theArcgames were originally released in Japan years before a North American release, SCEA hardly considered bringing them to the U.S., thinking that therole-playing video gamemarket was not an important one.Working Designs, then known in the U.S. for publishing RPGs, actually tried to licenseArc the Lad,but Sony of America turned them down. Years later, SCEA came under new management, and with the popularity of other RPGs likeFinal Fantasy VII,Working Designs was able to publish all three games at once with the Japanese release ofArc the Lad III.

Arc the Lad Collectionwas released in 2002 and boasted four separate games--Arc the Lad I, II, IIIandMonster Arena,a side-game that allows players to take captured monsters fromArc the Lad IIand use them in combat. The collection also featured a making-of CD, DualShock controller thumb pads, a memory card holder, character standees, a hardcover instruction booklet, and a glossy box (omakebox) to hold it all.

Reception

Each of theArcgames has received decent reception.Arc the Lad Collectionhas an 80.77% on GameRankings.The compilation is often praised for its ambitious packaging and game content, which could last over 150 hours.When the collection was released, the first two games' graphics seemed a bit outdated,although some critics find the graphics acceptable. Critics mostly agree that the take on tactical battles was refreshing because the battles are generally fast-paced.Although the first game in the series is much shorter than the other two, it is believed to be only a prologue to the second game.

Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spiritsreceived similar reviews. It has a 75% on GameRankings.com.Arc the Lad: End of Darkness,the secondArcgame for the PS2, is generally rated much lower than the other games, receiving a 57% on GameRankings.com.

As of 2018, the series has sold over 3.7 million copies worldwide.

Anime

Arc the Lad
Promotional image distributed by Bee Train
アークザラッド (Ākuzaraddo)
Genre	Action,Fantasy,Science fiction
Anime television series
Directed by	Itsuro Kawasaki
Written by	Akemi Omode
Music by	Michiru Oshima
Studio	Bee Train
Licensed by	NA:ADV Films
Original network	WOWOW
English network	NA:Anime Network
Original run	April 5, 1999–October 11, 1999
Episodes	26
Manga
Arc the Lad 2
Written by	Kaoru Fujinaga
Published by	Enix
Magazine	Monthly Shōnen Gyaguou
Original run	June 1997–April 1999
Volumes	4
Manga
Arc the Lad 2 Honoo no Eruku
Written by	Hideaki Nishikawa
Published by	Enix
Magazine	Monthly Shōnen Gangan
Original run	1998–2001
Volumes	10
Light novel
Arc the Lad 2 Honoo no Eruku Sevenfold Stories
Written by	Hideaki Nishikawa
Published by	Enix
Magazine	Monthly Gangan Wing
Published	August 2000

TheArc the Ladanimeadaptation was produced byBee Trainand directed byItsuro Kawasaki.The series ran on Japan'sWOWOWsatellite network for 26 episodes from April 5, 1999, to October 11, 1999as part of theAnime Complexomnibus series. ANorth Americanrelease was produced byADV Filmsand aired on theAnime Network.

Plot

Arc the Lad loosely follows the story ofArc the Lad II,notably introducing new characters and settings and omitting others from the original games. Like the game, the anime follows a young man named Elc, the last member of a tribe of firecasters who were all massacred by the Empire of Romaila, who secretly controls the world and produces powerful monstrous (sometimes human) creations known as Chimera. After a hunter mission that goes haywire, Elc gets caught up in a major conflict when he rescues a young female beast tamer named Lieza and her pet wolf, Paundit, not realizing that Lieza is currently being hunted by Romalia.

Simutaniously, the anime also follows Arc and his allies, who are in an ongoing war with Romalia as Kukuru attempts her best to subdue the power of darkness within the Sabatico Shrine, which Romalia seeks. At the core of the conflict is a man named Clive, who seeks a bigger interest in Lieza as its soon realized that she may be the key to get closer to the five Great Spirits of the world.

Episode list

#	Title	Original air date
1	"The Boy with a Flame"	April 5, 1999(1999-04-05)
2	"Beginning of the Destiny"	April 12, 1999(1999-04-12)
3	"Feeling in the Rain"	April 19, 1999(1999-04-19)
4	"Pale Goddess"	April 26, 1999(1999-04-26)
5	"The Criminals"	May 3, 1999(1999-05-03)
6	"Beyond the Sound of Waves"	May 10, 1999(1999-05-10)
7	"Ancient Guardian"	May 17, 1999(1999-05-17)
8	"Runaway"	May 24, 1999(1999-05-24)
9	"Friend Who Was Left Behind"	May 31, 1999(1999-05-31)
10	"The Crusade With No Name"	June 7, 1999(1999-06-07)
11	"Lonely Brave Man"	June 14, 1999(1999-06-14)
12	"White House"	June 21, 1999(1999-06-21)
13	"Smiling Holy Mother"	June 28, 1999(1999-06-28)
14	"Shrine Maiden of the Spirit"	July 5, 1999(1999-07-05)
15	"Blaze has Stood"	July 12, 1999(1999-07-12)
16	"Reconquer"	July 19, 1999(1999-07-19)
17	"Scarlet Castle"	July 26, 1999(1999-07-26)
18	"Chimera Tower"	August 2, 1999(1999-08-02)
19	"Confrontation of Two Great Men"	August 23, 1999(1999-08-23)
20	"Meet Again"	August 30, 1999(1999-08-30)
21	"The Place Where the Truth Is"	September 6, 1999(1999-09-06)
22	"Hiding in the Shadows"	September 13, 1999(1999-09-13)
23	"Frozen Eyes"	September 20, 1999(1999-09-20)
24	"Quickening of the Darkness"	September 27, 1999(1999-09-27)
25	"Holy Arc"	October 4, 1999(1999-10-04)
26	"Shining Boy"	October 11, 1999(1999-10-11)

Music

The opening theme for the anime series wasArc the Lad Main ThemebyMasahiro Andoh.Two ending themes were sung byNiNa:Happy Tomorrow(episodes 01–12, 26) andRest in Peace(episodes 13–26).

See also

• List of Japanese role-playing game franchises

External links

• Arc the LadatMobyGames
• Arc the Lad(anime) atAnime News Network's encyclopedia