Arc the Lad (video game)
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| Arc the Lad (as part of Arc the Lad Collection) | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | SCEI, G-Craft |
| Publisher(s) |  SCEI Working Designs |
| Series | Arc the Lad |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release date | June 30, 1995 April 18, 2002 |
| Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen |
| Media | 1 CD-ROM (of 6) |
Arc the Lad is a strategy tactical role-playing video game developed by G-Craft for the PlayStation and is the first game in the Arc the Lad series. It was released in 1995 in Japan, and released in North America on April 18, 2002, as part of Arc the Lad Collection. The Japanese released was published by SCEI, while the North American release was published by Working Designs.
The story begins as the young girl Kukuru goes to put out the Flame Cion. At the same time, the hero Arc begins his quest to search for his estranged father, who left him and his mother 10 years ago. The two meet after Kukuru has put out the flame and is attacked by monsters.
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[edit] Gameplay
Arc the Lad is a strategy RPG. In battle, the player has an area where each character may move, much like Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre. The areas the player can move are marked by blue tiles, and when using a melee attack on an enemy, the player can attack an enemy at any side the player can reach, and a cursor will be above the enemy to let the player know that he can attack the enemy. If the player uses magic or special abilities to attack the enemy, there will be a red set of tiles that show the player the range in which the spell or attack will reach. Unlike Final Fantasy Tactics, Arc the Lad is not isometric, therefore all tiles are the same size and shape.
Outside of battle, the character must select given areas on a map to access them. For example, to reach a battlefield, dungeon, or castle, the player will be given a general world map, to which the player will select a continent, then a map of the continent will be displayed. The player then must select a highlighted area to enter it. The game will always prompt the player to save once the player has selected and area to go to. Virtually no towns can be selected in this game. Only dungeons, small areas, and fields may be selected.
Once a player has selected an area, depending on the area chosen, the character may have the ability to explore the entire area. Many areas, however, do not allow for such freedom. Often the player will select an area and this may trigger an event, such as dialogue or battles. Because of this, most of the plot is given through dialogue during events as there are very little NPCs to give information on where the player must go to.
At the very end of the game, the player can save after beating the final boss. This save data is actually cleared save game data that you can use to transport to a new game in Arc the Lad II. All your characters' stats and attributes and items will be transferred over to Arc II.
[edit] Plot and setting
[edit] Plot
A girl named Kukuru is a member of the Sacred Clan in Seirya (スメリア, Sumeria), a clan that protects the Flame Cion. She is sent by the mayor of her town to extinguish this flame, but once she does, a monster, an Ark Ghoul, appears, and Kukuru runs away. Meanwhile, a boy named Arc prepares to look for his father, who has been missing for 10 years. He heads to the Guardian Peak, where Kukuru is. He hears her scream, and runs to assist her. The two defeat two different monsters, and Arc tells Kukuru that he will go to re-ignite the flame. Unfortunately, the Ark Ghoul still remains by the flame, and attacks Arc. As Arc is down, a voice calls him. The voice is a guardian, who tells Arc to re-ignite the flame. The guardian also tells Arc that he will return here to extinguish the flame so that he may retrieve the Ark and protect the world from darkness. The guardian also tells him that Arc's father Yoshua made an agreement with the guardians of the planet that he would not let the human race be destroyed by darkness. Because of this, the guardians have waited for Arc to re-ignite the flame, as it is his destiny to save humankind.
Meanwhile, the Ark Ghoul returns to the Guardian Peak and encounters Kukuru and proceeds to kill her. As he attacks her, Arc ignites the flame, and the Ark Ghoul vanishes.
Days later, the king of Palencia summons Arc after hearing about his abilities. As Arc heads to Palencia, Kukuru decides that it is her destiny to help Arc, and follows him to the castle. When they meet the king, Arc tells the king that the Guardians have blessed him with power, because humankind is on the brink of extinction. The king's minister Andel tests Arc to see if he really is blessed by the Guardians. He sends Arc to Colbo Plains to help the Palencia troops exterminate the monsters in that area. Unfortunately, the troops have all disappeared, and only one soldier, Poco, from the drum corps, remains after hiding from the monsters. However, there are still monsters remaining, and so the two must defeat them.
As Arc returns to the castle to speak with the king, more monsters approach the castle gates, and now the three together must defeat the monsters. After doing so, the king tells Arc that the Ark is to save humankind from perishing, and that his brother believed this story and has disappeared to find the Ark. He tells Arc to go to the Forest Spirit in Toyoke Forest in Millmana to listen to her words. Kukuru pleads for the king to allow her to accompany Arc, and he gives her permission.
In Millmana, the three meet with General Yagun, who tells them the forest has become very dangerous, and he makes them prove their strength by defeating monsters in other areas first. Once the three defeat the monsters and head to the forest, the Forest Spirit tells them that Arc's father had seen her 10 years ago and vowed to protect humankind. The Forest Spirit allowed Arc's father to do so, making Arc the key to saving humankind.
When the three return to Palencia, a warrior is being escorted to a prison for "treason." Arc prepares to tell the king and his minister Andel his report from Millmana, however the king has grown sick and is not present for the report, and Andel cuts the report short once the guards inform him that the warrior has just been imprisoned. The three go to the prison to find out the details of this situation. The warrior, Tosh, breaks out of his cell, and sneaks around the prison, listening to the dialogue among some guards. Angered by their words, he begins to attack the guards, and gets ambushed by several of them as they transform into monsters. Arc, Kukuru, and Poco run to his assistance, and after the battle, Tosh thanks them and leaves.
Arc returns to the king to report his findings in Toyoke Forest and proves that the king's brother is Arc's father. Arc says that he must wait for correspondence from his father to seek out the rest of the Guardians, and so the king tells him that he will help Arc in any way possible.
When the three return to Arc's house, they find the his village Touvil has been attacked and burned, with his mother and the rest of the villagers taken away by Andel. While looking around Arc's house, a courier delivers a message from Arc's father, telling him to find the ancient book in the Ancient Monolith, which will guide him to the Guardians and the Guardians' stones.
At the Monolith, the three enter and must fight an illusion before getting the book. After the illusion is defeated, an old man named Gogen appears and reveals himself to be the "book" that Arc had been told to find. Gogen is a thousands-of-years-old wizard who had been imprisoned in the illusion world for over 3,000 years. He tells Arc that the first Guardian is in Alatos, which is where the letter from Arc's father came from. The four go to the king for transportation to Alatos, and he gives them his airship the Silver Noah. When the party heads to the Silver Noah, Tosh is mourning at his father's grave, when his sword reveals its spirit and speaks to him. It tells him to accompany Arc on his quest and help them any way he can. He runs to the Silver Noah to join them.
In Alatos, the party meets a merchant named Chongara, who was instructed by Yoshua to guide them to the Guardian of Light. First, however, the party must retrieve the Summon Pot for him before he agrees to take them to Azenda Highlands to meet the Guardian of Light. Once they bring him the pot, he takes them to meet the Guardian of Light.
After speaking with the Guardian of Light and getting the Light Stone, Chongara returns to his shop and Gogen tells them the location of the next Guardian in Greyshinne. Chongara runs to the Silver Noah and tells them that he feels he should help them after the Light Guardian's speech to Arc. The six then fly to Greyshinne.
In Greyshinne the party goes to Amaidar Temple (ラマだ寺, Ramada Temple) to speak with the Archmonk so that they may have permission to speak with the Earth Guardian. The Archmonk, however, is a monster in disguise and instruct the monk Iga to deal with Arc and his party and deny them access to the Mt. Amaidar. The party pleads with Iga, until Gogen suggests that he and Arc duel to gain permission to access the mountain. After Arc wins, and Iga and the party speak with the Archmonk. Kukuru senses that the Archmonk is a monster, which then causes the Archmonk to flee into the proving grounds, where they defeat him.
On Mt. Amaidar, the Earth Guardian speaks to the group and gives them the Earth Stone. When they return to the temple, Iga asks them if he may help them in their quest. The party accepts his request, and he tells the monks in Amaidar Temple that he is leaving to help Arc in his journey. Gogen tells them the next place is Niedel, where the Wind Guardian is.
In Niedel, the party hears that a tournament is held where the winner wins a Wind Orb. Believing this is related to the Wind Guardian, one member of the party enlists in the tournament. Once that person wins the tournament, the party discovers that the winners of each tournament are later killed so that they do not get the Wind Orb. The announcer, Rock Roctoll, discovers that Arc has overheard his comment on killing the winners of the tournament, and he turns into a monster. After the group defeats him, the Wind Guardian breaks out of the orb and speaks to them. After his speech, Arc receives the Wind Stone, and now must find the Water Guardian.
The Water Guardian lies in Zariban, a desert land. In Zariban, a member from the Saryu Tribe says Yoshua has requested that he guide the group to the Water Guardian. As he begins to guide him, his village is attacked by Kasadoll, general of Zariban. The party finds monsters lurking there, and must defeat them. After killing the monsters, the party finds the elder of the Saryu Tribe village, who tells him that Kasadoll is after the Water Shrine, which houses the Water Guardian.
At the Water Shrine, the group finds Kasadoll before he enters the shrine. Kasadoll then attacks the group. After defeating him, the group enters the Water Shrine. The Water Guardian appears, and gives them the Water Stone. The final Guardian they must seek is the Fire Guardian. Gogen tells them that he lies underneath Palencia.
When the group returns to Palencia, they learn that now all visitors must be cleared for entry by Andel. The group then sneaks into the castle to the basement, where they find the Fire Guardian held captive under Andel's command. The group follows the scientist to the Fire Guardian, then the scientist attack the group as a monster. After defeating him they free the Fire Guardian, who gives them the Fire Stone.
As the group leave, the scientist activates the self-destruct button in one last breath. The group decides to find the king, who is nearly dead. The king tells them that Andel was sent by Romalia to gain control of Seirya and control the world. He tells him that he is looking for the Ark so that it will bring Romalia great power. He then dies, and the group escapes from the castle.
As they escape, the party discovers that they are now wanted in Seirya. Andel has put a bounty on the group, but the group must return to Seirya to extinguish the Flame Cion. So the group decides to disguise themselves and they head to Guardian Peak Base. Arc and Kukuru extinguish the flame. The Ark Ghoul reappears and flees to the Ark, and Arc and Kukuru chase him. The other party members join them as they reach the entrance and head to Sabatico Falls.
In Sabatico Falls, the group must fight a series of monsters before getting to the Ark. Inside Sabatico Falls, they find the Ark, who tests their power first by having them fight a doppelganger form of the party. After they defeat them, the Ark and the Guardians speak to them, and the Ark gives power to Arc and Kukuru. As the party leaves, Andel appeals and seizes the Ark. Arc and the party escape from Andel's clutches, but as his soldiers chase them, the ground begins to split and the Sabatico Shrine emerges from the ground. Gogen tells them that the shrine has appeared as the seal against the Dark Ones grows weaker. Arc tells Kukuru to find the Sabatico Shrine, which is the last method of protection from the Dark One.
The rest of the party return to the Silver Noah and the set off to somewhere unknown. Kukuru watches them as they fly away, and the game ends.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Setting
This game was intentionally designed to be short.[1] Therefore, in the first game, only the continents of Seirya, Millmana, Alatos, Zariban, and Niedel are accessible. In Arc the Lad II, the towns of these areas, fields, dungeons, etc. are accessible. Also, new continents are accessible in Arc the Lad II. In terms of time, the game begins 10 years after Yoshua's departure, and some years after the opening sequence in Arc the Lad II, but before the actual storyline of Arc II.
[edit] Music
Some tracks were orchestrated pieces, which was a first in RPGs.[1] Most tracks in this game are sequenced as well, though the orchestrated pieces and the ending are streamed.
[edit] North American changes
While the game remains mostly unchanged, and the localization is typical of Working Designs, there were a few additional changes made to this game. The most notable is that the color during movie sequences was changed from 16-bit color to 24-bit color[1] and DualShock vibration support was added. Other changes include Sumeria becoming Seirya[2][3], Ramada becoming Amaidar[2][3], and Alibarsha becoming Zariban[3][4].
[edit] Side quests
This game is noticeably short for an RPG, however, there were a number of side quests available.
- The Forest Spirit will give Arc something when returning to Toyoke Forest after every significant quest event.
- In Amaidar Temple, Arc can take two game-related trivia quizzes. He will receive an item the first time he answers each question correctly.
- In Amaidar Temple, there are 11 battles that can be fought on the Proving Grounds for prizes.
- After the first Niedel tournament, any character may enlist in the tournament again. They will receive prizes for winning 10, 100, 120, 200, and 1000 consecutive battles.
- After the first Niedel tournament, if Chongara has every monster in his monster book, the characters can fight a doppelganger form of themselves in the tournament.
- There are 4 Romancing Stones in the game, which, when all are collected, reduce MP consumption to 1 MP per spell. There are some that can only be collected at specific times.
- The dungeon in Alatos that holds the Summon Pot is actually a 50-floor dungeon. The Summon Pot is on the 5th floor, however it is possible to explore all 50 floors. There is a battle for all 50 floors, and there is not an exit from the 50th floor, making the dungeon very difficult. At the 50th floor lies a boss, Choko, who, if beaten, will join the party as one of Chongara's summons.
- There are two demon summons, Rai-jin and Fu-jin, who are given to you by the Guardians. Despite their names, the Fire Guardian gives you Rai-jin, and the Water Guardian gives you Fu-jin.
- After visiting the Water Shrine, the Water Guardian mentions that he will reward Arc if he can clear out several monsters in the monster areas in Zariban. After so many battles, you can revisit the Water Guardian, and he will reward you with an item.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c This was mentioned in the Working Designs' "Making of Arc the Lad" CD that came with Arc the Lad Collection.
- ^ a b chokota (August 13, 2001). Midori Style Arc the Lad guide. Retrieved on 2006-11-13.
- ^ a b c inky91 (March 03, 2003). inky's Arc the Lad page. Retrieved on 2006-11-13.
- ^ chokota (August 13, 2001). Midori Style Arc the Lad guide. Retrieved on 2006-11-13.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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