Arc the Lad Collection
| Arc the Lad Collection | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Working Designs |
| Series | Arc the Lad |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single Player, Multiplayer |
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 80.77% |
| Metacritic | 78 of 100 |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| EGM | 5.5 of 10 |
| Game Informer | 8.5 of 10 |
| GamePro |   |
| Game Revolution | B− |
| GameSpot | 7.5 of 10 |
| GameZone | 8.5 of 10 |
| IGN | 8.8 of 10 |
| OPM (US) | |
| PSM | 8 of 10 |
| RPGFan | 90% |
| Silicon Mag | 98% |
Arc the Lad Collection is a compilation of the Arc the Lad RPGs for the PlayStation. The games were localized by Working Designs. Plans to localize the games had been fostered by Working Designs since the late 1990s, but the compilation was not released until 2002.
The games form a trilogy with a continuous story throughout each. Although Arc is the primary protagonist, each game features a new lead character. Arc the Lad sets the stage for the next two games and follows Arc and Kukuru as they discover a plot to restore the Dark One. Arc the Lad II introduces Elc, a young Hunter that becomes tangled in the plot and eventually joins the battle against the Dark One. Arc the Lad III features Alec, a young Hunter with a mysterious past.
Each game expands on the previous one. Arc the Lad II features a much larger and less linear world than its predecessor, and it brings back the cast of the first game in addition to featuring a new group of characters. Arc the Lad III features an upgraded graphics system, replacing the sprite backdrops of the first two games with three-dimensional backgrounds.
Each game in the Arc the Lad series, up until Arc the Lad: End of Darkness, uses a turn-based-strategy battle system. Each character or enemy is assigned agility points which determines the order in which they receive their turn in battle. The character or enemy with the next highest agility statistic goes next and so on, until the round is finished and a new round begins. Agility can increase as a character's level increases, can be altered by equipping items, or augmented temporarily with spells and items. When it is a character's turn they may perform several actions. They may move around the battle screen, a grid with various obstacles - how far a character moves depends on their Range statistic. The Range stat is set at the beginning of the game, and cannot increase as a character levels up. It can be increased by equipping certain items and can be decreased by using spells. Characters are able to move up to an enemy by jumping over obstacles, which requires a jump statistic of one, or by jumping over allies and enemies, requiring a jump statistic of two. Once characters have an enemy in range, they can do a number of things. Characters can use a basic attack—how much damage the character's attack deals depends on the character's attack statistic. As a character's experience level increases so does this statistic. Further alterations to statistics are accomplished through the equipping of accessory items. Spells and items can also augment statistics temporarily.
...
Wikipedia