Arc -Twilight of the Spirits

Those who know me well are well aware that I am utterly addicted to Japanse RPGs. Wild Arms, Grandia, Skies of Arcadia, Suikoden, Zelda, Shadow Hearts, Jade Cocoon, Kingdom Hearts... You name it and I've played it. Hell, I even work as a lead designer on such a game, so there probably is no hope for me. In fact I find myself having withdrawal pains if I don't have a game with a world to save on my PS2 all the time. My current fix is Arc -the Twilight of the Spirits.

This game might not not have the best graphics I've ever seen, nor the slickest battle engine, or the best voice acting. But it has something better: a good story.

By far the best feature of Arc is the way the story is structured. You have two main characters, first one being Kharg, your typical young, noble human swordsman, who is determined to save the world from being overrun by monsters. He has a supporting cast of a beautiful she-warrior, young thief, and a hugely powerful mercenary -as standard set of characters as you are likely to see in a game like this. But there is a reason for these cliches, for they act as a comparison point to the second main character, Darc.

Darc, your second main character, is an ex-slave and member of the Deimos race of monsters. He dreams of unifying the all the monstrous races and eradicating all humans. Darc gets to witness first-hand the destruction the humans bring to the world of Deimos and together with a motley crew of monsters (including a she-orc whose only mission in life is to slay Darc) he sets about to dominate the world with sheer ambition.

You play the game chapter by chapter, seeing the same events through the eyes of both Darc and Kharg, and the game subtly manipulates your symphaties depending who you are playing. You get attached to both of your adventurer groups, and yet you know that eventually they will have to face each other in battle.

Kolibri always berates me of slaying all the monsters I meet in my games, explaining to me patiently that Orcs and such are simply living in peace at their homes and then my party of adventurers turns up, and rips them to shreds for no apparent reason except the eternal thirst for Experience points and gold coins. Hammering this point home is the main focus of the game.

Sure Arc is guilty of all the usual sins of the Japanese RPGs: it is overly sentimental, full of random battles, turn based and probably impenetrable to a casual gamer, but I don't care: If you don't like console RPGs, this game will not change your mind. But if you are a self-confessed Japanese RPG addict like me, give it a shot. It may not be a classic like Suikoden, but it is damn good.

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