"By far, the weakest and most insulting installment of Arc the Lad and simply put, a mediocre game"

Arc the Lad Collection, released by Working Designs a few years ago, was one of the most anticipated RPG collection releases ever. Sure, it was delayed to the point of absurdity and ridiculousness, but still, in the end it satisfied. With witty writing, a fun and absorbing atmosphere, as well as a fun battle system and likeable characters, it was liked by most who played it. Many were glad to have paid the rather hefty price, and didn't mind the delays as they were well worth it.

Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits, however, is a regression of the previous three games in nearly all areas. Developed by Cattle Call, the people responsible for Tsunugai: Atonement, one of the PlayStation2's most disappointing RPGs, it appears that along with the aging of things comes both evolution and devolution. Let's get started.

The graphics are simply put, beautiful. The character's facial expressions are very realistic and detailed. The detail on Kharg's face is good to the point where he resembles the face of Tidus from Final Fantasy X. Whether it's simply ripping off of Square or merely a coincidence, it can't be denied that the facial features are very well done. The environments, enemy designs, and face portraits are also great.

The music also has seemed to evolve. Most of the music contains some rock, but it's good rock. They also make excellent use of jagpipes. Masahiro Andoh once again displays immense mastery of his craft.

Unfortunately, it quickly goes down from there.

The game's story starts off good, but quickly degenerates. Taking place about a thousand years after the original Arc the Lad games, the world is now populated by not only humans but also Deimos: monstrous humanoids that appeared sometime after the conflicts that Arc the Lad II and Arc the Lad III that nearly destroyed the world. Spirit
Stones, new to the Arc the Lad world, appeared shortly after the end of Arc the Lad III. Humanity found uses for these stones by using them to power their machines, as nearly all of civilization was wiped out. Deimos, on the other hand, needed Spirit Stones to use their magic powers and also to maintain their life-span. Of course, humanity hated the Deimos, labeling them freaks and monsters as such, as is typical of humanity, and as a result of the growing conflicts, the areas to live in were split between the humans and the Deimos.

The game's two main characters are Kharg and Darc, two brother, one being a human and the other a Deimos, respectively. As you might expect from playing on different viewpoints, there are definitely racial issues and the storyline would reek of dictotomy. But unfortunately, as fate (or an amateur writer) would have it, the racial issues in this game are very poorly planned. Without spoiling anything, I will say that the humans oppress the Deimos relentlessly. You can probably assume then, that the game wants you to feel sorry for the Deimos.

But here is where things get dicey. As you progress farther through the game, you'll witness more of the Deimos culture, and their way of life, and believe me, when you see how savage, primitive, and barbaric they are, you'll start to think that they deserve to be oppressed. Therefore, the whole racial issue part of the story is a joke, as the Deimos, the race you're supposed to feel sorry for, are in fact, barbaric murderers who attack human cities without any provocation whatsoever.

That leaves the human part of the storyline, led by Kharg. Unfortunately, things aren't any better here, either. Kharg's storyline is pretty much your typical and standard RPG fare. The Dilzweld Empire has begun to steal the Great Spirit Stones (aka the Power Stones from Arc the Lad Collection) and is using them to make their army nigh invincible as they plan to conquer the world. This wouldn't be so bad if the humans were likeable, but sadly, they lack the witty and likeable dialogue that actually gave the Deimos characters their own distinct personalities.

So, with the racial issues out of your mind, how does the story itself stack up on it's on? I'm sorry, this game's storyline is more like half of a storyline. It's like buying a book with half of the pages completely blank and the other half filled with rich, descriptive adjectives, as well as gripping, powerful protagonists and antagonists. That's the perfect analogy to compare the human storyline to the Deimos storyline. Where the human storyline is bland and generic, the Deimos storyline is gripping, unique, and powerful. Where the human characters lack personalities and development, the Deimos characters will blow you away with their likeable dialogue and personalities.

Yes, the Deimos story is that good. Kharg is a normal human who lives his life as a prince and fights to defend the world he loves from the evil Dilzweld Empire and the nearby Deimos settlements. On the other hand, Darc is a Deimos, human half-breed, and also a slave who literally gets whipped by his captor every day. He doesn't go against her, as she saved his life when he was child on the streets, but the life she gave him was unfortunately, a life of slavery. He's extremely compassionate, and caring, and also, at first, a bit of a pushover. But the rate in which he develops is astounding, and it's also grippingly realistic too. His character is also very complex, as despite his desire to adapt to the Deimos society and kill all those who oppose him, his human nature prevents him from doing so. The rest of the Deimos characters certainly aren't as complex as him, but they still contain likeable personalities and fun dialogue.

The gameplay is good, but gets very repetitive. It is very similar to Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter, in that the whole tile-based combat is gone, but sadly, the characters you will level up very quickly will speed up past the more useless characters, and when you try to level up your weaker characters, it will be very time-consuming and boring, as for the most part, your strong characters can pretty much take care of everything. This was a huge flaw in the original Arc the Lad, as characters you used more had a tendency to level up too quickly. Devolution indeed.

Another innovative, but lacking in quality aspect, is the addition of Spirit Stones. Over the years, humanity has forgotten how to use magic, so in addition to using Spirit Stones for powering machines, they also use them to enhance their special techniques. The Deimos use Spirit Stones to use their magic. Unfortunately, MP is gone now, and your party and party member's have their own supply of Spirit Stones. And these Spirit Stones must be bought, they can't be restored at an inn. So when you need to cast spells or such, you'll need to put huge wounds in your pocketbook, money that could better be used for equipment and such. Another devolution.

Overall, I have to say that I am extremely disappointed. If you are an Arc the Lad fan, you do indeed owe it to yourself to play this game, flawed as it is, and if you're someone who can't find Arc the Lad Collection, you should at least play this game to get a taste for this series. Then, seek out the Arc the Lad Collection and revel in how much superior it is.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 09/22/03, Updated 10/21/03