"Giving Up Civilization"

Any game on the market today can be considered annoying. In-game factors can cause confusion for no good reason, rules can be inserted that serve to add manufactured difficulty, making the game less fun than it should be. Chrono Cross had the element allocation system, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance had the mind-numbing laws and judges...this game has Spirit Stones.

So, in terms of adjustment and enjoyment, is this game a Chrono Cross (good) or an FFTA (bad), you ask? Let me explain the situation first:

[STORY]

In the world of Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits, the Spirit Stones are along the same lines as fossil fuel. For the human population, they serve as the root of power for machines and technology, a crucial item in maintaining civilization. For the Deimos, a race of outcast creatures evolved from monsters, they are both the foundation for magical power and the life's blood to the Deimos culture and livelihood. Both sides need them to survive, and both are bitter rivals. Sound familiar? Maybe. However cliche it may seem in writing, the game pulls it off without a hitch, showing that each side may need the stones to survive, but use them selfishly and liberally.

Sectioned off into two parts, the story progresses in sets of twos: one chapter for the humans, one chapter for the Deimos, and the game's climax in a single, final chapter.

Half of the game follows Kharg, the prince of the defunct kingdom of Nidellia, a man who's grown up hating the Deimos. He sees the Deimos as a race that is encroaching on the human territory and the human race itself, as attacks over control of the spirit stones get increasingly violent.

On the flip-side of the human point of view, the other half of the game follows Darc, a man caught in racial limbo. Having been born from a human mother and a Deimos father, he is labeled a "Deimos wannabe" by both races, and has endured much ridicule and lambasting for his half-human, half-Deimos appearance. To make his life even harder, to survive, he had to let himself become a slave. His master is a slave-driving witch (literally) who constantly beats him for the slightest error in judgement or obedience. The only memento of the life he once had is in the memento his father bestowed to him on his deathbed. Society constantly reminds him that the weak get nowhere in the world, so he makes a bid to gain the ultimate power by collecting the world's five Great Spirit Stones.

Great Spirit Stones are, of course, more powerful than normal, run-of-the-mill ones. Not only does their power never diminish, but when someone has control over all five of them, they will gain unstoppable power. Kharg learns of this and attempts to use it to wipe the Deimos off the face of the planet; Darc, seeking to unite the entire Deimos race under him, wants to annihilate the human race, who he sees as a wasteful burden on the planet and its resources.

What's more, a militaristic nation--Dilzweld--is attempting to obtain all of the Stones as well, in a bid to unite the world under its horrific rule. Apparently, the nation wants to destroy the whole world, too. While Darc and Kharg play tag around the land, trying to one-up each other, the Dilzweld Emperor, Darkham, acts as a secondary objective for both of them. Can Kharg and Darc agree that the Emperor takes priority over their own in-fighting?

If it isn't obvious yet, there is no clear-cut protagonist and antagonist. Each side is righteous to their own cause, but is flawed on a worldly scale. It works out well, surprisingly.

[CHARACTERS]

Even though both teams are made up wholly of one race, they all exert a different amount of feelings that set them apart, despite the glaring (and obvious) traits they have in common.

Kharg's team is made up of humans so, of course, they hate Deimos. Each has a reason to want that race annihilated, feeling that they had injustices done to them and wanting revenge. Most play off the hate they've cultivated by holding steadfast in their commitment to kill the Deimos. A few surprises come along though. Although it's obvious from the get-go that people are going to be subject to a gradual change in character, not everyone does. One person in particular despises them until the very last chapter; another is rather indifferent about killing Deimos but befriends one by accident, leading to a whole change on his/her outlook.

While Kharg's team faces an erosion of character, experience gradually getting to the root of what is good for all the world's inhabitants, Darc's team doesn't really seem to appeal to the idea that the Deimos population can coexist with the human civilization. Darc addresses the point numerous times to Kharg, who only can answer with empty silence. This is where the characters' traits become an odd amalgam. One of Darc's party wants to destroy the humans but starts to harbor feelings for a human girl; one wants to kill humans and and the Deimos leader; one wants to kill all the humans but can't because Darc won't allow it; one doesn't care about bettering the world so long as his/her revenge is vindicated; one doesn't know who is on his/her side, and constantly asks, "Are you my enemy?"

Darc's team, while united under the banner of human genocide, comes as more diverse than Kharg's team. Since the Deimos are the minority of the world (even though their numbers rival the humans'), the resentment they have seems to make them function differently when all of their feelings have to be put out where others can see them. This results in delightful conversation, especially between Camellia and Delma.

Fluency is key, and the game cruises along nicely because of it...Of course, there are some rather frequent speed bumps that come along, too...

[PLOT ADVANCEMENT]

The world has many continents (wow!) and each main character starts on a different one. As each chapter progresses, they move across the world, picking up information and using it the race to collect the Great Spirit Stones. "So what," you ask? Well, since there are obvious undertones of segregation, the Deimos team never enters the human villages; the human party never treads on the Deimos ground. Besides the few non-mandatory battle zones they have in common, there's a clearly drawn line between where one can and cannot go.

The chapter format works well with the characters' opposing viewpoints, serving as a timeline to see how each character succumbs, piece by piece, to the other party's ideals. It's more of a subversive, hidden way of giving in, but not like immediate conforming. Each person either becomes open-minded or more concrete in their original stance. Sometimes cutscenes happen simultaneously elsewhere, but that's a given considering the game's format.

Bogging down the game's progression is a truckload of useless, filler dialogue. There are so many silences, pauses, stupid questions, and reiterations that you just may start mashing all the buttons in the hope that the game will somehow fast-forward itself. Some scenes are delightful in their quirky uniqueness, but when the party holds up because so-and-so can't wait to waste time with pointless speech, the game stumbles and falls on its face.

[MUSIC]

Some nice town themes, a few battle themes, but overall, it's mostly forgettable background noise. Not too annoying, not too great: a venerable fence-sitter of a soundtrack. A few outstanding tracks could really tip the scales in favor of a well-orchestrated collection, but there's not really anything very noticeable or riveting. That's not to right the game's soundtrack off as a failure, but it could really use a pick-me-up at times.

Check out Bebedora's Theme and the Dilzweld Empire's Theme if you want some powerful or spindly tracks.

[GRAPHICS]

High-end technology went into the game, apparently, since frame rates are solid and battle skills look spectacular (Big Owl!) when used. Not that graphics are top priority when playing, but it gives the environments a clean edge, since one of the game's high points is the vibrant world you play in. In battle, enemies can use skills just as your party can, and that may make battles a little lengthier than, say, 2-D skirmishes, but it shouldn't be that big of a problem.

The level of detail in all areas of the game is magnificent, too, and it really adds to the fun factor of the game if your eyes are quick enough to catch it. For instance, a Tin Golem's smokestack chugs up and down when it uses it's hard-hitting punch move, or that the plains on the world map will ripple in waves, pushed north or east by the wind. If you stop to look around, you just might be surprised.

[BATTLING]

This game uses a radial system for fighting and targeting instead of the old grid-square placement system. In a sense, it means that you run around and you can hit enemies so long as the circle around you (your weapon's range) is on them. Spells follow the same suit, and for as much as I prefer grid squares, the free-flowing battling is remarkably easy to adapt to.

Although the characters can move around like a normal person would (i.e. not walking in place) in battle, the battles aren't exempt from getting repetative. There are countless battling point son the world map and what seems to be a shortage of towns and villages. Although you can opt to skip random battles after entering them, it's still a little off-putting.

[SIDEQUESTS]

I could count all of them on my right hand, actually, but they're all pretty lengthy, so there's nothing to bash. You can fight in arenas to get better items and gain experience, you can get special characters (one per team), and there's even a find-'em-all sidequest for each team that can net a special item once they're given to the right person. Besides that, don't push your luck on fun extras.

The arenas are the most worthwhile, since they give both special items and the special characters, but doing them all doesn't hurt.

[OTHER PROS AND CONS]

+ Battle maps are detailed, even if they are reused at some points
+ Playful, in-party dialogue makes it seem like a real traveling group
+ Lots of throwback references to previous Arc the Lad installments
+ Bebedora, the most odd and lovable character in the game!
+ DETAIL'D!

- Kharg's team can come off really boring and pretentious
- Muting the television out of boredom is a possibility
- A few characters are one-dimensional and aren't portrayed to change very well.
- Lots of drawn-out dialogue, marked by ellipses and stupid questions
- Spirit Stones take awhile for you and your wallet to get adjusted to

[THE VERDICT]

Story - 9/10 [The divided story works good since it's not mission-based]
Graphics - 10/10 [Impressive, even if they aren't that relevant to anything]
Sidequests - 6/10 [Short and sweet, but lacking on the sweet part]
Characters - 8/10 [You'll long to play as Darc's rag-tag band of Deimos]
Battling - 8/10 [Not ground-breaking, but enjoyable nonetheless]
Music - 7/10 [Since the good themes are selective, I have to dole out penalties.]
Plot Advancement - 10/10 [A definite accolade on the chapter-by-chapter setup.]

Total - 58/70 = 83% enjoyment rate.

The Verdict™: In the same vein as Chrono Cross, this game can really take root on you.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/26/05