Arc the Lad

"An obscenely bland first effort."

If I am not wrong this was the first rpg ever on the PlayStation, a strategy rpg to be more accurate and, definitely, a complete waste of time unless you adore tactical rpgs or you are a total rpg nut. Since I fall under both categories I was going to say it is a worthy title what we are talking about here but after thinking about it for while objectivity prevailed over my hardcore rpg instincts. If you dig the genre then this first Arc The Lad is a simple, fast, short and rather fun title that leaves a lot to be desired; if this is not your thing then don`t bother, seriously.

Story 4/10:
According to my calculations the developers spent from five to ten minutes to write it (including a two minute pit-stop to the bathroom). Now really, it is merely an excuse, from start to finish we get recycled plot elements from a thousand other games. It is a fairly story centered title though, that is the only good part.

Graphics 5/10:
You know, I would take 2D graphics over 3D no matter how archaic they are, which is why I can proudly say I like Arc The Lad`s graphics, but I am not crazy enough to say they are good because they aren`t and, being honest, this game features some of the worst graphics ever on the PlayStation, there are towns whose graphics are at par with a Nes cartridge.

Then again, if you are a hardcore rpg lover the game has its moments, which is why I can`t rate it lower, but I repeat, that is only because I am a sucker for Snes-like visuals, I can see everyone else tearing their clothes in revulsion.

Music 7/10:
Like the graphics the soundtrack is not very good, all the tunes are very (and I mean VERY) short and end up being repetitive very quickly. However, the intro theme is a classic (or it should be a classic) and the battle themes are all irresistibly catchy and accompany the action extremely well.

Gameplay 8/10:
Unlike the rest of the Arc The Lad games there is hardly any classical rpg features here. Although sometimes we can take control of our characters in towns and we can replay most of the scenarios as many times as we want, 95% of the game is automatic, we just have to fight and choose our destination in the world map, we cannot even buy items or weapons. It is not as bad as it sounds though, in fact, with a much better story and at least another twenty hours in length (you can easily beat it in ten hours) the gameplay, simple as it is, would have worked perfectly.

When it comes to kicking butt interface is insultingly simple but totally effective, battling is so easy that even a fetus would be able to figure out what to do from the very moment the combat begins, just step in front of an enemy and hit X, with Circle we open the magic menu and finally the Square button opens the item menu. To obtain items and even accessories we just have to kill enemies and, well, that is all you need to know.

Overall:
Definitely, being one of the first, if not the first rpg on the PlayStation I am sure everybody was expecting something much, much more ambitious. The game itself is not bad, but it is so short and simple and the plot is so cliched and utterly devoid of any interest that it almost feels like playing an unfinished project, like a beta or something. Again, an obscenely bland first effort for die-hard fans only.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/06