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Arc the Lad (series)
Encyclopedia
is a series of console role-playing games (RPGs) that were released for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2
. Several of the games were published by Sony Computer Entertainment
(SCEI) in Japan
. The games were never released outside of Japan
until Arc the Lad Collection
was released by Working Designs
in 2002. An anime
television series based on Arc the Lad II
was also made. The game series started with tactical RPGs
but branched out to other genres with Arc the Lad: End of Darkness
, which still features RPG elements. Each of the games also feature recurring characters, such as the main character, Arc, who appears in several of the games.
was developed by G-Craft and published by SCEI in Japan on June 30, 1995. The game features tactical role-playing game
battle elements, which would become a staple for the series. Arc the Lad introduces several characters that appear in all three games in the collection. Arc, the lead, is a boy from the small town of Touvil who is fated to fight corruption. Characters like Kukuru, Iga, Poco, Tosh, and Chongara also make future appearances.
Arc the Lad II
, developed by ARC Entertainment and published by SCEI, was released in Japan on November 1, 1996 and was re-released twice. This game continues to use the tactics style battles, featuring much more complex statistics than its predecessor, a more interactive world map and a longer game length. A new feature are the guilds, which allow the player to take jobs as side quests. The characters of Arc the Lad reappear alongside new ones. Elc, a young hunter, joins the fight against the corrupt government. He and his fellow hunter Shu meet up with several other characters involved in the mess, including Arc and his friends, and bring Andel and his followers down.
Arc the Lad: Monster Game with Casino Game, developed by ARC Entertainment and published by SCEI, was released in Japan on July 31, 1997 and was re-released twice. First as part of Arc the Lad Collection
(where it was known as Arc Arena: Monster Tournament), and second time when it was released on the Japanese PlayStation Store
as a PSOne Classic on December 12, 2007.
Arc the Lad III
, the final Arc game for the PlayStation
, was released on October 28, 1999. It was the only game in the collection to feature two discs. Similarly to the first two, this Arc game uses tactics battles and basic RPG elements. The explorable maps of Arc II return. However, unlike the first two, the game is strictly job driven; the story only progresses as the player takes and completes jobs from the guilds. This game introduces Alec and Lutz, two small-town boys looking to become great Hunters and who battle a new, corrupt entity known as the Academy. Characters from previous games make cameo appearances and occasionally fight alongside Alec.
For their US release, Working Designs
published Arc the Lad I, II, III and Monster Tournament as part of a compilation of Arc games (Arc the Lad Collection
) on April 18, 2002 in North America. The collection as a whole received mainly positive reception.
Arc the Lad: Kijin Fukkatsu (Arc the Lad: Resurrection of the Machine God) is a Wonderswan Color game developed by Bandai
and released in 2002 in Japan. Set after the main series, this game features similar combat and gameplay to the previous installments. Elc, from Arc the Lad II, returns as the main character as he discovers a girl sent from the past to his time because of a hostile robot takeover. Finia, the girl, Elc, and several of his friends return once again to save humanity.
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
was the first PlayStation 2
game in the Arc series. It was developed by a group called Cattle Call, and published by SCEI. It was released in Japan on March 20, 2003 and in North America on June 25 of the same year by SCEA
. This was also the only Arc game to date to come out in Europe, released by SCEE
the following year. The battle system in this installment allows characters to move freely in circular ranges across fields during their turns as opposed to the grid-based fields of its predecessors.
Arc the Lad: End of Darkness
is the final Arc game and the second to be released on the PS2. Developed by Cattle Call and published by SCEI, the game was released in Japan on November 3, 2004. Namco
then published the game for its North American release. This game does not follow the tactics battle style of the previous games, instead using action RPG combat. Online multiplayer is also included.
SCEA hardly considered bringing them to the U.S., thinking that the RPG market was not an important one. Working Designs, then known in the U.S. for publishing RPGs, actually tried to license Arc the Lad, but Sony of America turned them down. Years later, SCEA came under new management, and with the popularity of other RPGs like Final Fantasy VII
, Working Designs was able to publish all three games at once with the Japanese release of Arc the Lad III.
Arc the Lad Collection was released in 2002 and boasted four separate games--Arc the Lad I, II, III and Monster Arena, a side-game that allows players to take captured monsters from Arc the Lad II and use them in combat. The collection also featured a making of CD, Dual Shock controller thumb pads, a memory card holder, character standees, a hardcover instruction booklet, and a glossy box (omake
box) to hold it all.
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits also received similar reviews. It has a 75% on GameRankings.com. Arc the Lad: End of Darkness, the second Arc game for the PS2, is generally rated much lower than the other games, receiving a 57% on GameRankings.com.
adaptation was produced by Bee Train
and directed by Itsuro Kawasaki
. The series ran on Japan's WOWOW
satellite network for 26 episodes from April 5, 1999, to October 11, 1999 as part of the Anime Complex
omnibus series. A North America
n release was produced by ADV Films and aired on the Anime Network
.
, the second game in the video game series. The world is also similar to the game, full of technology, but with magic and beasts as well. An evil corporation
secretly controls this world and produces powerful monster (sometimes human) creations called chimera. Elc gets caught up in this mess when he rescues a young female beast tamer from the corporation. Her name is Lieza. Together with Shu and the rest of their companions, they fight to save a corrupt world.
. Two ending themes were sung by NiNa
: Happy Tomorrow (episodes 01-12, 26) and Rest in Peace (episodes 13-26).
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. Several of the games were published by Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
(SCEI) in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The games were never released outside of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
until Arc the Lad Collection
Arc the Lad Collection
Arc the Lad Collection is a compilation of the Arc the Lad RPG games for the PlayStation. The games were localized by Working Designs, which closed in December 2005. Plans to localize the games had been fostered by Working Designs since the late 1990s, however it wasn't till the new millennium that...
was released by Working Designs
Working Designs
Working Designs was an American video game publisher that specialized in the localization of Japanese console role-playing games, strategy video games and top-down shooters for various video game platforms. Though the company had published many 'cult hits', it was known best to fans as the...
in 2002. An anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television series based on Arc the Lad II
Arc the Lad II
Arc the Lad II is a tactical role-playing video game developed by ARC Entertainment for the PlayStation and is the second game in the Arc the Lad series. It was released in 1996 in Japan, and released in North America on April 18, 2002, as part of Arc the Lad Collection...
was also made. The game series started with tactical RPGs
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
but branched out to other genres with Arc the Lad: End of Darkness
Arc the Lad: End of Darkness
Arc the Lad: End of Darkness, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Cattle Call for the PlayStation 2 . It is last game from the Arc the Lad series on the console, the first being Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits....
, which still features RPG elements. Each of the games also feature recurring characters, such as the main character, Arc, who appears in several of the games.
Games
Arc the LadArc the Lad (video game)
Arc the Lad is a tactical role-playing video game developed by G-Craft for the PlayStation and is the first game in the Arc the Lad series. It was released in 1995 in Japan, and released in North America on April 18, 2002, as part of Arc the Lad Collection. The Japanese released was published by...
was developed by G-Craft and published by SCEI in Japan on June 30, 1995. The game features tactical role-playing game
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
battle elements, which would become a staple for the series. Arc the Lad introduces several characters that appear in all three games in the collection. Arc, the lead, is a boy from the small town of Touvil who is fated to fight corruption. Characters like Kukuru, Iga, Poco, Tosh, and Chongara also make future appearances.
Arc the Lad II
Arc the Lad II
Arc the Lad II is a tactical role-playing video game developed by ARC Entertainment for the PlayStation and is the second game in the Arc the Lad series. It was released in 1996 in Japan, and released in North America on April 18, 2002, as part of Arc the Lad Collection...
, developed by ARC Entertainment and published by SCEI, was released in Japan on November 1, 1996 and was re-released twice. This game continues to use the tactics style battles, featuring much more complex statistics than its predecessor, a more interactive world map and a longer game length. A new feature are the guilds, which allow the player to take jobs as side quests. The characters of Arc the Lad reappear alongside new ones. Elc, a young hunter, joins the fight against the corrupt government. He and his fellow hunter Shu meet up with several other characters involved in the mess, including Arc and his friends, and bring Andel and his followers down.
Arc the Lad: Monster Game with Casino Game, developed by ARC Entertainment and published by SCEI, was released in Japan on July 31, 1997 and was re-released twice. First as part of Arc the Lad Collection
Arc the Lad Collection
Arc the Lad Collection is a compilation of the Arc the Lad RPG games for the PlayStation. The games were localized by Working Designs, which closed in December 2005. Plans to localize the games had been fostered by Working Designs since the late 1990s, however it wasn't till the new millennium that...
(where it was known as Arc Arena: Monster Tournament), and second time when it was released on the Japanese PlayStation Store
PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store is an online virtual market available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games,...
as a PSOne Classic on December 12, 2007.
Arc the Lad III
Arc the Lad III
Arc the Lad III is a tactical role-playing video game developed by ARC Entertainment for the PlayStation and is the third game in the Arc the Lad series. It was released in 1999 in Japan, and released in North America on April 18, 2002, as part of Arc the Lad Collection...
, the final Arc game for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, was released on October 28, 1999. It was the only game in the collection to feature two discs. Similarly to the first two, this Arc game uses tactics battles and basic RPG elements. The explorable maps of Arc II return. However, unlike the first two, the game is strictly job driven; the story only progresses as the player takes and completes jobs from the guilds. This game introduces Alec and Lutz, two small-town boys looking to become great Hunters and who battle a new, corrupt entity known as the Academy. Characters from previous games make cameo appearances and occasionally fight alongside Alec.
For their US release, Working Designs
Working Designs
Working Designs was an American video game publisher that specialized in the localization of Japanese console role-playing games, strategy video games and top-down shooters for various video game platforms. Though the company had published many 'cult hits', it was known best to fans as the...
published Arc the Lad I, II, III and Monster Tournament as part of a compilation of Arc games (Arc the Lad Collection
Arc the Lad Collection
Arc the Lad Collection is a compilation of the Arc the Lad RPG games for the PlayStation. The games were localized by Working Designs, which closed in December 2005. Plans to localize the games had been fostered by Working Designs since the late 1990s, however it wasn't till the new millennium that...
) on April 18, 2002 in North America. The collection as a whole received mainly positive reception.
Arc the Lad: Kijin Fukkatsu (Arc the Lad: Resurrection of the Machine God) is a Wonderswan Color game developed by Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
and released in 2002 in Japan. Set after the main series, this game features similar combat and gameplay to the previous installments. Elc, from Arc the Lad II, returns as the main character as he discovers a girl sent from the past to his time because of a hostile robot takeover. Finia, the girl, Elc, and several of his friends return once again to save humanity.
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits is the first of two Arc the Lad games for the PlayStation 2, the second being Arc the Lad: End of Darkness. The game was re-released in Japan as a premium box set...
was the first PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
game in the Arc series. It was developed by a group called Cattle Call, and published by SCEI. It was released in Japan on March 20, 2003 and in North America on June 25 of the same year by SCEA
SCEA
SCEA can refer to:* Sun Certified Enterprise Architect, a professional certification* Sony Computer Entertainment of America, the American division of Sony Computer Entertainment* Society of Cost Estimating and Analysis* Single Choice Early Action...
. This was also the only Arc game to date to come out in Europe, released by SCEE
SCEE
SCEE can refer to:*Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, a subsidiary of Sony*School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, a constituent college of the National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan...
the following year. The battle system in this installment allows characters to move freely in circular ranges across fields during their turns as opposed to the grid-based fields of its predecessors.
Arc the Lad: End of Darkness
Arc the Lad: End of Darkness
Arc the Lad: End of Darkness, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Cattle Call for the PlayStation 2 . It is last game from the Arc the Lad series on the console, the first being Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits....
is the final Arc game and the second to be released on the PS2. Developed by Cattle Call and published by SCEI, the game was released in Japan on November 3, 2004. Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
then published the game for its North American release. This game does not follow the tactics battle style of the previous games, instead using action RPG combat. Online multiplayer is also included.
Development
When the Arc games were originally released in Japan years before a North American release,SCEA hardly considered bringing them to the U.S., thinking that the RPG market was not an important one. Working Designs, then known in the U.S. for publishing RPGs, actually tried to license Arc the Lad, but Sony of America turned them down. Years later, SCEA came under new management, and with the popularity of other RPGs like Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
, Working Designs was able to publish all three games at once with the Japanese release of Arc the Lad III.
Arc the Lad Collection was released in 2002 and boasted four separate games--Arc the Lad I, II, III and Monster Arena, a side-game that allows players to take captured monsters from Arc the Lad II and use them in combat. The collection also featured a making of CD, Dual Shock controller thumb pads, a memory card holder, character standees, a hardcover instruction booklet, and a glossy box (omake
Omake
means extra in Japanese. Its primary meaning is general and widespread. It is used as an anime and manga fandom term to mean "extra or bonus". In USA, the term is most often used in a narrow sense by anime fans to describe special features on DVD releases: deleted scenes, interviews with the...
box) to hold it all.
Reception
Each of the Arc games has received decent reception. Arc the Lad Collection has a 7.8 out of 10 on GameStats.com. The compilation is often praised for its ambitious packaging and game content, which could last over 150 hours. When the collection was released, the first two games' graphics seemed a bit outdated, although some critics find the graphics acceptable. Critics mostly agree that the take on tactical battles was refreshing because the battles are generally fast-paced. Although the first game in the series is much shorter than the other two, it is believed to be only a prologue to the second game.Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits also received similar reviews. It has a 75% on GameRankings.com. Arc the Lad: End of Darkness, the second Arc game for the PS2, is generally rated much lower than the other games, receiving a 57% on GameRankings.com.
Anime
The Arc the Lad animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
adaptation was produced by Bee Train
Bee Train
, commonly referred simply as Bee Train, is a Japanese animation studio founded by Kōichi Mashimo in 1997. Since their involvement with Noir, .hack//Sign, and Madlax they have a strong following in the yuri fandom for being involved in series portraying strong female leads with speculatively...
and directed by Itsuro Kawasaki
Itsuro Kawasaki
is a Japanese director of anime.-TV anime:*Popolocrois Monogatari - Assistant Director, Episode Director*Arc the Lad - Director*Wild Arms: Twilight Venom - Series Director, Storyboard*Love Hina - Storyboard...
. The series ran on Japan's WOWOW
WOWOW
WOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It has its headquarters on the 21st floor of the Akasaka Park Building in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo...
satellite network for 26 episodes from April 5, 1999, to October 11, 1999 as part of the Anime Complex
Anime Complex
Anime Complex was a series of omnibus anime shows broadcast on WOWOW and KIDS STATION. It featured two unrelated series from various producers of 15 minutes each per airing, and cycled as one series ended. It had three runs from 1998 to 2001.The first, Anime Complex, was broadcast on WOWOW from...
omnibus series. A North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n release was produced by ADV Films and aired on the Anime Network
Anime Network
The Anime Network , a former subsidiary of A.D. Vision, Inc. , is a cable and satellite digital broadcast service in North America dedicated to anime.-History:...
.
Plot
The story follows the story of Arc the Lad IIArc the Lad II
Arc the Lad II is a tactical role-playing video game developed by ARC Entertainment for the PlayStation and is the second game in the Arc the Lad series. It was released in 1996 in Japan, and released in North America on April 18, 2002, as part of Arc the Lad Collection...
, the second game in the video game series. The world is also similar to the game, full of technology, but with magic and beasts as well. An evil corporation
Evil corporation
An evil corporation is a staple of science fiction , usually a big multinational company which values profits over ethics....
secretly controls this world and produces powerful monster (sometimes human) creations called chimera. Elc gets caught up in this mess when he rescues a young female beast tamer from the corporation. Her name is Lieza. Together with Shu and the rest of their companions, they fight to save a corrupt world.
Episode list
- The Boy With a Flame
- Beginning of the Destiny
- Feeling in the Rain
- Pale Goddess
- The Criminals
- Beyond the Sound of Waves
- Ancient Guardian
- Runaway
- Friend Who Was Left Behind
- The Crusade With No Name
- Lonely Brave Man
- White House
- Smiling Holy Mother
- Shrine Maiden of the Spirit
- Blaze has Stood
- Reconquer
- Scarlet Castle
- Chimera Tower
- Confrontation of Two Great Men
- Meet Again
- The Place Where the Truth Is
- Hiding in the Shadows
- Frozen Eyes
- Quickening of the Darkness
- Holy Arc
- Shining Boy
Music
The opening theme for the anime series was the Arc the Lad Main Theme by Masahiro AndohMasahiro Andoh
is a Japanese composer, guitarist and T-Square's leader from Aichi, Japan. He was also One-Third of "Ottottrio", a Superband led by 3 Japanese Guitarists, Himself, Hirokuni Korekata of KORENOS and Issei Noro of Casiopea....
. Two ending themes were sung by NiNa
NiNa
are a six-piece group formed in 1999 containing Kate Pierson , bassist Mick Karn , vocalist Yuki Isoya , Takemi Shima and Masahide Sakuma are a six-piece group formed in 1999 containing Kate Pierson (of The B-52s), bassist Mick Karn (of Japan), vocalist Yuki Isoya (of Judy and Mary), Takemi Shima...
: Happy Tomorrow (episodes 01-12, 26) and Rest in Peace (episodes 13-26).