Arc the Lad: The Original PSX RPG Makes It Here (Finally!)
Company: Working Designs
We recently received a preview copy of Arc the Lad from Working Designs. For those of you not in the know, Arc is the original RPG series for the PlayStation. It came under Sony?s evil no-RPG stance in the PlayStation?s birth, however, and as such, was never brought over here. Victor Ireland and the rest of the crew at Working Designs have taken it upon themselves to remedy the situation, and are releasing all three games in the series (plus a ?side-quest? for the second) in the upcoming Arc the Lad Collection.
Arc the Lad is a strategy-RPG, in the vein of Shining Force or, for the classic game-impaired, Final Fantasy Tactics. It sports 2D graphics, a core character group instead of ?faceless masses,? and what?s shaping up to be a classic Working Designs translation. What we have is a rough cut, of course, and there are occasional typos and whatnot, but in general, the translation is quite solid.
Of course, what everyone?s curious to know about is the gameplay, and I must say that, despite its short length, Arc the Lad delivers. There?ll be plenty more details on our review when the full game comes out, but suffice it to say that you?ll enjoy this romp through Arc?s world. And since the next two games in the series support importing of data, there?s good reason to start with this title. Yes, it may look like an SNES game, but it?s fun, and that?s what matters.
Stay tuned, as we?re planning on previewing the entire Arc the Lad series as our friends at Working Designs send ?em over! If this is any indication, Arc the Lad Collection will be an absolute must-buy.
-Sunfall to-Ennien, GameVortex Communications AKA Phil Bordelon
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