Post by Bytor on May 25, 2011 13:26:03 GMT -5
Arc the Lad (アークザラッド, Ākuzaraddo) the first installment in the series, was developed by G-Craft for the PlayStation and released by SCEI in Japan and by Working Designs in North America. The Japanese version was released on June 30, 1995 and in North America as part of the Arc the Lad Collection on April 18, 2002. The game found it's way to the PlayStation Network in Japan on November 22, 2006 and in North America on October 12, 2010. The music for the most part is sequenced although the beginning and ending themes were orchestrated. Upon release in 1995 the game was the best selling game for the PlayStation in Japan and was the beginnings of a very successful franchise.
The story is set in the mythical land of Seirya (スメリア, Sumeria) and focuses in the beginning on a girl named Kukuru who is a member of the Sacred Clan who is told to extinguish the sacred Flame Cion. Upon completion she is chased by an Ark Ghoul and meets a young boy named Arc who is one a quest to find his missing father. Turns out that Arc is blessed by the Guardians and is the chosen one who will save mankind from being destroyed by darkness.
The game is a typical tactical RPG with elements recognizable my anyone familiar with the genre. Battles take place on a grid system which is over laid on various areas. Characters are allowed so many grids to move and accomplish actions. The game play outside of the battles is very basic with no towns to explore and little emphasis is placed on exploring and talking with NPC's. Areas may be explored once they are entered via the world map but even this freedom is rather limited.
The game was released relatively early in the genre history and is somewhat dated. Very few areas, a relatively short game and pretty straightforward game play. However, it has still remained somewhat of a cult classic and set the stage for the series mythos.