good life. Look at Edda, a young boy living in boring serenity (translation:
he was living in peace). He grows up knowing fear in the form of malademons –
dark demons who some refer to as the Darmyst. These creatures are not harmful
to those who live inside the towns, creating a protective bubble for anyone
who’s willing to spend their life inside them. For those who do not, however,
that’s a whole other story.
Arc the Lad: End of
Darkness’s story takes off when Edda’s peaceful existence leads him on a
journey to become a powerful exorcist, which in turn leads players on a
journey of trials that will test their skills in a variety of situations. It
turns out that that becoming an exorcist was Edda’s destiny all along.
Exorcists are the only ones capable of destroying the Darmysts; that’s his
primary reason for wanting to become one.
The story develops from
there, introducing new and secretive characters when necessary. Dialog
sequences can be skipped but idle chitchat must be read through. This
annoyance ends after the first 30 minutes or so. By that time End of Darkness
enters its battling phase, a phase that lasts the majority of the game.
Edda, the star of the game.
Arc the Lad: End of
Darkness’s combat is a cross between a traditional single-player action/RPG
and multiplayer games like Phantasy Star Online. Battles are in real-time,
making this the fastest and most exciting battle system yet. Battles are
conducted wherever enemies appear. You can always see them, attempt to avoid
them, and never have to enter a different area to engage in combat (as you do
in turn-based RPGs).
Now that combat is in
real-time, hack-n-slash combos are accessible at just a few taps of the X
button. Edda has a special exorcism move where he spins his staff-type
weapon, pulls it back and thrusts it forward, exterminating any weakened
monster that stands before him. With only two attack buttons End of Darkness
is a simple but seductive game.
Throwing items like rocks
and stones may be equipped to the character via the menu screen before each
mission. These items are derived from cards, collectible items that the Arc
the Lad series uses (like Final Fantasy uses Materia, but less potent).
Cardholders from cleared data on the previous game, Twilight of the Spirits,
can copy it over to End of Darkness before starting the journey.
When materialized,
character cards make Edda’s solo adventure less lonely. Up to three
characters can aid you against the monstrous monstrosities found in the game’s
dungeons.
I knew I shouldn’t have eaten that again. It gave me heartburn.
Arc the Lad: End of
Darkness’s focus is gameplay, and since the combat is in real-time, what
better way to enhance that experience than to take it online. After starting
the game and proving that Edda is worthy of becoming a monster hunter, players
can take their characters online and fight with three others in real-time.
Team up against computer-controlled monsters and finish the story, or fight
against four real players in multiplayer deathmatch. (Run in circles hacking
and slashing each other. No matter how fun it seems, you have to assume that
everyone has a limit as to how long this will be entertaining.)
End of Darkness’s
graphics are very solid. The battleground backgrounds are not as detailed as
those featured in the towns, but they’re detailed enough to keep players from
questioning the game’s age (after all, this is a fifth-generation PS2 title).
I was pleased to visit the different locals, especially those with unique
interiors. The industrial and farm-type levels aren’t hugely exciting, but
the mystical, watery caves have an appeal that fantasy fans will surely
appreciate. Their lack of interactivity is disappointing – it would’ve been
great to be able to run through the watery areas and explore the depths of
each cave, not just the pre-determined area.
That’s something else the
game could’ve done without: linearity. The battles are mission-based. You
don’t have enormous worlds to explore or a Zelda-sized quest to conquer. The
missions were designed to be short and sweet. There’s a path laid out for all
to see. There might be more than one road to take, but it’s not a question of
whether or not you get lost. I never did.
That’s one big crystal ball.
Arc the Lad: End of
Darkness is not the RPG to end all RPGs, but it has its moments of reward and
satisfaction. The missions are repetitive. Anyone who knew what kind of game
this was before playing it could have predicted that. Underneath the
repetition, however, is something unusually entertaining. End of Darkness
tries to be the best of both worlds by giving online and offline players
something to love. The story isn’t up to snuff, but the gameplay is truly
enjoyable. Neither should have had to have been sacrificed. Nonetheless,
I’ll take what I can get.
|
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Gameplay: 7.9
Arc the Lad goes
online with a Phantasy Star Online-inspired quest. Forget menus and
point-and-click attacking — this game’s battles are in real-time.
Arc the Lad: End of
Darkness is not a Zelda clone by any means, but its combat is not without
Miyamoto’s inspiration. Enemies can be targeted for more precise attacks; the
targets can be switched on-the-fly when more than one enemy is near. Unlike
Link, however, none of the characters in this game can attack with automatic
precision. In other words, you have to throw attack items in the right
direction, guide magic spells and attack from the proper angle in order to
make the moves connect.
Moderately fast, exciting
and entertaining, End of Darkness is an addictive RPG that’ll satisfy the
needs of gamers looking for real-time entertainment.
Graphics: 8
Aside from the
town backgrounds, which are quite detailed and remind of the architectural
accomplishments reached in the first Devil May Cry, Arc the Lad: End of
Darkness doesn’t have any one particular eye-popping effect. The graphics are
at the level where players won’t complain, but at the same time they won’t be
calling up their friends to brag about how cool the game looks on a high-def
TV.
Sound: 8
Musically End of
Darkness is not as dark as you might expect. Some of the tracks are very
upbeat, while others have the sound of peace in them. Most are enjoyable,
even those that you hear multiple times during battle. The sounds suit the
environments and should provide at least one lasting memory, if only for the
duration of time you spend playing the game.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Determined to
capture a larger audience, End of Darkness was designed for all gamers, not
just the hardcore players. It’s somewhat easier than expected, and may turn
off those who completed Alundra and the toughest games in the Secret of Mana
series.
Concept: 7.5
Good idea, good
execution, but where’s the awe-inspiring story? When the gameplay loses its
flare, what reason do I have to return? A good story holds a
less-than-perfect RPG together at its toughest moments. That’s something this
game doesn’t have.
Multiplayer: 7
Take the
single-player quest online and battle with three friends, or turn on your
friends, team with strangers, and attack your neighbors in 4-on-4 deathmatch.
Overall: 7.9
Arc the Lad: End
of Darkness comes close to achieving the goal of combining a great offline
quest with a great online experience. The most obvious missing piece: a
compelling story. Second would be a full-fledged quest (your journey is
mission-based, therefore eliminating some of the freedom that comes with an
RPG). Third, End of Darkness can be repetitive at times.
These flaws are damaging
but do not leave permanent scars. The action-based gameplay is more fun, more
diverse and has more variety than the standard console RPG. Players will
instantly pick up on the soundtrack and its number of immersive tracks (there
a few annoying ones too, so don’t say I didn’t warn you). Something I’ll
never forget is how a role-playing game with a typical, poorly told story
managed to hold my interest even after I realized that the gameplay was
repetitive.
