Luminous Arc 2 – NDS – Review

Much like
the Final Fantasy Tactics and the Disgaea games, the original Luminous Arc for
the Nintendo DS blended the role-playing game genre with strategy game elements
in a familiar way that worked well for the series. While the game didn’t really
bring anything new to the table, it wasn’t such a bad game with a few memorable
characters and moments that stood out nicely. Once again, we find ourselves in a
world of witches, brave knights and an epic quest for peace in Luminous Arc 2
for the Nintendo DS.

The second
game in the series takes us to the kingdom of Carnava where the young and
beloved Queen of the land is hoping to secure peace between her land and the
Beast Fiends that have been influenced by Fatima who is also known as the Shadow
Frost Witch. Meanwhile, a young Carnava scientist has developed a device known
as the Runic Engine that – during a melee with a golem-like beast – becomes
infused with a young Rune Knight named Roland. On top of that, a young
witch-in-training named Althea has come to deliver a message to the Queen and
ends up joining Roland and his friends on a quest to save the land.

Like the
first Luminous Arc game, this sequel doesn’t change very much. We still follow
the story as told through some voice acting and some text as Roland and his
friends travel through dangerous territory in search of Fatima who has taken
over the land of Granend. You’ll travel through the land via a map with the
areas and towns you are allowed to travel to during chapter breaks. The time you
really take control of your character is during battles that remain the same
from the last game. Now, this isn’t a bad thing but if you fancied changes in
the combat portion of the game or gameplay in general then you are out of luck.

Thankfully, the battles still remain quite challenging but not enough that it
will turn off casual strategy gamers. When a battle scenario pops up you are
asked to pick the members of your unit from the collection of characters that
follow you during the course of the game. Once you pick the characters you want
participating in the battle you are then thrust into the battlefield where the
turn-based battle takes place. Each character moves and attacks differently so
knowing where to place them during their turn is essential. Striking from
different directions as well as gaining the upper ground gives you advantages
during battle by making more damage. Also, each character has his or her own
unique attack whether it’s magical or weapon-based.

Knowing
when to use each character in battle is also a plus. There are times when you’ll
need a long-distance fighter such as Rina or a close-quarters advantage that
comes in the form of Steiner. Each battle also comes with different battle
conditions you must meet to successfully get through the fight. The conditions
can be anything from winning the battle without a character’s HP depleted or a
limit in how much magic can be used. This adds a challenging element to each
battle and it doesn’t hurt that the opponent AI isn’t dumb at all.

The story
isn’t compelling but it is entertaining and it’s great to catch up with the
different characters via after-battle intermissions as well as the various side
quests that become available. Engaging characters in conversation will allow you
to befriend them and have them join your party as well. Speaking of engaging,
the Engagement feature in the game allows Rolland to team up with any of the
good witches he encounters to gain the same elemental affinity of the witch he
picks to engage. In this way the game is an improvement over the last game and
its various side quests are actually fun. You can also battle other gamers
online with a Wi-Fi connection.

Luminous
Arc 2 also sports some gorgeous anime-styled character designs and equally
lovely backgrounds that look goon on the Nintendo DS dual-screens. The battles
contain smaller versions of the characters but there’ more than enough details
to make each battlefield really stand out wonderfully enough. Even the visual
effects are impressive. Still, it’s the game’s soundtrack that really drives
home that anime feel. If that weren’t enough, there’s some voice acting to be
found in the game and it’s actually good. My biggest complaint, however, is that
the game awkwardly cuts between text dialogue and the voice acting. You’ll be
listening to good voice acting one minute, read the next lines another minute
and then go back to listening to the voices all in the same conversation.

Luminous
Arc 2 for the Nintendo DS is a major improvement over the decent original and,
while the core gameplay hasn’t changed completely, there’s more than enough to
consider a purchase. Its story will feel too familiar for fans of the genre but
it’s entertaining nonetheless and the battles are actually challenging enough to
keep your thumbs and Stylus busy.

Gameplay: 7.5
Like the first game,
the basic gameplay elements haven’t changed and the strategic battles haven’t
been changed either. The touch-screen controls aren’t special but they work well
and there are a number of side quests to help mix things up.

Graphics: 8.0
The visual
presentation is like watching a manga come to life. Its characters are nicely
detailed and often occasionally too cute at times but they work well in a game
with colorful backgrounds. The visual effects are rather striking and I wish
they added more as far as the spells are concerned.

Sound: 8.5
There’s voice acting
in this one and it’s handled very well but there’s not enough of it in this
sequel. The score is so lovely that you’ll be glad it comes packaged on CD along
with the game. The sound effects aren’t bad either.

Difficulty: Medium
The strategy doesn’t
try anything new but at least it’s quite challenging and – at times – fun.
Knowing what characters to use in different battles is a contributing factor in
earning victories and there are some battles that will have you thinking your
every move.

Concept: 7.5
Luminous Arc 2 isn’t
very different from the first offering but its story is somewhat more lively and
the characters far more likeable. Aside from that, though, the strategy portion
offers some challenges and there are plenty of side quests. There’s a CD
packaged with the game and it’s worth listening to if you like good soundtracks.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Online you can take
other strategy gamers on in the battlefield using favorite characters. While the
game runs well online, there aren’t enough players to challenge as of the date
of this writing. Oh, but the battles are more fun when you’re going up against
actual players that can do a better job of thinking tactically.

Overall: 7.5
Luminous Arc 2
doesn’t attempt to reinvent the RPG nor does it push the strategy game genre
forward but it’s certainly a very enjoyable game that RPG fans will certainly
appreciate. Still, the strategic combat action isn’t the strongest element in
the game and the story is a bit by-the-numbers but there is still some fun to be
had in this decent strategy/RPG.