Product Details
Features
Customer Reviews
Pretty Engaging
The Good
+Gorgeous anime inspired art
+Simple to get into; there's nothing about this game that's complicated
+Battles are tackled at a good pace
+Fantastic soundtrack
+There's some voice acting, and it's good
+There's online multi-player
The Bad
-A lot of user error with the touch screen controls
-Very linear
-Doesn't look all that different from a GBA game
-You have to complete the game to unlock the extras
-Does very little to come into its own
The DS is perfect for tactical RPGs. It's been demonstrated to us several times. Luminous Arc is another example of a Tactical Strategy RPG that works well on the DS. While Luminous Arc really doesn't do anything different from your typical strategy RPG, it's still a pretty fun and engaging game on the whole. If you've never played a Tactical Strategy RPG before, then Luminous Arc is a brilliant introduction. If you have, you won't find anything here outside of the standard.
There's not much to Luminous Arc's storyline. 1000 years ago a war happened involving witches and the church. The witches lost the war. Now, there are rumors that the witches have returned, and soon the church of Luminous proves these rumors to be true. A band of people known as the Garden Children are dispatched to take care of things. However, the problem lies in the fact that the evilest of the witches has already grown very powerful. It's not much of a story really. There's some political intrigue here, but for the most part the storyline could've been better overall. It's presented through cutscenes in which you view your characters facing one another and talking (similar to Disgaea).
The animations are beautiful, and there's even some voice acting. The keyword there being "some". Its rather sad that there isn't always voice acting, but it's more about how the game utilizes it. In some cutscenes you'll be reading and then the next moment there will be voices. In another quick moment there won't be. The game is inconsistent with its voice overs. Most of them are quite good too. And while the writing won't win any awards, it's got a good sense of humor about it.
The game is played out very simple like. You move your characters around, have them attack other units and whatnot. If you've played Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, it's pretty much the same thing here. Attacking an enemy directly will mean less damage and a better chance of missing. Attacking from the side or from behind increase damage and your chances of landing a hit. Each character also has a set of skills or magic that they'll learn as they level up. Pretty basic stuff.
Part of what does make Luminous Arc a little interesting is the use of "Flash Drives," which are more or less your special attacks. Whenever you attack enemies you'll fill up a flash gauge. When its full you'll gain a flash point. Get three flash points and you'll be able to team up with other characters to devastate your enemies. Much like the rest of the game, it's simple stuff, pretty basic.
You can control the game either by using the stylus, or by using the D-Pad. The idea of using the stylus and touch screen only sounds like a fantastic idea (after all, it's perfect for a tactical RPG), but in Luminous Arc it's more trouble then it's worth. For starters, this is an isometric 2D map and on top of that, it uses the grid system. User error is just far too great when using the stylus and moving units around. Sometimes the angle of the map will cause you to select the wrong square. Thank goodness you can cancel any action before a character's turn is over. Moving around your units is not simple when using the stylus on a 2D isometric map, especially because you can't rotate the camera. There's a lot less stress in using the D-Pad. The stylus works, but battles go by faster with the D-Pad
Battles move at a surprisingly fast rate. Where as in most SRPGs it could take you close to half an hour to complete a battle, many of the battles in Luminous Arc can be done in less than ten minutes. After every battle you are also given the option to talk to a member of your team. For those who like character development, this gives you a chance to really get to know some of these characters. Much of it is optional, but doing this can improve friendships. As you become better friends with your allies they'll give you items. The better friends you are, the better the item.
If there was anything slowing Luminous Arc down, it would be its story. It's simplistic and predictable. It's also very linear. Aside from random Monster Encounters, there's really nothing you can do off the main path, and all the optional stuff can't be accessed until after you've completed the game at least once.
There's online multi-player in Luminous Arc. It isn't available from the get go, however.
On the visual side, I already talked a little about the animations, but the in game itself isn't bad looking. For the most part the landscapes and settings that you battle in are really good looking on an artistic level. Not a whole lot of 3D effects are brought out, but a lot of the anime inspired art is really good. The game is also really colorful. As far as how the game just looks, though, it doesn't look that different from a GBA game. In fact, you can easily mistaken it for one. So while a lot of the anime inspired art looks good and the landscapes look good for what they are, the DS is certainly capable of more than this.
Musically, Luminous Arc sounds absolutely brilliant. It's got a really good soundtrack with a lot of memorable tunes. The sound effects are also good and along those lines, the voice acting (when there is voice acting) is pretty good too. \
For the most part, Luminous Arc is a fun game. It may not do things that differently from your standard Tactical RPG, but it's still a fun game overall and it's pretty engaging. The story isn't the best, but it certainly isn't the worst either. If you're looking for some fun, Luminous Arc delivers it. If you're looking, however, for an SRPG that goes above and beyond, you won't find it with Luminous Arc.
Been here before, but nevertheless enjoyable
Luminous Arc is yet another turn based strategy to hit the DS, and like a decent number before it, it's pretty good to boot. The story of Luminous Arc unfolds in a typical fantasy world with some typical fantasy characters, but it's the core gameplay that helps set it apart from the rest of the pack. The typical turn based gameplay gets a tweak thanks to being able to level-up during the battle instead of afterwards, which can greatly assist you and adds some depth to the otherwise tried and true gameplay. The overall storyline of Luminous Arc isn't really anything we haven't come across before (and in fact can come off as confusing), but the colorful cast of characters more than make up for it. Not to mention that the game also offers a lengthy (yet somewhat linear) quest with some extras to find once you play it again, so the replayability factor is nice as well. All in all, though Luminous Arc doesn't really bring much new to the table, it's unique charm and different take on the overall gameplay mechanics make it worth checking out nonetheless.
A well developed and engaging strategy RPG experience!
Having been on the market for nearly three years now, the Nintendo DS has given us innovation, new types of games, and revitalizing old genres (like the point and click adventure game), all the while providing loads of fun. Surprisingly, though, one genre has been all but ignored on this little handheld: turn based strategy RPGs. Hoshigami Remix tried to fill that void, but it's essentially a port of an old Playstation title that's too complex and unrewarding for it to be enjoyable. So, is there anything that can really fill that itch? Fortunately, Atlus has answered the call and delivered "Luminous Arc", an original game that is quite the satisfying strategy RPG.
Story:
The story of "Luminous Arc" can be summed up like this. Kids that are raised from the Church, known as the Garden Children, are called up to raise arms against the "evil" Witches, who plan to kill all the people and disobey the will of God. Alph, a young, courageous youth, becomes the leader of the group, and leads off the fight to condemn the Witches. Although the story initially sounds very cliché, the plots really starts to twist early on, and you eventually learn that things are not as black and white as they appear to be. You also start to question who is really the villains in this game: the Witches... or something else?!
Overall: 9.0
Design:
The main story mode is what you'll be spending the most time on in "Luminous Arc". All areas are marked on a map, and locations are marked with icons, and you move the cursor to where you want to go. The locations you visit vary up to battlefields, towns, forests, and the like. Sometimes, you may end up being forced into a battle while trying to get to your next destination. When you arrive at your destination, you either talk to some of your party, sometimes shop, or just advance to the next story battle. This simplicity with providing menus to help you along ensures that it's very difficult to get lost in this game.
During battle, you can choose up to eight party members at a time. To gain experience, you can either land an attack on an enemy, or do a status enhancer or heal on your party. Movement is on a grid based board, and the movement is determined by squares. The attack range is also determined by this same setup. The battle system is very similar to that of most strategy RPGs, but it does work well here. Leveling up, though, is more determined by getting up to 100 experience points rather than a random number. This system makes it easier to determine how many points you need to earn to level up. All status of individual characters is displayed on the top, while the bottom is for actions. This makes things easier to follow, and it leaves the bottom screen uncluttered.
The problem is that the touch screen controls are sometimes unresponsive, leaving you with some frustration if you use that method. You eventually decide to just use the no touch screen option in the options menu and just use the old d-pad. Although it's not much of a gripe, it would be good if the game had good touch screen controls. Either way, it's hardly even a problem for me.
After battles, you have an opportunity to talk with one of your party members. You choose a response. If it favors them, their trust increases. If you talk with them enough, depending on how full their heart is, you get a special cutscene. These special scenes can be rather amusing, to be honest, and adds some depth to the whole game. All the pieces together make for a great blend.
Overall: 9.0
Graphics:
Graphically, Luminous Arc is a decent looking game. The game is 2D completely, but the sprites animate quite well, and their movement helps convey some realism to the anime style characters. Cutscenes are told using still portraits that look quite good, with painted backgrounds. Their expressions change depending on the dialogue, witch helps a bit as well. Some attacks also have a bit of flash, as well. While not much here that could not have been done on lesser hardware, like the GBA, it's still quite impressive. There is also a full motion anime intro at the beginning, as well.
Overall: 8.0
Sound:
Audio wise, the game is a real treat. You get fully orchastraic music, a catchy Japanese pop intro, and voice acting. While the voice acting only really happens for about 20% of the whole game, when it does happen, it's performed well, for the most part. One character I don't like, though, is Nickolai. What is his deal?! Come on!! The sound effects are appropriate and do the job. So, overall, the audio part is great.
Overall: 9.0
Overall:
The game is quite an enjoyable experience. If you're looking for a great strategy RPG for your DS, don't hesitate to pick this one up. It's quite good.
Overall: 9.0
Price: $103.33
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