Nintendo DS

Luminous Arc

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.

While this game will not end gamers quest for an irreplaceable Nintendo DS RPG, it can certainly entertain them for 15-20 hours. With online capabilities, an item synthesis shop that requires some time and effort, and a friendship system that opens up some unique synergy attacks, the obsessed Arc fan will play for a lot longer. Even with its faults, there is no question that the strategy RPG fan should pick up this title.

Luminous Arc is a good game by all accounts, but quite frankly, this isn't the big DS RPG gamers have been waiting for. That honor still belongs to Final Fantasy III, which still isn't a great original as the Golden Sun games were on the GBA. Unlike many of the other strategy games on the DS, Luminous Arc finds itself to be pretty presentable, and it's not one of those games that is actually hard just for the sake of being hard. T

Luminous Arc may not be the next great title for the DS or SRPGs as a whole, but it is definitely entertaining enough to keep even the hardest of hardcore players enjoying it.

From its somewhat generic RPG story to its core rules that operate just like a majority of strategy RPGs on the market, Luminous Arc never really manages to develop its own voice. Despite this, the game is a good addition to the DS’s library...

What I will say is this: When the RPG bug hits me, I always seem to stumble over the very game I need to satisfy the itch. Luminous Arc is my bug spray. Do yourselves a favor. Take off the elitist crown, get off your throne of indifference and play this game. You may actually surprise yourself and have fun.

If you enjoy strategizing, a wonderful variety of quirky characters and odd diversions, and can stand viewing anime styled graphics, this title is a must.

It's simple, it's formulaic, but it's entertaining nonetheless...

Luminous Arc isn't revolutionary and the tale lacks a bit of depth, but the great pacing and enjoyable gameplay gloss over some of those faults. If you like turn-based strategy games and don't mind going through the paces of yet another great evil returning after 1,000 years that can only be stopped by young people with fantastical hair and outfits, certainly give Luminous Arc a look.

Overall, Luminous Arc has a lot going for it, and manages to deliver a mostly-solid TRPG performance with only a few flaws. Those flaws might be worth enduring if you like a bit of humor and some endearing and charming characters with your gaming experience, but some hardcore tacticians might be quickly turned off by the relative lack of polish in the game's combat.

Luminous Arc won't win a single "Best SRPG" award, but it should occupy the time of Atlus fans and fans of these Japanese SRPGs. It is standard, simple, and infectious because of those two qualities—if you let it be. If you are expecting Disgaea-like depth, look elsewhere (like the PSP, which has a Disgaea title on its way). Otherwise, give this one a chance—it might suck away a few dozen hours of your life, too.

My problem with Luminous Arc is that underneath the boring story, poor jokes, religious mumbo jumbo and endless button bashing to skip it all, there's a little gem of a game trying to break out. This makes it difficult to score and even makes it difficult to like - yet I keep picking it back up and coming back for more...

Ändå känns det som att spelet kan mer, men inte riktigt känner för det. Inte ens Image Epochs inhyrda toppstjärna, Yasunori Mitsuda, som tidigare gjort fantastisk musik till spel som Chrono Trigger och Chrono Cross, tar ut svängarna ordentligt. Då är det något som inte riktigt stämmer.

The characters never once defy players' expectations, the story is poorly paced and the combat offers no meaningful twists on the formula we've been playing for years. I can't imagine anyone, but hard-line genre devotees will get their money's worth out of Luminous Arc.

The fact that it's one of the few tactical RPGs out there with a WiFi mode helps too. Those looking in to Luminous Arc won't find anything particularly deep or original, but most tactical RPG fans will still find it a reasonably entertaining title.

If you just want a simple and enjoyable portable strategy/RPG to whittle away some time with, Luminous Arc will fill that role very nicely. But if you were hoping for a deep, compelling SRPG you could play competitively against others, you'll find that this light doesn't shine anywhere near as brightly as it should.

When you think "Final Fantasy Tactics clone," your mind probably sees something like Disgaea: Hour of Darkness: a competent facsimile of the formula that stands on its own. But with Luminous Arc, you get the most similar, least-polished alternative yet.