Lighthearted Lark- Arc Rise Fantasia Review

Beyond a handful of Virtual Console titles, and the sole exception of Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, traditional Japanese role-playing games are a surprisingly rare commodity on the Wii. Publisher Ignition Entertainment must have recognized this dearth, as the recent release of Imageepoch’s (the Luminous Arc series, Sands of Destruction) Arc Rise Fantasia adds a very conventional example of the genre into the console’s library. While the title undoubtedly satisfies the basic tenets required by epic adventures, it also incorporates enough tropes to weaken appreciation from RPG aficionados.

The title’s storyline contains the customary cast of characters- there’s the impetuous young hero, the young girl with a enigmatic past, an altruistic prince, and the covetous female friend.  While Arc Rise‘s narrative also relies on formula, with a number of easily distinguishable twists, it did grow on me as the game reached its midpoint. Like many modern JRPGs, current geopolitical crises forms the basis of conflict, with themes of military domination and struggle over dwindling energy sources clearly inspiring the title’s plotline.

While level-grinding is a age-old JRPG staple, Arc Rise Fantasia is a bit more persistent that its peers. Not only will sporadic spikes in difficultly send parties combing for fiend fodder, but arsenals can be augmented with ‘weapon points’ mined from battle experience, furthering a murderous motivation. Once powered up, arms receive both stat boosts as well as additional HP-depleting special moves. Some of these new powers can even be transferred to other weapons, via a puzzle-esque placement of blocks called Arm Forces. Players will need to keep their manuals close, as only a minimum of tutelage is offered in-game.

Advantageously, the game’s combat is both nuanced and succinct enough so that Arc Rise doesn’t become mired in monotony. Each round of combat grants the entire party a specific number of action points (AP) which can be spent on essential attacks, magic, defense, or item use. Later, characters will be able to initiate Excel Acts- special skills which draw from a replenishing resource, or  the aforementioned Arm Forces- that offer amplified weapon attacks.Main character L’arc has the power to summon stalwart allies with his Rogress bonding ability, although the skill is AP-costly. 

The inclusion of melee, magic, and Arm Forces combos manages to keep battles from becoming stagnant. These chains can be instigated by either attacking a enemy with a single character, or for dramatic  and devastating effect, each member of a three-person party. Additionally, players may rely on the AI to do the strategizing for them, by using the game’s Tactics option. Much like Paradigms in Final Fantasy XIII, these selectable presets coach the team, using  broad policies such as ‘offensive only’ or ‘no magic’.

Most of Arc Rise Fantasia presents an agreeable visual palette. Overworld expeditions and towns are vibrant, but often succumb to the jaggedness offers by the Wii’s resolution. During conversations, the title’s character portraits are expressive, but suffer from a undeniable flatness. Much worse is Arc Rise‘s vocal delivery, which rivals the slapdash performance found in Chaos Wars. Although players are given the ability to mute the conversations, offering a subtitled product would have been preferred. Alternatively, the game’s orchestral soundtrack is superbly evocative, and escalates in quality as the game persists.

Arc Rise Fantasia‘s reluctance to transcend JRPG formula is the title’s greatest misstep. Even the most fanatical enthusiasts of the genre will feel that the title is, at best, a competent amalgam of familiar elements. As such, the title can be recommended to either fans of 32-bit era role playing or those without access to other hardware. Others will likely be happier with a less derivative adventure.