Lately, witches seem to be gaining popularity. Whether it is due to the [odd] popularity of the show Charmed on TNT or our own imaginations, they seem to be more popular than before. Personally, I blame the Potter boy, because he awoke possibilities of a world that only existed in the imagination of little boys and girls. Who wouldn’t like to have to lived in his world? A magical place where monsters and adventures are everyday occurrences. But I am getting distracted; this is not about a Harry Potter game. Nope, this is about another tactical role-playing game known as Luminous Arc 2. And it is a very solid game to play on the go.
Luminous Arc 2 takes place after the events of the original. Unlike before, witches, while still misunderstood in some circles, are no longer seen as the enemy. Instead, they are seen as defenders of nature. This time around, Luminous Arc 2 follows the adventures of Roland, a knight in training. For the past 15 or 16 years, monsters known as beast fiends have been roaming the country. And currently, the witches have been fighting amongst themselves. For some odd reason, the Shadow Witch, Fatima, has broken away from the Magical Association and has started a war. Roland gets mixed up in all of this because an item known as the Runic Engine bonds with him (instead of his friend’s brother). Now, he is the second rune knight in history and is sent to help the witches deal with Fatima by learning how to be a good rune knight. So it is up to Roland and his rag-tag band of friends to put a stop to Fatima’s silliness and delusions. Of course, nothing is ever that simple or as black and white as it sounds.
Graphically, the game is an anime-inspired medieval fantasy. The story is told through 2D pictures of the characters, which statically emote. But the main graphic draw is the battlefield itself. Characters smoothly move around the map. Little details abound, whether it is a creature jumping around a wall (or tree) or when a character cringes in pain. Water flows, and windmills till. It looks great on the Nintendo DS. However, I would really have loved it if the game showed things instead of telling. This isn’t to say that the current engine works, but the game would be much stronger if major plot conversations took place on a map — even if it was only used for conversations — and left the conversations on the top screen.
Gameplay wise, this is very much a traditional tactical RPG. Think Shining Force brought into the 21st century. Except you can’t retreat. And victory is, most of the time, defeating all enemies on the battlefield. I digress. Characters with higher speed go first, and you can tell order of the first eight characters (and enemies). A longer list is available through the options menu. Also, depending on where you attack an enemy, it influences how much damage can be inflicted. For example, rear attacks have higher accuracy and damage than side or frontal attacks. Be warned as the enemy can do the same to you. But there is one thing that sets things apart in combat: the use of Flash Drive attacks and Drive Points. Drive Points are obtained by doing things in combat, such as casting spells (defensive and offensive), using skills, items usage and, of course, physically attacking. Once 100 points are obtained, up to 300, you can power up your skills and items for a more potent attack/usage. Or you can use the aforementioned Flash Drive attack, a potent attack that usually causes massive damage. But first you have to unlock them by talking to your comrades after battles.
Furthermore, Roland is a little more customizable than the average character. Due to the rune engine, Roland can become “engaged” with a witch by absorbing some of her energy. Then, during combat you can select the “engage” command (complete with a gratuitous picture of the character wearing a wedding dress). This changes Roland’s element, increases a stat (or two), and adds new tricks to his arsenal of skills. Need a second character of a specific element? If that witch is a part of your group during combat, change to that element. Need some healing? Engage with the Tide Witch Luna, and for a few turns, use a healing spell. It is rather clever mechanic and adds some flexibility to the strategy.
Also, it is important to note that the touchscreen can be used explicitly to issue orders. It is easy and intuitive to use, if you like using the stylus. Furthermore, the traditional controls of using the d-pad also can be used. It just depends on which one feels better for you. Personally, I liked using the d-pad because it just felt better to me. It also is what I’m used to using.
As strong as the gameplay is, the sound side of things is where everything is at. Yes, the usual stand-ins of sound are there. But the real joy is the music. It feels reminiscent of other games. While not a bad thing in and of itself, it can be a disaster if not done correctly. Instead, it feels reminiscent of the Lunar series at times. For example, there is one song that reminds me of the Gypsy Camp from Lunar 2. Another song reminds me of running town in Final Fantasy game. But no matter how much it may remind you of yesteryear, it still has its own identity — its own feel. Also, the game comes packed with a soundtrack CD with eight of the 18 or so songs.
But the best thing out of this entire experience is the voice acting. And there is a lot of it. How the developers got so many voices on a single cartridge is beyond me. Each character’s voice is well done and not overly dramatic, though Rina, Roland’s friend, can be a little annoying during combat. All of those voices help sell the story. This is the closest, as of right now, DS owners are going to get to a console-like experience.
If I had to describe Luminous Arc 2 in a single statement, it would be this: Luminous Arc 2 is a solid addition into anyone’s library. It does what it needs to do rather well, with no gaping holes or melodrama. With solid strategy in hand, it treads familiar territory while trying to push the series forward. This game will not set the gaming world on fire, but it is sort of like Mom’s cooking: It’ll comfort you when everything else seems to be going wrong. Yet, something inside tells me that a third game will be entering the foray in the future and that is going to be the one to watch.
At the end of the day, those of you who are interested in the game check it out. This is one of the most accessible strategy games in years. Thus, persistent novices can work their way through this game. I also can easily imagine strategy fans being very content with this game as they travel through their day. And while I have not had the good luck to play the original, I suspect that fans of the original will like this game as much as the previous installment and be very happy with the way things are going in the series. No matter what type of gamer you are, this is a very solid entry into your DS library.
