Thursday 29 November 2007

Pic of the day: From the intro sequence.

Luminous Arc (DS)

Luminous Arc is a tactical role playing game for the Nintendo DS. It is Japanese and strongly related to the anime genre. In fact, the game begins with an opening sequence - animation and a song - that could have just as well been used for a an anime. I would not be surprised if there is at some point an anime made, based on the game.

By tactical role playing game, I mean that the focus of the game is the tactical battles. Using the right characters, placing them in the best positions to use their abilities and the terrain. But it is also about leveling up the characters, as they will meet harder and harder opponents as the game progresses. Unlike a classic role playing game, however, you cannot choose what direction to develop your characters. When they level up, their new powers are picked for them automatically, and the increases to their statistics as well. You cannot even buy spells or skills, although you can buy potions and equipment. (There is rarely a need to buy potions, though: They are given as rewards after successful battles.)

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I found the game technically impressive. The screen was responsive and the movements were smooth. The control system was largely intuitive, except that it is too easy to select the wrong character when you click on them. This is not an immediate disaster, since you have to confirm every action, but it could have been avoided by providing a pick list overlay or simply allowing you to rotate the picture. This would however have eaten into the precious memory, which was clearly stuffed to the rafters. There is voice acting suprisingly many places in the game, and large, detailed character portraits. The game also has good length and a multiplayer capability that kicks in after you have assembled enough characters. Online battles are supposed to give you rewards even if you lose, although the winner gets more. I have not tested this feature, as I have not been able to connect my DS to the wireless network at home. (Much less at work... I am not quite that geeky!)

The story centers on a group of barely legal teens and their friends. They have been raised as holy warriors for the Luminous Church, to defend the world against the witches which are foretold to emerge at the end of the thousand years. The witches appear as the game starts, but - big surprise - it turns out that the witches are the good guys (or rather girls) and the Church is hiding a deep, dark secret that could spell the end of the world unless our heroes join forces with the witches. This isn't built in one day, though. There are differences among the witches and some of them are fighting our heroes at first.

Although the story takes place on a different world, the parallels to the Catholic church are not exactly subtle. Cathedrals, cardinals and organ chorals will ensure that all but the most culturally illiterate Japanese can associate the enemy with Christianity. (In Japan, where the game comes form, Christianity is very much a minority faith with less than 1% of the populace having it as their only religion. Despite this, people are familiar with parts of it from the popular church weddings, Christian boarding schools, Christmas celebration and depictions of angels which have largely supplanted the native "tenshi" in popular culture. But enough about that.)

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Anyway, the important question with a game is: Did I have fun? And the answer is "yes!" - but that might be less so if you are not an "otaku" (in the American sense of the word rather than the Japanese), a lover of anime and manga. The game is squarely aimed at that consumer group. It even has a "dating sim" element in which you can talk to your team mates between battles and fill up a "heart" icon over time. When your "heart" status is high enough, a cute little scene is played. Nothing indecent, of course: The game never goes beyond gentle flirting. Still, it should appeal to the high school boys and girls who like to read manga and watch anime.

That is not to say that the game will be a complete failure if you are not used to anime. If you hate that genre though, you should probably avoid it. But the great tactical battles that take up most of the time makes it a good alternative for anyone else with a Nintendo DS and the itch to fight some evil. Well, I suppose some Catholics may take exception, but probably mostly the elderly and surly Catholics who wouldn't touch a DS except briefly to throw it in the garbage can. I'm a Christian and I easily forgive the misguided choice of enemy. After all, they know not what they do. But they know how to make good computer games.