Arc the Lad: Generation announced by Sony

TOKYO--Sony announced it will be releasing a new Arc the Lad game for the PlayStation 2, titled Arc the Lad: Generation. Arc the Lad: Generation will take place five years after the events of "Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits," which was released on the PlayStation 2 last year.

According to the latest issue of the PS2 magazine Dengeki, Generation starts off from the southern island of Clarf. The main character is a young man named Edda who happily lives with the locals, a tribe of people called the Hemo-ji. Despite only having vague recollections of his deceased parents who left him with just a rod and lessons in stick fighting, Edda grew up to be an honest and straightforward boy, spending quite a bit of time with his friend Hemo. Edda finds a young archeologist, named Kirika, washed ashore on the island. Edda then discovers his abilities as an exorcist and decides to set off on an adventure with Hemo. Edda will meet Kirika a number of times during the game, although at the moment it’s unconfirmed if she will become a member of their party.

The battle system in Generation will be changing from the simulation-style gameplay in previous Lads to a more action-oriented style. Aside from the player's life bar located on the top left side of the screen, there are also two screen-wide meters located near the bottom of the screen. There will also be a display of the four main PS2 buttons at the bottom of the screen with designations for weapons, magic, and attack methods.

Arc the Lad: Generation is scheduled for release this winter, but no retail price has been set for the game. Sony has opened a teaser page on its official Japanese Web site where you can get a glimpse of the three main characters.