Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits (AtL:TotS) is everything that Suikoden III was supposed to be. AtL is fun and entertaining, with an intriguing plot, well-fleshed out characters and a battle-system that is both easy to understand and interesting to use in play. The most innovative part of the TotS battle system is the ability to move around the battle area within a movement zone similar to that of Parasite Eve. The main difference here is that the characters can move behind the target to get bonuses for attacking from the rear. This gives the battle system an element of strategy lacking in almost all other RPGs. Once moved, the characters can then be rotated in place to bring their attacks to bear. Also, when the target dies, it is replaced with either money, items, or spirit stones which power attacks and magic. The character has to go pick up the items instead of directly getting them, which means that often the player has to decide on whether to keep attacking or forgo a turn to pick up the booty. The plotline takes the old 'twins seperated at birth but sharing a great destiny' idea and adds in an element of H.P. Lovecraft in that one twin looks completely human while the other twin is a bad combination of monster and human. As the story progresses the action alternates between one brother and then the other, which can get annoying if you forget which party has the long-range attacks and which has the superior magic. The biggest drawbacks to the game are the battle voices and the lack of the ability to change the camera angles. The voice acting for this makes me think of some of the mediocre dub-work seen on some anime. The tones are dull and seem at times like the voice-actors don't seem to get the characters they are voicing. This can start to grate on one's nerves after a while. The lack of the ability to manipulate camera angles can also be a drawback, especially if one is trying to find an item or target hidden behind another item. While at most a minor irritation, it keeps the game from getting a better score from me. Overall, Twilight of the Spirits is one of the best RPGs to come out this year. While not in the same league as Final Fantasy X or the Dark Cloud series, Arc the Lad is still better than Suikoden III or SaGa Unlimited. If you are a fan of PS2 RPGs or a long-time fan of the Arc the Lad series, then by all means go out and plunk down the money for this game. If you are new to RPGs or do not play them as much, this game might seem a bit confusing but still a good into to the genre.
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