Arc: twilight of the spirits - PS2 review

23 February 2004 21:55 GMT / By Chris Hall

The opening score and the long introductory scenes point towards something epic, or perhaps a little tedious. The story is core the Twilight of the Spirits and you set off as Kharg, some random Prince type dude, into lengthy subtitled conversations that give the first impression that this adventure game is somewhat boring. In fact, it takes about 15 minutes before you can do anything, so boring might be the right word. Or slow. Slow is ok, I can do slow, I think.

Ok, getting into the game itself, it is a classic adventure game - you spend half the time wondering what you are supposed to be doing. And, oh boy, it is really slow. As you explore, you run into various spirits, people, shops, ad infinitum, who then tell you their story and it goes on and on and on … and you can't skip the cut scenes … you have to endure them. Eventually you cotton on to something happing elsewhere, and off you go.

Once you've found something to do, like attack someone, it is a disappointing role play based affair. If it is action you are after, it's not here. Having said that, there is a touch of Fighting Fantasy about the whole thing. As far as boring adventures go, its not too bad, although the porn-jazz soundtrack does annoy before long. The combat may be seen by some as revolutionary. If you do turn-based combat, you’ll enjoy this spin, which is slightly more interesting than chess, if less tactical.

Control is fairly straightforward - in battle control requires thought and teamwork, and general exploring is easy enough. There is also a seemingly endless range of items to collect and use - visiting the shop provides such an insight, where you can by everything from soap to mint leaves. It seems that all things herbal and spiritual are here, man.

Verdict

Overall, you need to be into this sort of roleplay adventure before you get started here. I know some people like this sort of thing, but I don't. There is no real spark. I don't crave fast-paced gun slinging, but I do demand a standard of fluidity in the animation. After all, this is the PS2 here, and it can do respectable things. Arc doesn't. Try before you buy.

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Review Recap

Made by: Sony
Price as reviewed: £35
The good: Reasonable combat when it happens
The bad: Crap graphics, buildup too slow for anyone but the hardcore
Quick verdict: Rent it if you’re into advntures otherwise just don’t bother.
Score