After spending more time with it I see why Luminous Arc has gamers split into two camps. It seems like some people were expecting Luminous Arc to be a ground breaking, possibly because it’s one of the few on the strategy RPGs on the DS out in North America. Luminous Arc is far from that, it’s on the basic side. You point to where you want to move, tap who you want to attack and select skills from a menu. Win a battle and the plot continues, just like the flow of other strategy RPGs. More of the same right? Yeah it’s true, but there is enough in Luminous Arc to satiate SRPG buffs.
The story isn’t one of those features though. You guide Alph on a quest against the Luminous Church. An evil church? Where have I heard that before? While the plot won’t grip you, Luminous Arc gives you plenty of chances to get to know the characters. After you win each battle you can chat with a single character to learn more about them and strengthen your relationship them. When you talk to Cecille, the priest (read: healer) in the group, you can pray with her. During key story scenes you can take a moment to speak with your party members before advancing the story. I like the idea of optional interaction. There is more depth for gamers who want it, but if you want to rush to the next fight you can.
And there are plenty of battles to fight in Luminous Arc. Besides the story battles there are random encounters that you need to learn to love. Since you have a large army to outfit, you are always strapped for cash. Fighting increases your bankroll and items that end up making the game easier. It’s not that Luminous Arc is brain bending difficult. You don’t have a lot of options to worry about or much to manage. However, your enemies typically deal substantially more damage than you can absorb. The only way to survive is to over level and have the best gear. Since combat is your typical grid based fighting with the addition of touch screen control veterans shouldn’t have any problem getting into the game. The only real twist is the flash point system. Each time you’re hit or deal damage you build up energy in the FP meter. Once it fills up you can do a special attack that deals more damage. The flash point system along with the auto-heal you get when you level up allows for quick comebacks that you don’t have in other strategy RPGs.
The main feature that SRPG fans are going to be attracted to in Luminous Arc is the (free) online battle mode. You can take the party you spent hours on in New Game+ and test your skills against another player. However, you can’t hop online right away; you need to unlock the mode first. It’s a reward worth waiting for though and it will increase replay value beyond the 25+ hours it takes to beat the main storyline. Maybe not thousands of hours of replay value, but this will extend the life of Luminous Arc. However, I wonder what will happen in the future when hardcore players completely dominate random matches. You won’t stand a chance against a team of maxed out characters even after you pass chapter 13.
How much you like Luminous Arc is going to depend on how much you enjoy SRPGs. It sounds like an obvious thing to say, but that is what it comes down to. See, Luminous Arc delivers exactly what it promises a strategy RPG with voice acting. Nothing more, nothing less. If you’re expecting anything extra then Luminous Arc is bound to disappoint you. On the other hand for fans of the genre and those gamers looking for a first step into SRPGs Luminous Arc has enough in it to entertain players. I just wish you could rotate battlefields or the touch screen control was polished up.
