![]() With the story hinging on a new device called the Runic Engine – a man-made "Lapistier" that's fused to a person's hand namely our hero Roland – even an unlikely hero is able to gather serious magic power by stealing away properties from others. ![]() The bigger changes in the game though are due to the latest battle system upgrades. Things look nearly identical in-game as they did in the first Luminous Arc. With that being said, we found battles to be a bit more streamlined as well, so in the end it's not that levels take longer to get (they actually feel faster this time around), but that it's a more strategic affair, rather than just letting whoever is closest steal all the exp away. Experience is also a bit more challenging to get, as a regular attack might only do a few points in comparison to a final blow, so if you want to level up someone like Rina – the cutie with a bow, and our favorite in the game – you'll need to make sure she's at a safe distance, but also ready for the final shot once an enemy is whittled down to the last few points. This time around only two items can be taken into battle for each character, so you can no longer item spam to heal over and over again. There's also more strategy though, and it's the main reason we had a better time playing Luminous Arc over its predecessor. There's something to be said for the formulaic, "all the cards are out in front of you" style of the game. If it says 99% you won't see that random miss occurring once every few hits it's literally one out of 100. If a hit percentage says 75%, you're going to hit it three out of four times. Some NPC (non-playable characters) don't interact until attacked, or until closer enemies are taken down, so you won't get flooded with piles of enemy fodder all at once, and battles are extremely fair overall. It's a little tougher, but the same design is kept overall, so you'll see exactly how much damage and hit percentage you have for each attack, how much HP both your allies and enemies have at all time, the order of attackers across the top of the bottom screen, and essentially every piece of info you'd ever need. The combat is essentially the same from the previous game, but it has been tuned a bit for the better. It's a bit much to take right from the beginning, but it also ensures that less time is used to character stack one by one, so you can get your feeling for each player in this huge novel of a game, and move on with minimal initial hand-holding. Players take control of Roland, a knight in training who quickly learns the hidden power of the Runic Knights through a series of unlikely circumstances, and within the first few minutes of the game players are introduced to a cast of over 20 characters, which only gets bigger as you go along. The story – like any good manga – follows the story of an unlikely hero and his band of buddies. We're not telling you to ignore the original Luminous Arc by any means, but if you're interested in the sequel, you can jump right on in without worrying about being out of the loop. A few characters drop in as a cameo along the way, but other than that you've got a new story, a new cast, new plotlines, and a game that's entirely standalone. Instead, we'll leave it be by saying this game is not a direct sequel to Luminous Arc one, though you will see a larger emphasis on witches – specifically the Frost Witch – this time around. Going into the specifics of the story in Luminous Arc 2 is basically an exercise in futility there's just too much. ![]() The interface has undergone a huge overhaul, and the end result is a much more polished, professional looking game. It's a living manga, and more than that it's a typical design for its era (lots of large chested women and baby face cutie-pie magic casters), but it's also one filled with some pretty interesting characters, lots of voice acting to keep things interesting as you go, and some beautiful art both in and out of the core game. Luminous Arc as a series is as much a manga as it is a strategy game, as you'll likely spend a good chunk of your time (unless you're a heartless story-skipper) reading and watching the characters interact as you will actually on the battlefield and grinding out bouts between mages, archers, swordsmen, witches, and monsters. Luminous Arc 2 may feel like it's predecessor, which means it'll in turn feel very similar to the likes of Disgaea, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2, and Hoshigami Remix, but it also has its own unique style, and one that will practically determine 100% if Atlus's offering is for you or not. If you're looking for serious innovation though, you may need to look elsewhere.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |