Looking Back At Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits - Tarks Gauntlet

[@antonthomas3482]

I found this game on demo back in the day (2002/03) when I first got my PlayStation 2. Thanks to the PlayStation store. I was able to find this on my PS5, I’ve been recently playing it and I am about 35 hours in, for the time and the ability to make games graphically with moving action, this is one of the most enjoyable games I have ever played, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

[@meglovelyxoxoxo]

Twilight of the Spirits is one of if not my favorite video game of all time and I really wish it had gotten more attention.

[@TrenchfootSalvador]

It was definitely amazing

[@justchilln6190]

I'm so glad to hear someone else's opinion of this game! It's been my personal favorite game of all time; right beside Grandia 2 and FF Tactics(on the PS One)

[@moeezansari9]

Agreed, best game ever

[@arc2665]

I'm glad you like it had u guys played Arc the Lad R for mobile??

[@endlesseternal1310]

Skye's of Arcadia grandia 2 arc tactics vanguard bandits front mission 2 soudken Chrono cross and star ocean 2 but if I had to pick xenogears is my number one

[@Frenezyy]

Mine too

[@arcadeius7817]

This game has nothing on Arc the lad collection and if you haven't played 1 2 or 3 you missed out

[@TarksGauntlet]

A shame this series is kind of dead in the water right now, as my first jump into it shows it has a lot of potential. Any of you play this series before? What do you all think? Also... this video isn't likely to get much traction, so if you feel so inclined, I certainly wouldn't dissuade any shares haha! Have a great week folks!

[@tommylakindasorta3068]

I played the first three games, and this one. The originals haven't aged as well as this one has, but they were a welcome addition to the PS1 library with a pretty good story, tactical combat and a nice traditional JRPG look. I really liked the opening theme, as well, although some of the stage music is lackluster.

[@arc2665]

If i had millions I would ressurect the series but im poor hoping to win the lottery and unite the Arc team to bring it and reboot the Arc The Lad Anime

[@LukeGameDev]

I swear to god I'll remake this game and update it if I become wealthy

[@martinomagic9230]

This is a great series that died along with all the other great JRPGs of the previous era. The last game in the series for the PS2 era was a complete garbage fire. They made an extremely no thought put in Action RPG to try and bring in a larger audience but it backfired. Its a damn shame so many games series I would love to see brought back and not as a shitty mobile game. Lunar, Grandia, Phantasy Star, Wild Arms, Suikoden, Golden Sun, Shining Force, Valkyrie Profile, Growlanser, Breath of Fire and probably so many more most of which all died around the same era due to the world not being ready for JRPGs yet. Most of these series are looked back upon as hidden gems/masterpieces, but at the time they were just barely getting by. The first 3 games are all really good and I highly recommend them especially the first two. You can get them on the PS3 shop and they are for sure worth it. The first game is short and just a pretty generic Tactical RPG but the reason it must be played first is the second game is a direct sequel. The second game is a masterpiece, it may just be the best tactical RPG ever made and I have played a ton of them. The third one I personally really liked it but a lot of people didn't, it has a very generic story but what I loved about it is the fixed party. You only get 5 or 6 characters can't remember the exact number but you use all of them and they all play a unique much needed roll in the party. Probably my one biggest pet peeves of a long time Tactics RPG lover, is the fact so many games have tons of classes/characters but the majority are clones or useless compared to other characters. I love the games that make you use all the characters and they all have a unique style to bring. Which is why I love this series as it rarely leaves a character behind making them all useful and needed at some point. Sorry for the long post I always ramble on when it comes to the games I love the most haha.

[@KejutoJetomo]

Have you played La Pucelle Tactics?

[@alewij2756]

Martino Magic like Chorno Cross

[@michellepehrsondupont3756]

Someone else knows Growlanser existed 😍

[@Chelaxim]

Phantasy Star isn't dead lol.

[@davidtronche875]

as a mixed race kid that game blew my mind back then

[@rustyarmendariz1584]

Saaaame!

[@plasmagamer4780]

One of the most detailed videos I've ever seen about TotS, and I've seen many for many years :)

[@strategicinsomniac5607]

Loved this game. Played it wayyyy back when I was a teenager, and i'm playing through it again now, with my wife. She loves it.

[@RainbowDash3l33t]

Absolutely my favorite video game. It being released on PSN was the best thing for me.

[@leonard9624]

This is really a great game.this was my first entry in the series and played it more than a decade ago

[@thespianmask]

Delma being voiced by Jennifer Hale really surprised me when I realized it like 8 years after I played this game. Also, "Natural Selection" is one of the songs from this game I frequently return to listen to. It's an amazing track.

[@budsodastories]

I have the ost in my favorites on here haha

[@treehann]

Amazing retrospective. I found this game as a kid by accident and it became one of my favorites on ps2. The relentlessly dark story and soundtrack are the things that hooked me. I still remember that dude who throws himself off of the tower. I found the game to be too grindy in order to unlock the secret characters and level enough for the final boss which was too hard for me to ever beat. I also found the summon system overly confusing. Arc the Lad TotS might be the best game i never beat. I could revisit it as an adult but i don’t find much motivation to devote time to rpgs anymore. I greatly appreciate finding your video as it let me relive some of these precious memories.

[@MC_Hammerpants]

I'd say this game mostly sits between a 7/10 to a 8/10. However, Darcs 1st chapter is straight up 10/10. Unfortunately the rest the game doesn't live up to the bar set from that section

[@Renteka-Bond]

Like Chrono Cross, this is another game I have a lot of good memories of. Like you mentioned, the voice cast is really good in this game, including Cree summer, Quinton Flynn, to name a few you didn't as well. I hadn't analyzed it so directly, but your point about the layers to the world building being expansive but not intrusive is spot-on and part of why I like it for sure. Like you, I'd never played the previous Arc games and got through it jus fine, so they're really not necessary. Great review!

[@TarksGauntlet]

The voice cast list was quite immense. A lot more people deserve credit than what I gave, but I also didn't want to stretch an already pretty long video out even more haha.

[@Renteka-Bond]

Funnily enough, really unrelated, but it was this game that gave me an appreciation for voice acting as a whole. I was a young'n and Kid's next door was on at the same time, so when I heard the Scientist's voice, I was like "Isn't that Cree from Kid's Next Door?" and, when I finally beat it and got to see the credits, I got to see that her actual name was Cree and it changed my life forever!

[@FreeRPGer]

Love this game (& the 3 before it). Love Twilight of the Spirits the most, which I'm playing now, in fact, for the 1st time since it released. 'tis bringing back memories. I've not one complaint on this game, actually. I also have the Working Designs box set, the Arc the Lad Collection. After I finish this, I'll also be replaying 1 thru 3 for the 1st time since release. The nostalgia. I can't believe Cattle Call also made the one after this, The End of Darkness. It's horrible on all fronts.

[@andrewwood2556]

Awesome video! Twilight is one of the most underrated games on PS2.

[@wolffster25]

I remember playing Arc the Lad one, two, and three (never finished three) they were pretty cool games. I’ll say this the first two games are the highlight of the series and worth playing. Make sure you play Arc the Lad one first as the sequel is a direct follow up and the first game allows you to transfer your data to the sequel.

[@tenshi.kurama]

Don't play edge of darkness. It killed the series

[@dan_kotsu]

3 was rough seems like just guild quests but I'll try again

[@hristvalkyrie2063]

Quality Review I'm always looking forward to ur Game Reviews

[@marcoamazo]

Tots was my first arc the lad game too and I still love it to this day.

[@killacondor]

I figure I'd mention Deimos aren't considered monsters. Monsters are a separate class in this game.

[@Venoix]

You probably already know this, but this is the fourth mainline title in the series, chronologically. I, too, originally started with this game, but then I stopped playing it and went back and played the earlier ones, then came back to this one. I found that it was much more rewarding that way, as I actually understood all the references to previous characters and locations. Great video. I enjoyed the relation you made between the game's depiction of humans vs deimos to our own world in respect to racism. I made a similar observation in my own video review of this game. :)

[@setsuro.splice]

i got introduced to this series from this exact game too. was in my late teens 18-19? and stumbled upon this treasure. I too was thinking to myself "Arc the Lad?"... "Like... Arc, the nice chap?" lol. Out of curiosity and looking at the front cover and game intro at the back, i decided to give it a try. And boy did I made a great choice! xD It is because of this game I went to hunt for ATL 1/2/3... played them all and was genuinely surprised not many people are talking about the game. A friend of mine did tho and he was awesome to lend me the Arc the Lad anime DVD. hahaha. I've played End of Darkness too and I did enjoyed it however the mechanics were changed. I primarily enjoyed it because I could literally get to visit the place and music again in the previous title. However, it definitely pales in comparison to Twilight in terms of the story telling. Didnt know there's the mobile release, however I'm unable to find it on the app store, figured it might be region locked. :(

[@Venoix]

Arc the Lad R is supposed to have a global release. It was announced in November last year, and commenced with a closed Beta, though I suppose either the Beta hasn't finished yet, or the game hasn't been released yet as I can't find it on Apple store. It has been available to Japan for two years already.

[@DanielSantosAnalysis]

This is a blast from the past, I played this game a lot in middle school and loved it. It's good to see the game generally holds up.

[@usaliengames9810]

So I'm watching this years later and there is a profound message in the game that Tark speaks of at 3:19. Quite powerful to listen to while observing what's going on in Ukraine.

[@guruthosamarthruin4459]

The main problem with End of Darkness, was that it was an action bastardization. I'm also not going to care about a mobile game. The series must release an actual Strategy RPG on consoles, if it ever wants to actually revive.

[@michaelmiller7465]

Mobile games: Where good series go for the final knockout punch...

[@J-Runn87]

Arc the Lad hardly hear that name anymore... I love that working designs arc the lad box we don't get them like that anymore

[@arcadeius7817]

Arc The Lad collection one of the best games on the playstation 1

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Quite surprisingly deep story

[@S.Abraham]

My first jrpg that made my favourite of all time

[@TarksGauntlet]

It really is a shockingly good game. I went in without much in the way of expectations but walked away having loved my time with it.

[@zevzero]

Great video! Really interesting and great footage.

[@DizzyQuanto]

Personally one of my favorite games! I'm going through a new game + right now

[@taketime0626]

One of my favorite games ever!!! I feel the need to play this again.

[@Charmed97]

I remember playing this game when I was younger. It’s been stuck in my head lately, I couldn’t remember the name or anything!!

[@Makoto03]

I loved the game on PS2 but could never finish it. The final Boss has a ridiculous difficulty spike that i couldn't over come. I even tried it again when it released on PS4 as a port. Still couldn't beat the boss. :(

[@TarksGauntlet]

It took me 2 tries. The first time I forgot to recharge my spirit stones before going in. I held out a while but failed in the end. The second try I recharged well, changed some equipped gear so I had more light-element attacks, and I properly buffed my party to have more speed. The biggest issue with the final boss I found was his speed getting out summons.

[@abemontes2518]

It took me like two hours in the final battle to beat the antagonist. That battle was very difficult and long.

[@nichytsukamoto9788]

Well written review. Bravo 👏 I'm still trying to finish twilight of the spirits

[@zempmasterz]

Oh arc the lad 1, 2, and 3 are all on psn for 6 bucks each

[@Daniel.Miranda]

I'm a ff fanatic but this one of my favorite games EVER and the only arc the lad I've ever played.. also can't find it in the ps store

[@Zatheko]

This game is available on the ps4 store

[@extremewirehead]

I remember enjoying this game and accidentally marathoning it as a kid. Glad that some people still remember it. Kinda sad you didn't get into the later plot points in a spoiler section.

[@Zeeem99]

excellent review

[@thaisennj9781]

Game is so good. Back in the complete without the internet days

[@sabrinagidney6066]

Is this available for ps vita? I don’t wanna buy one then find out I can’t play it without a os4 cross play meaning it wouldn’t make sense to have them both

[@DuoBeard]

I have a friend that wanted me to play this, I feel guilty now for not playing it yet. Great review

[@TarksGauntlet]

Don't feel too bad dude, took me years to get it out of the backlog haha.

[@arc2665]

Don't worry it took me a year to conviece my friend to play it now he's 29 years old he played 2 years ago in the ps4 store and in HD

[@ApenBaard]

Awesome tark! I have also always been curious about this one, never ended up getting it though so lets see if I shouldve :p

[@ApenBaard]

Fuck me, I wouldve absolutely loved this! Maybe more so than most of the other jrpgs ive played, it seems like everything about this is right up my alley! Im definitely keeping an eye out for any used copies I might come across. I also remember why I never bothered getting it above other games....I personally always thought the arstyle and graphics looked very boring and generic. Not as in that it is bad, but more in that nothing about it looked visually interesting at all to me.

[@abemontes2518]

This game was great. I really liked it. The story could have been a little better but nonetheless good. The final battle was long, at least in my case, but entertaining.

[@brandonmurphy4539]

I played this game when it first came out. No idea what I was getting into. My friend gave it to me. I enjoyed playing allot.

[@moogibeans9822]

I bought this game for 4$ the other day. Am way super excited to play it, looks amazing.

[@Frenezyy]

Bebedora, the best character s2

[@TheGamedawg]

I played this game around the time it released as a kid and it too was my first game in the series. I didn't really understand a lot of the game mechanics at that age (more used to Pokemon at the time), but the story was captivating, and even to this day it's one of my favorite games. It's the kind of title I just need to play through again once every few years. As for the other ones? Well, I've never played AtL 1-3 either but I hear they're pretty good, although nothing incredibly unique if you've played other Tactics games of the era. Probably still worth checking out though. And End of Darkness was so bad that it did kind of kill the series due to its quality. However even by that point I think the company that made the series was starting to go under anyway. TotS may have reviewed extremely well but I don't think it sold well at all. As a result, EoD just felt very lazy and like they were trying to scramble one final game together before they went out of business. I swear like 90% of the assets were just copy-pasted from TotS, there's no more than a dozen new voice lines, and the story reads like a glorified fantiction. I still think it's worth checking out, but don't get your hopes too high. Anyway, thanks a lot for this video! I kind of want to play through the game again now.

[@arc2665]

Had u played it on the ps4 its in the PlayStation store

[@MuddyTrench]

Lol I just replayed this game trying to get every unique character equip and I missed the knuckle guard 😅

[@charlesberg1234]

A personal favorite of mine

[@GamingWithSpoons]

Great review you can get the first 3 games on psn

[@leigh6929]

Arc the lad was my shit back when I was feeling down

[@jorgeelias385]

Ngl i am waiting a lot from this game too Tho i only played this one, i plan to play the others tho Definetly one of my favorites of all time

[@arc2665]

This actually became my favorite game I bought it back around 2007 at micro center for $12 bucks and suddenly im like wth who is this great hero and holy mother (Arc and Kukuru) later found out there was an Anime and Arc 1 2 and 3 and Ressurection of the machine god and I'm like wtf y am I hearing about this all late so once I turned 18 I found a job and bought Arc 1 2 n 3 and i was like wtf so good for an 95 game and i got the Arc the lad 1 2 n 3 for $40 that was till 2011

[@averageatbestva]

I beat this game when I was like 11 or 12 and I’m very confused as to how i accomplished that lol

[@alewij2756]

I’m playing it for the 2nd time now

[@RubescentDragon]

During that era it was definitely a case of if you didn't get a good review score you almost never got a sequel Breath of Fire being another example of a great series that got erased all because of 1 game not doing well despite previous titles doing well and the new title taking a different direction with the series but nope it was still bad so clearly no one wants games from that series anymore just can it, that's more or less the mind set of that era of gaming. Now a day's things get sequels no matter the quality because of name recognition and nostolgia what a change of the world at large

[@makona2002]

I played it when I was younger but didn't like it too much. Trying to level was a pain.

[@TarksGauntlet]

I can see grinding being a pain with the way the xp system works, but I never felt the need to grind. I only ever fought the battles the game sent my way and seemed to get through fine. That said, I also played as an adult.

[@ApenBaard]

Tarks Gauntlet I would love it if youd mention stuff like that in your reviews! People often complain about having to grind in games when 90% of the time it isnt true and just them brute forcing the game by leveling instead of using strategy. A big part of this I think is that we start playing these games as dumb children and assumed thats just how they work haha. But the annoying thing is some rpgs definitely do require it. I personally despise grinding and would like to avoid the games that feature excessive amounts of it but reading reviews youd think most of em are like that which isnt true at all.

[@danthunder5002]

I really wanna replay this game, sadly my PS2 is not in the living anymore. TT_TT

[@DarthRoger618]

play it on a emulator

[@meglovelyxoxoxo]

Happy to report that it was ported to the ps4 and that's how I replayed it around my birthday

[@whitemage34]

Battles r only long if u choose not to grind which is a bad idea

[@treehann]

But if you grind then you have to battle more. I found this game to be very grind heavy and that’s its worst aspect. The rest is fantastic

[@whitemage34]

@@treehann the grind is an enjoyable aspect to enjoying the rest of the story

[@lanceelopezz223]

Steve Blum, Jennifer Hale!! X]

[@tenshi.kurama]

I love Darc. Bebedora is adorable as well. The sequel rode the curtails of this game so hard for sales only to be a dumpster fire that destroyed the series. Biggest complaint The tails. Why do they start at the upper back and not the base of it. It's offputting and I personally ignore this

[@crichton397]

The rant about "humans [being] fallible" kind of turned me off from this review. I'm glad to see somebody talking about this game, but I was more interested in the game than the asides about human nature and politics. It was noticeable enough during the first 8 minutes that I didn't want to watch anymore.' That might just be your style though. No reason to change it.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Games make social statements. I don't think it's a bad idea to explore what those are in a review.

[@skinlesswalnut6259]

Making bank of these views then ;) your welcome

[@damianserah]

the psx trilogy and the anime is way better

[@Twigg4075]

Damn, had to wait until 12+ minutes to find out combat was turn-based. No thanks.

[@TarksGauntlet]

But... footage of the combat system appears as early as 45 seconds in and it looks pretty turn-based there. That said, if turn based doesn't do it for you it doesn't do it for you. I get that.

[@mickeymickey9914]

Your racial preaching was so cringe it convinced me not to play it.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Cool cool. You wouldn't like the game anyway if that's how sensitive you are. The "preaching" I done was just relaying the themes of the game, which I don't control. Also, you can't just sit there and unironically call somebody cringe while liking your own comment lol. Have a good day.

[@mickeymickey9914]

@@TarksGauntlet I like my own comments because I'm that awesome.

[@dynastystar5515]

as somebody who got Arc the Lad: End of Darkness when I was younger for cheap, I'd just like to vouch that it is indeed complete and utter garbage and we should try to find a landfill somewhere and E.T. every copy of the game in it. I can't find my copy of the game, but if I ever find it, I would be more than willing to give it to you, thats a BIG if since I haven't been able to find most of my ps2 collection for close to a decade.