========================================================================
SYSTEM: Sony PS-X Playstation (Japan)
TITLE: Arc the Lad
TYPE: Role Playing
DEVELOPER: G-Craft Software
PRICE: 5,800 yen
AVAILABILITY: -Now-
FEATURES: Voice Actors, London Philharmonic Orchestra, A+ Graphics, etc.
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SUBJECT: Arc the Lad Walk-Through Guide
VERSION: 1.32
EDITOR's NOTE: Here is version 1.32 of the Walk-Through for Arc the
Lad. As this guide will be revised & edited
accordingly, updated versions will be posted with more
translations & tips/tricks.
If there are any errors or suggestions, please let
me know, as I will try to update the guides
accordingly. Thankx.
========================================================================
[THE INTRODUCTORY SEQUENCE]
- WINTER SCENE -
o As the introduction sequence begins to unfold, you will first
see a wintery scene with Kukuru, the young & only daughter of
the Whito family, whose destiny was laid forth as the guardian
of the mystic spirit shrine of the mountain of Toville, and
one of the village leaders. Kukuru, at this point, faces a
certain dilemma in which she must marry the prince of Palencia,
a dilemma she feels she should have no obligation to follow
through with. Thus, the village leader has given her the
prerogative (option) to her own will, only if she goes to the
mystic spirit shrine of the Toville mountain & release the
ancient fire. Without question, she does so, not even
realizing the consequences of what she is about to do.
When she does blow out the ancient fire, a demonic voice
speaks out, cursing the 3000 years it has been enslaved
within the depths of the ancient fire. Perplexed (stunned)
at what has happened, Kukuru returns to the village leader,
who is plotting in something beyond the realization of Kukuru.
Kukuru questions the village leader of what she heard, only
to find ridicule by the skepticism of the plotting village
leader. So, this wintery scene ends as the village leader
secretively revealing his greedy plot in gaining his
reward for following the orders of the evil Lord Andel.
- ARC's HOUSE -
o At this point of the intro sequence, Arc is seen, seemingly
grieving over the long absence of his father. He attempts
to open the chest that contains his father's armor & sword,
only to find it locked. As his mother, Polta, comes in the
scene, Arc questions her of the true nature for his father's
absence. Though she only would speak of his father's death
as a result of monsters within the mountains, Arc, with
denial, increasingly becomes determined to find the true
nature of his father's absence, believing that his father
was too skilled & strong to perish under the hands of a mere
monster. Seeing the strong nature & determination in Arc,
she gives in & opens the chest, and leaves the room.
His mother, in the other room, recalls of what Arc's father
said 10 years ago, and thus, a flashback scenery is shown.
In the flashback sequence, Arc is 5 years old and is seen
sleeping in his bed. His father explains to Polta of his
destiny to fight the monsters for the sake of his world
and his only son, Arc. Polta, reluctant of listening to
his reasonings, pleads for him to stay, only to find her
husband's determination perpetual (unchanging) to her
appeal. He leaves, asking for her to take good care of Arc,
and notes that Arc will 10 years from now, embark on the
same journey, as it was his destiny to do so.
As the flashback ends, the player (you) will now begin your
game....
=====================================================================
1. [ARC'S HOUSE]
o Now that the chest is open, you now have access to the
sword & armor.
o Before you leave the room, make sure to look for hidden
items. There is a medicine (HP revive) in one of the pots
on the left side of the room.
o Talk to your mother in the other room.
As all mothers are, she will be concerned & will make sure
you are well prepared before you go outside.
She will give you...
- Kaisarg Robe (Raises throwing level +1)
- Cure Potion (HP revive)
- Poison Repellant
- Life Potion (Revive a dead member)
o Make sure to look for hidden items.
There is a rock hidden in the upper right corner of the
room. You can use it to throw it against enemies.
Make sure to have your Kaisarg Robe equipped before
you throw it. It will raise the amount of damage you
inflict upon your enemies.
o Leave the house. You will then head towards the mountains.
2. [THE MYSTIC MOUNTAIN & THE FIRE SHRINE]
o Back at the wintery mountain scene, you will see Kukuru and
hear a demonic wail (scream) in the background.
Arc will meet Kukuru for the first time, and Arc will
insist, with strong determination, on going to the mystic
shrine to light the fire, in hopes of finding out anything
that might lead to the whereabouts of his father.
Arc takes the light and heads towards the depths of the
mountain. When Arc encounters the Demon, it questions him
if he is the one that released the fire. Assuming he was,
the demon attacks Arc, leaving him to die in the cold.
A light shines on him, and he is revived by the guardian
spirit of the mountains. It speaks to him of his true
destiny and enhances his fighting will/power to battle the
monsters.
o After that sequence, you will begin your first battle
against 6 green slimes. They should be of no difficulty,
as they only have 3 Hps each. But note that they can
replicate themselves at will to create more slimes.
o Another sequence will thereafter follow, as Arc lights the
fire of the shrine. Once he reaches his house, he is
summoned by the king of Palencia.
Another scene with Kukuru & Arc will follow, and his
destined journey begins...
3. [THE CASTLE OF PALENCIA]
o As Arc reaches the castle, the little sequence with the
Palencia army & Poco is shown. In the castle, Arc is
greeted -- but with skepticism due to his youthful
appearance -- by the King, whose interest lies in
Arc's newfound "power" that was bestowed upon him by the
mountain spirit guardian. Lord Andel, the king's most
"trusted" advisor, suggests that Arc should prove
his worth by fighting the monsters in Colbo. Arc
accepts.
o Head towards the Colbo fields, the middle area.
There, you will meet Poco, who will be the first to join
your group. Fight the enemies.
(Colbo Enemies: Zombies, spirits, green slime, fireballs)
o Return to Palencia to see the king again.
When you see the king, you will encounter even more
skepticism than before. Then a guard will come in
to inform the king of the monsters invading the castle.
Arc will take this chance to prove to the king and
subjects of his worth.
o At the bridge, Kukuru will be surrounded by monsters.
Kukuru will now be a member of your cast.
Battle the monsters.
(Palencia Bridge Enemies: green slime, spirits, evil monk, priest)
o Back at the King's throne room, the king gives his full
pardon for his skepticism & doubt of Arc's worth.
The scene will follow with the myth of the ancient
treasure of light & darkness -- a relic that is foretold
to hold the destiny of the world & its fate.
The king then speaks of his brother's absence after
an incident in the Toyoke woods.
The king then asks Arc to find out the truth behind
the incident & go to the Toyoke woods.
Another scene will follow, with Lord Andel reporting
of Arc to an evil source in a mirror.
o Now head towards the Sumaria Airbase where you must
travel to Millmana.
4. [MILLMANA]
o On arriving at the Millmana airbase, commander Yagun's
right-hand-man will be expecting you, as he will take
you to Yagun. On meeting him, he will greet you with
extreme ridicule/mockery of Arc's age & appearance.
He will even suggest that Arc is too weak & young to
venture into the Toyoke woods. Eventually it will come
to the point where Arc will, again, have to prove his
worth & skills by battling monsters in the woodlands.
o Battle enemies at the woods (3 sections)
o After defeating the enemies in all three sections, it will
prove Arc's worth/skills -- which evidently Yagun believes
to be a threat to his hidden plans/eugenda & thus, sends
his monsters to kill Arc & his friends.
o Another battle will take place, as Arc travels through
the Toyoke woods.
(Toyoke Enemies: Ninja warriors, spirits, giant insects, poison
plants)
o After reaching to the mystic tree of Toyoke, Arc will be
visited by the spirit guardian. She will speak of Arc's
father & his journey through the woods 20 years ago,
and about Arc's destined fate to save the world.
o Your task in Millmana is done. Though, it is advisable to
battle more enemies to gain levels & strength.
o Head back to Sumaria (Palencia castle)
5. [SUMARIA - Palencia Castle - ]
o When you reach Sumaria, you will notice that there are
more battle areas to explore. Though they are battle
areas, they contain secondary level enemies. They
have more offensive & defensive tactics, so it is
advisable to come back to these areas after your
characters are at stable levels.
o Before you enter the Palencia castle, you will see Tosh
being taken in by the Palencia guards to the dungeon.
As Arc & his party reports of his recent expedition
to Lord Andel, Kukuru becomes increasingly suspicous
of the true nature for Tosh's capure. Another
scene with Tosh & the guards will follow, in which you will
find out that Tosh willingly let himself be captured in
exchange for the sparing of his father & brother's lives.
But, it seems that the Palencia guards betrayed him &
not only killed both his father & brother, but also set
forth a death sentence for Tosh as well. Out of rage,
Tosh escapes from cell & plans for his revenge.
The blue guards will transform themselves into monsters
and thus, a battle will follow.
(Palencia Dungeon Enemies: Ninja Warriors, drunken trolls,
zombies)
o After speaking to the king, head towards Arc's house.
There, Arc will find his house in ruins & his mother missing.
A postal messenger will drop off a letter from Arc's
father.
o Head towards the peak of the mountains, where the ancient
circle of rocks lie. There you will fight the evil spirit
of the underworld. Take heed, for he will cast "Sleep"
on your characters a lot, & if you're too close, he will
inflict quite some damage.
o After defeating the spirit demon, Gogen, the old sorcerer,
will join your group. In the scene, he will speak of the
5 mystic orbs (fire, wind, light, earth, water) that you will
need in the course of your journeys.
(Note: Before this scene ends, Gogen finds & picks up a
'Romancing Stone'. These are special hidden items that
supposedly give your characters special powers. There
are four of them, so if you find them all, something
might happen...)
o Head back to the Palencia castle again & report about the
5 orbs to the king. He will give you some nifty items.
o Before you go to the airbase, visit Arc's house again.
There is a hidden item in Arc's house. Look around and
you will eventually find the second 'Romancing Stone'!
o At the airbase, Tosh - after encountering the spirit who
advises him to join Arc - will join Arc.
o Head to Araratos.
(NOTE: From this point on, Arc's main goal is to obtain all 5
orbs. Search for them in the 5 different continents...)
6. [ ARARATOS ]
o On arriving at Araratos, you will be first greeted by
Chongara. He has something he wants to show you.
Follow him.
o In the scene at Chongara's little shop, he will tell you
everything from mankind's history beginning in Araratos,
to what Arc will need in the course of his journey.
But he will first ask Arc to obtain a certain ancient
artifact (a pot) from the 5th level below of the dungeons,
located near the shop.
o Head towards the dungeon & obtain the pot. It is located
on the 5th floor. Note that the enemies past the 6th
floor are of high level status, meaning that if you get
too caught up in trying to defeat the enemies, you might
just find yourself unable to get out...
Also note: There are 50 Levels, all full of enemies ranging
from low level trolls to insanely-difficult demon dragons.
o Once having obtained the pot, head back to the shop.
After the flashback scene with Chongara, he will temporarily
join your party.
7. [ THE UNDERWORLD ]
o You will notice that another area will now be available to
explore. It is one of the underworlds to which you will
obtain one of the 5 orbs.
(Underworld Enemies: Rock monster, vampire bats, robot.)
o You task here is done. Head back to the airbase to search
for the second orb in the continent of Gracina. But just
as you are about to leave, Chongara will run in & join your
party. It seems that he has had a change of heart...
8. [ GRACINA ]
o In arriving at Gracina, you must head to the temple.
There will be a scene where the temply head priest orders
Iga to keep Arc & his party out of the temple.
Arc will eventually challenge Iga in order to get in the
temple. Fight Iga.
o Though without any weapon or items, Iga can prove to be
quite a formidable enemy. Try not to use magic on him,
as you may find that most of your magic will not work
well against him. Use the hit-and-run tactic. And try
not to throw bomb on him---he will simply catch them
and may possibly throw them back.
o After defeating Iga, he will keep his promise & let
Arc meet the temple priest. When taken to the priest,
Kukuru seems right through the true form of priest,
revealing a hideous monster. A battle against the
monster & his army will follow.
(Temply Enemies: teleporting monsters, boss (priest)
o Head to the mountains, where the second orb lies.
A battle will follow.
(Temple Mountain Enemies: Blue Slime, Winter Big Foots, monks)
o Having obtained the second orb, head back to the temple,
where Iga will finally join your party. Now, on to
search for the third orb...
o But before leaving Gracina, you have an option of training
& building your skills/levels at the temple. Go there
and answer "yes" to his first question. You will
first face 20 green slimes. The fighting order will
successively go in this order:
After the ten & last stage of training, the temple priest will
give you a special artifact...
o Also note that the priest will give you the option of gaining
a special relic if you answer all his questions correctly.
To do this, answer "No" to his first question. Then
Answer "Yes" to his second, thus starting your test of wits.
o Upon reaching at the continent of Needle, head towards
the fighting arena. There, it seems that you need to
fight & win in the tournament to win the grand prize --
the orb of wind. The announcer is Rocktle -- he will
be announcing the matches & rules.
o In the tournament, you will be fighting 6 challengers.
Depending on the skill level your characters are at,
it will most likely be a breeze. You will select one
of your 7 characters to fight in the tournament. Note
that if you change characters anytime during the
tournament, you will have to start over.
o After winning the tournament, Rocktle, the announcer, will
give you your prize -- the third orb. A scene will follow.
In the scene, the announcer will cinically congradulate you
for your efforts, but he persists in not letting you
leave....at least not alive.
It seems that he was part of the evil dominion, & thus
sent to rid of Arc & his party. He will transform and
a battle will take place.
(Needle Enemies: Evil monks, Arc Demon (Rocktle))
o After defeating Rocktle & his band of evil monks, Gogen
will accidently drop the orb, releasing the wind spirit
inside. It will give you the true orb.
Now for the fourth orb...
o BUT....before you go to the airbase, check out the
arena again. Talk to the other announcer 10 times.
He just might give you something...
o Your task here is done. Head to the airbase for
the continent of Aribasha. There, the fourth orb awaits.
10. [ARIBASHA]
o Upon arriving in Aribasha, you will be greeted by the
village leader of Aribasha. As he takes you a scenic
view of the village, a light flashes & before you know
it, Aribasha is in flames. You encounter the demons
responsible, and thus a battle...
(Aribasha Desert Enemies: Desert Poison Plants, Red skeletons,
blue arch-demon)
o As one of the old leaders of Aribasha breathes his last
words, he gives Arc a relic. He asks of you to protect
the temple of the water goddess.
As you head to the desert temple, you see a band of
armies combing the desert area. Kasadooru, the leader
of the army, will have his army attack you.
Yet another battle...
o After defeating Kasadooru & his army, the path will
lead to the mystic water godess' shrine. Go in &
get the fourth orb. The goddess will also give Chongara
a new monster to summon. He is Raigin. -Also refer to
the Tips & Tricks Section-
o Though your task in Aribasha is technically done, there
will be two more desert areas for you to battle. For
the sake of gaining more levels, it is advisable to
explore & battle the enemies there before heading back
to the airbase.
o At the airbase, your final orb is located back in Sumaria.
But, I STRONGLY advise you to explore the regions you have
yet to explore, in order to gain more levels.
- The 50 Dungeons in Araratos & get the secret character
- The 10 training levels at the temple of Gracina.
- pick up a monster at Chongara's shop
- enter other tournaments to win prizes at Needle
11. [BACK IN SUMARIA]
o Back in Sumaria, go to Arc's house (or what's left of it).
Arc's father will have left a letter for you. It states
that the final orb will be in the depths of the Palencia
castle.
o Head to the castle, where a scene will take place.
After finding out the secrets of Andel & the experiments
done on the fire spirit, a battle will take place.
(Palencia enemies: priests, red slimes, blue dragon)
o Just as you defeat the enemies & gain the final orb, the
evil scientist, with his last bit of energy, pulls the
self-destruct lever, leaving the Palencia castle on
the verge of destruction & everyone in it.
o As everyone struggles to leave the castle, monsters will
try to slow you down. Arc & Kukuru will battle the
monsters.
(Palencia enemies: blue skeletons, level 2 fires, grim reaper)
o As Arc & Kukuru escape through the elevator, two
flying dragons will try to stop you.
(Palencia enemies: blue dragons)
o A final scene with the destruction of the Palencia castle
will be shown. Towards the end of the scene, Lord Andel
will dicreed himself as the new emperor & frame Arc and
his party as the ones responsible for the destruction of
Palencia and the king.
o With the final battle coming forth, you will have the
option of either re-exploring the battle areas to gain
more levels, or to re-enter Sumaria (disguised) and
battle the final bosses of the game.
12. [RE-ENTERING SUMARIA]
o When re-entering Sumaria, you will be disguised as a
group of royalty, seeking Andel's help. Once in
Sumaria, head to Toville (Arc's House). There,
Arc must blow off the ancient fire & battle the enemies.
o Once completed, you must head to the upper little region of
the mountain, where the mystic chest lies. There,
a battle with 10 red/green demons will take place.
It will not be an easy battle.
(Toville Upper Region enemies: green demons, red demons)
o The final battle sequence of the game will follow.
At the waterfall, you will be given an option, asking
whether or not you want to proceed.
o Assuming that you answered 'yes', you will use the
five orbs to reveal the secret entrance of the mystic
treasure. Upon reaching the mystic treasure, it
will tell you that in order to obtain the treasure,
you must fight your 'true oneself'.
Thus, the final boss(es) -- the evil reflections of
your characters.
o In the final sequence of the game & having defeated your
evil reflections, all five of the gods will speak to
you, telling Arc of his true destiny. As they leave,
Arc & Kukuru will be given special powers, accordingly
to their destined fate. Once leaving the cavern,
Andel & his army will be waiting for you, in anticipation
of stealing the mystic treasure from you.
Oddly enough, Arc will choose not to battle them, assuming
he was outnumbered. In the course of events to follow,
Andel will gain the treasure, Arc has yet to find his
father (at least, not for now) and Kukuru & Arc will be
separated (for now), as it was said by the gods.
As the final scene unfolds, Kukuru is seen looking over
the horizon & Arc's ship will pass by her.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
[ EDITOR's RATINGS ]
o Graphics (*****)
o Sound (*****)
o Story (**** )
o Originality (*** )
o Length (* )
o Overall (**** )
EDITOR'S
SPECULATION: G-Craft has indefinately created a RPG with great
potential. Brilliant graphics, immersive sounds,
FANTASTIC voice-sampling, an intuitive storyline,
and smooth animation. The only & greatest flaw
of the game was quite obviously the length of the
game, as it can also be seen by the short length
of this guide. The first time through, the game
lasted a mere 8 hours. The second time through,
less than 5 hours -- and note that these times
include going through the full 50 dungeon levels
of the game.
As any RPG fanatic would know, a true RPG would
have to last at least 50 or so hours,
and its greatest emphasis should be based on the
length & creativity/originality of the storyline.
ARC THE LAD definately has the potential to be
up in ranks with the Final Fantasy Series or
Shining Force series, so hopefully, in the
upcoming Arc the Lad 2, G-Craft will extend it
further (say 50 hours worth more?). A new and
original battle engine/format wouldn't hurt either...
===================================================================
[CAST OF CHARACTES] [SPELLS]
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Arc - Burn Ground (volcanic eruption on enemies)
- Total Healing (replenishes HP's)
- Gail Flash (mystic forces flashes on enemies)
- Slow Enemy (decreases dexterity of enemies)
- Meteor Fall (huge meteor clashes on enemies)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Kukuru - Cure (replenishes HP's)
- Depoison (cures poison status)
- Silent (disables enemy's magic use)
- Refresh (cures status)
- Ten No Sabaki (hail of explosions)
- Resurrection (revives dead members)
- Divide (steals HP's from enemies)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Poco - Ikusa No Kodaiko (raises attack levels
on members)
- Arajishi Daiko (laser attack on enemies)
- Hero Hero Rappa (huge stone notes drop on
enemies)
- Ieyashi No Tategoto (replenishes member's HP)
- Noroma No Bass (decreases enemy's dexterity)
- Idaten No Okarina (raises member's dexterity)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Tosh - Oukarai Bakuzan (three deadly slashes to enemy)
- Juubakuken (paralyzes enemy)
- Shinkuuzan (Illusion attack for enemy at
2 squares away from Tosh)
- Koenzan (Shadow attack to inflict deadly)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Gogen - Explosion (massive explosion against enemies)
- Dream Knock (casts "sleep" on enemies)
- Diamond Dust (hails of ice thrashes on enemies)
- Wind Slasher (cyclones thrash against enemies)
- Heat Wall (creates a fire barrier against
enemies) - look in tips section
- Thunder Storm (summons lightning bolts)
- Teleport (teleports)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Iga - Shingan Hoo (casts "rock" on enemies")
- look in tips section
- Taimakoodan (releases lasers against enemise)
- Senbuugekishuu (releases a flaming kick to
hit all enemies around him)
- Ryuusenbaku (summons winds to lift enemies
and thrashes them on ground)
- Kishin Ryuueiha (throws ground lightning bolt)
- Metsushuu Reppa (energy wave attack)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Chongara - Keraku (three elves who heal members)
- Monfree (creates tiles for passage)
* Look in - Fuugin (wind demon)
tips section - Raigin (thunder demon)
- Hemogee (transforms enemies into trolls)
- Odon (morphs into enemy)
===================================================================
[TIPS & TRICKS]
-------------------------------------------------------------------
*) -Iga's Rock Spell
o Once the "Shingan Hoo" spell (rock spell) is casted
on enemies, the "Taimakoodan" spell (laser spell) is
enabled/accessable. The laser will attack all the
enemies under the rock spell. Note that the
Taimakoodan spell is not usable independantly.
*) -Chongara's Monsters & the 1100+ HP Damage Attack
o Chongara's abilities are of a unique one. He summons
enemies of all genera at his will. Though his
monsters may not seem as useful at first,
his two monsters "Raigin" & "Fuugin" can be quite a
deadly combination when used accordingly.
o Though it takes some time to summon both Raigin
& Fuugin, once they are out, place them around an
enemy, preferably a strong one. But note that
they must be in a VERTICLE FORMATION, in order for
the attack to work.
-----------
EXAMPLE: | Raigin |
-----------
** ENEMY **
-----------
| Fuugin |
-----------
Once they are in a verticle formation, a spell will now
be accessable, which can inflict more than 1100 HP
damage! Death is inevitable.
o Chongara also has a secret character that he can
summon at only certain times. To access her, you
must fight your way through all 50 dungeon levels
at Alalatos, and eventually fight her. If you do
manage to defeat her (good luck -- you'll need it),
she will join your party & Chongara will be able to
summon her, but only in certain locations.
But then, you have to go UP though ALL the 50 levels
again, in order to get out. If you die, all that
hours of work will have gone towards nothing!
So be sure to be well prepared before going down there.
*) FINAL NOTE: Talk to many of the people when available.
If you talk to them annoyingly (over & over),
they just might give you some nifty items.
For example, the announcer at Needle -- talk
to him over & over (about 10+ times). He will
eventually get sick of you and will give you
a book that will make you immune to all poison
statuses.
===================================================================
