Namco's Peter Cesario sits down with Joel talking about the huge change of direction for the Arc the Lad franchise in Arc the Lad: End of Darkness.
Hi and thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us about Arc the Lad: End of Darkness. First can we get your name and your involvement with this game?
Hi. My name is Peter Cesario and I'm the Namco Producer on Arc The Lad: End of Darkness.
What is the storyline behind End of Darkness and where does it fall in the timeline of the series?
The story behind End of Darkness takes place five years after the events in the previous Arc The Lad game, Twilight of the Spirits and revolves around a new character to the series named Edda. Edda is the last in a long line of "exorcists" that have to ability to banish evil spirits trapped within creatures. Since the events in Twilight of the Spirits these evil spirits have begun to multiply rapidly which results in Edda's unique abilities being required throughout the land. However, Edda meets a mysterious girl named Kirika and discovers along his journey that there is much more to the source of these evil spirits than he ever imagined.
What are some of the key differences from End of Darkness to Twilight of the Spirits?
There are a number of key differences between Twilight of the Spirits and End of Darkness, but the biggest is definitely the change from turn-based combat to real-time. This is a first for the Arc The Lad series in general and we feel that it really adds a lot of appeal to more action oriented gamers while still maintaining the depth that RPG gamers expect.
25 playable characters is another key difference. Never have so many characters been playable in the series. The best part about this though, is that 24 of them are all characters that have appeared in the series before!
Lastly, the addition of Online play is a huge difference between the two games. Players can now take any of their offline characters into online play in over 200 unique missions with up to 4 players cooperatively or up to 8 in a deathmatch (4v4).
Real-time combat? Can you elaborate on what this will be like?
Sure. The new combat system will be real time and use a "combo" system. Each character will have a primary attack that will use this combo system, which generates more damage with each consecutive hit. However, all characters will also have a defensive maneuver and a unique "special" attack that is extremely powerful.
On the subject of online play, can you tell us about what this will entail?
Online play is a separate component from the single player experience in that you do not need to go online to complete the game. However, for players that choose to do so there are over 200 unique missions that can be completed cooperatively with up to 4 players. Or, there is a deathmatch mode with up to 8 players simultaneously (4v4). Any of the 25 characters from the single player game can be taken online where there will be many unique items and other rewards to find!
That should keep gamers occupied for quite some time. How many hours can we expect gamers to put into the game?
The single player game can take anywhere from 30-50 hours to complete depending on how many side quests and optional hidden areas the player decides to complete.
What are some of the key features that you think separates this game from other RPG's on the market?
I think that the way our real time combat is being done is unique to the genre and definitely separates us from the other RPGs. Also, having 25 playable characters is far more than just about any other RPG out there right now. Combined with a full Online component, there really is nothing like End of Darkness in stores today.
Are there going to be a lot of different worlds to explore? What is your favorite location in the game?
The World consists of 6 continents each with a large city to explore and dozens of missions to take on.
If you had to pick one feature or one part of the game that was your favorite, what would it be and why?
My favorite feature is definitely online play. I really enjoy taking on missions that require cooperation and teamwork. There's just something really satisfying about working with 3 other people to take down a huge dragon! Having the game utilize voice chat is also a plus!
Sounds very exciting indeed. When can we expect to see Arc the Lad: End of Darkness to hit store shelves and for what consoles?
Arc The Lad: End of Darkness is a PlayStation 2 exclusive title and will be on store shelves on June 16th!!
Lastly, can we expect to see any Arc the Lad franchise going to the next generation consoles?
No definite plans as of yet; but we never say never!
Click for more info on Arc the Lad: End of Darkness.
