We posed some burning questions to Shawn Torin Rettig, the associate producer of Arch the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits for the PS2. Mike Moore has the scoop.

The Arc The Lad Collection for PlayStation saw quite a few delays for the North American release. Was there a conscious effort to speed up the localization process for this game?
There was no effort to speed up the localization process for Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits. We spent basically the same amount of time localizing the game as we do with any other Japanese RPG.

What new features and gameplay elements can fans of the series look forward in Twilight of the Spirits?
The battle system has been made more dynamic. Characters on the battlefield do not move on a simple grid anymore. They are able move to any point within their circular range of movement. Also, there is an analog targeting system, allowing players to see the range and effective area of attack before assaulting enemies.

Additionally, there are extensive, dynamic battle voice-overs in the game. During battle characters will often say something before battle begins, before they attack, during the attack, after an attack, after being attacked and during combination attacks. Also, during battle when certain characters interact with certain other characters, whether by joint attacks or healing or enhancing spells, they will say specific phrases that reflect their relationship and what these characters think of each other. Since humans and Deimos often, reluctantly, join forces against a common enemy, not all of the things they say are nice ;)

Another addition that was not present in previous Arc the Lad games is that of full motion capture cuts-scenes that appear at certain key points in the story to push it forward.

Arc The Lad games have always been known for their emphasis on story. Can you outline the plot for this game?
(Slightly more than an outline, but…)

The world of Arc the Lad is that in which two types of sentient beings exist, humans and Deimos. Deimos are similar to humans in that they are intelligent, can use tools and have their own culture, however there are a number of different clans separating them. Deimos are essentially creatures that have evolved from animals and monsters into sentient beings and their clans are based upon their species affiliation.

Humans, comparatively speaking are more kind and gentle than Deimos, who are colder and more pragmatic. However, whereas humans will group together and join forces to face a threat, Deimos are far more solitary, unwilling to trust and bond with other Deimos and Deimos clans.

However, although the differing attitudes and cultures of the humans and Deimos are a source for great misunderstandings between the two, the thing that truly brings them into conflict and also becomes the focus of the story are the Spirit Stones. For the humans, the Spirit Stones are an energy source that can power their machines and drive their civilization and society forward along a technological route. But for the Deimos, the Spirit Stones are the source of their magical powers and are necessary to perform their magical spells and feats. Amongst these Spirit Stones, however, are Five Great Spirit Stones, far more powerful than any other normal Spirit Stones. These are the Great Spirit Stones of Light, Earth, Fire, Water and Wind. It was the union of these Spirit Stones that brought about a great cataclysm hundreds of years ago and they will become the main objects of contention in this tale.

It is against this backdrop that the two heroes of the story Kharg and Darc emerge. Kharg and Darc are twin brothers and the result of a union between a human princess, Nafia, of the state of Needelia and the Deimos warrior, Windolph. Once their union and subsequent offspring were discovered, Nafia and Windolph were expelled and when they fled they took with them the Wind Spirit Stone, one of the Five Great Spirit Stones. Upon learning of the theft, Deimos warriors pursued them. In the pursuit Nafia and Windolph were separated, each with one half of the Wind Spirit Stone and each with one of the twins. Nafia was able to eventually reach her home state of Needelia with Kharg, while Windolph, with Darc, escaped into a foreign land, narrowly escaping the pursuers.

Kharg and Darc, from that point on had distinctly different upbringings. In Needelia, Nafia was a princess of the Royal Family of Needelia and although the Royal system no longer existed Kharg, as her son, was raised with the utmost love, support and respect of those around him. Nafia still had her half of the Wind Spirit Stone. At the opening of the story, Kharg is 17 and has grown to be a formidable warrior, besting even his mentor, teacher and father figure, Lloyd, who had been teaching him swordplay since he was a boy. Lloyd is captain of the Guard of Needelia, but soon due for retirement and Kharg is favored to take his place.

Darc’s story is considerably different. Due to injuries sustained in the escape, Windolph eventually died some years later and Darc was left alone. He was eventually found by Geedo, an old witch and taken back with her. Although Geedo raised Darc, she treated him as a virtual slave, subjecting him to back-breaking labor and constant beatings. What kept Darc alive throughout this ordeal were the final words of his father before he died. “Darc, you must save the Deimos from destruction”, he implored. After he died, at the site of a ruined church, Darc made a grave of rough stones and within this grave he also interred the half of the Wind Spirit Stone that Windolph carried with them. Although he knew not how, Darc vowed to carry out his father’s wishes and it was this determination that kept him alive no matter what Geedo subjected him to. In order to save the Deimos, Darc decides that he must conquer then unite the Deimos and that power is the only method to accomplish this.

Both Kharg and Darc soon discover their destinies and how they are intertwined with the Five Great Spirit Stones and with a human girl, Lilia, who possesses the Light Spirit Stone and whose family was the sworn protector of the Five Great Spirit Stones for generations. They also soon discover that the Emperor Darkham, ruler of Dizvald, is also in pursuit of the Five Great Spirit Stones and that he intends to use them to create the Ultimate Weapon, the same one that brought the world to destruction hundreds of years ago. Darkham pursues Lilia and her stone, along with rest of the stones, and will use any method necessary to eliminate those who stand in the way of his pursuit. Kharg comes to desire the Five Spirit Stones to defeat the Deimos and save humanity. Darc comes to pursue the Spirit Stones to obtain the power necessary to unite the Deimos and drive back humanity. Their quests eventually lead them to discover many allies and also enemies and leads them into confrontation with Darkham and each other.

Can you comment on the approximate length of the game, and how much time can be spent on optional attribute enhancement or side quests?
With all of the quests involved the game is approximately 60 hours, however it’s difficult to estimate how much time can be spent on extra areas alone.

How much does the game play vary depending on whether the player is using the human or deimos character?
The player plays both the human and Deimos sides of the story throughout the normal progression of the game. The player starts out with Kharg and the human side in the first chapter then takes the side of Darc and the Deimos in the second chapter. The game progresses in this fashion, alternating between the human and Deimos sides, one chapter each for a total of 6 human chapters and 5 Deimos chapters. The final chapter of the game, though, deals with both the Deimos and the humans.

What changes have been made to the inventory system?
The inventory system in Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits works on the concept of individual inventories and a main shared inventory, or party inventory. Although the party inventory can have an unlimited amount of items individual characters can only carry a certain limited amount of items at a time and items must be present in a character’s inventory before they can be used. This rule applies in the field as well as in battle. Even if there are 100 healing items in the party items, if a character does not have one of them in their individual inventory it cannot be used. Weapon Parts and Equipment are handled a little differently and are not a part of a characters inventory, but of course, they must be equipped to a character to utilize their effects. Also, although each character has a limited amount of items they can carry, there are items that can increase this limit.

With Everquest stateside and Final Fantasy XI in Japan, online RPGs are gradually reaching popularity levels on consoles that were only previously seen on the PC. With that in mind, can you provide any information regarding the upcoming online version of Arc The Lad?
We have not announced an online version of Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits.

Thanks for your time.