Review – Luminous Arc 2 (DS)

Manga-themed strategy RPGs are a common sight, which is why Luminous Arc 2 is on an uphill climb. Given the genre’s Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaeas, and Front Missions, does Luminous Arc 2 stand a chance against the stiff competition? Read on, gamer.

Like other popular SRPGs, the structure in Luminous Arc 2 is a familiar one: dialogue is presented to convey the story, typically using stills and text. A battle follows, then another dialogue. Rinse and repeat. The battles themselves present a good deal of depth with many things to consider, such as the height of the character compared to the enemy, the direction a character or enemy is facing, or the use of Drive Points in changing the course of a seemingly-hopeless battle.

Luminous Arc 2 may use very familiar SRPG conventions, but it certainly is well-crafted. The dialogue is funny; the characters, while rather hackneyed, are colorful and memorable. The audio is particularly impressive because Luminous Arc 2 manages to compress many spoken lines in one DS game cart. There are also original elements here that help in keeping things interesting, such as Roland’s “Engage” ability that lets him draw magic from witches, intermission segments between characters, and a Kopin that contemplates on life.

While Luminous Arc 2 is well-polished, everything isn’t peachy. The awarding of experience points is unbalanced; the script’s translation can be awkward in certain spots, and the battles have a tendency to be long. Good thing there’s an option to save between battles to make things manageable.

There’s also a multiplayer feature, but players can forget about trying it out unless they’ve reached impossibly high levels. Thanks to the multiplayer’s lack of a level-balancing option, the between opponents are usually too powerful or too weak to make the battle fair.

SRPG fans looking for the next manga-themed game should try out Luminous Arc 2. It might not be perfect, but while the story lasts, Luminous Arc 2 is worth the admission price. It may feel familiar at times, but somehow, Luminous Arc 2 is capable (although barely) of setting itself apart from other more popular SRPGs. Just don’t expect the game to remain rewarding after the storyline is finished. Disgaea this isn’t.

7.5/10

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