Luminous Arc

is a tactical role-playing game from Marvelous for the Nintendo DS. Luminous Arc was released in Japan on February 8, 2007. The game was released in North America on August 14, 2007 by Atlus. The game was released in Europe on 12 October, 2007 by Rising Star Games.

The game features voiced scenes, character designs by Kaito Shibano and music by Akari Kaida, Yasunori Mitsuda, and Mitsuda's studio, Procyon. Along with the main gameplay, there is an online multiplayer battle option.

The game has a sequel, Luminous Arc 2: Will, that was released on May 15, 2008 in Japan.

Gameplay

Luminous Arc is a tactical role-playing game and uses a battlefield grid viewed from an isometric perspective. The top screen is used to display unit information while movement and attacks are determined on the lower screen. Left- and right-handed touch-screen controls and D-pad control schemes are available. One of the special traits is the Flash Drive Gauge, which, when filled, allows a character to use a special attack. Between battles, players can view short sequences featuring the game's mascot, Kopin, and intermission sequences that will allow the player to get to know the characters in the party better. The game also includes a multiplayer battle mode.

Special attacks

Each time a player character makes an action, his or her Flash Meter will increase. The player can then use Flash Points to perform powerful attacks, called Flash Drives, that may also cause status ailments to enemies. Some enemies in Luminous Arc can also use Flash Drives.

It is important to note that, while normal attack skills can damage allies and healing skills can restore enemy HP, the effects of Flash Drives are limited to their intended targets; for instance, it is impossible for a recovery Flash Drive to heal opponents. Flash Drives can be learned via leveling up, but several are learned as the story progresses.

Synergy attacks are a combination attack that can be used when all characters involved have their Flash Points filled up and are close to each other. However, not all characters can perform Synergy attacks, as they are unlocked via story arcs that revolve around certain characters bonding.

Intermissions

After each battle, the spoils of battle will be displayed on the screen, including gold, items, and Vitae. In addition, the player will be prompted to talk with one of the characters that took part in the battle. An Intermission scene occurs after the ensuing plot dialogue, in which the player can have a short conversation with the previously selected character. On the touch screen, a list of responses will appear with the chosen character's avatar on the top screen. If the choice was favorable, the main character, Alph, will develop a stronger bond with that character, which takes the form of evasion and hit rate bonuses if the two are placed next to each other in future battles. If the character particularly likes the player's response, he or she may give Alph a useful item. However, the player is given a finite number of opportunities to talk to each character, after which it will be impossible to improve the bond. If the player has made good choices throughout the various conversations with a character, there may be a special scene between Alph and that character featuring anime-style art and an additional voice-over.

There are also short cutscenes after every story battle featuring the game's mascot, Kopin. Though he claims that he will try to keep an eye on the characters and tell the story from his point of view, the player actually learns more about Kopin's personality, philosophy, and possible love interests.

Vitae

Throughout the adventure, the player will obtain magical items called Vitae. According to the game's lore, Vitae get their magical properties from the ancient power of Rune, the same power used by the Witches to fuel their magic. In order to make use of a piece of Vitae, it must first be appraised at the workshop in the Witch Village. Once this has been accomplished, the Vitae can be used to add elemental and status effects to weapons. In addition, it is possible to ask other characters about what they know about Vitae. This will allow the player to learn the best combinations for developing items with different strengths.

Multiplayer battles

Using the Wi-Fi option, players can choose to either battle against an anonymous and random opponent, or against a player whose friend code has been registered. Items are won for each game played against a random opponent, with more being earned if the player is victorious. Players can also play locally via the DS' wireless connection.

Story

Characters

The anime inspired chararacter designs are by Kaito Shibano, an illustrator for PC games and trading cards. Shibano said that he made the designs bright and with a light feel to brush off the stereotype of witches being gloomy.

Garden Children

The Garden Children are a special group of warriors trained by the Arc Knight Heath to fight monsters and condemn the Witches that have reappeared in the world after being sealed for a thousand years. The Garden Children get their name from the Ever Garden, where a majority of them have been living for most of their lives. The Ever Garden was founded 14 years before the game's story begins, in the same year that the Grand Cardinal Johannes was born. It was the last wish of the former Grand Cardinal that a group of humans be established to fight against the Witches, whose rebirth he foresaw. Each member of the group has special abilities that make him or her useful in combat, ranging from swordfighting and archery skills to the use of Church-approved magic.

All of the current members of the Garden Children are orphans who were taken in by the church at a young age and taught to follow the Luminous Verses.

Alph was raised in the Ever Garden, has a strong sense of justice and wants to be a great knight. He cares greatly for his brother and friends, and idolizes Heath. Alph has a strange bond with Lucia and cares for her deeply. Introduced in chapter 1.

Alph (Rym) is Alph reborn as Lucia's Rym, the fated kinship between a witch and dragon. He pledges to protect the planet and fight alongside Lucia.

Theo is Alph's brother and another member of the Ever Garden. A bit timid, though he dearly loves his older brother, and follows him everywhere. Theo fights with a bow, and loves eggs. Introduced in chapter 1.

Leon is the Ever Garden's big brother. He's proud of his father, "The Lion King", who died in battle. He has a hit with the ladies and is a strong ally. Leon calls himself "God of Gourmet" because of his extensive knowledge of local specialty food items. Introduced in chapter 1.

Cecille is a devout priestess who lives at the Ever Garden. She's a big sister to the others, and is a pretty easy-going person. In battle, she provides healing support. Introduced in chapter 1.

Heath is an Arc Knight that serves the Luminous Church. Heath is in charge of training the Ever Garden members. Heath is also known as the "Cleansing Flame". Introduced in chapter 1

Lucia (Maid) is a maid that comes to serve at the Ever Garden. She likes to order others around, but doesn't take orders well. Her cooking skills are good, buts hates doing the dishes. Seen in chapters 2-4.

Saki is a member of the Ever Garden, Saki is a ninja who specializes in gathering intelligence. She is efficient and business-like, but more cheerful around her best friend, Cecille. Introduced in chapter 6.

Nikolai left the Ever Garden to pursue his Witch research. Though he is intelligent, he is far more of a Witch otaku than he is a Witch scholar. He constantly writes to Cecille but never got a letter in return. Introduced in chapter 7.

Character	Actor/Actress - Japanese	Actor/Actress - English
	Akira Ishida	Grant George
	Keiji Fujiwara	Doug Erholtz
	Mie Sonozaki	Michelle Ruff
	Kousuke Toriumi	Yuri Lowenthal
	Yuko Sanpei	Wendee Lee
	Fumiko Orikasa	Karen Strassman
	Daisuke Kishio	Dave Wittenberg

Luminous Order

Clergy and other important figures in the Luminous Church.

Andre is an important member of the Luminous Church, being Cardinal Kingston's right hand man and leader of the Zephyroth knights. Andre has a short temper and is somewhat of a bully, and has a habit of boasting about his huge muscles. About halfway through the plot, Andre reveals that he had stolen the legendary Regulus Heart sword from the previous leader of the Zephyroth Knights: Leon's father. Andre, however, was unable to use this sword. Despite this secret, Andre is also known as the Master of the Western Wind due to his position.

Cardinal Kingston is the Cardinal of the Luminous Church and wields the real power of the church's influence. As the Cardinal, Kingston assists Grand Cardinal Johannes in his 'holy' duties. His plots escalate from creating an artificial "Steel Witch" and destroying the real Witches, to creating a machine that supposedly would make him able to control the power of God.

God Zehaal is the god the Luminous Church worships, and the one who supposedly sealed the witches and dragons away long ago. He is referred to as "God", and is the final boss of the game.

Grand Cardinal Johannes is the Grand Cardinal of the Luminous order appointed by the previous Grand Cardinal. Johannes is 13 years old and is doubted by some, but is highly respected by most of the people. Johannes is special to the Luminous faith because he has 'the fingerprint' which means he is the vessel of God.

Character	Actor/Actress - Japanese	Actor/Actress - English
	Norio Wakamoto	Richard Epcar
	Satoshi Taki
	Naoki Makishima
	Akiko Kimura
	Saiga Mitsuki
	Takashi Ohara
	Satoshi Taki	Dave Wittenberg
	Akane Oomae

Witches

According to the scriptures of the Luminous Church, the Witches and the Dragons fought an unending war until God descended from heaven and sealed them away. The Witches have a mysterious and innate power known only as Rune, and they use this power to cast unholy magic and cause chaos in the world. As they are always in competition with one another, the Witches want nothing more than to develop their abilities, and travel around the world looking for Lapistier, magic stones that feed on God's power and can amplify a Witch's power to terrifying levels. As such, it is up to special agents of the Luminous Church to travel around the world and condemn Witches and transport the Lapistier to the Church in order to have them cleansed of their evil energy.

The Witches themselves have a completely different philosophy. Born from a rainbow-colored stone called the Mother Lapistier, Witches are born whenever the planet is in danger, and are then reabsorbed into the crystal when the threat has been extinguished. However, it also appears that the Earth has the ability to call back Witches who do not take their function seriously, as long as the different Runes are kept in balance. Indeed, Witches "represent the natural elements of the planet, and gather together to pool their powers in the war against what has become the God of the Luminous Church. Witches use the Lapistier not to boost their destructive power, but to fill themselves up with the energy of the earth itself when the time comes to fight. This group of Witches seems to have developed differently from those of the past, as they have all developed their own philosophies and battle styles.

Living with the Witches in their village are two creatures that resemble dugong and two apprentice Witches. These members of the group focus on studying and using Vitae, stones that have absorbed small amounts of Rune. The sage Payan-Payan is able to appraise Vitae, while his student Pollon-Pollon is able to create alloys for use in imbuing.

Lucia is the Dawn Witch, the one who had a fated kinship with Alph. She does not show her true feelings. Instead, she masks her emotions by speaking bluntly. Introduced in chapter 2

Mel The Torrent Witch has a heart like a flowing stream. She easily accepts anything much like a river's current. However, she's easily affected by these things. Introduced in chapter Introduced in chapter 4

Vivi is known as the Sky Witch. Vivi is cheerful like a cloud, but can be lazy and moody. She prefers to live life as she pleases. She is friends with the forest animals. Introduced in chapter 10

Mavi is the Nature Witch and believes that magic strength is tied to physical strength. She is very upright and moral, she opposes Vanessa's violent methods. Introduced in chapter 9

Claire is the Thunder Witch and leader of the 7 Witches. Always flounders over decisions. She seeks to solve disputes peacefully, to avoid damaging the planet. introduced in chapter 12

Vanessa is the Witch of Immolation. She is like fire: strong and impulsive. She believes any matter can be resolved by power. She has two pet monsters named Gul and Gal. Introduced in chapter 4

Cecille (Twilight Witch) Cecille's true form, the Witch who wields the power of the dark. To prepare for battle against God, she sealed off her memories and powers when she left the Forest. This seal was broken by the Mother Lapis shortly before it was destroyed, to allow the witches to gain their ultimate Synergy. Introduced in chapter 18

Character	Actor/Actress - Japanese	Actor/Actress - English
	Suzuna Kinoshita	N/A
	Fumiko Orikasa	Karen Strassman
	Sayaka Ohara	Michelle Ruff
	Aya Hirano	Amanda Winn-Lee
	Chiwa Saito	N/A
	Yuu Asakawa	N/A
	Yoriko Nagata	N/A
	Masato Hijikata	N/A
	Nobuyuki Kobushi	N/A
	Shizuka Itou	N/A
	Masayo Kurata	Stephanie Sheh

Locations

• Ever Garden: The base of the Garden Children, the Ever Garden is located on the western coast of the Eastern Continent. It consists of a dorm where the members of the group eat and sleep, and also serves as the training ground for the elite band of Witch-hunters. The Ever Garden is surrounded by woods, but is not far from the nearby village of Carwee.
• Ridget: Known as "the Emerald of the Eastern Continent," the port town of Ridget is the only gateway to the Saint Sea and to the world beyond. Though it was once a bustling village known for its strong trade industry, Ridget was attacked by Witches, and a majority of the property has been destroyed.
• Dotruvar: A mining city in the frontier of the Western Continent, Dotruvar has a strong trade economy due to the existence of Rune in the local rock. Drotruvar's artisans are in constant competition with those of other villages on the Western Continent, but recently have been enjoying success due to the existence of the Fire God, Hernas, who keeps the forges hot and the metal strong.
• Lethe Forest: An enchanted forest in the Northern reaches of the Western Continent, the Lethe Forest is the subject of rumors and legends among the local people. Though the woods are said to be the home of Witches, it has been said that it has always been an odd place, long before their return. It is impossible for normal humans to enter the Lethe Forest, but Alph and company must do so in order to reach the Village of Witches deep within the trees.
• Madrasta: Called "the Town of Scriptures" by people around the world, Madrasta is known for its close ties to the Luminous Church. The people of this city, located on the Western Continent, often have prophetic dreams about the circumstances surrounding God's second descent to the land below, and the reliability of the dreams is high due to the striking similarity among those accounts that have been documented. Madrasta is also the home base of the Zephyroth Knights, one of the Wings of the Luminous Church.

Development

The game was developed by Marvelous Interactive and "rookie development studio" imageepoch. Collaborating with them was composer Yasunori Mitsuda, of Chrono Trigger and Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht fame.

Reception

Luminous Arc was met with mixed reviews. Honest Gamers gave the game a solid 8/10, saying, "I realised that it was exactly because Luminous Arc refused to take itself seriously that it was so much fun."

However, 1UP.com rated the game as "average", giving it a C. The editors called it a "Final Fantasy Tactics Advance clone" because of its similar gameplay and overall feel. While not impressed with the DS's touch screen capabilities used in the game, the editor called the "the game's biggest attraction, in theory, is wireless multiplayer, either locally or online". GamePro's 6/10 review noted, "It's a decent enough game but it isn't the grand strategy RPG experience that we've all been waiting for.

References

External links

• Official UK Website
• Official US Website
• Official Japanese Website
• Kaito Shibano's Website