Arc the Lad 2 may have overshadow Arc the Lad 3 being so great and all but that doesn’t necessarily mean Arc The Lad 3 is a bad game. Being the last of the original Arc The Lad series, the improvement that has been made for the game is at its peak including improvement in the visual department. But the real question is; is Arc The Lad 3 better than Arc the Lad 2?
The game set after the “Great Disaster” that happened in Arc the Lad 2 with the world looking less chaotic state than before. With that being said, the game does not have the element of fighting for a great cause anymore. While Arc and Elc was on a journey to destroy a powerful monster that threatens the destruction of the world, Arc The Lad 3 sets in a peaceful state of the world with not much of a great cause in the hero’s journey except traversing all over the world and finding troubles. You will play a character called Alec who dreams of becoming a Hunter, a profession title for bounty hunters, after being saved from the Great Disaster by a Hunter who has aspired him. His friend, Lutz, who serve as the comic relief of the game follows him on his journey to become a great Hunter.
Fans will be pleased to know that the monster catching feature from Arc The Lad 2 is back in the game with a much better change. The character Teo has the ability to turn monsters into cards and summons them at will during battle without taking the spaces of the party unlike Arc The Lad 2 which is much preferred since the monsters are not strong enough to replace the human characters. Gameplay looks like an improved version of the Arc The Lad 2, in some ways, fixing some of the issues but yet no any significant changes. In fact there’s actually some defects in the gameplay when compared to Arc The Lad 2. For instances, limitation of numbers of characters you can put in battle has been drastically decreased to only 4 characters and enemies that you will encounter will mostly come in small numbers who are relatively easy to beat. Arc The Lad gameplay has survive the gaming industry and appeal to many gamers because of the many interesting characters in battle and large number of enemies who are challenging, both which are present in the second series, but are absent in the third.
However, being last of the series there are improvements in the gameplay. Character animation when casting skills and spells looks more slicker and smoother than before. Moving through each other characters is also possible now allowing players more freedom in developing a strategy. But the game’s major disappointment is the enemy being able to move through your characters which is a stupid move on the developer’s part. This alone has abolish much of the fun in the game unable to perform classic tactical strategy such as protecting weak characters and surrounding an enemy.
The journey of the game is very long giving you the adventure of a life time. However, because of the absent of any great cause in the story and a gameplay that can’t entertain you in the long run, some of you might not go all the way to the end with this game. Story is actually good, with the characters thrown in varied situations, but it is clear that this game is for people who enjoy games that are just about going adventure without any great cause, meeting all of the recurring characters of the previous Arc The Lad series along the way. You could say Arc The Lad 3 is like an anniversary edition. One that fans would enjoy rather than casual gamers.
Overall, of course Arc The Lad 2 is the best of the series. However, in some ways Arc The Lad 3 is better. A long journey that is not about saving the world or any noble deed could be what the fans looking for after playing though the chaotic state of the world of Arc The Lad 1 and 2. Recurring characters from the previous series is also what makes this game worthwhile.