Arc the Lad
Arc the Lad (アークザラッド, Āku za raddo) is a series of tactical role-playing games created by Toshiro Tsuchida and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Each Arc the Lad game often features recurring characters and locations, as well as a consistent timeline. Most of the stories in the series involves a cast of characters battling against the forces of an evil organization or empire, with monsters attacking the world alongside them. The series features a similar strategy-like battle system, which all games except Arc the Lad: End of Darkness follow.
| Arc the Lad | |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing |
| Developer(s) | G-Craft ARC Entertainment TOSE Cattle Call AltPlus |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment Working Designs Bandai Namco ForwardWorks |
| Creator(s) | Toshiro Tsuchida |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, WonderSwan Color, PlayStation 2, Android, iOS |
| First release | Arc the Lad June 30, 1995 |
| Latest release | Arc the Lad R August 25, 2018 |
The series began with the release of Arc the Lad in 1995 exclusively for the PlayStation, followed up by a sequel a year later. Alongside seven other released games after II, the Arc the Lad series has also branched into other media such as manga, anime, and novels.
Though the series enjoyed huge success in Japan, often regarded as a staple RPG of its generation in the region, Western sales and overall knowledge of the series are low due to its obscurity. This is due to the first three Arc the Lad games not being released outside of Japan until the Arc the Lad Collection was released by Working Designs in 2002, which was followed by Twilight of the Spirits in 2003 and End of Darkness in 2005.